Marineford.
Before the notice board.
Tens of thousands of Marines stared at the contents written there.
The explanation for five-year-old Kai's appointment as Headquarters Rear Admiral was clearly posted on the notice board, allowing every Marine to read it.
And so…
all the Marines saw it clearly.
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1505
Location: East Blue
Target: White Ostrich Pirates
Total bounty: Nearly 40 million berries
Resolved by: Kai
Result: White Ostrich Pirates annihilated.
…
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1505
Location: East Blue
Target: Flying Bird Pirates
Total bounty: Nearly 30 million berries
Resolved by: Kai
Result: Flying Bird Pirates annihilated.
…
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1505
Location: East Blue, Loguetown
Target: Buggy Pirates
Total bounty: Nearly 40 million berries
Resolved by: Kai
Result: Buggy Pirates annihilated. Captain Buggy the Clown was captured and sent to Loguetown prison.
…
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1505
Location: Grand Line, Current Island
Target: Demon Pirates
Total bounty: Nearly 100 million berries
Resolved by: Kai and Aokiji
Result: Captain Demon Oren was defeated and imprisoned by Aokiji alone. The remaining four thousand crew members, including officers, were annihilated by Kai alone.
…
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1505
Location: Grand Line, Kingdom of Rosede
Target: Sword Lion Pirates
Total bounty: Nearly 100 million berries
Resolved by: Kai and Rob Lucci
Result: Captain Sword Lion Gatt was killed by Kai alone. Over five hundred nobles and soldiers of the Kingdom of Rosede were successfully rescued. More than three thousand members of the Sword Lion Pirates were annihilated.
…
…
Time: Sea Circle Calendar 1506
Location: Grand Line
Target: Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil
Total bounty: 180 million berries
Resolved by: Kai
Result: Whitebeard Jr. Weevil, said to possess the strength of Whitebeard in his youth, was defeated and captured by Kai alone. He was transferred to Impel Down and imprisoned in Level 6, the Eternal Hell.
…
All the pirates Kai had captured were clearly displayed on the notice board.
On this day, Kai's full battle record was completely made public.
Everything he had done for the Marines was revealed.
His enormous contributions…
were laid bare before every Marine present.
At that moment…
the entire place fell silent.
Not a sound could be heard.
The once noisy atmosphere disappeared in an instant.
After reading the contents on the notice board, every Marine fell silent.
It was so quiet that even faint breathing could be heard.
Tens of thousands of Marines stood in silence.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere was strange.
After a long while, a shocked voice sounded from the crowd, breaking the dead silence.
"So…"
"five-year-old Kai has already done this much for the Marines!"
"For the Marines, he has captured so many pirates!"
"The number of pirates he captured is in the tens of thousands!"
In an instant…
the dead silence exploded.
The crowd erupted.
Thousands upon thousands of Marines were shocked as they stared at the notice board.
The dissatisfaction in their hearts vanished completely.
Only after reading Kai's achievements did they finally realize…
from the very beginning, they had never had the right to question Kai.
"So…"
"we were the frogs at the bottom of the well."
"We didn't even know the full story, yet we doubted someone who had rendered such great service to the Marines."
"How shameful."
A Marine Colonel opened his mouth, feeling so ashamed that he wanted to hide.
Before this, his voice had been one of the loudest in questioning Kai.
Now…
he felt deeply ashamed.
By comparison, even as a Marine Headquarters Colonel, he had not captured even half as many pirates as Kai.
Thinking of this, he quickly left the crowd in shame and returned to his quarters to reflect.
"Unbelievable…"
"At only five years old, Kai has already built such a glorious record and accumulated so much credit!"
"And we were questioning a hero with such merit? We were truly blind."
"Shameful. Truly shameful!"
"Compared to him, even most of our Marine Headquarters Rear Admirals are far inferior in terms of achievements."
"That's right."
"Most Rear Admirals in Marine Headquarters relied on long years of service to reach their positions."
"But Kai, despite being only five, has already done more than most of them."
"I dare say Kai has personally captured more pirates than over ninety percent of Headquarters Rear Admirals!"
Thousands of Marines exclaimed in shock.
By this point, the atmosphere had completely reversed.
The Marines who had criticized and questioned Kai now felt too ashamed to say another word after reading his record.
All dissatisfaction in their hearts had disappeared.
Kai being appointed Headquarters Rear Admiral at five years old had now gained their full approval.
One Marine said, "If someone like Kai, who has made such great contributions, cannot become a Headquarters Rear Admiral, then I believe almost no one in all of Marine Headquarters is truly qualified to be one."
This statement gained unanimous approval from all the Marines.
Kai's record was too glorious.
Too brilliant.
It was impossible for them to ignore.
Just the achievement of capturing Whitebeard Jr….
was already enough to make them feel far inferior.
Not to mention…
on Kai's journey from East Blue to Marineford, no one knew how many pirates he had captured by chance, or how many vicious pirate crews he had destroyed.
And this was something most Marine Headquarters Rear Admirals lacked.
Most Rear Admirals in Marine Headquarters had reached that position through years of accumulated service.
It did not necessarily mean…
they had created some outstanding record,
or earned enormous contributions for the Marines.
By comparison…
Kai's appointment as Headquarters Rear Admiral now carried undeniable weight.
Compared to those who had slowly waited their way into the rank…
Kai had forced his way into the position with overwhelming strength and countless captured pirates.
That was clearly far more worthy of admiration and respect.
"Before this, we actually doubted such a great contributor?"
"Even though Kai is only five, what he has done far surpasses over ninety percent of Rear Admirals."
"Someone like him becoming Headquarters Rear Admiral is completely deserved!"
"It couldn't be more suitable!"
"Our doubts were nothing more than a joke."
"How embarrassing. We doubted a great Marine hero. Speaking of which, who was the vile person who first led everyone into questioning Rear Admiral Kai?"
"That's right. That person is truly disgusting."
The discussion around Kai becoming a five-year-old Rear Admiral had now undergone a complete reversal.
No one attacked Kai anymore.
Instead…
they admired him.
As for Kerry, the Headquarters Rear Admiral who had first led the criticism against Kai…
he was now being secretly mocked and criticized by many Marines.
"Rear Admiral Kerry, in my opinion, is the one who doesn't have the qualifications to be a Rear Admiral."
"Exactly."
"Rear Admiral Kerry became a Rear Admiral by grinding through long years. Compared to him, Rear Admiral Kai is countless times more suitable."
"After all, Rear Admiral Kai used genuine achievements to become a Headquarters Rear Admiral. Compared to a Rear Admiral like Kerry, whose rank came from years of waiting, Kai's rank carries far more weight."
"There's no comparison between the two!"
The Marines began turning their criticism toward Kerry.
As the one who had led the charge, Kerry was miserably criticized by a crowd of Marines.
He had not expected…
that five-year-old Kai had actually created so many dazzling achievements.
Under such circumstances, naturally no one dared question Kai's position as Headquarters Rear Admiral anymore.
Capturing Whitebeard Jr. alone…
was enough to silence most doubts.
Not to mention…
Kai had captured far too many pirates.
He had destroyed too many pirate crews.
More than could be counted on one hand.
Poor Kerry…
was now being compared to Kai by the Marines.
And thus, a conclusion was reached.
In front of Kai, Kerry, who had spent ten years reaching the rank of Headquarters Rear Admiral, was belittled to the point that he was not even worthy of carrying Kai's shoes.
When Kerry learned the truth, he almost spat blood.
"It wasn't just me who was dissatisfied!"
"It's just…"
"I was the only one who dared say it out loud."
"You fence-sitters!"
"Damn it!"
"That brat Kai is way too monstrous!"
"At only five years old, he has already achieved so much."
Kerry was so angry he nearly vomited blood.
The voices criticizing him outside grew louder and louder.
At this moment…
his heart was filled with regret.
He should never have taken the lead in questioning Fleet Admiral Kong's decision.
Now look what happened.
He had provoked the giant Buddha that was Kai.
Worse still…
the Marines who had once shared his hatred had all turned into fence-sitters.
One by one, they switched sides and stood with Kai.
As a result…
Kerry found himself completely isolated.
He felt helpless and desperate.
"So in the end…"
"I was the clown?"
At this point, Kerry had no choice but to accept one fact.
That was…
five-year-old Kai truly was qualified to serve as a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
If even Kai was not qualified…
then Kerry himself was even less qualified.
He could not even imagine…
in all of Marine Headquarters…
who else would have that qualification.
No one.
Not a single person.
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