"I'll take responsibility!"
Faced with Fleet Admiral Kong's mountain-heavy challenge, Sengoku answered without the slightest hesitation, his voice ringing like iron!
"If he loses control, I'll deal with him myself! But until then, I ask that you grant him the highest level of authority and support, Fleet Admiral!"
Sengoku's sharp eyes met the Marines' supreme commander head-on, without giving an inch.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew unbearably heavy.
"Steel Bone" Kong's penetrating gaze lingered on Sengoku's resolute face for a full half minute. Then he slowly turned toward Garp, who had just finished offering his "lofty opinion."
"Raise his rank?" Fleet Admiral Kong's lips curved into something not quite a smile. "Garp, do you mean you agree with Sengoku's proposal?"
"What proposal?" Garp picked his nose, looking utterly confused. "I fell asleep just now. Didn't catch it."
Sengoku: "..."
Zephyr: "..."
Tsuru: "..."
A vein bulged on Fleet Admiral Kong's forehead, but he ultimately suppressed the urge to overturn the table and explained patiently, "Sengoku proposes promoting Yas outside normal regulations and granting him the authority to act first and report afterward, so he can deal with the most troublesome pirates."
"Oh, that's a good thing!" Garp slapped his thigh and spoke as though it were obvious. "That brat fights dirty and hits hard. He's perfect for that kind of dirty, grueling work! Saves us old fellows from running off to the New World every day. I barely have time to eat my senbei anymore."
"..." The conference room fell into an eerie silence once again.
In the end, Fleet Admiral Kong made the final decision.
"Very well." Fleet Admiral Kong slowly rose. His towering figure almost blocked out all the light in the conference room. "Since all three of you-the future pillars of the Marines-believe he's worth investing in, I'll make an exception and take this gamble!"
His gaze swept over everyone present, his commanding voice allowing no argument.
"Relay my orders!"
"Marine Headquarters Major Yas demonstrated unparalleled potential and strength far exceeding his rank during a 'friendly spar' with Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine hero. To commend his courage and progress, and entrust him with greater responsibilities, Marine Headquarters has resolved..."
Fleet Admiral Kong paused, then pronounced, word by word, a decision that could shake the entire sea!
"Effective immediately, Yas is hereby promoted outside normal regulations to Marine Headquarters Colonel!"
"The Vanguard unit under his command will be expanded into a special mobile fleet directly subordinate to Marine Headquarters, with a complement of five hundred! Colonel Yas will hold full authority over the fleet's personnel appointments, dismissals, and command!"
"While the fleet is on assignment, Colonel Yas will have the authority to... act first and report afterward against pirate crews with bounties below one hundred million Beli!"
Boom!
When the words "colonel" and "act first and report afterward" left Fleet Admiral Kong's mouth, even the normally unruffled Vice Admiral Tsuru could not help drawing a sharp breath.
A sixteen-year-old colonel!
This was no longer merely an exceptional promotion. This was the creation of a legend!
In the eight hundred years since the Marines' founding, there had never been such a young field-grade officer! Let alone one with the privilege to "act first and report afterward," comparable to an admiral's personal presence!
This meant that, from this day onward, Yas would become a truly unsheathed, peerlessly lethal sword, unbound by any law or procedure! Within certain limits, his will would be equivalent to the Marines' supreme will!
"A wise decision, Fleet Admiral!" A relieved smile appeared on Sengoku's face, and he gave Fleet Admiral Kong a solemn salute.
He knew his plan had succeeded.
For the Marines, and for this era on the verge of being swallowed by darkness, he had secured a glimmer of the fiercest, most dazzling light!
Three days later, in an intensive care ward at Marineford.
Yas slowly opened his eyes.
He was greeted by a pure white ceiling and the pungent smell of disinfectant.
He tried moving his body. Tearing pain surged through every limb and bone, but he could clearly feel vast currents of life energy repairing his damaged body at an unbelievable speed.
Although he had gained a narrow edge at the end of his battle with Garp through the ultimate penetrating power of Three-Finger Nukite, he had paid a terrible price. His lightning release chakra and Haki were almost completely depleted, and his body had come close to collapse from being pushed beyond its limits.
But...
Yas slowly clenched his fist.
It was worth it!
Through this battle, he had not only begun to stabilize his Lightning Release Armament mode, but his understanding and application of both types of Haki had also undergone a qualitative leap!
He could feel that once his injuries healed, his strength would definitely double compared to three days ago!
Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the hidden achievement: Punched the Marine hero! Reward: Template fusion +15%! Total Third Raikage Template fusion has reached 45%! New ability unlocked: Black Lightning!
The system's cold voice rang out in his mind in succession.
Something stirred in Yas's heart.
Black Lightning?
To think I'd actually unlocked it!
"Looks like fighting powerful opponents more often really is the fastest way to get stronger." A cold curve formed at the corner of Yas's mouth.
Just then, the ward door was pushed open.
Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp walked in.
Garp's right arm was still in a sling, but he was already full of life. He held an enormous roasted leg of meat, gnawing on it as he walked, and said indistinctly, "Yo, brat, you're awake? You're one tough bastard to kill!"
Yas ignored him and simply turned his gaze toward Sengoku, who was in the lead.
Sengoku took a tray from the orderly behind him and walked to Yas's bedside.
On the tray lay a brand-new, pure white colonel's uniform, its epaulets bearing three gold bars and two cherry blossoms, along with a gold-stamped appointment document signed personally by the Fleet Admiral.
"Yas." Sengoku's expression was more serious than ever. He held the appointment document out before Yas and said gravely, "Congratulations. From this moment on, you're no longer a major."
"By the highest resolution of Marine Headquarters, you have been promoted outside normal regulations to Marine Headquarters Colonel!"
"At the same time, your Vanguard will be expanded into a directly subordinate fleet of five hundred, under your full command. During assignments, you will have the authority to deal with pirates with bounties below one hundred million Beli on the spot!"
Every word Sengoku spoke exploded like thunder in Yas's heart.
A colonel? A directly subordinate fleet? Act first and report afterward?
He had never expected that a single fight with Garp would earn him such generous rewards!
Looks like having the stronger fist really is the only truth in this world, Yas thought as he accepted the weighty appointment document.
"Colonel Yas." Seeing him accept it, Sengoku's expression eased slightly before turning grave again. "While you recover, Marine Headquarters will select the best of our elite soldiers to reinforce your fleet. Once your injuries have healed, an extremely important-and extremely dangerous-mission will be waiting for you."
Sengoku took another black dossier marked "Top secret" from inside his coat and placed it at Yas's bedside.
"Congratulations, Colonel Yas. For your first assignment after your promotion, you will no longer be confined to the first half of the Grand Line..."
Sengoku's eyes grew unfathomably deep, as though he could see through space and time to the most dangerous and most thrilling waters in the world.
"You will head directly to... the New World!"
The New World!
Those words made even Garp stop gnawing on his meat, his gaze tightening slightly.
Just then!
Bang-!
The conference room door-no, the entire wall-was smashed open with extreme violence!
A blood-covered Marine field officer responsible for emergency intelligence communications stumbled and scrambled inside, his face filled with boundless fear and despair!
"B-bad news! Admiral Sengoku!"
The officer's voice had turned shrill with extreme terror, even carrying a hint of a sob.
"Fleet Admiral! Admiral Sengoku! Urgent intelligence! Highest-level red alert!"
"Our... our highest-level undercover operative stationed on Hachinosu... the CP0 agent codenamed 'Bluebird'... suddenly went out of contact just now!"
"In the final second before contact was lost, he transmitted some extremely blurry yet utterly horrifying footage!"
"Rocks... the main force of the Rocks Pirates... seems... seems to be holding an extremely evil sacrificial ritual!"
"They... they've captured over a hundred Devil Fruit Users... it seems... it seems they want to resurrect an... ancient... demon!"
Before the officer could finish, the black dossier in Sengoku's hand fell to the floor with a clack.
Sengoku whipped his head around and exchanged looks with Garp and Zephyr. In one another's eyes, all three saw an unprecedented... horror!
Sengoku slowly turned back and looked at Yas, who had slowly sat upright in his hospital bed at this sudden news. A mad thought began growing uncontrollably in his mind.
In a hoarse voice almost like someone talking in his sleep, he asked the intelligence officer, and Yas as well:
"They... want to resurrect what?"
Before you continue