After Sengoku announced that Senga had been nominated as Admiral candidate, the meeting room fell silent again. The people below looked at each other, feeling that they should say something, but not knowing what to say.
Zephyr, Tsuru, and Gion were among the first to raise their hands in support of the decision, demonstrating their unwavering support for Senga becoming Admiral candidate.
Upon returning from recuperating, Onigumo and the others sitting next to him all turned their gazes to Akainu, who sat there silently.
The Mole and the others looked at Aokiji.
Due to their age, Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru are already showing signs of retiring to the sidelines, while Akainu and Aokiji can be considered the leaders of the two largest factions in the Navy at present.
Akainu broke his silence; he needed to make a statement at this point. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke.
"I agree to designate Uchiha Senga as Admiral candidate. I acknowledge both his strength and his sense of justice."
After speaking, he fell silent again. Seeing that Akainu had agreed, Onigumo and the others felt there was no need to offer any further opinions and also expressed their agreement with the proposal.
Aokiji glanced at Akainu with surprise; he hadn't expected the usually cold and ruthless Akainu to think so highly of Senga.
Actually, Akainu had a pretty good impression of Senga. The first thing that Akainu would take a liking to is strength. How can Absolute Justice exist without strength?
Senga's strength is already an open secret, and he is fully qualified to be noticed by Akainu. Akainu has been paying attention to Senga ever since the Year-end assessment at the Training Camp.
What amazed Akainu even more than Senga's strength was his speed of growth. While Senga's victory over Tokikake was certainly proof of his strength, it still fell short of truly top-tier combat power.
But now, Senga is already able to kill Golden Lion. Even Akainu has to admit that Senga's potential far surpasses that of the current Three Admirals.
Furthermore, Senga's attitude towards pirates is something Akainu values most. If someone possesses power but shows excessive mercy towards pirates, what is the point of that power?
In Akainu's eyes, the scene in the photo where Senga twisted the Golden Lion's neck was the biggest plus; that's what a naval admiral should do.
There's no need to imprison such heinous pirates in the Deep Sea Prison; executing them on the spot is the best course of action!
As for the potential issues regarding seniority that Senga's age might cause, Akainu scoffed at it. Dignity and status are earned through one's own strength; without that strength, one shouldn't even dream of obtaining a position that doesn't belong to them.
The fewer incompetent and useless individuals holding positions of power in the navy, the better!
Of course, Akainu doesn't dislike Kizaru. They have a pretty good relationship, after all, they were classmates. Kizaru's strength. In the anime Kizaru, after Akainu became Fleet Admiral, Kizaru always volunteered to take on any major tasks.
Akainu is not a heartless person; it's just that his ruthless demeanor masks it.
After Akainu made his statement, Aokiji didn't raise any objections, which made him even more impressed with Senga. Putting aside everything else, Senga had given him a very good impression during that incident where they supported Zephyr.
Although Senga's style does seem quite similar to Akainu's Absolute Justice, Aokiji knows that there is a fundamental difference between the two.
Because Senga has never attacked civilians. In fact, he would keep an eye on the safety of civilians during battles, and most of the pirates he killed were irredeemable scum.
Senga would spare the lives of some pirates whose crimes didn't warrant death, and what Senga liked most about Aokiji was that he was genuinely good to his own people.
Whenever someone close to Senga is in danger, he always goes to great lengths to save them. The most obvious example is when Fleet Admiral Sengoku son, Corazon.
Even though he had absolutely no connection to Senga, he went to the trouble of bringing him and the child back safely. There must have been some influence from the Fleet Admiral Sengoku; who wouldn't want to associate with someone like Senga?
However, Akainu was surprised by Aokiji's quick and decisive agreement. He had even planned to wait until Akainu raised any objections before refuting him.
At that time, this conference room will inevitably witness another dramatic shift between extremes.
Sengoku glanced at Aokiji and Akainu with some surprise, thinking that Senga was quite popular. This was for the best, saving him the trouble of suppressing the situation.
As for Kizaru, there's no need to consider him. That guy is a typical two-faced person; he's saying the same thing to both sides right now. What else can he say?
Gion, standing nearby, asked curiously,
"What is Senga's codename?"
The position of Admiral candidate already destined Senga to become Admiral. Marine Admiral all have code names, usually in the form of a color plus an animal, which is a tradition in the Navy.
This wasn't just a question Gion wanted to know; Akainu and Aokiji also looked up at Sengoku. Codenames were symbolic for Admiral, and couldn't be chosen haphazardly.
Sengoku nodded and said in a deep voice,
"Regarding Senga's title, let's wait until he returns to headquarters to decide for now..."
"Let's call him Purple Kirin!"
Crack!
A crackling sound filled the conference room, and Senga appeared. She glanced around at everyone, and finally her gaze settled on Senga 'Gion face, a smile appearing on her face.
"Senga (Vice Admiral)!"
The crowd gasped in surprise, taken aback by Senga's unexpected entrance.
Akainu and the others stared blankly at Senga, who appeared in the arena still crackling with electricity, the same thought flashing through their minds.
"Lightning? Was that elemental transformation just now? Did he obtain the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? If it really is the Rumble-Rumble Fruit..."
Akainu and Aokiji's expressions turned serious. As top-tier Logia Devil Fruit User themselves, they were well aware of the terrifying power of this fruit.
Ray can be said to combine the speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, the destructive power of the Magma-Magma Fruit, and the control of the Ice-Ice Fruit, making it a top-tier Logia Devil Fruit.
Even if someone's own strength is terrible, possessing this fruit would be enough to dominate a sea area, let alone someone as strong as Senga.
Sengoku and Gion directly confirmed that Senga had indeed obtained the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit; they were aware of the unique nature of Senga's ability.
The Navy had actually managed to acquire this top-tier Logia Pokémon, which made Sengoku even happier. He even found Garp, who was happily munching on a senbei (rice cracker) next to him, quite adorable.
Sengoku was in a great mood and even asked Senga why she chose that codename.
Senga responded with a smile.
"My eyes are purple. In my hometown, the Kirin is an auspicious beast that brings good luck to those around it. I like it very much, so I'll call myself Purple Kirin."
Senga's hometown here refers to Blue Star, and he doesn't know if Kirin exists in the Pirate World.
Upon hearing Senga's words, everyone present subconsciously nodded. It sounded really good; perhaps they too could share in the good fortune and one day have an epiphany and become Admiral?
Gion walked up to Senga, gently stroked the stray hairs on Senga's forehead, and said with a smile,
"Then congratulations in advance on becoming Admiral, Admiral Purple Kirin!"