Feeling Bullet's undisguised killing intent,
Xiu's gaze darkened as well.
All this time, Xiu had been
killing, killing, and killing.
Even though, as a Vice Admiral,
he had made a fearsome name for himself,
there were always people with a death wish
coming to test his patience!
Xiu was getting a little fed up.
It wasn't that he was tired of fighting.
On the contrary, Xiu enjoyed fighting.
But surely there couldn't always be
small-fry pirates
popping up to provoke him and get themselves killed?
Though Bullet, standing before him,
barely escaped being counted among the small fry...
"Fine, but we can't do it in Loguetown."
Bullet pondered for a moment,
then pointed at a nearby deserted island.
"How about there?"
Xiu shrugged indifferently.
"Sure."
"All right, I'll be waiting for you there."
With that,
Bullet turned and left.
Xiu pinched his brow.
"I have to think of something..."
"Do I really have to become a Marine Admiral
before I can get some peace?"
After thinking for a moment,
Xiu finally made up his mind.
"I've decided. I'll become a Marine Admiral as soon as possible!"
As it happened, there were still vacancies among the Admirals,
so he could compete for a spot too.
But what exactly should he do to get promoted sooner...?
As he thought, Xiu walked at an unhurried pace
toward the deserted island.
Little did he know that Sengoku, far away in Marineford,
was already fretting over his situation...
At that moment, Sengoku was frowning deeply
as he looked at the list in his hand.
The people on the list were all
well-known Vice Admirals.
Kizaru, Akainu, Kuzan, and
Xiu were all listed.
Indeed, this was a list of Admiral candidates.
Sengoku held a fountain pen,
and, as though counting ducks,
kept moving it back and forth over the four names.
"Kizaru and Akainu joined early.
Both of them, whether in strength
or the number of missions completed, have already met the requirements."
Sengoku circled their names.
It seemed that two candidates for Admiral
had already been settled... or had they?
Sengoku stared at Xiu's name,
feeling as though his indecisiveness was about to flare up.
"Though Xiu is still a little short on completed missions,
that isn't a problem,
because whether in strength or influence,
Xiu far surpasses the other three."
Sengoku circled Xiu's name as well.
"This is so frustrating... Can't we just have four Admirals?!"
However, the World Government would absolutely
never allow there to be four Admirals!
Because if there were four Admirals,
the World Government's
control over the Marines would decline significantly!
That was what gave Sengoku a headache...
Whichever of these four became an Admiral,
Sengoku felt that he would be perfectly suited!
Just then, the office door opened.
"Sengoku, I need to talk to you."
Zephyr strode in casually.
Sengoku looked up at Zephyr.
"What is it, Zephyr?"
Zephyr handed a report to Sengoku.
"I know it's time now..."
Puzzled, Sengoku took the report from Zephyr,
then his body trembled.
"Zephyr! What are you doing?!"
Written prominently on the report were the words: [Letter of resignation].
"Sengoku, I'm not young anymore.
My strength is no longer what it was in my youth,
and those brats in the Elite Class
are enough to keep me busy.
There's no need for me to cling to an Admiral's position."
Sengoku fell silent as he listened to Zephyr.
Zephyr smiled and continued:
"Besides, it's not as though I'm leaving the Marines.
Aren't I still serving as
the Elite Class's chief instructor?"
"Sengoku, I know you're also
fretting over Xiu and the others.
So, taking this opportunity
would also resolve your worries, wouldn't it?"
Sengoku let out a heavy sigh and said:
"Although I imagined this day would come,
I just never expected that this day
would arrive so suddenly..."
"Hahaha! Sengoku, there's no need to be so sad, is there?
It's not as though I've completely lost my ability to fight!"
"Besides, if I step down from that position,
I'll have time to spend with my family..."
Sengoku nodded slightly.
"Zephyr, since you've made your decision,
I'll accept your resignation!"
Zephyr also stood and nodded solemnly.
"Thanks, Sengoku."
Then Zephyr left the office.
Sengoku looked once more at the list in his hand,
then placed a call on his Den Den Mushi.
After a dozen or so rings,
the sound of a bicycle in motion came from the other end.
"Hello, Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
What can I do for you?"
"Kuzan, where are you now?"
On the frozen sea,
Kuzan looked up and glanced around.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I should need another day or two
to reach Marineford."
"Yes, make sure you get back quickly.
Come see me in my office when you arrive."
Kuzan raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something urgent?"
"We'll talk when you get here, Kuzan."
With that, Sengoku hung up.
He already had a tentative idea in mind.
However, this idea...
would still require Kuzan's agreement.
Meanwhile, out on the sea,
looking at the Den Den Mushi after the abruptly ended call,
Kuzan furrowed his brow.
"Why do I keep getting a bad feeling about this...?"
Then he pedaled his bicycle quickly,
heading toward Marineford.
PS: Sigh... Why are the flowers still below two thousand five hundred? I'm so sad...
The rating votes haven't reached four hundred either. Sobbing my eyes out~~
Please, everyone, help boost those numbers...
I'm really so sad... (crying)