Taking Office with a Show of Force

After ascending to the position of Captain-General, Ross convened a captains' meeting in the Tenth Division that very day.

Unlike the suffocatingly solemn atmosphere of the First Division's meetings in the past, this captains' meeting was far more practical and humane.

Ross had even specifically amended the ironclad rule that had remained unchanged for a thousand years, allowing the lieutenant captains of each division to attend as observers.

Though it seemed like a favor, it was actually born of necessity.

After all, following that brutal bloody battle, the organizational structures of quite a few divisions had been severely crippled.

Either their captains had died in battle, or their lieutenant captains had been seriously wounded.

What was more, quite a few of the current captains had never been the type to handle affairs. Having the more practical and diligent lieutenant captains present was far more efficient than relaying everything afterward.

Inside the Tenth Division's enormous conference room, the original layout had been completely rearranged.

A brand-new, massive long table stretched across the room.

Rather than being elevated above everyone like Yamamoto Genryūsai's, Ross's seat as Captain-General was positioned in the middle at the head of the table.

Twelve high-backed chairs extended outward on either side of him.

The left side began with the First Division, while the right began with the Second Division, alternating in sequence.

The captains sat in the high-backed chairs, while the lieutenant captains could only stand solemnly behind their respective captains.

That difference between sitting and standing silently displayed the still-unbridgeable hierarchy.

"Everyone."

Ross folded his hands atop the table. His gaze swept over several empty chairs on both sides of the long table, and his voice was calm yet firm.

"This is my first meeting since formally assuming the position of Captain-General. My identity may have