"How dare he let Vic face the Golden Lion directly? Even a crippled legendary figure has many tricks up his sleeve. Isn't he afraid Vic will die at the hands of the Golden Lion?"
" Garp is too crazy, too eager for quick success. He knows that with Vic's seniority, it will be difficult for him to be promoted this time, but if his achievements are significant enough, he can indeed overcome his lack of seniority. His battle record can shut everyone up. This old guy is even wary of me!"
Sengoku smiled wryly. He really hadn't expected Vic to become Marine Admiral this time. His plan was for next time. Of course, if Vic was truly qualified in all aspects, he wouldn't stop him. Of course Admiral Admiral be Admiral better than three.
However, he suspected that Garp was wary of one of them—himself, the Fleet Admiral Kong, or the World Government —being promoted to Marine Admiral ahead of schedule, which would render Vic's efforts futile. Therefore, he chose to keep it a secret, waiting for the right moment to reveal it, which would then become the most crucial bargaining chip.
This is a trump card, a way to deliver the final blow. If there's a deliberate attempt to target them, this move could be very effective. If they still object at that point, the Navy might lose such a talented individual as Vic.
If you have a reason, you can come up with one, and most naval personnel can accept it. But if you don't even have a reason and just prevent others from going, not only will you force them to leave, but you'll also demoralize your subordinates.
The promotion path is controlled by others, becoming a matter of a single word from the higher-ups. This can demoralize many people. Fighting pirates may be their sense of justice, but that doesn't stop them from pursuing higher status and better treatment.
"Of course we want a stronger navy. What are three Admiral? We'd prefer four, five, six, seven, or eight. But we don't have that many capable admirals!"
The World Government always talks about maintaining the balance of the seas, but they interfere in everything the Navy does, including deciding the number of Marine Admiral!
Garp isn't likely wary of the two of us; the most likely scenario is that he's targeting the World Government. Following Garp's line of thinking, Vic has a high chance of obtaining the qualification.
Vic's current strength has already met the requirements, but it was exposed this time. If the World Government really has restrictions on the number of Admiral, they may try to make things difficult for Vic by giving him some unrealistic or impossible tasks!
Another possibility is that they saw Vic's great talent and wanted to recruit him as a guard, which would suppress his advancement, and then take him away with a benevolent attitude!
Given the current situation on the high seas, only Big Mom and Kaido have the potential to become powerful, and with Newgate already having established his own faction, the pool of candidates for Marine Admiral is three.
Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan are enough. Garp probably understands this situation, so he wants to make Vic's situation a fait accompli.
But now the plan has fallen through. Garp will probably be furious when he sees the newspaper. Tell that bastard Morgans to watch out, lest Garp catches him and beats him to death. We still need this kind of propaganda channel now.
Kong hasn't gone to the World Government to become the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces yet, so his heart is naturally with the Navy, and the stronger the Navy is, the better.
However, since the Navy is an organization under the World Government, it still has to follow the World Government's general direction. He can only offer suggestions but cannot make direct decisions.
He still hoped that Garp's plan would succeed, and Vic was also doing well, improving his strength quickly, but he was just a bit unlucky.
He didn't want someone as talented as Vic to become Celestial Dragons's personal bodyguard; that would be a waste of his strength and talent. There had been similar cases before, and there was no use in feeling sorry for him. It was someone else's choice, plus the selection by their superiors, which he couldn't stop.
"Once they return from the New World, Vic will be promoted to Vice Admiral general, just like Kuzan and the others."
They have the same rank and are strong enough. If they get together, something's bound to happen. Given their fighting capabilities, I'm genuinely worried; they might not even be able to hold onto headquarters.
Especially Sakazuki, he's been waiting for this position for a long time. My biggest worry is him and Vic. They fought once before, so there's some grudge between them. If they face off in a battle for the Admiral, I expect it will be even fiercer than last time.
With their power, it's difficult to stop them! Brother Kong still needs to go and talk to the Five Elders about this; we can't let it escalate too much!
Kong naturally understood what Sengoku was saying, but if Garp insisted on pushing Vic, they would be in a difficult position. The overall situation of the Navy needed to be stable, otherwise they would become a laughing stock among the pirates. They could only wait and see what decision the World Government would make. They would also try to persuade the Five Elders to give Vic a chance.
Kong: "We really should go to Mary Geoise..."
Inside a workshop in the Weapons Department of the Marine Headquarters' recruit training area, Allen, the old blacksmith who once forged Blood Wither and Allen with Vic, was proudly showing off something to his fellow workers and apprentices.
He held a pipe in his left hand and a newspaper in his right, his eyes fixed on the longsword in Vic's hand that had pierced the Golden Lion. The light in his eyes seemed to pierce through the newspaper. Vic had kept his promise to him; the top-grade Great Grade Sword they had forged together had killed the legendary pirate, Golden Lion. Allen was truly thrilled at this moment.
"See that? The knife in Vic's hand was made by the two of us. I wouldn't have helped him if Vic hadn't begged me!"
There's another one exactly the same style, named after me. You'll definitely see related news a lot in the future, hahaha!
Allen's skills are indeed superb, ranking among the top ten in the world on this vast ocean. It's just that he doesn't have any outstanding Famous Sword because the materials for forging are hard to find.
But because of Vic, he has no regrets in this life. Now that he has seen the sword he helped forge kill a heinous pirate, Allen naturally wants everyone he knows to know about it.
"Brother Allen! Did you really forge this knife? When was it made?"
"It was indeed crafted by Master Allen and Rear Admiral Vic together. Vic stayed in our workshop for a month back then, and we all met him. He has a unique aura that makes people feel close to him. I never expected him to be so strong; he could even defeat the Golden Lion!"
"I heard there were some strange phenomena on the day the sword was completed, right? I was off that day and missed it, what a pity!"
"There wasn't anything unusual, but everyone in the workshop felt a chill run through them. Even in the sweltering heat of the workshop, we couldn't help but shiver. We knew then that those two knives were definitely good knives!"
"There's another piece of news. A few days after those two knives were completed, I heard from the soldiers on guard duty that they saw an amazing Flying Slash that cleaved the sea in two outside the area where Rear Admiral Vic and his men lived. I wonder if it was Rear Admiral Vic who did it!"
"That's definitely him, otherwise how could he have killed Golden Lion!..."