After the tabloid reporters dispersed, Finn finally had some breathing room.
He didn't chat extensively with Chaton. Although they'd seemed to laugh off their grudge, it was impossible to suddenly become close confidants.
After returning to sit beside Gion and Kuzan, not long passed before Sakazuki broke away from a cluster of reporters and strode over.
Sakazuki clearly lacked Borsalino's diplomatic finesse.
The moment he sat down, he spoke with visible irritation. "Those bastards. The questions they ask aren't well-intentioned at all!"
"What? You want to burn them alive?" Finn asked with an amused smile.
Sakazuki gritted his teeth. "If I had the chance, I really would burn those trash tabloids to ash."
At the same time, Borsalino, hands in his pockets, leisurely finished placating the reporters before wandering over.
Gion and Kuzan shifted slightly to make room, allowing the three Admirals to sit together.
"Oh, by the way." Finn raised an eyebrow, looking at Sakazuki beside him. "Didn't you mention before wanting to find a Devil Fruit for Ace?"
Sakazuki nodded. "Yes. Do you have a recommendation?"
"Logia-type. Flame-Flame Fruit." Finn's tone was casual.
Sakazuki's eyes brightened immediately. "Perfect!"
This was ideal. Ace had originally wanted a Logia-type fruit, and Sakazuki had been hoping to find fire-based powers for the boy.
To be honest, Ace's relationship with Sakazuki had progressed remarkably quickly. To a large extent, he'd been influenced by Sakazuki's ideology and had developed some hawkish tendencies.
Sakazuki was still strong and healthy, with plenty of time to train a factional successor.
And Ace was indeed the candidate he'd set his sights on.
As for Onigumo and others, although Sakazuki valued them highly, they weren't much younger than him. Training them as successors was impossible.
After all, by the time Sakazuki retired, Onigumo and the others would be retirement age themselves.
Therefore, if he wanted a true successor, he needed to train someone from youth.
Ace was Sakazuki's tentative heir.
After a brief pause, Sakazuki asked again, "Did you find it? Do you have it? The Flame-Flame Fruit?"
"Not yet, but I've located it. It's with Doflamingo. I've already made arrangements with him. Once the Fleet Admiral's ceremony concludes, I'll retrieve it for you." Finn smiled.
Originally, he'd been thinking of waiting until after the New World battle concluded, but it seemed that conflict couldn't start immediately anyway. The final confrontation between those pirates still required preparation time. Better to complete the Seven Warlords appointments first.
Jinbe's arrangements were already finalized, so Doflamingo would be the last of the Seven Warlords.
"Doflamingo? Donquixote Doflamingo?" Sakazuki frowned slightly.
"That's right." Finn nodded.
"That guy isn't a good person. Are you close with him?" Sakazuki's voice carried weight.
If an ordinary person heard this tone, they'd probably think Sakazuki was scolding or preaching.
But Finn and Sakazuki were old friends. Finn naturally understood this guy was somewhat blunt in his speech. His tone, which sounded harsh, actually meant he cared about you.
Yes, it was that ridiculous.
Therefore, Finn didn't take offense. He smiled. "Not really close. He's not a good person, but he's very capable. Sometimes I need someone like him to handle matters that are... inconvenient for me."
Seeing that Finn had thought things through, Sakazuki stopped pressing. He simply nodded firmly. "Then it's fine, as long as you know what you're doing."
"Understood." Finn's smile was easy.
Finn sat chatting with Marine leadership and influential figures from other factions. Before long, the ceremony's scheduled time arrived.
Afterward, the originally noisy square fell silent. Even the tabloid reporters became well-behaved. They each found optimal positions and began frantically photographing and recording.
The broadcast Den Den Mushi that had been set up activated, transmitting Marineford's current scene to the entire world.
Finn, Sakazuki, and Borsalino sat directly opposite the ceremony platform, right in the middle of the first row.
Sakazuki was on his right, Borsalino on his left, with Finn in the center position.
At some point, Finn suddenly noticed that both Sakazuki and Borsalino had adopted arrogant sitting postures, legs crossed high, as if afraid it wouldn't demonstrate that their legs were equally long.
Looking more closely—wow, wasn't this the legendary "Admiral sitting posture"?
The one with causal law implications? It was said that Kuzan ended up having his leg severed because he failed to maintain the Admiral aesthetic.
After considering it, Finn decided not to risk it and simply cooperate with the two pretentious individuals beside him.
Therefore, Finn also leaned back in his chair, then imitated Sakazuki and Borsalino, adopting the same arrogant attitude, crossing his legs directly, looking like an absolute boss.
At that moment, a reporter suddenly captured a photograph of all three Admirals' postures. This photo would become one of the classic images circulated for generations.
After assuming this posture, Finn felt extremely uncomfortable. Was this really a sitting position normal humans could maintain?
"Don't your legs hurt at all?" Finn asked Sakazuki and Borsalino in a low voice.
Sakazuki and Borsalino both looked confused.
"What?" Borsalino asked, surprised.
"Ahem, nothing." Finn raised his eyebrows toward the podium. "Look, Admiral Sengoku... No, we should call him Fleet Admiral now. The Fleet Admiral's arriving."
Sure enough, following Finn's gaze, one could see a tall, steady figure emerging from the end of the red carpet behind the podium that led directly to Marineford's Justice Fortress.
It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who would officially become the Marines' new supreme commander today.
On ordinary days, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's attire wasn't particularly formal, but it wasn't casual either—maintaining a certain old-fashioned, serious style.
Today, his outfit was exceptionally rare and eye-catching.
From a distance, Fleet Admiral Sengoku wore a Marine cap with a seagull ornament on top, remarkably conspicuous, as if he had a bird perched on his head.
Round-framed black-rimmed glasses sat on his nose. His expression was extraordinarily serious, radiating calm composure.
The white double-breasted suit made him look somewhat refined, but his sturdy physique gave him an aura of power—like a thug in formal wear.
However, these two conflicting temperaments blended perfectly in Fleet Admiral Sengoku, never appearing awkward.
On the left side of his chest hung numerous military medals of various sizes, representing Fleet Admiral Sengoku's achievements throughout his military career.
But undoubtedly, he possessed many more medals he hadn't worn, simply because there was no room. Perhaps he'd selected the most prestigious ones from his countless commendations?
Finn also possessed many medals and awards. As a Marine Admiral, he'd made numerous contributions. Particularly after capturing Pirate King Roger, he'd received the Marines' highest honor medal.
That's right—the most conspicuous red-bordered medal on Fleet Admiral Sengoku's chest.
But on ordinary days, nobody wore all their medals.
Finn hadn't paid much attention before, but now he noticed the braid on Sengoku's chin had reached his navel...
While contemplating these miscellaneous observations, Finn watched Fleet Admiral Sengoku walk from the red carpet to the constructed platform.
The Justice cloak across his shoulders fluttered elegantly behind him with his steps and the gentle sea breeze.
The Justice cloak Fleet Admiral Sengoku wore at this moment was unique in the entire Marines. Only the Fleet Admiral was qualified to use it.
Admirals like Finn, even having reached Admiral rank, wore cloaks that didn't look much different from Fleet Admiral Sengoku's. They all featured golden epaulettes and golden tassels. But in truth, significant differences existed in the details.
All in all, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's appearance was absolutely perfect.
He demonstrated the calmness, steadiness, and concealed aggression of a Marine Fleet Admiral exceptionally well.
The glasses and braided beard perfectly conveyed his scholarly aura as the "Wise General."
"Very impressive." Finn commented with a smile.
Borsalino, standing nearby, also laughed and nodded. "I heard he spent over two hours this morning just selecting these outfits. He even asked Chief of Staff Tsuru for help."
"Really? Hahahaha, if you didn't know better, you'd think he was getting married." Finn grinned.
A smile even appeared on Sakazuki's normally stern face.
Soon, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood on the platform and tested the broadcast Den Den Mushi. Everything functioned properly. Since no one else needed to host the proceedings, he took over the program himself.
"I'm very pleased to meet the Marines' friends and partners from all walks of life here in Marineford..." Fleet Admiral Sengoku smiled, delivering his opening remarks in a remarkably gentle tone.
It had to be said that Fleet Admiral Sengoku's situational control and oratory skills were both exceptional.
Finn and the others were very considerate. When he paused momentarily, they immediately led the applause to avoid embarrassing their new commander.
He spoke for approximately ten minutes, mostly discussing the Marines' history and his personal thoughts on the current era.
Just as Finn felt his legs growing numb, Fleet Admiral Sengoku entered the formal stage.
"From this day forward, I will officially assume the position of Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral. The Marines will enter a brand new era. We, the Marines, will spare no effort to eradicate evil and criminal organizations on the seas, including but not limited to pirates and gangsters. Anyone who dares commit evil at sea will be the Marines' target!"
"I will lead the Marines, upholding justice as our foundation, wielding violence with righteous hearts to maintain world peace and stability." Fleet Admiral Sengoku spoke solemnly into the broadcast Den Den Mushi.
His tone carried such power that one could feel his unwavering conviction simply by hearing his voice.
After a brief pause, Fleet Admiral Sengoku declared firmly, "Justice will prevail! The Marines will prevail!"
Then, as if rehearsed, the Marines assembled in Justice Square shouted in perfect unison: "Justice will prevail! The Marines will prevail! Let's welcome the great Marine Era"
For a moment, the sound was deafening, morale soaring. Many nobles and high-ranking officials from various nations had never witnessed such a scene. They were shocked by the overwhelming fighting spirit and momentum, some trembling involuntarily.
Afterward, the three Admirals—Finn, Sakazuki, and Borsalino—began applauding first, elevating the atmosphere and prompting the other high-ranking officials and nobles, who'd been surprised and overwhelmed by the Marines' momentum, to recover and begin clapping as well.
Soon, applause drowned out all other noise in Justice Square.
Following this, Fleet Admiral Sengoku began explaining his personal concept of justice, the Marines' philosophy of justice, and related principles to all sectors of society.
Not long after, under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orchestration, a donation ceremony commenced. Nobles, high-ranking officials, and influential figures from all walks of life generously donated substantial funds to support the Marines' just cause.