"Vice Admiral?"
"No. That's not suitable."
"It would cause too much criticism inside the Marines, and it wouldn't help Kai's future growth."
"In that case…"
"Let's appoint Kai as a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
Kong smiled in satisfaction.
Everyone knew the Marines had a strict hierarchy.
Even the lower ranks were divided into many levels.
Starting from Ensign, one was already considered a mid-level Marine officer.
Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant.
Above Lieutenant was Major.
Then Lieutenant Commander, Commander, and Captain.
Above Captain was Commodore.
And above Commodore was Rear Admiral.
In other words, a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters was already considered part of the Marine upper ranks.
Above Rear Admiral was Vice Admiral.
That alone showed how high the position was.
Even across all of Marine Headquarters, there were definitely fewer than a hundred officers qualified to hold the rank of Rear Admiral.
Every Rear Admiral had the authority to command an independent warship and lead more than a thousand subordinate soldiers.
That was the power of a Marine Rear Admiral.
At the moment, several future famous Vice Admirals were still only Rear Admirals.
People like Momonga, Onigumo, Strawberry, and Doberman.
All of them were currently Rear Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
And now, once Kong's appointment was officially issued, five-year-old Kai would instantly rise to become a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters, standing at the same rank as officers like Momonga and Strawberry.
One could easily imagine…
once this appointment was announced, it would cause a massive shock throughout Marineford.
There was no avoiding it.
After all, since the founding of the Marines, there had never been a single case of someone being promoted directly to Rear Admiral right after graduating.
Never.
It was unheard of.
Even more terrifying was the fact that…
the Marines had never had a Rear Admiral under the age of ten.
Let alone someone like Kai, who was only five years old.
A five-year-old Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?
That was unprecedented.
There had never been anyone like him before, and there might never be anyone like him again.
"The rank of Rear Admiral suits Kai perfectly."
"It isn't too high, but it also isn't too low."
"It's just below Headquarters Vice Admiral and above Commodore."
"At the same time…"
"even a Vice Admiral from the Four Blues branches would rank below him."
Kong thought it over carefully.
Marine branch ranks were two levels lower than Headquarters ranks.
In other words, a branch Vice Admiral, if placed in Marine Headquarters, would only be equivalent to a Headquarters Commodore.
A branch Captain would at most be equivalent to a Headquarters Major.
That was the difference between Marine Headquarters and the branch bases in the Four Blues.
According to Kong's plan, once Kai became a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters, even if he encountered a branch Vice Admiral while traveling the sea, that officer would still have to obey his orders.
This showed just how high the rank of Headquarters Rear Admiral truly was.
"Kai is still too young. For now, he can't become a Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"But…"
"Rear Admiral is more than enough for him."
"After all…"
"on his way to Marine Headquarters, he already captured countless pirates and earned countless achievements."
"Those achievements are enough for him to be promoted to Headquarters Rear Admiral as an exception."
"As long as the explanation is clear, the Marines might still find it hard to accept, but they won't question the appointment too much."
"There won't be too many rumors either."
Kong believed this arrangement was appropriate.
If he appointed Kai as a Vice Admiral, then with Kai's current achievements and record, it would still not be enough.
After all, countless officers had worked tirelessly for the position of Vice Admiral.
Men like Onigumo and Momonga had served the Marines for over ten or twenty years, risking their lives again and again. Even now, they had only barely touched the threshold of Vice Admiral.
And even they still needed several more years before they could truly be promoted.
The appointment of a Marine Vice Admiral was not something that could be decided easily.
It required a long evaluation period.
More importantly, appointing a Headquarters Vice Admiral was not something Kong alone could decide.
He had to report it upward.
He needed the approval of the World Government.
Only then could he officially appoint someone as a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
From this alone, one could see how difficult it was for a Marine Vice Admiral to be born.
Even if someone had the qualifications, they still had to undergo a long period of assessment and receive approval from the World Government before finally being appointed.
Right now, even veterans like Onigumo and Momonga had not yet become Vice Admirals despite serving for so many years.
As for Kai?
That was another matter entirely.
Kai's strength had already reached that level.
What he lacked was experience, achievements, and a proper career record.
To become a Headquarters Vice Admiral, one needed to meet requirements in every aspect.
It was not enough to simply have the strength.
"A Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, on the other hand, doesn't need to be reported upward."
"I can decide that myself."
Kong thought.
As Fleet Admiral, he still had the authority to appoint a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
If he did not even have that level of authority, then he truly would be a failure as Fleet Admiral.
Even as a tool of the World Government, he still possessed that much power.
After a while, once Kong had made his decision, he began drafting the appointment letter.
The appointments for Smoker, Tina, and the other trainees could be delayed for a little while.
Those did not require too much attention or effort.
Only Kai's appointment…
had to be treated seriously.
Among the graduates of this batch, Kai was the only one qualified to be promoted directly to Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
This was an unprecedented case.
There had never been anything like it before.
Because of that, Kong had to handle it carefully.
As for Smoker, Tina, and the others?
At most, they would receive the rank of Major in one of the Four Blues branches.
That was all.
Compared to Kai's position as a Headquarters Rear Admiral, there was no comparison at all.
One was in the sky.
The other was on the ground.
They were worlds apart.
A short while later, Kong finished drafting the appointment letter. Without hesitation, he put it away, then picked up the Den Den Mushi on the corner of his desk and dialed.
Purupuru…
Purupuru…
The unique ringing of the Den Den Mushi echoed through the large office.
Soon, the call connected.
Kong spoke in a solemn voice.
"Come to the Fleet Admiral's office. I have something very important that I need you to personally announce on my behalf."
…
That afternoon.
Two o'clock.
Kai was inside his private villa, having just finished another round of hellish training.
His body was drenched in sweat.
He picked up a towel from beside the window and wiped away the sweat running down his forehead and body.
"Haa…"
He exhaled heavily and slightly relaxed his tense muscles.
The faint soreness across his body gave him a deep sense of fulfillment.
Only this feeling of constantly growing stronger…
made him feel truly satisfied.
Wasting time had never been his style.
He would seize every minute and every second to improve his strength.
Even though he could already be considered one of the top fighters on the sea, he did not slack off at all.
He trained as hard as ever.
Hard enough to make others tremble.
If outsiders knew that a five-year-old with Vice Admiral-level combat power not only refused to rest during his free time, but instead trained even harder…
it would probably crush the morale of every Marine in Headquarters.
Kai rotated his arm slightly, causing a series of cracking sounds to echo from his bones.
Expressionless, he felt the slight increase in strength inside his body.
The improvement was not obvious.
But he still refused to give up training.
Persistence.
Consistency.
That was the mindset a true strong fighter needed.
"Several days have passed since the graduation trial ended."
"I suppose…"
"my appointment should be issued soon."
A trace of anticipation appeared in Kai's eyes.
He was curious.
What kind of position would the Marine higher-ups give him?
Headquarters Major?
Lieutenant Commander?
Or Commander?
With his current combat strength, along with the countless pirates he had captured recently, including a great pirate like Whitebeard Jr., he believed the Marines would not assign him too low a rank.
If they did…
he would be deeply disappointed.
Just as Kai's thoughts began to drift…
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Hm?"
"Someone's visiting at this time?"
"Could it be…"
Kai's eyes flashed, and he seemed to guess something.
With growing anticipation, he walked to the door.
Creak.
The door opened.
Standing outside was a Marine officer wearing a coat of justice. In his hands, he held a folded uniform and a letter.
He was a thin Marine officer with an ordinary face and a katana at his waist. Clearly, he was a swordsman.
His rank was not low.
He was a Captain of Marine Headquarters.
"Rear Admiral Kai, Fleet Admiral Kong personally ordered me to deliver these items to you. Please accept them."
The Marine Captain took a deep breath and looked at Kai with reverence, admiration, and shock. His tone was extremely respectful.
"Hm?"
"What did you just say?"
Kai looked stunned.
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