The moment the words left Sengoku's mouth, Ezra immediately waved his hands.
"No. No way. Absolutely not!"
He had already experienced what it was like to sit in the Fleet Admiral's seat.
And that experience had completely crushed any desire he had to take the position.
It was exhausting beyond belief.
That was not a job meant for a normal human being.
Sengoku snorted.
"Calm down first. I will explain everything in a moment."
Then he turned his attention to Issho.
"Well, Issho. Would you be willing to participate in the World Draft?"
"The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages."
"If you successfully pass the World Draft, the position waiting for you will be that of an Admiral. A single step to the top."
"And from what I can see, you have your own sense of justice as well."
"If you become an Admiral, you will have the power to spread that justice across the seas."
To be honest, Issho had nearly decided to give up.
But hearing the latter half of Sengoku's words reignited the fire in his heart.
After all, what kind of swordsman would refuse the chance to become an Admiral?
Even a blind one.
Issho tightened his grip on the cane sword.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I agree. I will participate in the World Draft."
Ezra blinked in surprise.
Good grief. The man's blind eyes looked like they were burning with determination.
Hey, at least respect the fact that you are supposed to be blind.
How are your eyes shining like that?
Ezra rubbed his temple before nodding.
"Well, if that is your decision, then go for it."
Sengoku nodded and handed Issho a document.
"Good. That settles your situation for now. Take this form and have the soldiers outside guide you through the registration process."
Issho bowed slightly.
"Then I will take my leave. Lord Ezra. Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Leaning on his staff, Issho slowly left the office.
Only after the door closed did Sengoku shift his gaze toward Ezra.
Ezra was calmly sipping tea as if nothing had happened.
The image instantly reminded Sengoku of the scenario he had imagined earlier.
Himself drowning in work.
Ezra relaxing with tea.
The anger in his chest instantly flared.
"You are still drinking tea?!"
Pfft!
Startled, Ezra spat out a mouthful of tea.
"Hey! Old man! That is going too far!"
"Too far? I am the one going too far?" Sengoku snapped. "Take a good look at this!"
He grabbed a document that had been sent by the Five Elders and shoved it toward Ezra.
Ezra forced down the urge to argue back and opened the file.
A moment later he inhaled sharply.
If nothing else, his reaction probably contributed a little to the world's rising temperature.
Now he understood why Sengoku had been so angry.
The Five Elders had assigned Sengoku even more paperwork.
Ezra tried to hold it in.
He really did.
But in the end a laugh still escaped him.
Sengoku's face darkened instantly.
"You are laughing?!"
He grabbed a thick stack of documents and threw them straight at Ezra.
Ezra casually caught the papers and struggled to keep a straight face.
"Uncle Sengoku, yelling at me will not help."
"I am not the one who gave you that inspector position."
The moment he mentioned the title, Ezra almost burst out laughing again.
Sengoku fell silent.
At that moment he felt only one thing.
Utter exhaustion.
Ezra finally managed to suppress his laughter and looked up at Sengoku, whose face had turned completely dark.
"Finished laughing?" Sengoku asked coldly.
"If you are done, then start thinking."
"When are you going to take over my position?"
"You do not have much time left to decide."
Ezra paused.
"That urgent?"
Sengoku nodded slowly.
"For the past several months, I have been waiting for a response from the Five Elders."
"During that time, I have not created any new policies for the Navy."
"Everything has been operating exactly as it did before."
He removed his frog shaped glasses and carefully wiped the lenses.
"But even I have to admit something."
"I am part of the old era."
Sengoku put the glasses back on.
"The world is changing faster than I can keep up with."
"The pirates continue to evolve."
"The Navy cannot remain standing still."
He looked directly at Ezra.
"Ezra D. Vale. You are the hope."
"The one who can reshape the balance of the seas."
"The one who can truly bring an end to the pirate era."
"That is the shared expectation of all of us."
"Sengoku. Garp. Zephyr. Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"All of us believe in you."
After saying that, Sengoku fell silent.
Ezra did not respond immediately.
Instead, he quietly sank into thought.
He understood Sengoku's worries.
On the pirate side alone, the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Leaving aside Luffy for the moment, there were still the Supernovas.
During the chaos at Impel Down Breakout, Luffy had unintentionally released many dangerous prisoners.
Some of them were legendary pirates who had been locked away for years.
The resentment they carried was unimaginable.
Take Byrnndi World for example.
Even alone, he had managed to cause serious trouble for the Navy before Ezra finally eliminated him.
If someone else had encountered him first, the outcome might have been very different.
Then there was Redfield, the Red Count.
Within just a month of escaping, he had already obtained the Bat Fruit and regained his peak strength.
An entire island had been wiped out because of him.
And the Supernovas themselves were growing stronger every day.
Their Devil Fruit abilities were becoming increasingly dangerous.
Meanwhile, what did the Navy have?
Among the younger generation there was Ezra himself.
Then his subordinates such as Rossinandi, Law, Gion, Tashigi, and Smoker.
But even among them, only a few were truly powerful.
The majority of the Navy was still made up of ordinary soldiers.
Given all that, Sengoku's anxiety was easy to understand.
Besides, Sengoku would not truly disappear after stepping down.
He would still help Ezra handle paperwork and administration.
That alone would remove a massive burden.
What Ezra needed to do was simple.
Find strong individuals from across the world.
Bring them into the Navy.
And change the way people saw pirates.
Pirates were not romantic adventurers.
They were criminals who threatened the peace of the seas.
Just because Luffy was the protagonist of his own story did not make pirates heroes.
Even Luffy himself would eventually command the Straw Hat Grand Fleet with more than five thousand followers.
Ezra's goal had always been clear.
From the day he became an Admiral, his mission had been to eradicate piracy.
But he still had a long road ahead.
First, he needed to establish a clear belief in people's hearts.
The Navy existed to protect the world.
Judging by the surge in recruitment this year, he had already made some progress.
But it was far from enough.
Joining the Navy required strict qualifications.
But becoming a pirate required nothing at all.
Someone could simply wake up one day, feel impulsive, and sail out to sea.
Ezra shook his head slightly, pulling his thoughts back to the present.
Sengoku appeared calm on the surface.
But the steady tapping of his fingers on the chair arm revealed his tension.
He was worried.
What if Ezra truly refused?
Finally, Ezra released a long breath.
Sengoku's heart nearly jumped into his throat.
Would he accept?
A sharp light flashed across Ezra's crimson eyes.
He looked at Sengoku with unwavering confidence.
"When is the earliest I can take your position?"