Kong was, without a doubt, a Fleet Admiral with unparalleled merit for the entire Navy.
After all, during his tenure, the opponent he faced was none other than the fully-formed Rocks Pirates.
He had originally believed that Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, together with the Vice Admirals, would be enough to take on the Rocks Pirates.
But unexpectedly, the Rocks Pirates were directly scattered, while the three Admirals he envisioned ended up with one retiring to the sidelines, and another stubbornly refusing promotion no matter what.
Although he could understand Zephyr's grief that left him broken beyond repair, and he could understand Garp's hatred for the Celestial Dragons that made him refuse the rank of Admiral…
After all, Admirals were obligated to be stationed in Mary Geoise.
Thinking of this, and looking at the new trio of Admirals before him in their prime, the frustration he had carried for years was finally swept away.
The vacancy of the three Admirals actually hadn't had much impact at first.
After all, the biggest opponent, the Rocks Pirates, was gone, so even if Sengoku was the only Admiral, it wasn't a big problem.
But who could have expected that after Rocks disappeared, his former crew not only didn't fall apart but became even stronger?
No matter how strong the original Rocks Pirates were, in the end, they were still only a single pirate crew—their influence had limits.
But now, with the former Rocks Pirates scattered and growing separately, they ended up casting a shadow over the entire Grand Line.
Especially a few of the most powerful among them.
Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido…
Whitebeard went without saying—the title of the Strongest Man in the World wasn't just for show.
Golden Lion was strong enough to rival Whitebeard, and he even created history by becoming the first person ever to break out of Impel Down.
As for Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, they were among the most powerful pirate forces in the entire New World.
They carved out their own territories, bringing the entire New World under their control.
It was precisely because of their existence that the Navy found it so difficult to expand its influence in the New World.
Over the years, the Navy's power had been continuously eroded by these absolute powerhouses.
Looking at the results, the Rocks Pirates, together, were a raging fire that scorched the sky; scattered, they became stars across the heavens.
And those stars had seized the advantage throughout the New World.
But the appearance of Michael gradually began turning the tide of this chaotic era.
Whether it was establishing the Navy branch "Poseidon" on Fishman Island, or cooperating with the Whitebeard Pirates to create a neutral trade buffer zone…
One could say he singlehandedly revitalized what had been a deadlocked situation.
Even the relationship between the entire Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy had, through his maneuvering, become strangely ambiguous.
In Kong's eyes, Michael could be seen as a fusion of Sengoku and Tsuru—whether in strategic vision or in the art of political maneuvering and playing both sides, he was outstanding.
And most importantly… this man was both powerful and young.
He was undoubtedly the best candidate to entrust the Navy's future to!
In just a short time, Kong thought of many things.
But it wasn't until the ceremonial guards beside him began reading according to the ceremony protocol that he came back to his senses.
"Next! Fleet Admiral Kong will now award the medals to the new Navy Fleet Admiral and the new Admirals!"
Kong steadied himself, then reached out to pick up the medal symbolizing the Fleet Admiral's rank from the podium and pinned it onto Sengoku's chest.
He then personally handed the golden Admiral stars to the three new Admirals.
Afterward, he took a step back and gave the four of them a solemn Navy salute.
When Sengoku and the others returned the salute, Kong stepped down from the platform and sat in the exclusive seat prepared for him.
His task for today was complete.
From here on, the stage belonged to the Fleet Admiral and the new Admirals.
"Ahem, can everyone hear me?" Sengoku picked up the microphone, tested it, and then continued,
"Next, I have an announcement to make."
"After unanimous decision by the entire Navy high command, we have finalized a series of promotion lists."
"Among them, a portion will be announced here at this brief ceremony."
"Boa Hancock, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Empress,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Captain."
"Boa Sandasonia, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Swift,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Commander."
"Boa Marigold, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Warhammer,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Commander."
"Hina, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Black Cage,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Captain."
"Smoker, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'White Hunter,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Commodore."
"T Bone, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Ship Cutter,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Rear Admiral."
"Shu, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Rust Tide,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Commodore."
"Nico Robin, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force and Vice Admiral Gion's adjutant, codename 'Thousand Hands,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Captain."
"Stella, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Songstress,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Dracule Mihawk, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Hawk Eyes,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Crocodile, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Desert King,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Enel, member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, codename 'Thunder God,' is hereby exceptionally promoted to Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral."
At first, no one found it strange—at most, they just thought this never-before-heard unit name sounded a bit odd.
But the more they listened, the more shocked they became.
The officers Sengoku announced for promotion all came from the Secret Special Force!
And four of them were even exceptionally promoted to Vice Admiral in one go!
This was getting a little too outrageous.
At this point, many suddenly thought of that so-called "Ghost Navy" or the "Nonexistent Navy" mysterious unit…
Could it be them?
The more the Navy officers thought about it, the more sense it made.
After all, to get so many people exceptionally promoted, they had to have made military achievements impressive enough to sway the righteous Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself.
"But don't you think something's missing?"
"All the names just now were 'members,' right? Even those promoted to Vice Admiral were still 'members,' not unit leaders."
Just as that doubt arose, Sengoku's final announcement followed.
"Michael, Commander of the SWORD Secret Special Force, Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Vice Admiral Michael is hereby appointed as the Navy Headquarters Chief Inspector."
"Codename… Gintaka."
---
read +200 chapters on Patreon tambeerg