"A special order from the Holy Land for an exceptional promotion?"
This meant that the exceptional promotion wasn't the intention of Sengoku and the higher-ups of the Navy.
Rather, it was the will of the Holy Land.
It was likely that Figarland Shamrock and Figarland Garling had exerted their influence.
Indeed, with such a good opportunity, if they missed it, it would take at least ten years, under normal circumstances, to push Lancelot into the position of Vice Admiral.
So, they absolutely wouldn't let it slip by.
Moreover, even promotions to Rear Admiral require a grand ceremony.
Yet now, with his exceptional promotion to Vice Admiral, the Justice Cloak that rightfully belongs to a Vice Admiral was simply tossed in front of him so carelessly.
Suppression?
That's right.
In Lancelot's view, Sengoku's behavior was nothing but suppression.
But thinking about it, it was understandable.
His rise had been far too rapid.
Still, it left a somewhat unpleasant feeling.
After all, he had been stripped of the treatment he should have enjoyed. However, in the next moment, his mood lifted instantly.
The system's voice rang out once again.
[Ding, host has been promoted to Vice Admiral. Reward: Divine Body.]
[Ding, host has been promoted to Vice Admiral. Reward: Devil Fruit Awakening Card x1.]
[SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE]
Host: Lancelot Rank: Vice Admiral (Admiral Candidate)
Talents & Bloodline:
Superman Physique: Body strength, power, and speed have reached the level of a superhuman in the world of One Piece.
Divine Body: Can consume three types of Devil Fruits without self-destructing.
Bloodline Factors: Whale Shark Fishman, Giant.
Sword Souls & Styles:
Ryoma: Return to Sea - One Sword Slash.
King Aska: King's Sword (Conqueror's Haki + Swordsmanship).
Pirate King Roger: Dance of Divine Repulsion (Kamusari variant).
Realm: Great Swordsman.
Martial Arts (Rear Admiral Level):
Rokushiki: Iron Body Fist Style, Iron Body Utsugi, Iron Body Shatter, Iron Body Steel, Six King Gun (Ultimate), Tempest Kick-Shigure.
Mastery: Life Return, Fishman Karate.
Attributes:
Doriki / Speed / Body / Swordsmanship: Admiral Level.
Haki:
Conqueror's: Top Tier (Entanglement, Shapeshifting, King's Pressure).
Armament: High Tier (Entanglement, Emission, Ryuō).
Observation: High Tier (Wide-Area Search, Hear All Things).
Devil Fruit:
Type: Mythical Zoan - Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon (Dragon Ancestor Form).
Mastery: Beginner.
Comprehensive Strength: Top-Tier Admiral.
'Holy shit...'
'This is too awesome.'
This Divine Body is truly incredible.
That means, like Blackbeard, he can become a multi-Devil Fruit Ability User.
No, even stronger than Blackbeard.
Blackbeard can only eat two, while he can eat three.
Moreover, this time he was also rewarded with a Devil Fruit Awakening Card, which can be used to awaken any Devil Fruit ability.
Is there even a choice to make?
Currently, he only has one Devil Fruit ability, which is the Mythical Zoan: Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon.
Most importantly, this Devil Fruit ability is a top-tier fruit.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the strongest Devil Fruit.
So, is there any hesitation?
He directly used the Devil Fruit Awakening Card on it.
[SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE]
Host: Lancelot Rank: Vice Admiral
Devil Fruit:
Type: [AWAKENED] Mythical Zoan - Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon.
Overall Strength: Beyond Yonko.
At this moment, Lancelot truly felt that his power had reached the level of a legendary pirate.
Moreover, it was the strength of a legendary pirate at their peak.
Unable to contain his joy any longer, Lancelot allowed a slight smile to curl at the corners of his mouth.
"Huh..."
Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Garp, Akainu, Aokiji, and even Kizaru, who had accompanied Lancelot, all wore expressions of astonishment.
They had been prepared for Lancelot to express dissatisfaction.
Perhaps even to cause a huge scene.
Otherwise, why would all the top brass be gathered here today?
Their purpose was to intimidate Lancelot, to make him swallow this hidden loss—whether he accepted it or not.
Otherwise, the entire Marine leadership would struggle to keep this young man in check.
After all, this young man possessed both formidable strength and influential backing.
Yet, contrary to all expectations, Lancelot did not react as they had anticipated.
Instead, he looked genuinely pleased...
This caught them completely off guard.
Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru exchanged glances.
They had prepared a whole arsenal of arguments, only to find them now stuck in their throats.
Lancelot was in an exceptionally good mood!
He paid no mind to their attempts to suppress him.
Having gained such an enormous advantage, could he not allow them a little venting?
Then he spoke up and asked, "Now that I've been appointed as a Admiral Candidate, what are my specific duties?"
It was well known that Marine officers were never left idle.
Moreover, generally speaking... Rank came with responsibilities.
Sengoku: "..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru: "..."
'Well, it seemed this young man wasn't so easily fooled.'
But this was within expectations... The problem was, they hadn't yet reached a consensus on where to assign him.
If they were going to appoint him as an Admiral Candidate, they had to grant him authority worthy of the position.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be suppression—it would be an outright declaration of war.
Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru exchanged another glance, both feeling deeply conflicted.
Even though they had anticipated this, they were still caught in a dilemma.
Such significant authority couldn't be handed out lightly.
Fortunately, both were known for their wisdom and soon devised a solution that satisfied both sides.
Vice Admiral Tsuru said to Sengoku, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I suggest assigning Lancelot to take command of Marine Base G-5."
Hearing this, Sengoku couldn't help but smile slightly.
He and Tsuru were thinking along the same lines.
"According to intelligence received this morning, Vice Admiral Vergo of the New World's G-5 base has been missing for a month. Although he would occasionally return home to care for his ailing sister, he always maintained contact. But now... there's been no word from him at all."
"Therefore, not only will you be stationed at G-5, but you must also secretly investigate the reason behind Vice Admiral Vergo's disappearance."
"Since you are a candidate for Admiral, you will have unified command over all Marine branches in the New World. Your duty is to prevent pirates from the New World from entering the first half of the Grand Line."
Lancelot: "..."
'Well, well, isn't this something.'
They were directly exiling him!
After all, anyone who moves away from the center of power would see their influence diminish.
However, being the overall commander of the Marines in the New World... that authority wasn't insignificant.
It's just that this position would require constant life-and-death battles with pirates.
The key point was, he couldn't refuse. After all, they were doing everything by the book.
As for Vergo—while others might not know, how could he not?
Vergo must have gone into hiding.
In Vergo's perspective, his identity had already been exposed. Returning to the G-5 Branch would be like walking right into a trap.
Little did Vergo know that Lancelot had never actually revealed his true identity.
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