"It's alright, Hancock. If I go to Marine Headquarters... it's not me who'll be taking the risk, it's the Marines!" Xia Chen's lips curled up, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Since we've come this far, we might as well resolve this sooner rather than later. I'm going to Marineford now to have a chat with Sengoku and the others!"
After saying that, Xia Chen turned and walked outside.
" Xia Chen!!"
"Hmm?" Xia Chen turned his head in confusion, looked at Hancock, and asked:
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing, I just wanted to call you!" Hancock said, staring at Xia Chen with eyes full of surging love.
Xia Chen actually went to the Marine Headquarters and confronted those lousy sailors for her sake; he must love her very much!
Waaaaah, she was so touched!
At this moment, Hancock's eyes were filled with Xia Chen's image, as if Xia Chen was her whole world.
"Okay! I'll be back soon, and I want to eat your cooking then!" Xia Chen smiled at Hancock and said, then turned and walked away, gradually disappearing from their sight.
"Eat my... cooking?"
Hancock was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and shouted:
"Quickly bring me all the chefs in the country who can cook! I need to become a master chef within an hour!!"
--
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In a conference room, a large group of navy personnel were gathered, discussing something.
" Sengoku, Momonga just sent word that he's recruited someone with the strength of Admiral and wants to know your thoughts!" The Navy's chief of staff said, looking at Sengoku, who was sitting in the main seat.
"Another Admiral?"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku paused slightly, his gaze involuntarily drifting to a green-haired man in the conference room. He then regained his composure, pondered for a moment, and looked at the assembled navy below, asking:
What do you think we should do about this?
After Sengoku said this, the air in the conference room fell silent for a few seconds, and not a single naval officer spoke.
After a long pause, one of the Vice Admiral finally spoke up, "How about we make him a Admiral Candidate for now? After all, we already have Admiral Ryokugyu replacing Admiral Akainu, and the Three Admirals positions are already filled!"
"Um..."
Sengoku pondered for a moment, then looked at the person to his left and asked, " Kuzan, what do you think of Vice Admiral Yamakaji's proposal?"
"Of course we'll just sit and watch. How else can we watch?" Aokiji said nonchalantly.
(╬▔盘▔)╯!
Sengoku forcibly suppressed his anger and turned to look at Kizaru, who was trimming his nails.
Borsalino, what do you think?
"I have no opinion, Fleet Admiral Sengoku can decide for himself!" The tone was just as indifferent as Aokiji's, and it made Sengoku's veins bulge. He had truly reached his limit.
"What's wrong with you two these days? You're listless all the time, too lazy to participate in anything. Anyone who knows you would think you're Marine Admiral, but anyone who doesn't would think you're just lazy bums in some backwater!"
Hearing Sengoku's roar, Aokiji and Kizaru showed no expression whatsoever. They had gotten used to it over time, so they didn't say a word and just stayed put!
Their personalities were already somewhat lazy, and now, after being "blessed" by Xia Chen, they were even less inclined to get involved. In any case, no matter what they did, as long as Xia Chen was alive, that was all that mattered.
If it weren't for the conflict with Xia Chen, it would be fine. But if there is a conflict with Xia Chen, then there's no need to discuss it further.
There's no chance of winning!
As the only two survivors of the fight against Xia Chen, they knew Xia Chen's power and understood that if Xia Chen hadn't wanted to kill them, they would have been with Sakazuki long ago.
Seeing the two of them like this, Sengoku was at a loss. Why did it seem like these two were becoming more and more like Garp? They were getting harder and harder to control!
Speaking of Garp, Sengoku's gaze shifted to a figure who was constantly eating senbei (rice crackers) to the side, and his anger surged up once again.
Fortunately, Sengoku was already used to such things. After reciting the Heart-Cleansing Mantra countless times, he finally suppressed his anger. Then, he turned his gaze to another figure and asked:
" Aramaki, what about you? What are your thoughts?"
"Um..."
After pondering for a moment, Ryokugyu (also known as Aramaki ) said, "I think Vice Admiral Yamakaji's suggestion is good. We can temporarily designate him as a candidate for Admiral Candidate. After all, the policy of the Three Admirals was set by the World Government, and our Navy can't easily change it!"
What do you think?
Sengoku then turned his gaze to the others and asked.
I agree!
I second that!
"..."
One by one, the Vice Admiral answered that they all agreed.
Since neither Aokiji nor Kizaru has spoken and are no longer involved in matters, there's no need to provoke another Admiral.
Sengoku remained silent for a while, then finally said, "Your proposal is indeed quite in line with the rules, but..."
At this point, Sengoku Guo paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Special times call for special measures!
"Our navy is currently in a precarious situation. Too many soldiers died in the last war, so there's no need for us to continue following the old rules!"
"I plan to establish a fourth Admiral. I will apply to the World Government for this. The era of the Three Admirals is over. From now on, there will only be... Four Marine Admirals!"
When Sengoku said this, he was full of vigor, as if he could already see the glorious future of the navy.
However, at that moment, a voice made the excited Sengoku break out in a cold sweat.
"Oh? Fleet Admiral Sengoku? So happy? Four Marine Admirals? That sounds pretty good!"
In an instant, everyone on the field felt a jolt in their hearts and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Suddenly, a figure sat with his legs crossed in a corner of the conference room, watching them with a calm gaze.
!!!
The air in the meeting room suddenly became deathly still; no one spoke for a long time, until...
"Hey! What are you doing? Don't be so serious, we're old friends, why are you being so reserved!" Xia Chen said calmly, then slowly stood up.
But this simple act of standing up made everyone in the conference room feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and they all assumed defensive postures.
Sengoku asked with a grim expression:
" Xia Chen, this is the Marine Headquarters. What are you doing here?"
"You're really brave! Aren't you afraid you won't come back alive?"
"Hmm? Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it's been a while since I've seen you. Why are you talking nonsense now?"
"Make me a one-way trip? Do you think you guys... can actually do that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Chen's eyes narrowed, and then an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki was released, crushing towards the numerous marines...