At the same time the news caused a huge stir throughout Marine Headquarters, it also reached Garp's ears.
"What the hell?"
"The Fleet Admiral actually appointed Kai as a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?"
"This…"
Even Garp was stunned.
Kai having Vice Admiral-level combat power was true, but Garp still had not expected Kong to appoint him directly as a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
That was Rear Admiral.
Only one step below Garp's own rank of Headquarters Vice Admiral.
In a few more years…
wouldn't that little brat Kai end up becoming his superior?
Garp was dumbfounded.
For a moment, he almost could not believe the news was real.
"Are you sure?"
"This isn't some kind of joke?"
Garp opened his mouth, but no words came out.
The moment he imagined his grandson standing on equal footing with him in just a few years, Garp fell silent.
"In another three to five years…"
"with Kai's monstrous talent, becoming an Admiral of Marine Headquarters might not be impossible."
"In that case…"
"wouldn't this old man end up becoming Kai's subordinate?"
Just imagining it made Garp feel deeply embarrassed.
But after thinking it over, Garp quickly accepted Kai's appointment as Rear Admiral.
"That brat Kai captured Whitebeard Jr. not long ago and sent him to Impel Down."
"Looking at it that way…"
"Although he hadn't officially joined the Marines before, the achievements he accumulated are already extremely impressive."
"Then his promotion to Rear Admiral isn't unreasonable."
Garp had almost forgotten.
Before officially joining the Marines, Kai had already built up a long list of achievements.
Those achievements were something even ordinary Marine Headquarters Rear Admirals did not possess.
For example…
capturing Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil.
That alone was not something an ordinary Headquarters Rear Admiral could accomplish.
But Kai had done it.
A great pirate with combat power worth several hundred million berries…
had been captured by Kai alone.
Was that not a huge achievement?
Clearly, the credit for capturing Whitebeard Jr. alone was far greater than capturing ten pirates with bounties over one hundred million berries.
Besides, how many great pirates had Kai captured in total?
Even Garp could no longer remember clearly.
After thinking through all of this, Garp suddenly felt that Kai becoming a Headquarters Rear Admiral was completely reasonable.
"Bwahahaha!"
"For such good news, I naturally have to contact Sengoku and let him celebrate my grandson's achievement too!"
Garp laughed loudly, full of pride, and dialed the Den Den Mushi.
…
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's mouth was still twitching.
Listening to Garp brag and show off…
his ears were almost growing calluses.
Thankfully, he had found an excuse to hang up in time.
Otherwise, Garp would have kept bragging endlessly.
"Isn't it just having a genius grandson? Look how proud he is!"
"One day…"
"I'll find a son even more talented than his grandson!"
Sengoku grumbled indignantly.
But after thinking about it carefully, he immediately deflated.
Find someone more talented than Kai?
Difficult.
Harder than reaching the sky.
At least in Sengoku's memory, the sea had never produced a genius who could compare to Kai.
Unheard of.
Never seen before.
"Still…"
"Brother Kong actually appointed that brat Kai as a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?"
"That really is unexpected."
"Right now, the whole of Marineford must have been completely shaken by this news."
Sengoku could already imagine it.
Marineford must be extremely lively right now.
A five-year-old Headquarters Rear Admiral had appeared out of nowhere…
breaking the record for the youngest Rear Admiral in Marine history.
This news was bound to cause a massive shock throughout Marine Headquarters.
"A five-year-old Rear Admiral…"
"Even if I heard it with my own ears, it still sounds absurd."
"It's like a dream."
Sengoku sighed repeatedly.
Even now, his emotions had not fully calmed.
He had never expected Kai to be promoted directly to the youngest Headquarters Rear Admiral in history immediately after graduating from the training camp.
It was simply too shocking.
"I imagine…"
"even Zephyr must not have expected this."
"Kai is indeed outstanding, but being promoted directly to Headquarters Rear Admiral in one step is still absurdly shocking."
Sengoku thought.
And just as he expected…
elsewhere, Zephyr had just received the news and wore the same stunned expression.
"W-what?!"
"That brat Kai…"
"became a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?"
"Fleet Admiral Kong directly promoted him to Rear Admiral as an exception?"
"Is this real?"
"A five-year-old Rear Admiral?"
Zephyr was stunned.
Did that brat use connections?
A five-year-old Rear Admiral had actually been born just like that?
He remembered the evaluation and report he had written for Kai. Although it had described him as extremely outstanding, Zephyr did not think that report alone would be enough for Kong to promote him straight to Headquarters Rear Admiral.
There had to be another reason.
This could not simply be because of the report he submitted.
"The reason must be Kai capturing Whitebeard Jr."
"Very likely."
Zephyr quickly thought of the key point.
He did not doubt for a second whether five-year-old Kai had the strength of a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
After all, Kai was already publicly recognized as a Vice Admiral-level combatant.
A top-class fighter on the sea.
Rear Admiral-level combat power?
That was simply looking down on Kai.
But strength was strength.
Experience was experience.
Seniority was seniority.
Other than strength, what qualifications did Kai have to become a Headquarters Rear Admiral?
After thinking about it, Zephyr could only conclude that Kai had captured many pirates recently and accumulated a huge amount of credit.
Only that could explain why Kong had promoted him to Headquarters Rear Admiral the moment he graduated.
This was an unprecedented case.
"Or perhaps…"
"Fleet Admiral Kong is also worried that Kai might become dissatisfied with the Marines because of his appointment. So he had no choice but to give Kai a satisfactory rank?"
For a moment, Zephyr thought of many possibilities.
But no matter what, he could not determine the exact reason.
In any case…
Kai being appointed as a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral was already fixed.
An established fact.
Unless Kai made a grave mistake, no one could strip him of his prestigious identity as a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
"The youngest Headquarters Rear Admiral in history…"
"has been born."
"And he's my student!"
"Good! Excellent!"
Zephyr could not help laughing loudly.
As a teacher, he naturally felt proud that one of his students had become such a terrifying monster.
"As expected of the strongest monster student I've ever taught!"
"Well done!"
Zephyr beamed with satisfaction.
Compared to a disappointing student like Kizaru…
Zephyr still preferred someone like Kai.
A peerless genius who worked hard.
…
At the same time, after learning the news, Tsuru could not help sighing.
"The younger generation truly is terrifying."
"That unreliable Garp finally did something good."
"He brought the Marines an unparalleled genius."
"An unprecedented monster."
"A five-year-old Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
Tsuru was not surprised or confused by Kong's appointment.
In her opinion, if his age was set aside…
whether in terms of strength or achievements…
Kai was absolutely qualified to become a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
More than qualified.
Ignoring his young age, Kai was superior to most Headquarters Rear Admirals, even better than more than ninety percent of them.
For example…
capturing Whitebeard Jr. alone.
That alone was enough for Tsuru to trust Kai's ability.
"A five-year-old becoming a Headquarters Rear Admiral will certainly invite rumors."
"But Kai has real ability."
"No matter how many rumors appear, I doubt they will affect his state of mind. He isn't someone who can be knocked down so easily."
"A five-year-old monster with Vice Admiral-level combat power…"
"How could he possibly be crushed by mere gossip?"
"Ridiculous."
Tsuru thought.
At her side stood a tall and beautiful young woman.
Her bright eyes carried a trace of surprise as she looked at Tsuru and asked, "Vice Admiral Tsuru, was the five-year-old Rear Admiral appointment really personally issued by the Fleet Admiral?"
She was Gion, also known as Momousagi, a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
A very powerful woman.
"Of course it was personally appointed by the Fleet Admiral. Other than him, who else has the authority to appoint a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral?"
Tsuru smiled.
"But…"
"This is still too shocking."
Gion was clearly shaken. She took a deep breath, unable to hide the shock in her voice. "I spent years training and fighting before barely reaching the rank of Rear Admiral."
"And that five-year-old boy…"
"became a Headquarters Rear Admiral the moment he graduated."
"This is really hard for me to accept."
Hearing this, Tsuru chuckled and said meaningfully, "Some monsters are born different. So there's no need for you to compare yourself to him."
"After all…"
"that brat Kai…"
"is an unprecedented genius."
"And the most terrifying monster on the sea."
As soon as those words fell, Gion's eyes went blank for a moment, and her heart trembled.
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