"Do you have anything to say?"
Fleet Admiral Kong's solemn, imposing voice echoed through the office. He had thought that this sixteen-year-old boy would show at least a trace of excitement, joy, or even surprise upon hearing of this meteoric promotion worthy of the history books.
Yet Yas merely glanced at the gleaming promotion document before returning his gaze to Fleet Admiral Kong's face.
His eyes were as still as a pool of ice that had remained frozen for ten thousand years.
"Oh."
One word.
Only one word.
As though the rank of Marine Rear Admiral, a position countless Marines could never reach even after a lifetime of effort, was no more worthy of mention than a pebble by the roadside.
"Oh?"
Fleet Admiral Kong froze.
Sengoku froze.
Even Garp, who had been clutching his belly with laughter moments earlier, had his smile freeze on his face.
The atmosphere in the office instantly turned utterly bizarre.
"Just an 'oh'?" Sengoku's mouth twitched. He felt his blood pressure beginning to soar uncontrollably again. "Yas! This is Rear Admiral! Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral! Do you know what that means?!"
"It means more trouble." Yas finally offered a few more words, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of distaste. "Meetings, reports, dealing with those idiots sent by the Celestial Dragons."
"I just want to fight."
Yas looked straight at Fleet Admiral Kong with his ice-blue eyes. His gaze was pure, without a trace of anything else.
"Give me stronger enemies, or give me more time to train."
"Don't bother me with anything else."
With that, he could not even be bothered to wait for the Fleet Admiral's response. He turned and headed straight for the office door.
"You little bastard! Stop right there!" Trembling with rage, Sengoku was about to step forward and stop him.
"Let him go, Sengoku."
Fleet Admiral Kong spoke up to stop him.
Watching Yas's aloof, defiant back, he sighed with a complicated look in his eyes, while a bitter smile slowly formed on his face.
"Perhaps this is who he truly is."
"A monster born purely for 'power' and 'battle.'"
"Making him deal with all that red tape would only waste his power, power great enough to change the world."
Fleet Admiral Kong sat back down in his chair. He glanced at the information on the IQ drug on his desk, then recalled the various unfathomable abilities Yas had displayed in the reports. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
"What we need isn't a commander who follows every rule."
"It's the sharpest, most fearsome blade, one capable of cutting open this dark age!"
Garp grinned, picked up another Senbei, and stuffed it into his mouth. "That's more like it!" he mumbled. "Just let him kill pirates! Leave everything else to us old men!"
Looking at this unreliable pair, Sengoku could only sigh helplessly and rub his aching temples.
He knew that from the moment Yas had joined the Marines, their future had been destined to be driven in a direction no one could predict by this monster who defied all reason.
Early the next morning.
The central plaza of Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
A vast sea of people filled the plaza, heads jostling everywhere.
Tens of thousands of Marines, from ordinary privates to high-ranking Headquarters Vice Admirals, had all gathered here.
Every face bore a complicated expression, mingling excitement, curiosity, awe, and envy.
For today, they would witness a historic moment with their own eyes.
A boy of only sixteen would be awarded the rank of Rear Admiral here!
"Hey, did you hear? It's that monster rookie named Yas!"
"Hear? I saw him return with my own eyes! There wasn't even a single patch of chipped paint on the Leviathan. But the battle report they brought back was more outrageous than a legend!"
"Sinking Midas Island? Wiping out core officers under Rocks and Golden Lion? Is that really something a human can do?"
"Who knows? But apparently, it's true that he put Vice Admiral Garp in the hospital! And even the Fleet Admiral and Admiral Sengoku can't do anything about him!"
"A sixteen-year-old Rear Admiral. What a monster. That's a height we could never reach in our entire lives."
All kinds of chatter rose and fell through the crowd, making the name "Yas" seem ever more legendary and mysterious.
On the platform, Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, and dozens of Headquarters Vice Admirals were already in position.
They looked at the dense crowd below with varying expressions.
Among them, a beautiful, tall female Vice Admiral with long black hair and an icy air leaned silently in a corner, holding her Famous Sword, Kompira, in her arms.
She was Gion, "Momousagi," one of the Marines' future Admiral candidates.
Intense curiosity and a trace of competitive fighting spirit flickered in her beautiful eyes.
She dearly wanted to see for herself just what was so extraordinary about the monster Garp and Sengoku had praised to the skies.
Not far from her, another young Vice Admiral, a cigar in his mouth and a languid expression on his face, yawned as though he had yet to wake up properly. He was Kuzan, the future Admiral "Aokiji."
"Honestly, making this much fuss over one rookie. What a pain."
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Solemn bells rang throughout Marineford.
The entire plaza fell silent in an instant.
Under the focused gazes of tens of thousands, under the covert scrutiny of countless powers across the world.
A figure in white slowly emerged from behind the platform.
He was not wearing the brand-new Rear Admiral's uniform that symbolized honor.
He still wore that simple black combat outfit, with a white coat draped over it. The word "Justice" was embroidered on the coat, yet it made him look more overbearing and arrogantly defiant than any pirate.
His expression was cold, his steps steady.
As though what awaited him was not a rank-conferral ceremony worthy of the history books, but some tedious routine formality.
Step by step, he walked to the very center of the platform and stood before Fleet Admiral Kong.
Sunlight fell upon him, stretching his shadow far, far behind him.
At that moment, it seemed as though he was the only person left in the entire world.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
The Marine soldiers below the platform held their breath.
The Vice Admirals on the platform wore grave looks in their eyes.
Great pirates such as Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard, hidden in various corners of the world, also turned their attention here through various channels.
They did not know.
What they were witnessing today was not merely an internal Marine promotion ceremony.
It was, for a terrifying new era, violent and belonging solely to the "Strongest Marine,"
The beginning!
Before you continue