Everyone turned to look at Sengoku. He paused for a moment, then turned to Kaito, who was seated beside him, and said each word clearly:
"I intend to hand over the position of Fleet Admiral to Uchiha Kaito!"
Sengoku had expected this announcement to spark heated discussion, but the reaction he got was far beyond what he anticipated.
Akainu was the first to speak up.
"Good! I agree with this decision!"
Kizaru glanced at Akainu, then slowly raised his right hand.
"I share Sakazuki's opinion."
Aokiji still hadn't recovered from Sengoku's words, but the other officers were already applauding.
"We agree for Admiral Shikiryū to be promoted to Fleet Admiral!"
Sengoku was left a little bewildered by their reaction. Beside him, Tsuru nudged him in the ribs with her elbow and teased,
"Looks like you're about to enjoy a glorious retirement as Fleet Admiral."
Garp stuffed a handful of rice crackers into his mouth, laughing uproariously, not giving Sengoku the slightest bit of face.
Sengoku's face flushed bright red. The others quickly realized their reactions might have dealt a heavy blow to his pride, and hastily changed their tone.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku has dedicated himself to the Marines for so many years—we can't bear to see you go!"
If not for the stiff expressions on a few faces, Sengoku might actually have believed them.
He shook his head helplessly. After all, stepping down had been his own decision from the start—he wasn't truly upset.
Sengoku took a finely crafted wooden box from his coat and handed it to Kaito. Opening it, Kaito found a gold-glinting six-pointed star medal inside.
Sengoku looked at the medal and said,
"With the approval of Commander-in-Chief Kong, Headquarters has decided to award you this 'Golden Hexagram' Medal in recognition of your outstanding performance in this war!"
This was the highest honor in the Marines—every holder without exception had once served as Fleet Admiral.
And now, with Sengoku personally handing it to Kaito, the meaning was obvious.
Kaito smiled and nodded, pinning the medal to the right side of his chest.
He was dressed in his Admiral's uniform, though in his case it was formed from the Six Paths' white robe, its quality far beyond any ordinary garment.
The Truth-Seeking Orbs at his back had been dismissed, since they were far too dangerous for others—one wrong touch and you'd be reduced to nothingness.
After stepping into the Six Paths level, Kaito could freely retract the two horns on his head. Now, only a pair of Twelve-Tomoe Rinnegan remained on his face.
Everyone deliberately avoided meeting those eyes; just looking at them was enough to make their hearts pound with fear.
After a brief silence, they broke into another round of warm applause. In their eyes, Kaito had truly earned this medal—no one felt the slightest jealousy.
The Marine top brass were like that. In both vision and character, they far surpassed certain groups back in Konoha—petty scheming simply didn't happen here.
Kaito's gaze swept the meeting room, taking in the genuine smiles on every officer's face. He felt his decision to join the Marines had been absolutely right.
Humans were social by nature, and finding a place where one truly belonged was a rare blessing. For Kaito, the Marines were exactly that.
Gion, sitting beside Tsuru, gave Kaito a bright smile. Kaito smiled back, then stood and addressed the room.
"Let's have the Marines open a new era!"
...
A week later, in a globally broadcast ceremony, Kaito officially became the new Fleet Admiral. The world now called him not Admiral Shikiryū, but Fleet Admiral Shikiryū.
Even after his promotion, Kaito's lifestyle didn't change much. With both Kalifa and Robin as his secretaries, he barely needed to touch the paperwork himself.
Sengoku had assumed Kaito would be as busy as he had once been, but when he went to the Fleet Admiral's office, what he found was Kaito lying on Robin's lap.
Robin held a glass of orange juice to his lips, and Kaito, eyes closed, sipped it lazily through a straw. It didn't look like work at all—it looked like vacation.
Suddenly, Kaito sniffed the air, opened his eyes, and looked at Robin in puzzlement.
"Robin, do you smell something sour?"
Robin glanced toward the doorway, where Sengoku stood with an expression like he was suffering from constipation, and covered her mouth with a chuckle.
"Sir, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is here."
Kaito sat up and looked over, smiling.
"Inspector General Sengoku, what brings you to me today?"
After stepping down, Sengoku had become Inspector General of the Marine Academy, with Zephyr continuing to serve there as chief instructor.
Now Sengoku was completely relaxed. He'd stopped dyeing his hair, letting it turn salt-and-pepper, and his outfit was simple: a Marine coat over a casual shirt—and, far more outrageously, floral shorts with oversized slippers.
The imposing aura of a Fleet Admiral was completely gone. He looked just like an ordinary old man from the neighborhood.
Curling his lip, Sengoku said in a sarcastic tone,
"Fleet Admiral Shikiryū is such a busy man—you don't even have a free hand when drinking juice!"
Kaito shot back with a grin,
"As expected of Inspector General Sengoku, you're right—being Fleet Admiral really isn't for everyone. Look, my hair's already gone white!"
As he spoke, he pointed at his own head of gleaming, snow-white hair, nearly blinding Sengoku.
Sengoku exhaled two sharp snorts from his nostrils. How had he never noticed Kaito could be so infuriating?!
Where had the calm, dependable Uchiha Kaito gone?!
Just then, Kalifa finished signing the last document. She came over to Kaito and reported in her crisp, businesslike tone,
"Boss, today's work is done. Shall we go for lunch now?"
Sengoku glanced at the clock on the wall—eleven thirty. Back in his day, he would still have been buried under a mountain of paperwork at this hour.
The thought made him look at Kalifa with undisguised admiration.
It wasn't her beauty—though there were few in all of Marine Headquarters who could match her in looks.
No, Sengoku already had someone in his heart. That's right—it was Tsuru!
What he admired in Kalifa was her capability. If he'd had such a secretary back in his time, he wouldn't have been running himself ragged every day.
But back then, the only company he had was the seagull perched on his head… and a little goat that doubled as a shredder.