The fourth

One of the Sweet Commanders: Katakuri.

The man hailed as the most perfect man had arrived at Onigashima in Wano Country, leading his subordinates from Flour Island.

As things stood, the Beasts Pirates had no word of Kaido, two of their All-Stars had been captured, and almost all their major fighting forces had been wiped out.

Onigashima was completely stripped of fighting strength. Even if anyone had been left behind, they would not have been enough for Katakuri to warm up on his own.

"Go. Present the Road Poneglyph and Wano Country to Mama!"

"Yeah!!!"

The first cracks had appeared in the power of the Four Emperors.

After a full week of recuperation, Lofan's injuries were under control, and word finally came from Sengoku:

Vice Admiral Lofan was ordered to proceed to Marineford immediately.

Just in case, he brought Ain along and left Binz to guard the branch.

Standing on deck at the bow, he lowered his gaze and considered his plans for what came next.

He had to pay Big Mom a visit. She was certainly going to make a move against Wano Country now.

But even though he had told her Zou's name, finding it would be almost impossible.

Because they would not know that Zou was a walking elephant and needed a Vivre Card to locate it.

That was a bargaining chip for continuing his cooperation with Big Mom.

He also needed to visit Dressrosa again, and not just to cooperate with Doflamingo.

More importantly, he needed to get to the bottom of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. Perhaps Sugar...

No, rather, if things really were as he thought, he had to get his hands on the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.

Finally came the most crucial matter: establishing an intelligence organization.

Lofan already had a target, but he still lacked any concrete ideas; he would have to make contact before considering his next steps.

There were also many other things to prepare and build. Ten years was actually quite a tight schedule.

Kaido had left the scene that very day. Given his personality, he certainly would not reveal any unfavorable news.

Besides, he might already have learned that Big Mom had made a move against his home base.

Perhaps he would suffer further injury and cough up a few more mouthfuls of blood.

He had used Kaido's fearsome reputation to reach the summit of the New World.

Next, he would stand firmly at the pinnacle of power in the Marines.

During the Paramount War, every last Marine put on an act and left Akainu to do the work. This time, don't worry, Akainu. I'll be putting on an act for them too.

Marineford had already begun preparing for a grand military review.

Every Marine, whether a new recruit or an Admiral, had been ordered to attend.

Even knowing that this operation had brought victory, the scale of the occasion was truly rather excessive.

Garp obliged and sat in a chair, picking his nose and eating rice crackers, with an air of "I'm invincible anyway, so do as you please."

Apart from Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, the Three Admirals, those who sensed something unusual...

...included only Tsuru, who had always been renowned for her strategic mind.

The stage had been built. All that remained was for the late-arriving star to make his dazzling entrance.

By the time Marineford came into view, Lofan's level of Observation Haki allowed him to clearly sense that the scale was beyond the norm.

And among the outcomes he had envisioned, one matched what he sensed.

He smiled faintly. This time, his calculations had paid off spectacularly.

Win the gamble, and he would be heaven's chosen one. Lose, and he would become a handful of dust.

"Ain, what does a pleasant surprise look like? This is a pleasant surprise."

"If you're so happy, can't you tell me why we don't need to look for that girl anymore?"

"Haha, because I only just figured it out myself. You won't find her. If you could, the Marines would have found her long ago."

Ain simply could not keep up with Lofan's leaps in logic.

She had tried countless times to learn to view and handle matters the way Lofan did.

But she always felt that a crucial link was missing at the key point, leaving many of his lines of reasoning completely disconnected from hers.

"Teacher will be overjoyed. We'll have to make him really open his wallet this time and treat us to a proper meal."

Draped in a white Justice Coat, the refined Lofan stepped onto the stage.

Sengoku led him to the very front and announced to all the Marines through a Den Den Mushi:

Vice Admiral Lofan had been appointed the fourth Marine Admiral, stationed at Marineford, under the code name: Cloud Gull Admiral.

The entire army roared.

The news from the Marines had grown more sensational with each passing day.

First came Jack the Drought's capture, then the youngest Admiral candidate.

Good grief, less than half a month later, it had turned straight into the complete defeat of the Beasts Pirates.

Jack and Queen were imprisoned, and the Cloud Gull Admiral had defeated Kaido.

Suddenly, the Marines had found their backbone.

And faced with the Marines' sudden, forceful offensive, quite a few pirates across the seas had sharply curtailed their activities.

This was hardly just making an example of someone to warn the rest anymore.

Even the nest at the very top had almost been wiped out. If you dared make yourself too conspicuous at a time like this, you really would be the proud recipient of a pair of iron handcuffs.

At first, quite a few people had shouted that it was fake news. Then they waited and waited.

The raging Kaido never appeared. The All-Stars never reestablished their fearsome reputation. Nothing they waited for came.

There was only the Cloud Gull Admiral, who had toppled an Emperor's throne upon his debut, sitting securely in an Admiral's seat at Marineford.

"With injuries like mine, approving two months of paid leave isn't unreasonable, right? I was injured on the job!"

Sengoku's face was as black as coal. He had thought that a newly promoted Admiral would at least make a few bold moves to mark his appointment.

But was the position of Marine Admiral cursed?

How many days had it been? Lofan was already using his injuries as an excuse to request leave, drawing on his paid vacation in advance so he could take off.

Paid leave! I've never enjoyed so much as a single day of it in my entire life!

Sengoku breathed in and out, constantly reminding himself that the man opposite him was now the face of the Marines.

As the man in charge, he could not spit on his own organization's public face. Otherwise, he would be slapping himself.

"One month. Nothing more."

Sengoku all but gritted his teeth as he approved the leave request.

What a fine, gentle, cultured young man he had been when he first arrived. How had he turned out like this?

"Deal!"

With his leave secured, Lofan shed every trace of his shameless wheedling.

He adjusted his glasses again and walked elegantly out of the Fleet Admiral's Office.

The Marines coming toward him could only feel that the Cloud Gull Admiral lived up to his reputation, truly deserving to be the leading face of the Marines.

The structure of the Marines had undergone its greatest change in centuries.

There had never been more than three Admirals before, but Lofan's arrival had forcibly shifted that balance.

This was also an unexpected gain for him, though he still held no actual authority.

Indeed, although Kong had secured an Admiral's position for him, actual authority was not so easily obtained.

When this pie was first divided, there had only been enough for three people at most.

Now Lofan had joined them.

Did that mean Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji were supposed to accommodate him and give him power simply because they were colleagues, all serving justice?

There was no such easy bargain in this world.

Akainu went without saying. As the head of the Marines' hardliners, he was even less likely to voluntarily surrender military authority.

Kizaru had direct, murky ties to the Celestial Dragons.

Before he even had to state his position, the people above him would already be unwilling to let a new Admiral get involved.

No matter how lazy Aokiji appeared, at the end of the day, he had always had his eye on the Fleet Admiral's position.

Do not mistake a dozing tiger for a sickly cat.

So Lofan did not even have a Vice Admiral under him whose official resources he could put to private use.

They might even be gossiping behind his back. Who had told him to stand out so far above the rest?

By this point, Lofan more or less understood what those at the top meant.

You have a knack for getting things done, Lofan, and you're strong.

So we can give you the title. As for how you handle things afterward, that will depend entirely on your own ability.

And don't call us cold or ungrateful. We broke with tradition for you.

But in truth, Lofan felt that reaching this point was already more than enough.

In the military, combat achievements mattered most.

As long as he kept pressing forward and his reputation gradually took deep root, people would naturally gravitate toward him.

By taking no action now, he gave everyone else plenty of face, and naturally, everyone was happy.

Then if he did something later, or people came flocking to him, surely that would not be his fault.

By not contending now, he was already making the strongest bid of all.