"According to the unwritten rule, you need to eliminate or capture a great pirate first to obtain this position."
"That's simple!" Ace responded without hesitation, his finger lightly tapping the brim of his hat. "Just tell me who the target is."
"Choose your own target, but don't cause too much commotion, lest it affect the stability of the sea."
Ace then waited for a long time but didn't hear Fleet Admiral Sengoku suggest he go to his office, making Ace anxious because he wanted to sign in at Sengoku's office to get the system reward.
"Um… Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Ace suddenly spoke, looking at Sengoku. "You're just verbally appointing me as a Warlord, without even a formal document… This really makes me feel uneasy."
Sengoku didn't stop walking, only slightly tilted his head to glance at him: "What? You don't trust the promise of I, the Fleet Admiral?"
"Of course not!" Ace quickly waved his hand. "It's just, you see, for such an important position as a Warlord, shouldn't there be a formal appointment ceremony? And…"
He deliberately drew out his words, then suddenly darted forward, blocking Sengoku's path. This sudden movement made Vice Admiral Momonga, who was following behind, immediately tense up, his right hand unconsciously reaching for his sword.
"I wanted to say," Ace completely ignored Momonga's vigilance, hands on his hips, "since I'm going to be a Warlord, at least let me sign in at your office… Oh no, I mean sign a document or something? That way I can feel at ease going out to complete the mission you assigned me!"
Sengoku's eyes behind his spectacles narrowed slightly, keenly catching the anomaly in Ace's words: "Sign in?"
"Ah haha, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue!" Ace quickly clapped his mouth, a drop of cold sweat beading on his forehead. "I meant sign a document! You see, for such a big matter, you can't just casually say it in the hallway and have it count, can you?"
The training ground fell into a brief silence.
Garp also looked at Ace strangely. Why was he so eager to go to Sengoku's office? What was so good about that place? Did he also want to steal Sengoku's senbei?
But Ace felt his heartbeat was so loud that it seemed the entire training ground could hear it.
Finally, Sengoku sighed softly: "Young man, you seem particularly interested in my office?"
"Well…" Ace rubbed his nose, then suddenly had an idea, "Actually, ever since I was little, I've especially admired the position of Fleet Admiral! Being able to visit the Fleet Admiral's office is like a pilgrimage to me!"
This exaggerated statement made Vice Admiral Momonga involuntarily roll his eyes, but unexpectedly, Sengoku actually curved his lips slightly: "Interesting. In that case…"
He turned and continued walking forward, his voice drifting back unhurriedly: "Follow me. But remember, don't touch anything in the office."
"Understood!" Ace quickly caught up to Sengoku's retreating figure.
Vice Admiral Momonga frowned, looking at Ace's back, always feeling that this young man's enthusiasm for visiting the office was somewhat abnormal, but then he thought, perhaps this was just a young person's curiosity?
He shook his head and followed.
The three ascended the spiral staircase, and the full view of the Marine Headquarters building gradually unfolded outside the window.
Ace calculated in his heart as he walked: Finally, I'm getting close to the target!
"We're here." Sengoku's steady voice pulled him back to reality. Before him was a heavy wooden door carved with the Marine emblem. Two armed guards immediately straightened their backs and saluted.
As the large door slowly opened, Ace's pupils slightly widened. This was the sign-in location he had dreamed of, the core of Marine power!
Now it was right before his eyes!
Then, stepping over the threshold, he impatiently chanted in his mind: "Sign in!"
"Ding! Successfully signed in at the Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral's Office!"
"Reward Issued: Advanced Armament Haki (Ryou)!"
An indescribable power surged through Ace's body like a tsunami.
His pupils suddenly constricted, and his fingers gripping the brim of his hat unconsciously tightened. This feeling was too wonderful, as if every cell in his body had been injected with new energy.
"This is… Advanced Armament Haki?" Ace marveled in his heart.
He could clearly perceive that this Haki was completely different from the Haki he had cultivated.
Not only had its strength increased by several levels, but more importantly, it contained the "flowing" technique—that advanced application method that allows Armament Haki to penetrate into objects like flowing water.
And the improvement in attack power from this level of Armament Haki was more than just a little!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was organizing documents at his desk when he suddenly looked up, as if sensing something.
His sharp gaze penetrated his spectacles and fell on Ace standing by the door. The young man's state was somewhat strange at the moment; his entire being seemed to be enveloped in a faint, ethereal aura.
"What's wrong?" Sengoku asked with a frown.
Ace snapped back to attention, quickly reining in his Haki. He grinned, deliberately looking around in an exaggerated manner: "Wow! This is the Fleet Admiral's office! It's even grander than I imagined!"
As he spoke, he secretly experienced the newly acquired power. The Ryou technique flowed within him, as if it had a life of its own.
Ace could feel that now, even when facing an opponent with astonishing defense like Kaido, he could use Haki to directly attack their internal organs. This was an advanced technique that even Whitebeard had praised!
Vice Admiral Momonga looked suspiciously at Ace's unusual behavior: "Why are you standing at the door zoning out? Aren't you supposed to sign a document?"
"Ah, right, right!" Ace took three steps in two and walked to Sengoku's desk, his smile growing even brighter.
His mood at this moment was even more excited than finding the One Piece, but he still forced himself to appear calm. "This document… I'm supposed to sign it here, right?"
Sengoku handed over a gold-edged letter of appointment, saying meaningfully: "Sign this, and you'll be a formal Warlord. But…" His finger tapped the document, "The prerequisite is that you must first complete that mission."
"Don't worry!" Ace signed his name with a flourish, feeling the surging Armament Haki within him, and confidently guaranteed, "Isn't it just taking care of a pirate? Mission accomplished, guaranteed!"
"Alright, now that the matter is settled…" Sengoku then looked at Ace: "Ace, are you interested in joining the Marines directly?"
"Huh?" Ace froze for a moment. "Fleet Admiral, I'm used to being free and undisciplined. Joining the Marines would bring a bad influence to the Marines."
"..."
Just as Sengoku was about to say something else, Ace directly interrupted him.
"Wait!" He suddenly leaned closer to the desk, his eyes shining as he stared at the wall behind Sengoku, which was covered with medals. "Are these all the honors you've received? Can I… take a closer look?"
....
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