Ezra stared at Issho with complete disbelief.
Issho chuckled awkwardly and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
"Haha… I just had a strange dream."
Ezra rolled his eyes and gestured for Issho to follow him. Then he led everyone down from the warship.
The moment they stepped onto the dock, chaos erupted.
"Admiral Ember has returned!"
"Ahhh! It's Admiral Ember!"
"He's so handsome! Girls, he looked at me!"
"Nonsense! He was clearly looking at me!"
"Say that again and we'll see about that!"
Before Ezra could even react, a crowd of female marines rushed forward and surrounded him.
Ezra froze in confusion.
Then came the shock.
Then pure helplessness.
"Hey, wait! One at a time!"
"Hey! Who just grabbed me?!"
Ezra was not the only one stunned.
Rossinandi and the other marines stood nearby watching the scene unfold.
But in their eyes was something else.
Envy.
"Admiral Ember is too popular…"
"With him around, do you think we will ever find girlfriends?"
"Honestly… probably not."
"Then how about you and me just make do together?"
"Sure."
Rossinandi froze.
"Wait… what did I just hear?"
After a long struggle, Ezra finally managed to escape from the crowd of enthusiastic female marines.
His uniform was slightly messy, but thankfully nothing worse had happened.
He straightened his clothes and sighed.
"When did we recruit so many female marines?"
Rossinandi quickly shook his head.
"No idea."
Ezra rubbed his temples.
"Forget it. I will ask Uncle Sengoku later."
Then he turned toward Rossinandi.
"Dismiss the men for now."
"Understood, Admiral Ember."
Ezra nodded and turned to Issho.
"Come on. Let's go meet the Fleet Admiral."
Issho paused.
"Lord Ezra… this is my first time meeting the Fleet Admiral. Should I bring a gift or something?"
Ezra stared at him in disbelief.
"Where did you even learn that kind of workplace strategy?"
Issho scratched his head.
"Well… I heard Rossinandi and the others talking about it last night."
Ezra pressed his fingers against his temples.
His head was already pounding.
"Stop listening to their nonsense. Just follow me."
"All right."
Issho shrugged and followed Ezra.
Soon they arrived outside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Ezra was about to knock when Issho suddenly spoke.
"Wait!"
Ezra nearly jumped.
He turned around and glared at him.
"What now?"
Issho smiled awkwardly.
"Just give me a moment. I need to tidy up my appearance."
Ezra stared at him silently.
He had run out of words.
At this point, he only had one thought.
Let this be over quickly.
Finally, after Issho finished adjusting his clothes, Ezra knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
They pushed open the door.
Inside, Sengoku was sitting behind his desk, carefully reviewing a stack of documents.
"Hey, Uncle Sengoku. I'm back."
Sengoku's hand suddenly froze.
The pen in his hand almost snapped.
Ezra blinked.
Was it really necessary to react that strongly? I have only been gone a few days.
Sengoku slowly lifted his head.
A stiff smile appeared on his face.
"Oh… it's you… Ezra."
Beside him, Issho quietly leaned toward Ezra and whispered.
"Lord Ezra… is this what you meant by having a good relationship with Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
"Because he looks like he hates you."
Ezra looked equally confused.
How would I know?
"Um… Uncle Sengoku. Did something happen?"
Crack.
Sengoku snapped the pen in half.
Ezra's eyelid twitched.
"Hey. If you have something to say, just say it."
Sengoku snorted and tossed the broken pen into the trash.
"I will settle things with you later."
Ezra scratched his head, completely lost.
He decided it was better to ask later.
Clearing his throat, he spoke again.
"Uncle Sengoku, this is the person I mentioned. The one who wants to join the Navy."
Issho stepped forward, leaning on his cane.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, my name is Issho."
Sengoku studied him carefully.
His eyes lingered on the cane sword hidden inside Issho's staff.
"Forgive me for asking. Are you a swordsman?"
Issho nodded.
"Yes. I am."
Sengoku raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
"It is not unusual for Ezra to invite people into the Navy."
"But you are the first swordsman he has personally brought here."
Issho tilted his head in confusion.
Sengoku explained.
"Your swordsmanship must have earned Ezra's approval."
Issho paused for a moment before replying honestly.
"Well… Lord Ezra and I have not actually fought yet. So I am not sure if approval is the right word."
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
He slowly turned his head toward Ezra.
The look in his eyes clearly said:
Why did you not tell me that earlier?
Ezra leaned back slightly and spread his hands.
You never asked.
Sengoku cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Well… Ezra has a very good eye for people. I trust his judgment."
"If he recommends you, then your swordsmanship must be impressive."
Issho thought about it for a moment and decided to accept that explanation.
Sengoku flipped through the documents on his desk.
But soon his expression became troubled.
"Uncle Sengoku, why is this taking so long?" Ezra asked impatiently. "Is joining the Navy always this complicated?"
"Relax for a moment," Sengoku replied.
He organized his thoughts before speaking.
"Ezra… you know that because of your reputation, this year's Navy recruitment numbers have skyrocketed, right?"
Ezra paused.
He remembered the crowd of female marines that had surrounded him earlier.
His whole body shivered slightly.
"Yes… I remember."
"That is exactly the problem," Sengoku said.
"The headquarters is full. There are no more open positions."
Ezra frowned.
He had not expected that.
At that moment, Issho spoke calmly.
"If that is the case, Fleet Admiral Sengoku must already have a solution."
Sengoku glanced at him with renewed interest.
"Correct. There is one more option."
Ezra and Issho asked at the same time.
"What option?"
Sengoku leaned back in his chair.
"Worldwide Conscription."
Both men froze.
If the Navy initiated a global draft…
Ezra slowly turned toward Sengoku.
Sengoku nodded.
"That's right."
His voice was calm but firm.
"You are going to take my position."