Momousagi and Chatō

Zephyr arranged three speeches for Victor.

The first two were on physical training and the training of the Six Powers.

The final one was Victor's personal talk show.

"When I was ten, I lost both my parents. My parents died at the hands of pirates for the sake of justice."

"Of course, I wasn't the only one who became an orphan. There are many, many others in this world."

"From that moment on, I had a dream."

"I dreamed of a pure sea. No pirates, no evil, no slaughter. Every child could grow up healthy, happy, and carefree, accompanied by both parents."

"I know it's difficult, and I know it would be hard to achieve through my efforts alone."

"But I want to try—to create such a pure sea with our own hands."

"I also believe there will be companions who share my ideals."

Victor spoke with passion and sincerity, moving everyone with his words.

On the training grounds, every cadet was touched by Victor.

Zephyr sighed inwardly.

He had learned of Victor's dream long ago.

All these years, Victor had persisted in pursuing it.

Zephyr had once asked Victor why he shared his insights into Body Arts and his training experience so selflessly.

Zephyr still remembered Victor's answer to this day.

If every Marine could become a little stronger, there would be far fewer tragedies on the sea.

Therefore, Zephyr believed that Victor's actions were all motivated by justice and his dream.

After listening carefully to the speeches, Kuzan felt deep admiration for Victor.

If it were him, it would be difficult for him to do what Victor did.

It wasn't that Kuzan was selfish or unwilling to share his training experience. It was just that doing so required patience.

In Kuzan's eyes, Victor was indeed doing something great.

The three speeches came to an end.

Victor did not leave the naval academy.

Over the following week, Victor would be available for consultations.

If his junior brothers or sisters had any questions, they could come to him for answers.

Zephyr also had someone record the speeches.

He would share the recordings with every class of students.

"This should complete my image, right?"

After leaving the naval academy, Victor felt a sense of release.

To maintain his "great" image, he had no choice but to patiently play the role of a warmhearted senior.

Whenever a junior came to consult him, he patiently answered every question.

He suddenly found himself admiring Song Jiang and Liu Bei.

People said that Song Jiang and Liu Bei were hypocritically benevolent.

But the fact that the two of them could keep it up for so long was a skill in itself.

At that moment, a News Coo flew past.

Victor waved, and the News Coo delivered a newspaper.

After paying, Victor began reading the contents.

The headline reported that Golden Lion had wiped out three pirate crews in succession within a week.

During the process of absorbing them, nearly ten thousand people had been buried at sea.

"Those who submit to me shall prosper, and those who oppose me shall perish."

Victor looked at the newspaper and couldn't help smiling.

Golden Lion was indeed a villain with tremendous drive.

"If I capture Golden Lion, can I be directly promoted to Marine Admiral?"

Victor muttered to himself.

At present, Marine Headquarters had only one Admiral, Sengoku.

Although Zephyr was also a Marine Admiral, he was basically busy in the naval academy and couldn't be considered a combat force.

The World Government did want to promote Garp to Admiral.

However, Garp had always refused to accept the position.

Therefore, capturing Golden Lion was a very good opportunity for Victor.

However, capturing Golden Lion alive would be extraordinarily difficult.

Golden Lion was stronger than Count Red.

Strictly speaking, the difference in strength between Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Garp wasn't all that great.

Moreover, Golden Lion possessed the Float-Float Fruit.

Unless someone joined forces with Victor, it would truly be difficult to capture Golden Lion.

"Victor."

At that moment, a gentle, charming voice came from behind him.

Victor turned around.

He saw a woman in a red shirt and beige hot pants waving at him.

Beside her stood a young man in a brown vest and brown trousers. He looked roguish and was picking his nose without a trace of decorum.

"It's Gion and Tokikake."

Victor walked over and greeted Gion and Tokikake.

Gion and Tokikake were future candidates for the position of Marine Admiral.

In fact, they both possessed Admiral-level strength.

They were simply inferior to Fujitora and Ryokugyu.

"You should call me Sister." Gion raised her hand and lightly tapped Victor on the head, her eyes filled with affection.

Gion had been treated as a younger sister by Tsuru.

Tsuru had brought Gion back during a mission and raised her to become a Marine.

When he was young, Victor had received a great deal of care from Gion.

She had looked after Victor like an older sister.

"I really want Gion to tap me on the head."

Tokikake deliberately acted jealous beside them.

However, Gion continued to ignore Tokikake. She linked arms with Victor and said, "You've already been promoted to Rear Admiral, but we haven't celebrated with you yet."

"Then let's make up for it today," Victor said.

"Hey, don't be so intimate!" Tokikake reminded them.

Gion smiled. "Then let's go to the Sabaody Archipelago."

"Mm." Victor nodded in agreement.

"Victor!!!"

Tokikake continued to grumble beside them, but no one paid him any attention.

Victor, Gion, and Tokikake arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

All three of them were dressed in civilian clothes.

However, Victor and Gion's looks and figures easily drew attention.

"He looks so familiar."

"Where have I seen him before?"

"Now that you mention it, I feel like I've seen him somewhere too."

"I remember now. He's Rear Admiral Victor."

"That's right, it's him—the Rear Admiral Victor who captured Count Red!"

Victor was still recognized.

He was now something of a celebrity on the sea, a major figure who appeared on the front page of the newspapers. It was only natural for people to recognize him.

Victor's expression, however, remained completely natural.

He showed no sign of nervousness or discomfort.

Even with thousands upon thousands of eyes fixed on him, he remained unmoved.

At that moment, a gray-green-haired boy in the crowd took advantage of everyone's inattention and stole a woman's wallet.

Just as the boy was about to run, Victor's gaze fell on him.

The boy felt as if he had been locked onto.

Before Victor could act, Tokikake followed Victor's gaze and seized the boy first, snatching the wallet back from his hand.

Tokikake had originally thought he could show off in front of Gion.

After being caught, the boy's expression turned bleak.

He had started stealing money at the age of twelve because he had no money for food.

Whenever he had been caught before, he had been beaten mercilessly.

Victor took the wallet and handed it to the bewildered woman.

When the woman saw her wallet, she instinctively felt her clothes and realized that it was indeed gone.

"Thank you, thank you, Rear Admiral Victor," the woman said gratefully.

Victor took out some spare change and handed it to the boy. "Go buy something to eat. Once you're full, find a job. Don't steal again."

The boy stared blankly at Victor.

"Hey, Victor, he's a thief!" Tokikake reminded him.

In Tokikake's view, Victor had handled the situation incorrectly.

Victor said calmly, "If he still had parents, they would never have let him suffer so much."

"Mm." Gion began applauding.

Applause rang out around them.