Admiral Candidate, the Approaching Paramount War!
Tashigi's tone was cautious and full of confusion.
Nami, who usually directs the ship's direction, is always one of the first to get up, but today she is unusually quiet and hasn't even left her room, which is very unusual.
Upon hearing this, Ivan laughed and said, "Don't worry, she was exhausted last night and is still resting in her room. Let her sleep a little longer; there's no need to wake her."
Upon hearing this, Tashigi nodded as if Satori something. "I see. I was too hasty. I'll go and set aside Nami's breakfast first, and she can eat it when she wakes up."
"Yes, go ahead." Ivan nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the sea.
Tashigi turned and headed towards the kitchen, but as soon as she rounded the corner of the deck and confirmed that Ivan's figure had completely disappeared from sight, her expression instantly fell, and she squatted down on the ground.
She quickly pulled out a handkerchief, bit it hard, and muttered angrily, "Ugh! That jerk Nami! She beat me to it! That's so mean!"
She bit her handkerchief, the image of Ivan's refreshed face flashing through her mind, intensifying her resentment.
Normally, she is too reserved and doesn't dare to be as bold and straightforward as Nami, but this caution gives Nami the upper hand.
"No, absolutely not!" Tashigi abruptly raised her head, the shyness in her eyes fading, replaced by determination. "I need to speed things up too, I can't stay this passive any longer!"
No one knew that this seemingly innocent girl harbored a secret, hidden agenda when it came to things she cared about.
Next time, she will never let Nami get there first again.
In the blink of an eye, January has quietly passed.
During this month, Ivan did not stir up any waves on the sea.
He remained inactive, quietly lying in wait, awaiting the perfect moment to stir up the entire ocean.
On the contrary, this vast sea is turbulent, with major events erupting one after another.
The most astonishing feat of the Straw Hat Pirates was their record of victories.
Not long ago, the Straw Hat Pirates stormed Thriller Bark and clashed head-on with Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai.
When the final result was announced, the world was in an uproar.
The Shichibukai were utterly defeated by a group of rookie Supernova pirates and fled in disarray.
In an instant, the name Straw Hat Luffy resounded throughout the Grand Line once again, and his popularity soared.
At the same time, earth-shattering news also broke in the New World.
Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach killed the captain of his own squad and escaped from the Whitebeard Pirates.
At this moment, Fire Fist Ace is pursuing Blackbeard alone, relentlessly chasing him, determined to eliminate the traitor for Whitebeard.
When the intelligence came into Ivan's view, his eyes narrowed instantly, and he understood.
Blackbeard defected not long ago, but since Blackbeard name isn't very well-known, it's not a big deal.
Therefore, apart from the Whitebeard Pirates and a small number of others, very few people knew about this.
Now that the matter has been brought up again, Ivan knows that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes and spreading rumors.
It seems that Blackbeard has reached an agreement with the Navy's high command, revealing Fire Fist Ace's identity and intending to hand Ace over to the Navy in exchange for Shichibukai position.
It's here!
The world-shaking, era-rewriting Paramount War is just around the corner.
That was the grandest, most brutal, and most unrepeatable peak battle of the Great Pirate Era.
Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, will finally meet his end here.
Blackbeard, lurking in the shadows, will seize this opportunity to ascend to the throne and be crowned one of the new Four Emperors.
Ace, the last surviving son of the Pirate King, will perish at the hands of Akainu.
Monkey D. Luffy will also experience despair, loss, and rebirth here, ushering in a transformation of his destiny.
A grand and turbulent era, interwoven with blood and tears, where heroes gather and an era is overturned.
Ivan will certainly not be absent from such a grand battlefield that spans the Navy, the Four Emperors, pirates, and the world order.
He will not only be present on this battlefield as Marine Vice Admiral.
Furthermore, they will emerge as a new, intervening force, posing as the Shadow Garden.
But before that, there was one more thing he had to do.
Ivan lowered his head, opened the system panel, and focused on the panels for Madara Uchiha and Mikoto Misaka, his gaze calm and collected.
His current physical strength is far from sufficient.
Several top-tier templates are activated simultaneously, and multiple alternate accounts appear together, resulting in terrifyingly high resource consumption.
If one lacks the physical strength, forcing oneself to reveal one's weaknesses will only expose the truth of the Shadow Garden to the world.
Therefore, he could only----
"Let it settle!"
He made up his mind.
In the days that followed, I focused on increasing the recognition of various templates and pushing my physical limits once again.
Until the day the Paramount War begins.
That was the moment when the Shadow Garden made their first collective appearance!
He will ultimately grasp the pulse of the times and the direction of the world!
Marineford, the Fleet Admiral's Office at Marine Headquarters.
Inside the solemn room, documents were piled up like mountains.
Ivan pushed open the door and entered, only to see the Sengoku the Buddha working at his desk, while the Marine Garp the Hero sat with his legs crossed, leisurely munching on a senbei (rice cracker).
Hearing footsteps, Garp looked up, immediately burst into laughter, and greeted in a gruff voice, "Yo, Ivan, you're back?"
Ivan nodded slightly, his tone calm and steady. "Garp, I'm back."
He immediately turned to Sengoku, straightened his posture, and reported in a deep voice, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Long Nose Pirates, with a bounty of 780 million, has been completely wiped out."
Sengoku, who had been plagued by complicated military matters for days, relaxed upon hearing this, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"Ivan, thank you for your hard work." He put down his pen and paper, his eyes full of approval. "If it weren't for reliable young people like you holding things up, we older folks would probably be quite overwhelmed."
After Ivan revealed his true strength, he was officially designated as a candidate for Admiral.
He is still nominally Vice Admiral, but his status, authority, and influence are no longer what they used to be.
What followed was an increasingly arduous task.
For example, this time, he was dispatched to wipe out a major pirate crew with a bounty of over 700 million.
However, what would be an extremely difficult task for others was nothing more than a piece of cake for Ivan.
With each perfect completion of a mission, Sengoku grew to value him more and more, and even harbored thoughts of his own.
When the time is right, Ivan will be promoted exceptionally, becoming the fourth Marine Admiral to be stationed at headquarters.
Upon hearing this, Ivan bowed respectfully and uttered a few polite and eloquent words. "My duties are nothing to boast about. Upholding my principles and upholding justice are my sole guiding principles."
These words, spoken with neither arrogance nor impatience, and with utmost loyalty and honesty, pleased the Sengoku, who nodded repeatedly in approval.
After a moment of silence, Sengoku's expression turned slightly serious. After a brief consideration, he said, "Perfect timing. I have an important matter for you to handle."
"Fleet Admiral, please speak."
"Right now, that new generation of pirates has been dubbed the Worst Generation by the world." Sengoku's gaze was solemn. "They will soon arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago."
You must immediately proceed to the Sabaody Archipelago to stabilize the situation and prevent any major chaos that might alarm the Celestial Dragons.