Momonga spoke as he gave Gigue and the others a military salute. Gigue waved a hand and said,
"Momonga, haven't I told you? While we're at the academy, we're still classmates. There's no need for this."
Momonga maintained his salute and said,
"There's only a little over a year until graduation. I'm getting used to it in advance."
The closer graduation came, the more many cadets understood the importance of resources.
For most relatively ordinary cadets, when their strength was roughly equal, obtaining better treatment after graduation depended on resources—or, in other words, connections.
In any world, people hoped to climb higher. There was nothing wrong with that. "Justice" was certainly important, but it could not put food on the table.
Gigue and the other Marine Supernovas were resources in plain sight. Momonga and the others, who had become close to them, were the envy of countless cadets. Anyone with half a brain knew to maintain such a relationship.
Gigue reached out and patted Momonga on the shoulder.
"Momonga, to be honest, I think highly of you. At the very least, you'll become a vice admiral someday."
Momonga froze for a moment, then asked excitedly,
"Huh? Gigue... are you serious?"
"Of course."
After saying that, Gigue waved his hand and walked past the dazed Momonga toward the training grounds' exit. Akainu and Kizaru followed him; Momonga had only pointed at the three of them earlier.
Looking utterly elated, Momonga returned to Kashou and the others. Kashou looked at him in confusion and asked,
"Momonga, you look really happy. Did something good happen?"
Momonga's lips could not stop curling upward. He coughed twice and said,
"It's nothing much. Gigue just said I could become a vice admiral someday!"
"What!?"
At the Marine Headquarters recruitment office,
Today marked the new recruitment