Sengoku had no choice but to skip over the matter. What else could he do? Give Loa a place as a candidate for Admiral?
That was a joke. Naming a candidate was an emergency measure, used only when there weren't enough Admirals. It meant choosing someone capable from among the current Headquarters Vice Admirals to fill an Admiral's post.
The Three Admirals were still alive and well. Making Loa a candidate would only breed resentment.
Besides, Loa was still too young.
That wasn't discrimination against young people. It was simply a fact.
The Marines weren't a pirate crew, where strength alone determined rank. As a disciplined force, they offered no shortcut to advancement beyond years of accumulated service and merit.
Loa had risen straight to Headquarters Vice Admiral partly because of the assassination contract and wager the Dragon People of the Athos Family had foolishly made, and partly because the Prison Deathmatch had worked in his favor. Climbing any higher would be another matter entirely.
The Marines hadn't faced a situation like this in a long time: a newcomer catching up to the Three Admirals while they were still in their prime. For ninety-nine percent of Marines, Loa's current Headquarters Vice Admiral rank was already a goal worth striving toward for a lifetime.
So for now, Sengoku could only treat him as an exception and bring him into the important meeting that followed.
An ordinary Vice Admiral would never have been invited to discuss [Censored] Army affairs with them.
Loa shrugged at Sengoku's change of subject and said nothing. He went over and sat beside Kuzan. Kuzan was his teacher, after all, and Loa had already been marked as part of his camp. All he needed to do now was go along with the discussion. He didn't truly consider himself