Goodbye, Dragon!
Regardless of the turmoil across the world, no matter how many waves the Four Blues churned, that night, the family gathered around a table of delicious food that Enid had meticulously prepared to celebrate Vidal's safe return home. Yes, simply to celebrate his return!
It wasn't a celebration of Vidal defeating the Red the Aloof, nor was it a celebration of his renewed fame on the high seas, nor was it a celebration of his imminent promotion; all of that was worthless compared to going home.
That night, Vidal enjoyed the comfort and company of his family, then carried Enel and Rosinante to his room for a good night's sleep.
He originally wanted Bullet to come along, but the kid was stubborn and refused. However, Vidal also felt it wasn't appropriate, because the kid's size was getting more and more outrageous. He was growing taller almost every day and was already about 2.5 meters tall. In a few more months, he might catch up with him and eventually grow to be only one head shorter than the future Mad Monk Urouge!
How tall is Urouge?
3.88 meters tall!
So Bullet will be at least 3.5 meters tall when he grows up, and might even reach around 3.7 meters.
So Vidal now especially likes to pat his head, because once he grows up, it will be difficult to pat his head so naturally.
In comparison, Enel and Rosinante are much better. Their small, soft bodies are more comfortable than any plush pillow, especially the former's earlobes, which are even more satisfying than petting a cat!
The next morning, feeling refreshed, Vidal drank a bowl of hot porridge cooked by Enid, then put on his Justice Coat and left home. The children had already gone to school in their Colonel.
"It's Lord Vidal!"
Good morning, Lord Vidal!
"Brigadier General Vidal!"
On the way from the family quarters behind Marineford to Justice Fortress, whether it was family members out for activities or naval personnel of all ranks preparing to go to sea or go to work, upon seeing him, they would either greet him silently or stand aside and watch him quietly.
Vidal has become a household name and a respected figure on Marineford Island. Previously, only Admiral heroes like Garp and Fleet Admirals enjoyed such treatment. However, Garp doesn't live here, so it's difficult for the locals to see the naval hero often.
He smiled and nodded constantly along the way, and only after leaving the family area did he gradually get used to the environment surrounded by admiring gazes. By the time he arrived at the Fleet Admiral's Office, his mood had completely calmed down.
He knew he had to learn to adapt to this situation, and that his current level was far from sufficient. He needed to continue increasing his influence within the Navy, even surpassing Garp, so that the world's Yamato and strongest military organization would be at his disposal in the future!
[Knock knock knock]
He knocked on the door, and Kong voice came from inside. Vidal pushed the door open and went in, only to find that the office, which he had thought was quite spacious, was now packed with people.
Although there were only four people inside, four burly men, each two or three meters tall, were enough to make the room feel crowded, and this feeling was amplified when he stepped inside.
"Am I late?" Vidal greeted Sengoku, who was sitting on the sofa, and then looked apologetically at the empty space behind the desk when he saw that Borsalino and Sakazuki had already arrived.
"No, they just arrived less than five minutes ago," Kong said gently, then his smile faded and his expression turned serious.
"Now let's talk about your situation."
The sight of Vidal and the other two standing in a row filled Kong and Sengoku with immense satisfaction. They seemed to already see these young men becoming the backbone of the navy in ten years.
Borsalino!
"Eh~"
Borsalino took a lazy step forward. He simply couldn't bring himself to be serious; it was a deeply ingrained part of his personality. Fortunately, the Fleet Admiral Kong didn't seem to mind.
"You are now officially granted the rank of Marine Headquarters Colonel Captain, still under the jurisdiction of G-2 Branch. We hope you will continue to uphold the Navy's justice and safeguard the order of the sea!" As he spoke, Air pushed over the documents that he had prepared in advance. At the same time, after Borsalino took off his Lieutenant Colonel's coat, Sengoku personally draped a new Colonel's coat over his shoulders.
In reality, ordinary navy personnel don't receive this treatment; they have to take off their own clothes and put them on themselves. But people are just different, aren't they?
"Okay~" Borsalino responded and returned to the queue.
"Sakazuki!"
"Yes!"
Sakazuki took a firm step forward, which pleased Kong. In Kong's eyes, this robust young man was a perfect navy man, and he thought he would become a perfect Marine Admiral as well.
As for Vidal, according to the Sengoku period, he was a military genius. You have to understand that all the documents the former had handled over the years were not wasted effort; every single detail was seen by the latter.
Compared to Borsalino and Sakazuki, Vidal has a huge advantage in this regard.
"You are now officially commissioned with the rank of Commodore General of the Marine Headquarters and transferred from G-4 Branch to G-1 Branch!"
This appointment was somewhat surprising, even Sengoku was taken aback. G-1 is Marine Base located in the New World. Although its location is not exactly on the front line bordering the major pirate forces, it is close to the Red Line.
"Yes!!"
But for Sakazuki, this was indeed an order that excited him; he had long wanted to go to that junkyard, the place with the most pirates, and wreak havoc.
Just you wait, you sea trash!
Seeing his appearance, Kong was even more satisfied. He had thought he would scare the other party, but instead, he was full of energy. Where could he find such a good subordinate?
Finally Kong looked at Vidal, who was standing in the middle. Although he didn't like some of Vidal's personality traits, such as greed, lust for power, and excessive self-assertion, he had to admit that Vidal was the most outstanding of the three.
It's incredibly strange that a person in a vegetative state who ate the seemingly most unassuming 'Woods-Woods Fruit' would have the strongest desire for worldly wealth and power!
Forrest Vidal.
"Exist!"
Vidal stepped forward and shouted, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he looked at Kong. His desire for promotion was completely undisguised, leaving Kong and Sengoku speechless.
Unbeknownst to the two, seeing their expressions, Vidal secretly gave himself a thumbs up in his heart, thinking, "As expected of this movie star!"
"You are now officially conferred the rank of Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, with no change in your position. You will continue to serve as the base commander of the Marine Base stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago, starting next year."
"Also, Redfield's $1.34 billion bounty will be split equally among the three of you after discussion!" This time, Kong had learned his lesson and mentioned the bounty as well.
But the next second, Vidal frowned and said, "Fleet Admiral, this money can't be divided equally; if it's divided among everyone, it will amount to 446,666,000."
This caused Sengoku, who had just draped the Rear Admiral's Sengoku over his disciple and was about to pat him on the shoulder and say a few words, to freeze in mid-air, sighing inwardly, "He's quite skilled at math, eh."
"I don't care about that!"
Kong's lips twitched, and he waved his hand back, "How you divide it is your business. Once you've decided, go to the finance department to collect the money!"
Just as Vidal opened his mouth to say what would happen if they started fighting over the money, there was another knocking on the door behind him.
"Come in," Kong called out hastily, and soon a 2.5-meter-tall naval Colonel walked in.
Vidal, Borsalino, and Sakazuki turned to look, and in surprise, they were the first to say the name of the newcomer.
"Dragon!"
"Yes, it's been a long time."
Dragon nodded expressionlessly.