Becoming a Rear Admiral

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Marineford, one week later, Grand Plaza. Many Marines and their families had gathered here to watch the excitement.

Today, Fleet Admiral Kong would award several trainees their graduation ranks. It was an immense honor, after all; Kong was the Fleet Admiral, and both his status and strength were there for all to see.

It was like an ordinary student meeting a national leader.

And that leader would personally present the awards, even allowing them to get close. It was impossible not to be excited.

Supreme Fleet Admiral Kong, Marine Admiral Sengoku, Zephyr, Marine Hero Garp, Chief of Staff Tsuru.

Many high-ranking Marine officers were seated nearby. It could be said that this award ceremony was exceptionally grand, but the graduating trainees deserved it.

The ceremony was being hosted by a Rear Admiral, and a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral at that. At the very least, he had mastered Haki and was a true officer with real authority.

As soon as he stepped up, the Rear Admiral delivered a few remarks. They were still the usual official lines about the Marines, justice, and so on.

"Now, the graduation ceremony for this class officially begins. Sakazuki, Ye Chen, Borsalino, Kuzan, Vergo, please come to the stage."

Holding a list, the young Rear Admiral read out the names one by one.

These were the top five without any ranking, because four of them were evenly matched. It was difficult to determine a winner in a short time, so there was no ranking.

In other words, four people shared first place.

Vergo was slightly inferior by comparison, making him second—or rather, fifth.

Today, Ye Chen and the other four were dressed formally, but they lacked one item of clothing, making them seem as though something was missing.

"Please welcome the Fleet Admiral to award the five of them their graduation ranks."

Standing straight on the stage, Ye Chen looked out at the densely packed Marines and residents who had come to watch. His eyes remained calm, but faint ripples stirred within his heart.

He was no longer the insignificant ant he had been two years ago.

Kong stepped down from the main seat, followed by five Marines. Each of them carried a coat and a badge.

Kong started from the left and came to a stop.

The first was Sakazuki. Even though his face had always been expressionless, he could barely suppress his excitement now, and his body trembled faintly.

Taking a Marine Rear Admiral's coat from the Marine behind him, Kong personally draped it over Sakazuki's shoulders.

Finally, he personally pinned the Rear Admiral badge onto him.

"Congratulations, Rear Admiral Sakazuki."

After Sakazuki was fully dressed, Kong gave him a solemn military salute.

"Thank you, Fleet Admiral. Everything for justice."

Sakazuki stood straight with a stern face and returned the salute, roaring with absolute conviction.

Next, Kong repeated the process for Ye Chen, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Vergo.

He placed Rear Admiral coats and badges on them one after another, then saluted each of them.

Once the awards were over, the five young men stood on the platform, cloaked in coats of justice, their badges gleaming on their chests as they radiated blazing youthful vigor.

From today onward, the five of them were Marine Headquarters Rear Admirals, genuine holders of authority.

At the same time, thunderous applause erupted across the entire Grand Plaza. It was destined that these five Rear Admirals would not stop here.

Many people had already recognized the potential of Ye Chen and the others. They planned to send gifts and get acquainted with them, and there was no shortage of such people.

"Next, Chaton, Onigumo, Hōshō, Momonga, Smoker, please come to the stage."

After the Rear Admirals received their awards, it was time for the Commodores.

However, Kong would no longer be presenting the Commodore awards. Sengoku took over instead, but even so, the crowd was thrilled; after all, he was a Marine Admiral!

The award ceremony lasted for nearly an hour.

In that instant, Marine Headquarters gained many more Commodores, and this was only the beginning. Anyone who was not blind could see the future of Onigumo and the others.

With these future prospects, the Marines' future would become even stronger. This was something everyone was happy to see.

Likewise, some outside forces had been watching this grand occasion within the Marines.

Among them, Ye Chen and the other four, who had graduated directly as Rear Admirals, were investigated particularly thoroughly.

After the award ceremony ended, there were still many things to handle, such as moving house. Becoming a Rear Admiral came with generous rewards, including a villa, Beli, and all sorts of miscellaneous things.

Most importantly, they still needed to select subordinates and understand the authority and duties of a Rear Admiral.

In the Marine officers' residential area, exquisite villas stood amid flowers, grass, and trees, creating a breathtaking sight.

After packing up simply, Ye Chen stood outside the villa in silence.

"Wow! It's so beautiful! Brother Ye Chen, hurry up and go inside."

Behind him, Hina's eyes sparkled as she looked at the neatly trimmed plants in the courtyard and the various flowers within. She impatiently pushed Ye Chen, urging him to open the door.

Clearly, these villas had dedicated staff taking care of them and were ready to move into at any time.

With the sound of a key turning, Ye Chen opened the courtyard gate. Hina, Shu, and the others streamed into the villa, shouting excitedly.

"It's so beautiful!"

"It's actually this big!"

"It even has three floors!"

Watching the noisy trio of Hina and the others, Vergo and the rest, who were still standing where they were, shook their heads.

"My villa is right next door. Looks like we'll be neighbors from now on." Vergo pointed to the identical villa beside it and smiled.

As for Smoker, he also had a villa, but it was not in this area and was relatively farther from the center.

"Then I can't be bothered to go back. I'll live here from now on."

Without even thinking about it, Smoker made his decision. Compared to Ye Chen's and Vergo's villas, his was somewhat inferior.

"Tomorrow, the two of you will go select your subordinates. A Commodore gets fifty, while a Rear Admiral gets a hundred. I never thought that one day I'd have fifty subordinates too! Ahahaha!"

Smoker was still somewhat excited. Just thinking that he would have fifty subordinates starting tomorrow made him so thrilled he nearly went mad.

This was a step straight into the heavens. As long as someone had talent and potential, they could skip countless steps others had to take.

"You two can go tomorrow. I don't want subordinates for the time being."

Walking into the courtyard, Ye Chen looked at the carefully trimmed potted plants and various ornamental vegetation. He was in quite a good mood.

From today onward, this would temporarily be his home.

"Huh?" Smoker looked at Ye Chen in surprise, and even Vergo wore a puzzled expression.

"My goal is different from yours." Ye Chen smiled indifferently.

"We're staying at Brother Ye Chen's place tonight. There are plenty of rooms on the second and third floors, so we're throwing a party tonight."

Hina bounced down from the second floor, brimming with excitement. She had plainly already treated this place as her own home.

"Can I refuse?" Ye Chen's face darkened.

"Shu, Very Good, let's go buy things. We're having barbecue tonight!"

With a snort, Hina ignored Ye Chen completely and rushed outside, dragging Shu and Very Good along with her.

"Looks like you won't be getting any peace and quiet in the future."

Smoker walked into the house, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the sofa in the living room. He immediately lay down on it.

"This is really nice." Vergo sat on the sofa opposite him, propping his feet on the glass table in the middle and narrowing his eyes contentedly.

"Your villa is next door. You have one too."

After setting down his backpack, Ye Chen gave the living room a rough look. It was quite nice, and there was another courtyard behind it. It seemed he would need to prepare some training equipment.

"What are your plans from now on?" Smoker lay sideways on the sofa, looking at Ye Chen and Vergo.

"We'll see. Tomorrow, I'll pick a few subordinates, then head out to sea first."

Vergo drew himself in and thought for a moment.

"What about Chen?"

Smoker turned his gaze toward Ye Chen again.

"I still have some things to take care of."