What?!
The expressions of the Marine officers present changed drastically.
The deferential smiles on the faces of Vice Admirals like Doberman froze.
Many of them had spent more than a decade as Vice Admirals.
If they wanted to climb another rung, the only position available was Admiral Candidate.
If a fellow Vice Admiral received the recommendation, many of them would certainly have no objection.
Now, however, this honor, second only to Admiral, had fallen to some unknown brat.
They could not swallow that.
"Excuse me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but are you joking? If you gave the Admiral Candidate position to Mr. Garp, or even made him an Admiral outright, none of us would object."
Doberman spoke in a low voice.
"But now you're giving the Admiral Candidate position to a newcomer who hasn't even formally reported for duty as a Marine. I'm afraid many people won't accept that!"
"Doberman is right. I agree."
Kizaru voiced his agreement as well.
Quite a few Marine officers present nodded in response.
Sengoku had already anticipated things developing this way. He took out two bounty posters and said,
"I know you aren't convinced, but this recommendation really was submitted by Garp himself."
"Five days ago, Bai Yu killed the treasure hunter Treasure, who had a bounty of eighty-nine million, on Shimotsuki Island."
"Three days ago, he killed Arlong, a Fish-Man with a twenty-million-Beli bounty and a remnant of the Sun Pirates."
"Most importantly, according to Onigumo's report, he has already met Bai Yu and fought him once. The final outcome was Onigumo's defeat!"
What?!
The pupils of Doberman and the other Marine officers abruptly contracted.
Those earlier achievements were quite a surprise to them.
But they clearly were not enough to convince them completely.
Now, however, Sengoku was suddenly telling them that even Onigumo, a hawkish Marine Vice Admiral, had been defeated by Bai Yu.
That was rather too much to take in.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, are you joking? Onigumo is a very experienced Vice Admiral, and his strength is among the best. His Eight-Sword Style is extraordinary, too. You're saying he lost to a brat? That's hard to believe!"
Akainu spoke in a low voice.
As a fellow hawk, Akainu naturally paid a little more attention to Onigumo, who had always stood with him through thick and thin.
Faced with these questions, everyone looked at Sengoku, eager to know whether the recommendation just now was real.
"I know you don't believe it, so I've already contacted Onigumo. Verify it with him yourselves!"
Sengoku casually tossed out a Den Den Mushi, and a ringing sound soon followed.
"Hello, hello, this is Onigumo. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what urgent matter are you contacting me about?"
Onigumo's deep voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"Onigumo, this is Sakazuki!"
Akainu spoke first.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku just said you lost to a newcomer. Do you think that joke is funny?"
As those words fell, the vast meeting hall sank into deathly silence. A trace of eagerness flickered deep in quite a few people's eyes.
They were eager to know whether Sengoku was fooling them.
"Admiral Sakazuki, this is no joke. I fought Mr. Garp's grandson, Bai Yu, in the East Blue, and I did indeed lose to him. What's more, he defeated me using the same Eight-Sword Style."
"If this is about recommending him as an Admiral Candidate, that was actually the result of a discussion between Mr. Garp and me!"
Onigumo spoke in a low voice.
Hiss-
The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the meeting hall.
Quite a few people's pupils abruptly contracted.
Onigumo's strength placed him among the foremost Vice Admirals.
His Eight-Sword Style, combined with Life Return, had earned him a place not only at Marine Headquarters, but even on the seas.
Now he had simply lost, and to a newcomer at that.
This truly overturned their understanding.
"Admiral Sakazuki, I know you find it hard to believe, but Bai Yu's potential far exceeds our imagination. He possesses the Three Types of Haki and is also proficient in profound swordsmanship. In terms of talent for swordsmanship, I believe he may well rival the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk."
"Moreover, what deserves the most attention is his exceptionally keen combat instincts. If I had to describe him, he seems as though he was born for battle!"
Onigumo continued speaking.
Each revelation changed the atmosphere in the room.
Rivaling the World's Greatest Swordsman, and born for battle!
Had such titles and halos come from an established figure of great renown, they would not have uttered a word of protest.
Applied to someone who had only just set foot on the seas, they were undoubtedly hard to accept.
"All right, Onigumo, we can discuss anything else when you return. Remember, don't let Garp run all over the place!"
After giving that reminder, Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi.
If this recommendation had been Garp's unilateral action,
Sengoku would never have casually agreed to it.
But this time, even the habitually proud Onigumo was involved.
Sengoku had no choice but to take it seriously.
For a time, the vast meeting hall fell silent.
None of the Marine officers could offer an answer right away.
"Hmph, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I still cannot believe this."
Akainu spoke again in a low voice.
"Of everyone sitting here, who didn't reach their position step by step through seniority and military achievements?"
"If a newcomer is to be parachuted into the position of Marine Admiral Candidate, then unless he can demonstrate achievements and strength sufficient to convince people, I will never agree to this recommendation."
"I think Akainu is right, too." Kizaru also raised a hand to state his position.
Seeing two of the three Admirals voice their opinions, the officers secretly breathed sighs of relief.
Sengoku glanced at Aokiji, who had not said a word and seemed to be staying out of the matter, and said,
"I already knew how you would react. I called you together this time to give you advance notice."
"As for the Admiral Candidate position, we'll decide after Bai Yu arrives."
"But let me remind you: gold will always shine. Otherwise, that old stubborn mule Onigumo wouldn't have personally recommended him. I hope none of you will strain relations too badly."
"If there's nothing else, we'll end this meeting here. Once Bai Yu reaches Marine Headquarters, we'll continue this discussion."
"Hmph. Since you've already made your decision, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'd very much like to see what great waves that brat can stir up!" Akainu snorted coldly, then was the first to turn and leave.
Kizaru likewise wore an amused expression as he turned into specks of light and vanished from the spot.
After exchanging glances, the remaining Marine officers turned and left one after another.
Looking at the meeting hall, which had emptied in an instant, Sengoku let out a long sigh and muttered to himself,
"Garp, I've taken a big gamble for that precious grandson of yours this time. If you dare fool me, never mind letting you through the gates of Marine Headquarters-I'll chase him all over the seas."
"Still, why have I been feeling a little uneasy lately? Am I overthinking things, or is something big about to happen..."