"Hahahahaha~~"
In an instant, the scene erupted in uproarious laughter. Even Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Tsuru could not help but laugh. It seemed that what resonated most was often the truth.
Mo Xingchen glanced at Garp, who was laughing just as heartily, then continued:
"I thought about this for several days. What should I talk about? But I realized that all the meaningful topics seemed to have already been covered by my seniors. So today, I will not talk about such heavy subjects. I will talk about something lighter instead: living.
"The world is so vast, and its scenery is so beautiful. Only by living can you see it all—see the sun rise, see the sunset spread across the sky, see the stars and moon climb into the heavens. That is a kind of happiness."
Seeing the crowd fall somewhat silent, Mo Xingchen did not know what possessed him. He picked up the microphone stand, ignored the crackling static, and walked toward the front of the stage. With a snap of his fingers, he said:
"When it comes to living, we have indeed achieved that. But as 'people,' we cannot merely live. We always live for something, and so dreams are born. Along with them come all kinds of identities. We chose to become Marines who wear justice, bear justice, defend justice, and enforce justice. Therefore, we live for the weak!
"When we uphold justice, many people live because of us. Conversely, when we betray justice, those who could have lived may die.
"That is the meaning of the Marine's existence! To let more weak people... live!"
Thunderous applause and shouts immediately erupted from below the stage, especially from the passionate big shots in the front rows. Mo Xingchen nodded in acknowledgment, pressed his hand downward toward the people behind them, and continued:
"Now that we understand living, and why we live, let us go one step further: how to live successfully. Do you feel frustrated when you fail to catch pirates? Do you blame yourselves when you watch comrades fall beside you? In the dead of night, do you ask yourselves why things still turned out this way when you had already worked so hard?
"Why did some become Vice Admirals, some become Major Generals, and some stand onstage giving speeches, while you can only listen from below? Their grades are better than yours, their combat ability is stronger than yours, yet they still choose to further their studies. Were they simply born better than you, or have you betrayed yourselves?"
Whispers began to spread through the audience. Some even started cursing angrily. After all, no one would admit to being a failure. Mo Xingchen did not stop them. He quietly waited for the soldiers' emotions to ferment. When the commotion grew louder and even the big shots began to frown, Mo Xingchen chuckled.
"Hehehe, no. That is not what effort means. You read only a few pages and decide books are useless. You train for one week and start complaining that the training has shown no results.
"Effort is even less about deceiving yourselves, believing that other people's success is merely luck. You might say that someone was lucky to eat a powerful Devil Fruit, but what about Vice Admiral Garp? What about Admiral Zephyr?
"So before you start complaining, ask yourselves: do you now understand the knowledge points you failed to grasp the last time you studied? Have you broken through the bench press weight you failed to lift last time?
"Success has never happened overnight. There are no shortcuts to success. You have not succeeded because you stopped on the road where you were running toward success.
"Success is different from failure. We can wait for failure, but we can never wait for success to descend upon us!
"Do you think I am mocking you?
"I have not succeeded either. I still cannot beat Vice Admiral Garp, cannot beat Admiral Sengoku, and cannot even beat that pirate Whitebeard!
"So let us pick up the studies we set aside and the training equipment we threw away. As long as we work hard, we can accomplish anything!
"If you think the Marines are not good enough, then work hard to build them!
"If you think the Marines have flaws, then work hard to improve yourselves and change them!
"If you think your colleagues are ignorant and foolish, then work hard to correct them!
"The place where we stand is called Marine Headquarters! It is called the land of justice!
"If you cannot find a book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may have simply been renamed!"
"What you are like is what the future of the Marines will be like. If you are bright, then the Marines will no longer be shrouded in darkness!
"Those who can act, act. Those who can speak, speak. If you have a measure of warmth, then give off a measure of light!
"Even if it is only a glimmer in the darkness, we need not wait bitterly for torches, because we are the light!
"If there are no torches from this day onward, then we will be the only light! Let our light, the light of the Marines, the light of justice, shine upon the entire sea!
"And that is what it means for us Marines to live successfully. I am finished. Who agrees? Who opposes?"
After speaking, Mo Xingchen slammed the microphone back onto the podium. A piercing electronic screech stabbed into everyone's eardrums.
"This old man agrees!"
Admiral Sengoku stood and shouted loudly. He had never felt so fired up, not even during the execution of the Pirate King. With someone taking the lead, everyone began shouting their agreement. They had been completely brainwashed by Mo Xingchen. They had listened to empty, repetitive talk about justice every day, but when had they ever heard a speech so impassioned?
A lecherous-looking man adjusted his amber sunglasses and muttered, "Light? Am I not the 'light' of the Marines?"
Sakazuki held a cigar between his lips and exhaled a mouthful of smoke.
"Borsalino, as your friend, I sincerely want to ask you something!"
"What?"
"Do you have no shame?"
As the decoration ceremony ended, the elites of the Training Camp each took command of their warships and set out on missions and patrols. Mo Xingchen, meanwhile, began another round of leisurely retirement life. Yet across the seas, his interview and promotion speech caused a massive uproar.
New World, aboard the Moby Dick.
Marco, his pineapple-shaped hair standing tall, held a handful of Beli in one hand and complained to the News Bird that had just landed:
"Why did you take so long this time? Were you slacking off? The news is probably already outdated! An eighty percent price is not too much to ask, right?"
As it listened to Marco, the News Bird's expression gradually twisted. It struggled for a moment, then firmly shook its head, pulled out a stack of newspapers, and pointed at the headline.
"Here, this is for the news. Keep the change. Take care!"
With that, Marco grabbed the newspaper and sprinted across the ship. The News Bird looked at the handful of coins totaling less than a hundred Beli, froze for a moment, then sighed, shook its head, and flew away.
Marco raced toward the base of the mast where Whitebeard was. Seeing how urgently he clutched the newspaper, the division commanders assumed some major event had happened and ran after him.
Hearing the commotion, Whitebeard raised his head and looked at the foolish sons rushing toward him.
"Marco, what is it? Why are you so flustered?"
"Old Man, there is new information about that Marine recruit who caused such a huge commotion at the Sabaody Archipelago last time!"
"If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time!"
Before you continue