"So… you're saying the next Fleet Admiral will be Kuzan?"
Sengoku didn't answer right away. He returned to his seat, folded his hands, and said:
"Not necessarily. The people up at Mary Geoise seem to favor Sakazuki. So… who becomes the next Fleet Admiral is still undecided."
Then Sengoku shifted the topic.
"And what about you? Who do you think should be the next Fleet Admiral? Or who do you want to be Fleet Admiral?"
Karl scratched his head.
"Marshal Sengoku… have you ever considered… Borsalino?"
Sengoku immediately waved it off. "Enough, enough. If you don't want to answer, don't answer. Why even bring up Kizaru? Does that guy look like Fleet Admiral material?"
Karl puffed up.
"Hey, hey, that's not fair! Admiral Kizaru's actually a great candidate! Sure, he doesn't have strong supporters… but he doesn't have strong opponents either. He's all about stability. Isn't that a good thing?"
Sengoku sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and pointed to the door.
"…Get out."
Karl shrugged and walked out without another word.
As for Ace… Karl had no intention of interfering. He'd just wander around and keep up appearances. Eventually, Marshall D. Teach would act on his own.
His role was simply to wait.
Time Flies
It was now May 5th, 1520 in the Sea Circle Calendar. Karl had just celebrated his birthday—he was now 31 years old.
And yet… in the Marines, he was still considered "young."
Don't believe it?
Kizaru is already 56, almost hitting 60.Akainu is 53—just slightly younger.Only Kuzan could still be called middle-aged at 47… and even he's 16 years older than Karl.Marine Headquarters — A Quiet Moment
"From now on, I'll be working with Tsuru," Ain said, leaning against Karl's shoulder. "That means I'll have more chances to return to Headquarters. Happy?"
Karl grinned. "Of course I'm happy. You're a Marine Vice Admiral now—same rank as me. How could I not be happy?"
Ain watched the sunrise and sighed softly.
"Do you remember? Back at the G-10 Marine Base, we used to watch the sun rise together every morning…"
Karl said nothing for a moment. Then he took out a photo from his storage.
In the picture, both of them wore Marine uniforms and their Justice coats. Ain hugged his arm, both smiling like a couple deeply in love.
Karl handed her the photo. "Look. What's changed?"
Ain studied it, smiled, and hugged his arm tighter.
Nothing had changed.
They stood together, waiting for the sun to rise again.
East Blue — Mt. Colubo
"Hey, Curly Dadan, I'm heading out! Wait for the news that I become King of the Pirates!"
Dadan blew out a puff of smoke and scoffed. "Go on, then! Don't cry if the Marines catch you!"
Monkey D. Luffy flashed a huge grin.
"Heh! I'm strong! And I promised Shanks we'd meet again on the sea. There's no way I'll get caught!"
He dashed off without looking back.
Dadan watched him leave. Her eyes turned red, but she said nothing—only smoked more.
Sabaody Archipelago — Searching for a Ghost
On the Sabaody Archipelago, a bare-chested man wearing a hat carried a photograph, asking anyone he met if they'd seen Teach.
No luck.
"Hmm… it's May 5th, huh. Guess Luffy must've set sail already."
He smiled faintly.
"I can't wait to see what face he'll make when we meet again."
Someone suddenly spoke up.
"Hey… that guy in your photo looks familiar."
Ace's eyes widened. "Really? Where?"
The shopkeeper scratched his head.
"About a month ago, I saw him on Grove 43. Guy was climbing a mangrove like a monkey, laughing like a lunatic. I thought he was crazy."
So Teach had fled to Paradise right after the incident. No wonder he was impossible to find in the New World.
Ace gritted his teeth.
"Slippery bastard. I won't let you escape."
He thanked the man and set off again.
East Blue — Loguetown
"Report!"
"Come in."
A Marine entered the smoky office, unfazed by the thick haze.
"Commodore Smoker, we've received word that the Krieg Pirates are preparing to enter the Grand Line. Should we intercept?"
Smoker cracked his neck. "Krieg again, huh…"
When he first arrived in Loguetown, he'd nearly wiped Krieg out. But Krieg escaped by pretending to be a lowly deckhand. Though weakened, he eventually rebuilt his crew.
"No need. Once he enters the Grand Line, someone else will deal with him. Just keep an eye on him—if he turns back, I'll finish the job myself."
After the soldier left, Smoker continued reading the paper.
"The sea's getting restless… maybe it's time I left the East Blue. Sitting here too long, and even my bones are getting rusty."
Just then, his Den Den Mushi rang.
"This is Smoker."
"It's Karl. Ain and I will drop by in a few days. Get ready."
Smoker replied reflexively, "Sure, sure—wait. What kind of tone is that? You ordering me around?"
Karl laughed. "What, Ain isn't worth preparing for?"
Smoker snorted. "Ain's always welcome. You, on the other hand…"
"Ha! When I get there, I'm definitely giving you a beating!"
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