New World, Marine Headquarters.
Today was no ordinary day for the Marines stationed there.
A year after Marine Admiral Sakazuki had risen to the rank of Fleet Admiral, former Marine Admiral Kuzan was taking his place as the new Fleet Admiral.
Marines bustled throughout headquarters. The soldiers did not understand why Sakazuki was stepping down at such a young age, but orders were orders. They could only carry them out.
"Hurry! Where are the flowers? The ceremony starts in two hours."
"Artillerymen over there, stop looking around! Are the shells ready? The moment the succession ceremony begins, those 'salutes' Absolute must fire immediately."
The so-called "salutes" were real cannon shells.
For every major ceremony, the Marines lined the pier with hundreds of cannons and fired them together out to sea.
The loud, synchronized blasts conveyed the ceremony's solemnity while displaying the Marines' discipline and teamwork.
"It's great that Mr. Aokiji is becoming Fleet Admiral. We won't have to live on edge anymore."
"Yeah. I've been tense for the past year and a half. One little mistake could mean a severe punishment. Nobody should have to live like that."
"A while back, I refused to fire on an island full of Pirates because I was worried about the civilians. I was demoted three ranks on the spot. There were tens of thousands of civilians on that island. If I'd opened fire, how many would I have killed by mistake? Hundreds at least, maybe thousands."
The rank-and-file Marines' whispers reached the officers nearby.
The officers' faces darkened, but they did not respond to the complaints.
Akainu's ruthless methods had long since left ordinary Marines seething. If Aokiji had not lost back then, Akainu might never have had his chance.
What worried these officers now was their own standing.
They were all Hardline