Marineford, the Fleet Admiral's Office at Marine Headquarters.
The atmosphere was so solemn and austere that it was almost suffocating.
Nearly three meters tall and as imposing as a mountain, Kong sat behind his enormous desk. His hands were clasped, all ten fingers interlocked, and his hawklike eyes stared straight ahead without blinking.
Seated on either side of him were the Navy's Chief Inspector, "Sengoku the Buddha," and the Navy Hero, Monkey D. Garp.
Across from the three of them stood Yas, the man who had shaken the entire world, his expression calm.
He still wore the white Justice Coat that had remained spotless even in battle, as though he had just gone out for a stroll rather than fought an earth-shattering battle.
The office was deathly silent.
Only the enormous clock on the wall ticked away, its "tick, tock" seeming to strike at everyone's heart.
"Whew..."
At last, Kong let out a long breath, breaking the oppressive silence.
"Yas."
His voice was deep and powerful, every word seeming to carry immense weight.
"We have reviewed both the report on your battle with Golden Lion Shiki and the World Economy News Paper's live broadcast footage."
Fleet Admiral Kong's gaze grew extraordinarily complicated. He stared hard at Yas, seemingly trying to discern something from this far-too-young man's face.
"You single-handedly defeated a legendary pirate and prevented a catastrophe that could have destroyed the entrance to the New World. Judging by the results, you have accomplished a feat unprecedented in Navy history."
At this point, Fleet Admiral Kong abruptly changed tack, his voice suddenly turning stern!
"But!"
"Do you realize how enormous a risk your actions also created?! You destroyed Merveille. Though you dealt with the falling debris, it still triggered small-scale tsunamis and caused irreversible damage to the surrounding sea routes!"