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Marine Headquarters, Marineford. Sengoku's Office.
Sengoku, Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, three veterans of the Marines, were gathered in the small office. Oh, and a lazy-looking Kizaru was there too.
"So, you're saying Atlas defeated the Golden Lion all by himself?" Sengoku asked slowly after a moment of silence, having heard Kizaru's report.
He knew full well that Kizaru had most likely been slacking off nearby, but he couldn't be bothered to call him out on it.
"That's right~ I never thought little Atlas would have such strength at such a young age. How scaaaary~"
Kizaru replied, finally shifting his attention from his fingernails to Sengoku's face, his tone equally surprised.
"Hahahaha! As expected of the brat I had my eye on! To think he's already strong enough to defeat the Golden Lion."
Before Sengoku could say anything, Garp swallowed the rice cracker in his mouth, a smug look on his face.
"Shut up, Garp! And put down those rice crackers!" Sengoku engaged in their usual love-hate bickering.
He snatched the bag of senbei from Garp's hand and poured the entire contents into his own mouth, chewing defiantly.
"Ah! My senbei!"
"Shut up! Those are my senbei, you bastard, Garp!" Sengoku gritted his teeth, then turned to Kizaru for confirmation. "That brat Atlas wasn't seriously injured, was he?"
Kizaru pondered for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't say he was uninjured. The Golden Lion's final blow was very frightening, you know. It's just that... little Atlas healed automatically after a short while."
"His recovery is that strong?" Sengoku was astonished.
Although he had been impressed by what Zephyr had told him about Atlas's monstrous healing ability, he hadn't imagined it was this absurd.
A life-or-death blow from a powerhouse like Shiki was not something one could walk away from.
"Well then, shouldn't his position be moved up a bit?" Vice Admiral Tsuru suddenly interjected.
Atlas's strength had long surpassed that of a typical Vice Admiral.
Still, due to a lack of particularly outstanding achievements and the World Government's suppression of the Marines, he had had no opportunity for promotion.
But now, this was a golden opportunity! It could expand the Marines' influence and, following the Three Great Monster Vice Admirals, add another codenamed Vice Admiral.
The pirates' fear of the Marines would surely increase. Moreover, with a figure like the Golden Lion being eliminated by a Marine up-and-comer, no matter what the Five Elders thought, they couldn't refuse to grant Atlas his own codename.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be the Marine high command who would object; the World Government's prestige among the mid-ranking Marines would also plummet.
"Tsuru, are you saying..." Sengoku looked at her hesitantly.
"That's right, just as you're thinking. That boy should have his own codename," Tsuru nodded slightly.
"But, the Five Elders..."
"The Five Elders cannot ignore an achievement like killing the Golden Lion, unless they want to drive a wedge between the Marines and the World Government."
Tsuru paused, then glanced inconspicuously at Kizaru with a smile. "Atlas's entry might also put a little pressure on these three young men."
Kizaru's expression didn't change as he pouted and said slowly, "Indeed. The young people these days are so scary. It puts much pressure on this old man."
"Puahaha! Perfect! When that brat gets back, I'll have him go to the New World to stand guard for me! This old man hasn't been home to see his grandson in a long time!"
"You bastard, Garp! Didn't you get back from vacation? You want to go to the East Blue again? In your dreams!" Sengoku roared.
Garp was running off to the East Blue every other day. Even though the situation in the New World was stable, the risk of his absence was still great.
If Whitebeard or one of the other Emperors had a sudden whim to attack a Marine base, the Marines' defences would suffer a great loss!
"Well then... shouldn't we decide on little Atlas's codename?"
Perhaps out of guilt for having watched Atlas get beaten so badly, Kizaru took the initiative to speak up for him.
"The staff office can draft some proposals for me later. I will present them to the Five Elders myself."
"In that case, what should the format for the codename be?" Tsuru asked.
As she also served as a staff officer at Headquarters, it was best to get a clear idea of Sengoku's thoughts.
"Colour plus animal..." This was a significant format. This generation of the three Admiral candidates all followed this pattern, like Akainu ("Red Dog") and Kizaru ("Yellow Monkey").
The previous generation wasn't so particular; their codenames were based on personal characteristics, like Zephyr's "Black Arm," which was named for his powerful Armament Haki.
This format meant that Atlas was essentially being listed as a candidate for admiral.
However, even if Sengoku were to become Fleet Admiral in the future, Marine Headquarters only had three Admiral positions.
Barring any accidents, a new position wouldn't be created just for Atlas. An Admiral was not just a symbol of status, but also of power.
The most direct manifestation of this was the authority to initiate a Buster Call!
Therefore, in the future, Atlas would have to compete with Akainu and the others for one of the three Admiral spots!
"I have an idea..." The three of them turned to look at Tsuru.
"For the colour, let's tentatively go with 'White,' since the boy is fond of wearing pure white suits. As for the animal, I think 'Tiger' would be an excellent choice. Vice Admiral 'Byakko'!"
"Byakko?" the other three asked in unison.
Seeing their clueless expressions, Tsuru explained calmly, "It is a mythical beast from legend. It is one of the 4 Legendary Mythical Beasts that govern the four directions, and Byakko govern the west."
"Puahaha! That's a great name! I'm sure that brat Atlas will love it!" Although he didn't fully understand it, Garp thought it sounded badass.
The current three Admiral candidates were a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant; compared to Atlas's title, they were totally lame.
"Let's not be too hasty. Have the staff office draft a few more for consideration, and let Atlas choose from them," Sengoku said.
"Also, release the news of Atlas killing the Golden Lion. The bigger the better. Contact several news agencies and get Morgan involved as well. I'm sure he won't pass up such a huge story."
"You're trying to force the Five Elders' hand..."
"Heh! Can't be helped. It's an extra layer of insurance."
Meanwhile, the great Red Line continent stretched across the Grand Line.
To enter the Grand Line from the East Blue, one had to either go through Reverse Mountain or cross the Calm Belt, passing through the nests of Sea Kings.
At this moment, however, a large warship was flying directly over the Red Line, heading straight for the Grand Line!
"Wow! Are we flying?"
"We're so high! This is the first time I've seen the sea from up here!"
"Is that the Red Line Mr. Smoker was talking about? It's so magnificent, even from this high up."
"Hey! Hey! Ace, are we about to reach Marine Headquarters?"
Experiencing flight for the first time, the three brothers were incredibly excited.
They found everything around them novel and fascinating, constantly running around the deck, poking their heads over the side, and gasping in amazement.
"Brother Atlas, this must be the Golden Lion's ability, right?" Smoker was also intrigued.
Although his Smoke-Smoke Fruit allowed his upper body to fly a certain height off the ground, it wasn't true flight.
Moreover, this was his first time seeing the Red Line from this angle.
"Yeah, something like that," Atlas replied lazily, his gaze shifting back from the three kids. It wasn't exactly the Float-Float Fruit's ability, because his ability was only stronger than Shiki's! And he had discovered another effect: any non-living thing that his telekinesis had controlled would gain the same permanent control that Shiki had, provided he himself didn't fall unconscious or die.
At the same time, a piece of news that shocked countless people was published in various newspapers and delivered to all corners of the world by the diligent News Coos. In an instant, the seas were in an uproar!
"The legendary captain of the Flying Pirates, the Golden Lion, who successfully escaped from Impel Down eight years ago, has once again appeared before the world!"
"No way, you've got to be kidding me! How could some Marine brat defeat a man like the Golden Lion?"
"Two of the three legendary pirates of the old era are now dead. Will Whitebeard be next?"
"The Marines have really stolen the show this time. Their prestige is soaring again..."
The moment they got the newspaper, countless pirates were first in disbelief, then their expressions turned grim.
The Marines were growing stronger, and the space for them to survive was shrinking.
Meanwhile, ordinary civilians took to the streets to celebrate.
Although most of them may not have known the terror of the Golden Lion, the fact that the Marines had now eliminated a great pirate who had contended with Roger was undoubtedly an exhilarating piece of news.
--Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar--
A woman in a spider-patterned top with short black hair was busy cleaning the dusty chairs. At the bar sat Rayleigh, his golden hair streaked with grey.
Beside him was a glass of rich, fragrant liquor, and an open newspaper lay before him.
Shakky frowned as she wiped the tables, looking at Rayleigh. "A young Marine really killed that guy Shiki?" Her voice was filled with disbelief.
As a former crewmate, she knew Shiki's strength all too well. How could a man like that be defeated by a Marine who was only in his early twenties?
Rayleigh picked up his glass and took a small sip, feeling the spiciness slide down his throat. "He's no ordinary Marine..." he said slowly.
"You mean... the Marine who gave you a bit of trouble last time?"
"Yes. But his strength at that time shouldn't have been enough to defeat Shiki. I never expected..." Rayleigh looked emotional.
The two of them had just returned to Sabaody from Amazon Lily. On one hand, they were escorting the Hancock sisters back.
On the other hand, they had received intelligence that the Marine stationed on Sabaody was Atlas.
To prevent that guy from harassing him every day, Rayleigh had packed up his things and taken Shakky to Amazon Lily overnight.
He had experienced Atlas's Observation Haki firsthand; if he was determined, he could definitely find his hiding place, and then he would have no peace.
Shakky, being from Amazon Lily, could come and go freely, but Rayleigh, despite having saved the Hancock sisters, was not allowed to enter the island.
So, he had been forced to live on a nearby island for several months.
Fortunately, the island's resources were plentiful, so at least he didn't have to worry about food and drink.
He had just waited for Atlas to leave Sabaody, only to receive this news. Rayleigh suddenly felt that the rest of his life was going to be difficult...
--New World, on the Moby Dick--
Marco looked at the newspaper in disbelief, flipping it back and forth, seemingly unable to accept the outrageous fact.
"Gurarara~ Did something happen, Marco?" Whitebeard, leaning against the mast on his throne, noticed Marco's expression and asked casually.
"The Golden Lion is dead!" Marco held up the newspaper.
"Didn't the Golden Lion disappear after escaping from Impel Down eight years ago? Could this be fake news from the Marines..."
"Wow~ No way! He was someone who once contended with Pops!"
"Who could have the power to kill the Golden Lion? Was it the Marines?"
Hearing this shocking news, the first reaction of the Whitebeard Pirates was one of scepticism.
Many of them had been with Whitebeard for years and had witnessed the power of the Flying Pirates. They found it hard to accept that such a man had died so suddenly.
"Shiki, you say? Who was it..." A trace of melancholy appeared on Whitebeard's face.
"Kanos Atlas! That bastard Marine!" Marco gritted his teeth, but at the same time felt a bit of relief.
It's a good thing Vista arrived in time back then, otherwise I... At this thought, a shiver ran down Marco's spine.
"Gurarara, that Marine again? To think he's grown so strong so quickly."
Whitebeard still remembered that time eight years ago, when the Golden Lion, having just escaped from the great undersea prison, had sought him out.
"Gurarara, to think you managed to escape from the undersea prison, Shiki!"
Whitebeard had been surprised, but seeing Shiki's prosthetic legs, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, like a fox grieving for a dead hare.
"Jihahaha! That doesn't matter, Newgate! Join me, and let's conquer the world together!"
"Forget it. That's not my dream," Whitebeard had refused, shaking his head.
"To be tied down by such boring emotions!"
He's gotten old, after all... Whitebeard thought, remembering the wild and arrogant lion of the past.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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