"Admiral candidate?"
Shizi took off her glasses in surprise and looked up at Noah across from her.
"I did hear some rumors last month coming out of Mary Geoise, but I didn't take them too seriously. Has it really been finalized already?"
Everyone else around them cast surprised looks his way as well.
Yesterday had been a small gathering at Noah's home. Today was a big party at Shizi's house, the first they'd had in ages.
Seated around the dining table were not just Noah's and Shizi's families, but also Tsuru, Aokiji, and Zephyr, who had specially made time to come over from the Elite Training Camp.
It was quite a lively gathering.
"Yeah."
Noah took a sip of borscht and shrugged.
"Honestly, I was a little surprised when I saw it at Fleet Admiral Kong's office this morning. Before this, the Holy Land hadn't shown the slightest interest in establishing admiral candidates. They kept insisting that Mr. Garp fill the vacant admiral position first."
"Well, Garp turned them down again last month, then took another leave of absence. He still hasn't come back."
Shizi shook her head and held out a hand. "Where's the appointment document? Let us have a look."
Noah leaned over and whispered a few words into Nami's ear. Little Nami immediately hopped off her chair and pattered over to the backpack. After rummaging through it, she quickly pulled out the document and handed it to Shizi, her little head held high with pride.
"Here! Grandma Shizi!"
"It's your dad's honor, not yours. What are you grinning so brightly for?"
Amused, Shizi tapped the tip of Nami's nose. The little girl didn't mind at all. She dodged away with a giggle and slipped back to Noah's side.
Noah smiled, ruffled her orange hair, and rewarded her