"An Admiral?"
Rosen's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.
He was not surprised to become a Marine admiral, nor did he feel flattered at all.
In the eyes of other Marine officers, being an admiral was the ultimate dream, but to him, it was nothing more than a given fact.
The only difference is the timing.
Under normal circumstances, unless there is a serious shortage of admiral-level combat power, it would be impossible for a Marine officer to graduate from military academy and accumulate enough strength, military merit and prestige to serve as an admiral in less than ten years.
Especially in times when the situation is not too turbulent, and when the headquarters is not lacking in Admirals, it will take even longer.
After all, there's a specific role for everyone.
Just as the Four Emperors of the old era refused to abdicate, how can the Four Emperors of the new era ascend to power?
The same applies to the transition between old and new Admirals.
And Rosen.
Instead of following the path of being appointed exceptionally like Fujitora and Green Bull in the future, he took the traditional route of accumulating military merits, which was taken by the three active Admirals.
Take it one step at a time.
Accumulate military merits.
Build prestige.
Even so, it only took a year, no, seven months.
Let's talk about military achievements first.
"From July until now."
"He subdued two Shichibukai, put collars on Donquixote Doflamingo and Dracule Mihawk, and washed away the humiliation and stain on justice suffered by the Marine Headquarters due to the establishment of the Shichibukai system."
"In addition, there are the Sword Echoes in the North Blue, restoring order, and the ongoing sweeping campaign across the four seas."
"Deploy a Skynet surveillance system across the seas, fully implement combat uniforms, and significantly improve the treatment of branch Marine personnel."
"And, he traversed the hive alone and slew four emperors single-handedly."
Sengoku looked around at everyone and laid out all of Rosen's achievements and accomplishments over the past seven months since his early graduation.
Although these were not the first times that the people present had heard or seen these deeds, the fact that they were recounted by the Admiral in such a public and serious meeting setting still deeply shocked everyone present.
Is seven months a long time?
For the senior executives present, it wasn't long.
Normally, it takes two to three months to travel from the four seas to the Marine Headquarters.
However,
However, in just over six months and a month, Rosen not only transformed the world but also accomplished a series of unbelievable feats.
Tame the Shichibukai.
He single-handedly defeated four emperors.
These two alone are enough to overwhelm the entire army.
Not to mention, in addition to his martial arts skills, Rosen's civil administration was also unparalleled in the Marine.
The North Blue was well-managed, and the Marine branch grew stronger, contributing to military, economic, and people's livelihood.
It is impeccable in every aspect.
Even though Rosen has left the Four Seas, the various Marine departments within the Four Seas continue to operate smoothly.
Such a thing.
Even none of the three active-duty admirals in the Marine can do it, and even if all three of them were to work together, they still couldn't do it.
"Let's talk about strength."
"Defeat the Donquixote Pirates, break the black sword of the world's strongest swordsman, and remove the Ochoku Pirates from the ranks of the Four Emperors."
"These three achievements alone are unmatched by any other Marine with its millions of members."
Sengoku continued:
"Finally, there's prestige, which is even more impeccable."
"He gave up the opportunity to be promoted to Admiral and went to North Blue to start as a branch base leader."
"In the world, if you ask a private in a branch office what the name of the Marine Fleet Admiral is, he may not be able to say it, but he will definitely remember who the governor of the world is."
He stood up from his chair, placed his hands on the table, and scanned everyone present with his eyes.
Regarding the narrative of the Sengoku.
Even though everyone present understood that these words were meant for the Five Elders, to completely shut them up and prevent them from causing any trouble in awarding General Rosen the rank of Admiral, they still wholeheartedly agreed with Sengoku's statement.
In particular, I personally visited Borsalino in the North Blue.
He knew that what the Sengoku said was true.
If you ask a private in the Four Seas branch for the name of the Admiral, he might not be able to recall it. But who the Governor-General of the Four Seas is, every branch Marine officer, especially the one in the North Blue branch, knows by heart.
"Gentlemen."
"The Marine Headquarters is the headquarters of the entire Marine Corps. It has never been a place where any one person can make a decision, especially when it comes to the conferment of the rank of Admiral."
"Therefore, I have gathered you all here, with the Five Elders as witnesses, in the hope that we can decide whether this proposal will be passed through a vote of all members."
Sengoku glanced at the Five Elders, who appeared as still as water, in the video footage out of the corner of his eye.
Yesterday afternoon, he convened a meeting with several senior executives in advance, without the participation of the Five Elders.
Borsalino has recounted in detail the despicable acts of the Five Elders in the murder of the Zephyr family.
That's why.
He convened the headquarters' highest meeting today and invited the Five Elders to attend as observers. This was a necessary step, and also to annoy the Five Elders.
Let the other party know.
It wasn't just the North Blue that was transformed because of Rosen; even the Marine Headquarters was no longer riddled with factions and where admirals were no longer at odds with each other.
Whether it was the highest combat power of the old era or the new era, all of them were integrated by Rosen and united into one force.
If the Five Elders want to interfere in Marine affairs again, or try to implement a system similar to the Shichibukai, they should think twice.
He himself, a Fleet Admiral of the old era, was not young and only had a few years left in his prime, but Rosen was different.
This is a Marine king who, at less than twenty years old, was able to single-handedly conquer Beehive Island.
If you dare to spit on the Marine's justice again, be prepared to bear the wrath of a king who reigns supreme in the Marine.
"The minority obeys the majority."
"Now, those who oppose awarding Rosen the rank of Admiral."
"Please raise your hand."
Sengoku withdrew his gaze from the Five Elders and initiated a vote among the high-ranking Marine officers present.
Upon hearing this...
In the video, Garp casually tears open a bag of senbei and starts chewing, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him.
Sakazuki crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, feigning sleep.
Borsalino pulled a nail clipper from his pocket and began trimming his nails.
Kuzan pulled down his eye mask, seemingly already asleep.
Victor Seiji wore his ever-present sunglasses and looked very serious.
Tsuru rested her chin on its hands, as if she didn't have time to raise her hands.
As for Zephyr, he stared coldly at the Five Elders.
The five elders noticed the numerous reactions. After exchanging glances, a shadow fell over their hearts, and a long-dormant anger ignited within them.
If we compare the World Government to a country, and pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the Dark Emperor, and non-member states to external enemies, then the Marine Headquarters is equivalent to the military of that country.
Any person in power wants to see a strong military, but does not want it to become so powerful that it becomes uncontrollable.
As for being on par with, or even above, those in power, there's no need to elaborate further.
Unacceptable.
But at this moment, faced with the overwhelming power of the Marine Headquarters, the Five Elders had no choice but to tolerate it.
The fall of one of the Four Emperors signifies the breaking of the balance of power among the three major forces.
The rapid changes of our times are an inevitable fact.
Faced with numerous external enemies such as pirates, the Revolutionary Army, and the Dark Emperor, the World Government needs the Marine Headquarters, the military, to suppress them.
Especially because of Rosen's appearance, the Marine Headquarters has become more united and powerful than ever before. Moreover, the Marine Headquarters' current intention is only to pursue the purity of justice and to single-mindedly fight against pirates. There is no intention of the lower ranks rebelling against the higher ranks.
All these factors combined forced the Five Elders to tolerate it, and they didn't even offer any opinions on the proposal to confer the rank of Admiral Rosen, acting as mascots throughout the process.
Because Rosen is just too strong.
The World Government must carefully consider the feelings of someone capable of single-handedly defeating and annihilating the Four Emperors' crews.
In addition, people in the Sengoku were extremely meticulous in their work.
Unless they disregard the wishes of the Marine's high command and risk forcing Rosen away, causing the rampaging Great Pirate Era to spiral completely out of control, even the highest ruler of the World Government could only choose to listen in at this moment.
Speaking is fine, but anything you say will only bring shame upon yourself.
After all, none of the Five Elders are fools.
Zephyr's gaze, cold as ice and sharp as a dagger, had been fixed on the five of them ever since before the meeting began.
They already knew that their scheme had been exposed.
Do you regret it?
It doesn't qualify.
Zephyr is no match for the Five Elders.
But they understood that if they didn't want the Marine Headquarters to break with the World Government, they had to do something to salvage and repair the relationship.
Therefore, tacitly approving, or even supporting, Rosen becoming a Marine admiral was one of their plans to repair and salvage the relationship between the government and the Marine.
The Five Elders all knew Zephyr's personality.
This man has sacrificed far too much for the Marine.
In addition, it involves Rosen's future.
If they choose to remain bystanders, even if the truth comes out, Zephyr will most likely endure it and might even persuade Rosen, who has become a powerful admiral, to resolve the sharp conflict with the government.
This is why the five elders chose to listen in on the entire process without saying a word.