At the Sabaody Archipelago Marine branch office on the Grand Line, the base was packed with Marine soldiers.
Their faces were filled with fanaticism as they hurried through the base, busy forming ranks and preparing for deployment.
At that moment, Sengoku, the person in charge of the base, was eating snacks while his gaze drifted faintly toward the window.
Personnel transfers were happening here at every moment.
Most newly recruited Marine soldiers were first gathered and sent to the Sabaody Archipelago, where they received the most basic military knowledge and training.
After that, they would be dispatched to the West Blue to participate in the war against the Revolutionary Army.
At the same time, large numbers of Marine soldiers who had fought in the West Blue would board warships from here and pour into the New World.
The Marine base was thriving with activity.
"How does the environment here feel to you, Issho?"
Sitting on the sofa, Fujitora Issho set down the teacup in his hand and sighed with emotion.
"Although this old man cannot see the scenery outside, judging from the emotions I can sense, every Marine soldier here carries the conviction that they will win."
"Moreover, I can hear them shouting Fleet Admiral Raleigh's name. I imagine they have already turned Fleet Admiral Raleigh into something like a spiritual belief."
Sengoku's hand, which was holding a rice cracker, paused slightly.
Only after a long while did he speak.
"Yes. You are right."
"Looking across eight hundred years of Marine history, the only Fleet Admiral who ever possessed prestige like Raleigh's was the original founder who established the Marines."
"Other than him, no Fleet Admiral has ever held such immense prestige while in office. I could not do it. Even Fleet Admiral Kong could not reach this level."
"Raleigh's appearance made me truly understand for the first time what it means for the new waves of the sea to push the old waves forward."
Fujitora Issho was somewhat surprised.
"I did not expect someone who once served as Fleet Admiral to give such a high evaluation. I thought that after losing the power struggle, you might hold resentment toward Raleigh."
Sengoku shook his head.
"After that battle, I stepped down as Fleet Admiral. During all this time, I have also come to understand many things. One of them is that I am not as good as Raleigh."
"When I took over, Fleet Admiral Kong had already eliminated more than half of the famous pirates. The few pirates left behind were not even comparable to the legendary great pirates who had died before them. Yet even then, I still failed to stop the pirates' offensive and could only withdraw from the New World."
"No matter what schemes may have been involved in that matter, the Marines ultimately lost control of the New World."
"But Raleigh is different. When he took over, the Four Blues were controlled by the Revolutionary Army, while the New World was controlled by pirates. He walked step by step to where he is today. His resolve and persistence are far stronger than mine."
Fujitora Issho could not help feeling moved.
Once upon a time, when Sengoku became Fleet Admiral, he too had been full of ambition.
He had once dreamed of solving the pirate problem completely.
But because of the World Government's constraints, he had always been forced into a position of compromise.
And when it came to official matters, allowing personal feelings to mix in was a stain that could never be erased.
Looking at the current state of the Grand Line, Sengoku could already feel Raleigh's determination, as well as the changes Raleigh had brought.
No matter what else one said, at the very least, in the first half of the Grand Line, pirates were almost nowhere to be seen anymore.
As for the Revolutionary Army, Sengoku no longer intended to interfere.
The Five Elders of the World Government had already warned him several times.
Fujitora Issho opened his clouded white eyes.
"What a pity. In my youth, I blinded both of my eyes, and now I can no longer see the world clearly. Otherwise, if there were a chance, I would truly like to witness Fleet Admiral Raleigh's face with my own eyes."
Hearing that, Sengoku burst into laughter.
"That brat Raleigh more or less grew up under my watch. When dealing with pirates, he is cold and ruthless, showing no regard for anything like human rights. But in private, he is always lazy and laid-back."
"Sometimes, even I cannot understand how he can have two completely different faces."
Issho smiled as well.
"From what I hear, Inspector General Sengoku is also like that. Back when you held the rank of Admiral, your style was iron-blooded. Yet now, you sit here leisurely eating rice crackers and chatting with me."
Sengoku shook the empty rice cracker bag in his hand and casually tossed it into the trash.
"Enough. It is time to talk about your matter."
"Since your strength has already met the requirements, Headquarters has decided to directly promote you to the rank of Admiral. Your codename will be Fujitora."
"I believe you will receive the promotion order very soon, but I am curious. How will you choose?"
"The Four Blues, Headquarters, or the New World?"
Fujitora Issho rubbed the cup in his hand and fell into thought.
"The Four Blues already have Sakazuki. For now, they do not need my intervention. As for Headquarters, I would be willing to go there once and meet Fleet Admiral Raleigh."
"If the New World needs me, then I suppose I will head to the New World."
"In the end, where I want to go does not matter. What matters is where Fleet Admiral Raleigh arranges for me to be."
"Sengoku-san, since we are idle anyway, why not make a wager? Let us bet on where Fleet Admiral Raleigh will assign me."
Sengoku's eyebrows twitched several times, and his face filled with helplessness.
"No. I refuse."
After sparring with Issho, Sengoku had also gambled with him several times.
Unsurprisingly, he had lost every single time.
Since then, Sengoku had never gambled with Issho again!