Even with Aokiji (Kuzan) officially promoted to Admiral, Marine still had only four Admirals in total.
"In order to fill the Admiral ranks," Kong announced to the gathered officers, "we've decided to initiate World Conscription!"
Aside from Sengoku, who had already been informed, the rest of the room was caught off guard.
The surprise was unanimous.
"Marshal Kong, isn't that… too extreme?" Aokiji asked, his voice calm but skeptical.
In his eyes, such a recruitment strategy seemed crude—too open-ended. The people they brought in might be strong, but their backgrounds, loyalties, and principles were all unknown.
There was a fundamental difference between outsiders and those trained by the Marines from the ground up.
Kong nodded. "I understand your concern."
"I've thought about that too. But this time, those participating in the selection must first prove themselves in real battle—against pirates—before even being considered for recruitment."
As Kong finished, the room fell silent. No one objected.
The logic was clear: while the idea of World Conscription felt risky and unorthodox, Marine was running short on high-level combat power.
This was no longer a matter of tradition. It was necessity.
The news of World Conscription spread across the globe like wildfire.
Everywhere, people buzzed with excitement and speculation. A new era was stirring.
If you dream of becoming Pirate King, you go to sea and raise a Jolly Roger.
But if you dream of becoming a Marine Admiral, you polish your skills, fight pirates—and enter the World Conscription.
Suddenly, the seas were boiling over with activity.
Pirates, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and hidden talents surged forward.
The established powerhouses of the New World—veteran pirates like Big Mom, Kaido, and Whitebeard—found themselves under pressure from two sides: young upstart pirates trying to make a name, and ambitious warriors chasing Marine recruitment by hunting them.
It was chaos.
And they found it… infuriating.
But not everyone was caught up in the storm.
Ayr, the mysterious pirate known as the most low-key and dangerous figure of the era, remained largely untouched.
His silence protected him. He wasn't the first target of either newbies or Admiral-hopefuls—a tactical blessing.
And those few who were foolish enough to try him?
They were quickly crushed by Ayr's men.
After all, Ayr was a legend. Even his least prominent crewmates had more experience and strength than these self-proclaimed prodigies.
Still, exceptions always exist.
On a quiet morning, while Ayr was calmly fishing by the beach, Nagley hurried toward him.
"Sir… there's something I need to report," he said, hesitating.
Nagley's face was pale and anxious—clearly something serious had occurred.
Ayr, still seated, cast him a sideways glance and continued to fish. "Speak."
Nagley swallowed hard. "Someone strong is here to challenge you."
Ayr blinked slowly. "Is that all?"
He barely reacted. "Then why do you look so nervous?"
Nagley rushed to explain, "Several of our pirates tried to stop him… and got injured."
"I couldn't do anything either!"
Ayr set down his fishing rod and sighed, voice still calm. "The ones stationed here aren't exactly our best fighters."
"Most of them have bounties in the tens of millions at best. If this guy is a real powerhouse, they're not enough to slow him down."
Indeed, most of Ayr's top subordinates were out on missions. The base's defense was average, at best.
He stood up, brushing the sand from his clothes.
"Fine. Take me to him."
"I'd like to see—what kind of newcomer is bold enough to come here and issue a direct challenge to me."
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