BANG!!!!
Sengoku finally couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his fist onto the table so hard that the teacups jumped.
"Enough!!"
His signature roar echoed through the hall like thunder.
"Garp! Stop eating! Do you think this is a picnic?!"
"Kuzan! Take that eye mask off!"
"Borsalino! Stop trimming those damn nails!"
Sengoku yelled at everyone in a circle before his burning gaze landed on the snoring Den Den Mushi in the center of the table.
"And you too! Renzo!!!"
He roared at the snail.
"If you make one more sound, I'll dock three months of your salary! And confiscate your entire dessert budget!!"
"…Zzz… huh?"
The snoring abruptly stopped. A second later, a lazy, groggy voice full of morning irritation came from the snail.
"…You're too loud, old man Sengoku… why are we having a meeting this early… Don't you know sleep deprivation lowers work efficiency?"
"..." Sengoku felt his blood pressure spike again.
"Alright! Everyone, silence!"
Suppressing the urge to crush the snail in his hand, Sengoku took a deep breath and spoke in a commanding voice.
"I've called everyone here today to announce something extremely important for the future of the Marines!"
He looked around the room and slowly said, "After the War of Marineford, the Great Pirate Era has run wild. The New World is full of undercurrents. The old balance has been broken, and new threats are constantly appearing…"
He went on for about ten minutes complaining and summarizing how troublesome the world situation had become.
Just as Aokiji was about to fall asleep again and Garp had already opened his second bag of donuts, Sengoku finally dropped the bomb.
"In short! I'm old! My energy is no longer what it used to be!"
"I have decided-"
"-to resign from the position of Fleet Admiral!"
"What?!"
The hall erupted.
Aside from a few insiders, the vice admirals present all showed shocked expressions.
"Fleet Admiral! You can't!"
"The Marine is in such a critical period. How can you-"
"Silence!" Sengoku roared again.
"I've already decided and reported this to the Five Elders, and it has been approved!"
"The topic today is not persuading me to stay!"
"It is choosing the next Fleet Admiral!"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly shifted from shock to burning intensity.
Everyone's eyes unconsciously turned toward the three admirals.
"Wa, finally we're getting to the point~."
Kizaru put down his nail clippers with mild interest.
"Based on seniority, achievements, and strength," Sengoku said in a deep voice, "the only ones qualified to inherit the position of Fleet Admiral are the three of you, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino!"
The moment he finished speaking,
"Ahhh how troublesome~."
Kizaru was the first to raise both hands in surrender, wearing his usual annoying grin.
"Fleet Admiral? Meetings every day, getting scolded by the Five Elders, piles of paperwork…"
He exaggeratedly shivered.
"Just thinking about it is terrifying. I'd rather stay an Admiral and clock in and out on time every day."
"I abstain~."
"BORSALINO YOU BASTARD!!"
Sengoku's beard trembled in anger, though he clearly expected this outcome.
He inhaled deeply and turned to the other two.
"Fine! Then it's between Kuzan and Sakazuki!"
"Which one of you… wants the position?"
"Ah…"
Aokiji slowly removed his eye mask. For once, his sleepy eyes showed a hint of clarity.
He slowly… raised his hand.
"Since Kizaru doesn't want it…" he said lazily, "…I'll give it a try."
"Maybe I can make the Marines… a bit more relaxed. At least people won't have to stay tense every day."
"Naive!!"
A furious shout exploded.
BANG!
Akainu slammed his fist onto the table. The heat from his fist melted the alloy surface instantly, releasing sizzling smoke.
"Kuzan! Your justice will only encourage evil and allow pirates to run rampant!"
He raised his hand as well, veins bulging.
"The Fleet Admiral's seat must be controlled by Absolute Justice!"
"I will take that responsibility!"
Two completely different yet equally terrifying auras clashed in the conference room.
Bone-chilling cold collided with scorching magma heat, making the vice admirals present feel like they were sitting on needles.
The battle for Fleet Admiral had finally reached the table.
"When I become Fleet Admiral!"
Akainu spoke first. His hawk-like gaze swept across the room, his voice filled with iron resolve.
"The first thing I'll do is completely purge the Marine's lazy atmosphere! All incomplete justice will be eliminated!"
"I will gather the Marines' full power and launch attacks against the Four Emperors of the New World-"
"…Hold on."
A lazy, slightly annoyed voice suddenly came from the Den Den Mushi on the table.
It interrupted Akainu's passionate speech.
"…." Akainu froze.
He slowly turned his head, lava-burning eyes locking onto the golden Den Den Mushi.
His expression looked as if he wanted to burn the snail, and the person on the other side, to ashes.
"RENZO!!!"
Akainu growled through clenched teeth.
"What do you want to say this time?!"
"You're too loud… Sakazuki."
Renzo yawned through the Den Den Mushi, sounding disgusted.
"Your voice is so loud it hurts my ears even through the snail. A batch of top-grade Mist Peak coffee beans just arrived at G-5, and you scared the flavor right out of them."
"You…!"
"My position is simple."
Renzo seemed to sit up slightly, his voice becoming clearer.
"I oppose it."
Sengoku blinked.
"…You, oppose what?"
"I oppose Sakazuki becoming Fleet Admiral."
Renzo's tone was calm but extremely firm.
"Strongly oppose it."
"WHY?!!"
Akainu stood up abruptly, his terrifying aura raising the temperature in the room by dozens of degrees.
"Give me a reason! You disgrace of the Marine! You useless man who only sleeps! What right do you have to oppose me?!"
"A reason?"
Renzo seemed to chuckle.
"The reason is simple."
"First," Renzo said lazily, "you're too ugly."
"…Huh?!"
The entire room turned to stone.
Even Garp stopped chewing his donut.
"Look at you," Renzo continued like a professional critic.
"Wrinkles all over your face. Nasolabial folds deep enough to clamp a Sea King. Your expression is either angry or on the way to being angry."
"The Fleet Admiral is the Marine's public face. If your face ends up on newspapers worldwide, civilians will have nightmares. That seriously damages the Marine's image. Bad review."
"PFF!!"
Garp burst out laughing, spraying donut crumbs everywhere.
"HAHAHAHA! Well said! Ugly!!"
"GARP SHUT UP!!" Sengoku roared.
"You… you…!!" Akainu's fist ignited with blazing magma.
"Second," Renzo continued, ignoring his rage.
"You're too loud. I already said that... Very noisy."
"If you become Fleet Admiral, there'll be meetings every day and shouting every day. As your colleague, wouldn't I be annoyed to death?"
"Who's going to protect my vacations? Who's responsible for my afternoon tea mood?"
"You severely threaten my vacation efficiency. Super bad review."
"Third, and most important."
Renzo's voice finally lost some of its laziness and gained a hint of coldness.
"Your Absolute Justice…"
"…is too troublesome."
"If someone like you becomes Fleet Admiral, the Marines will turn into a crazy war machine. Fighting here today, destroying something there tomorrow, causing trouble everywhere and making the entire sea chaotic."
"Do you know what that means?"
Renzo sounded deeply pained.
"It means I, as a Marine Admiral and top combat power, will inevitably be dragged into overtime work by you!"
"That is absolutely unforgivable!"
"So I oppose it. Firmly oppose it."
Renzo concluded his statement.
"…."
"…."
The conference room fell into dead silence.
All the Vice Admirals stared at the Den Den Mushi with expressions that screamed:
What the hell did I just hear?
These… were his reasons?!
Because he's ugly?!
Because he's loud?!
Because he's afraid of overtime?!
"You… you bastard!!!" Akainu's fury finally erupted.
"I'll kill you!!"
"Inugami Guren!!"
He threw a punch at the Den Den Mushi.
"Now now, calm down, Sakazuki~."
A flash of golden light appeared.
Kizaru's sleazy face appeared between Akainu and the Den Den Mushi.
He casually raised a finger coated in light, blocking the magma fist.
"Kizaru! You dare stop me?!"
"Oh my, no need to be so angry."
Kizaru withdrew his hand and sat back down slowly.
Then, in front of everyone's stunned eyes,
Kizaru slowly raised his neatly trimmed hand.
"Come to think of it~…"
He looked at Sengoku innocently.
"After thinking carefully~…"
"…what Renzo said… actually makes a lot of sense~."
"…." Sengoku.
"…." Everyone else.
"Maa~," Kizaru counted on his fingers seriously.
"If Sakazuki becomes Fleet Admiral, we'll definitely have to go on missions every day, work overtime, write reports, and fight the Four Emperors in the New World~."
"That sounds terrifying~. Just thinking about it makes my back hurt."
He shrugged helplessly.
"So for my sake… no, for the Marine's future work efficiency~."
"I also strongly oppose Sakazuki becoming Fleet Admiral~."
"PUHAHAHAHA!!"
Garp pounded the table, laughing until tears came out.
"Sakazuki! Look at that! Look! HAHAHA! Popularity! That's popularity!!"
The entire hall froze.
Akainu remained standing in his attack pose.
His red face had turned purple with rage… then black.
Magma dripped from his body, melting holes into the alloy floor.
Among the Marines' four top powers, Renzo opposed. Kizaru followed with his own opposition. Aokiji wanted the job himself… so also opposed.
Out of four admirals, three clearly opposed Akainu.
"I…"
Sengoku looked at the absurd scene and felt dizzy.
He covered his face and groaned.
"Why… did I hold this meeting…"
"Why did I… resign…"
The atmosphere in the room could no longer be described as frozen.
It was a bizarre balance filled with gunpowder and dark humor, ready to explode.
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu