Sengoku and Momonga exchanged a glance, and finally, Sengoku sighed: "You can look, but don't touch."
"Understood!" Ace quickly walked to the wall, taking this opportunity to see if he could still sign in.
He turned his back to the two, a smirk playing on his lips. This sign-in was truly worth it!
Not only did he obtain the coveted Advanced Armament Haki, but he also mastered the flowing, penetrating technique of Ryou.
When he left Marine Headquarters, his strength would likely surprise even Big Brother Marco!
Thinking of this, Ace almost burst out laughing.
He quickly pretended to cough to cover it up, then wandered around, continuously trying to sign in in his mind. He found that the system gave no prompts. Forget it, he could really only sign in once here.
"Have you seen enough?" Sengoku's impatient voice came from behind him.
"Ah, yes, I've seen enough!" Ace turned around, a satisfied smile on his face. "So, I'll go now to complete the mission?"
As he walked out of the office, Ace took one last look back at the Fleet Admiral's office. Next, he needed to find a suitable Warlord to test his newly acquired power.
It was just a shame that the Execution Platform mentioned by Big Brother Ron hadn't been built. Did it really only get built in the plaza when there was a truly heinous prisoner for public execution?
If that was the case, he needed to think of a good way. Could he really expose his identity and then tie himself to the Execution Platform?
Tsk...
...
The next morning,
As the News Coo flapped its wings and flew to all corners of the world, the explosive news on the front page of the World Economic Journal shocked the entire sea like a clap of thunder—
"'Fire Fist' Ace Officially Appointed as a Warlord! Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander Changes Course!"
Under Morgans' exaggerated headline was a full-body picture of Ace. In the photo, the young man's smile was still bright.
The inner pages of the newspaper even wrote in bold font: "A Historic Moment! The First Emperor's Crewman to Become a Warlord! Does This Signal the Whitebeard Pirates Are the First Emperor-Level Force to Be Co-opted by the Government?"
As soon as the news broke, the whole world was in an uproar.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13,
Inside "Shakky's Rip-off Bar," the afternoon sun cast dappled light through the stained-glass windows onto the wooden bar counter.
Usually, at this time, the bar would be bustling with noise, but now it was enveloped in a strange silence.
"Bang!"
A brand-new World Economic Journal was slapped heavily onto the bar counter, startling several dozing patrons who snapped their heads up.
Shakky, with her short hair and a cigarette in her mouth, narrowed her eyes at the burly man with a scarred face and three claw marks over his left eye.
"Hey, hey, this newspaper isn't reporting fake news, is it?" The burly man poked Ace's photo on the front page with his thick finger, his voice filled with disbelief.
"That 'Fire Fist' Ace? Whitebeard's most valued Second Division Commander? He actually became a Government dog?"
In the corner, a bounty hunter wearing a cowboy hat suddenly spat out the rum in his mouth: "What?! Let me see!" He snatched the newspaper, and liquor dripped down the edges, blurring Ace's photo.
"What a joke!" A one-eyed man with three flintlock pistols tucked into his waist slammed the table, making the empty wine glasses on the wooden table clink. "Last year, I had half my ship burned down by that kid in the New World! Now you're telling me he's become a Warlord?"
By the bar: "Heh... It seems the Whitebeard Pirates aren't as united as the rumors say."
This sentence ignited the powder keg, and the entire bar instantly erupted.
"Bullshit! Ace is definitely not that kind of person! This must be a Government conspiracy!"
"Conspiracy?" The man slowly pulled out a stack of bounty posters. "Look at this, the latest bounty poster has been taken down. 'Fire Fist' Ace is now a legitimate Warlord."
"Damn it.....!"
Rayleigh only focused on drinking, merely glancing at the news in the newspaper without saying anything.
...
Inside the Marine Headquarters Mess Hall,
The midday sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the neatly arranged dining tables.
Normally, this time would be filled with the clatter of utensils and the noisy gobbling of soldiers, but today, a strange atmosphere permeated the air.
"Did you hear?" A Seaman Recruit whispered, unconsciously stirring his thick soup with his spoon. "That 'Fire Fist' Ace, who beat Vice Admiral Momonga with the Six Powers at the training ground yesterday, actually became a Warlord!"
The Petty Officer at the next table almost choked on his bread: "What?! That pirate? He's Whitebeard's man!"
"Shh! Keep it down!" The female Seaman with glasses next to him nervously looked around. "I heard from my friend in the Staff Office that Vice Admiral Garp personally vouched for him..."
"Bang!" A burly Lieutenant Commander suddenly slammed the table, making the dining plates jump: "What a joke! Just because he's Hero Garp's grandson, a pirate can transform into a Warlord?"
The entire mess hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gaze was focused on this Lieutenant Commander, and several new recruits even shrank their necks in fear.
"Cough cough..." A light cough came from the corner.
Everyone turned to look and saw that it was Commander Will, a well-known good-natured officer at the base, looking at them with a warning gaze: "Mind your words, Marines. Don't say anything that is not conducive to unity."
Immediately, sounds of agreement rose and fell throughout the mess hall,
"Yes, Sir!"
"We understand!"
"Absolute obedience to orders!"
But as soon as Commander Will left, the whispers surged again like a tide.
"Speaking of which..." a tall, thin Ensign mysteriously leaned into his comrade's ear. "Did you see Admiral Akainu's face today?"
"Hiss—" His comrade gasped, "Don't even mention it! I ran into him in the corridor this morning, and his eyes looked like they could spew magma!"
At the same time,
In the high-ranking officers' mess hall on the top floor of Marine Headquarters, Admiral Akainu Sakazuki was staring grimly at the newspaper in his hand. Scalding magma dripped from between his fingers, burning several charred holes in the newspaper.
"Absurd." His low voice made the orderly standing by shiver. "Letting Whitebeard's subordinate become a Warlord? What is Sengoku thinking?"
Admiral Aokiji Kuzan leaned lazily by the window, playing with a glass of iced fruit juice: "Oh ~ Isn't this quite good? At least it can weaken the Whitebeard Pirates' prestige..."
"Hmph!" Akainu suddenly stood up, and the surrounding temperature soared. "This kind of compromise is a blasphemy against Absolute Justice! Pirates are pirates, and they should all be eliminated!"
His fist slammed heavily onto the dining table, instantly melting a charred fist print. The Rear Admirals and Commodores in the restaurant were as silent as cicadas, even their breathing softened.
....
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