Dragon's Celebration Party!

Although it was late at night, with a bright Mingyue and Star Sea full of stars, for some people it was the perfect time to enjoy themselves.

Marineford, as the headquarters of the world's largest military organization, the Navy, naturally has no shortage of electric lighting, which also facilitates the island's nightlife.

Men and women, some in uniform and some in casual clothes, gathered from all directions along the streets to a single location.

Seagull Tavern!

This is the only tavern on the island, and also the largest multi-story public tavern capable of accommodating thousands of people at the same time. Whether they are serving naval personnel or their families, they can enjoy all kinds of alcohol and food here.

Actually, more than a decade ago, this tavern wasn't this big, nor was it a duplex, because there were fewer residents on the island at that time.

According to regulations, as long as the rank reaches major at Major, one can bring their family members in; however, in the past, not many people were willing to move such a long distance.

However, since the incident eight years ago where Navy Admiral Zephyr's family was attacked and killed by One Piece, nearly 80% of the naval officers and soldiers have chosen to bring their families here.

As a result, the population increased dramatically, and the higher authorities allocated funds to expand the tavern.

An interesting story has circulated about this: it is said that because the island had become more populated, there were not enough seats in the tavern. Fleet Admiral Kong found it difficult to even find a place to have a drink, so in a fit of anger, he ordered another floor to be built.

At this moment, in this incredibly spacious tavern, bursts of powerful drumbeats and various musical instruments, accompanied by a captivating female vocalist, resonated freely throughout the air.

There are no colorful lights here, nor are there scantily clad, seductive women; only warm, soft yellow lighting, but this does not diminish the liveliness in the slightest.

Around sturdy square wooden tables sat cheerful drinkers, no longer concerned with differences in status or rank, holding large goblets filled with golden liquor, laughing heartily with their arms around each other.

Bartenders, accompanied by family members, moved briskly between tables and people, serving drinks and meats to each guest while chatting and laughing with them from time to time.

"Cheers!!!"

On the second floor, a group of people had put three wooden tables together, clinked their slightly heavy beer glasses together, and then tilted their heads back to drink. The beer rushed down their throats at an extremely fast speed.

[Bang, bang, bang]

One by one, the empty wine glasses were slammed back onto the table. Kuzan, beaming, looked at Dragon sitting opposite him and laughed loudly, "Congratulations! You've done a great service; you're promoted to Vice Admiral!"

Congratulations! Congratulations!

"Following Kuzan and his two companions, we now have another Vice Admiral!"

"Hahaha, tell me quickly, how did you defeat that Slave King?!"

Dragon stood up, smiling as he glanced around at his friends: Kuzan, Yamakaji, Momonga, and Comil. They were all graduates from the first three cohorts of the training camp.

Although there are trainees every year, the relationships among the first three cohorts are the closest. Those who come after are strangers and can only be considered ordinary colleagues.

Except for those who were unable to return from abroad, everyone gathered here to celebrate his promotion to lieutenant Vice Admiral today.

"Teacher, thank you so much for coming. This toast is especially for you."

Finally, Dragon's gaze settled on his most esteemed elder Zephyr. He picked up a beer, filled his glass, and then downed it in one gulp.

"Hahaha, great drinking capacity!" Zephyr laughed with satisfaction upon seeing this, and not to be outdone, he picked up the glass that Kuzan had filled for him and downed it in one gulp.

"Alright, that's enough beer. I want to try the beer from Fish-Man Island. You guys can help yourselves!"

I was chatting with Kuzan in the office when He called to tell me that another Vice Admiral had joined his students.

Upon hearing this, Kuzan enthusiastically organized the celebration, and even dragged his teacher along, saying that he hadn't celebrated his promotion to Vice Admiral before, so this was a good opportunity to do it together.

"Tell me quickly, about your trip to the South Blue. Just reading the descriptions in the newspapers is exhilarating. That Slave King must be very powerful, right? I heard from Rear Admiral Ivan that you suffered a considerable injury?"

Kuzan urged Dragon, who had just sat down, while the Momonga, Yamakaji, and the others around him were also full of curiosity.

The latest newspaper was sent to all parts of the world this afternoon, and now everyone knows that Dragon defeated the 'Slave King' and saved hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

This has become the biggest topic of conversation in the Seagull Tavern tonight. Look, even the sailors at the next table are pricking up their ears and openly staring over.

"Alright, I'll start from when I received the mission order. The process is a bit long, but I'll try to keep it brief." Dragon didn't refuse, but there was no smugness on his face. He remained as steady and composed as ever, which made Zephyr look at him with even more admiration.

Zephyr's most famous students, before him, were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, but now there's another one: Dragon.

To be honest, my favorite of the four is Dragon because he takes Physical Arts the most seriously, followed by Sakazuki, while my least favorite is Borsalino.

As Dragon began his narration, although the music and singing from the first floor continued, everyone at Kuzan's table, as well as the surrounding navy and their families, naturally quieted down, even deliberately putting down their beer glasses with gentle force.

Even the well-informed Zephyr listened silently.

Since stepping down as Admiral and becoming the principal of the Marine Military Academy, he no longer pays special attention to outside affairs, only glancing at major events like the execution of One Piece.

When Dragon began to recount how he would lead fifty officers from his headquarters to launch a surprise attack on Sabak City from the sky using the power of the Hurricane Fruit and a 'spaceship', the expressions of the surrounding listeners became excited and expectant.

Kuzan, the Momonga, and Yamakaji, who were closest to the group, listened with great interest. However, when they heard that there were over a hundred Black-Marked Royal Guard with enough strength to suppress the lieutenant colonel of the headquarters, they frowned.

However, the most captivating part begins with the powerful entrance of the 'Slave King' King Taklama, who arrives amidst a sandstorm.

He possesses formidable Armament Haki, Observation Haki, superb staff skills, and the Devil Fruit Awakening ability to even 'capture' a sandstorm as a pet slave.

Each of these examples demonstrates the Slave King's immense power, and Kuzan secretly wondered if he himself could withstand it.

His Ice-Ice Fruit ability hasn't Awakening yet, and his Physical Arts and Haki are inferior to Dragon's. It all seems a bit risky.

Thinking about the title of potential Admiral above his head, he began to care about it to some extent, or rather, he felt a sense of tension and urgency.

Of the four Logia users currently at Marine Headquarters, it's obvious that I'm the weakest.

Although age plays a significant role, strength is strength and weakness is weakness. When faced with a truly powerful enemy, age doesn't matter.

Furthermore, he will be stationed on Fish-Man Island for a long time, which is the "gateway" between "Paradise" and "New World," and he will definitely encounter the powerful figures of "New World" in the future.

"It seems I need to hurry up and improve my strength when I get back. Whether it's for my own sake or to protect the safety of Fish-Man Island, I must reach the level of Admiral as soon as possible!"

Kuzan's gaze gradually hardened as Dragon narrated.

A huge thank you to the reader "The Jie Geng De Gu Du" for another 10,000 Qidian Coin! To be honest, I'm so happy I don't know what to say. You're the first "Hall Master" of this book, and I'm so glad you like it so much. This is a great affirmation of my writing and it makes me even more confident that my ideas are sound!

Thank you so much, reader Bai Guai Mao, for the 100 Qidian Coin reward! Thank you for your encouragement and support!

Regarding the update issue, since I'm a part-time author with limited writing time, and with the book about to be published, I need to prepare some drafts in advance. Because I've decided to update three times a day after publication, it will be difficult to provide frequent updates, and I'm very sorry about that. Also, this book was very difficult to write, as I'm sure you can all tell.

Regarding the release date, Liu Xing, the editor, said that he would give me a strong recommendation in the category next week and then see how it goes. So even though it has reached 200,000 words, it will be delayed by a few days in order to prioritize the recommendation.

This book currently has 6,000 favorites. The editor probably wants me to have 10,000 favorites before it's released, since releasing it now would likely result in a huge flop.

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