For the final two days, Sean and Ain joined the existing staff as special examiners.
These two days gave Sean a much clearer understanding of one particular issue: the generational gap within the Marine had reached a critical state.
As the cradle for Headquarters officers, the actual strength of the students here was... disappointing. Anyone familiar with the state of the world knew that aside from the Admirals and a handful of Vice Admirals, the Marine struggled to produce any truly formidable combatants.
To put it bluntly: the top tier was overflowing with power, the middle tier was mediocre, and the bottom tier was utterly pathetic.
This was the current reality of the Marine. It was as if the Marine's luck had been severed after the era of the three Admirals; no one of truly extraordinary talent had emerged since. Furthermore, the Admirals were not getting any younger.
If this situation wasn't resolved, the Marine's future would be grim. Their only recourse would be to rely on the World Military Draft—granting ranks based solely on raw strength while ignoring merit or tenure.
Such a move was a double-edged sword.
The advantage was the ability to recruit a large number of powerful individuals to fill the gap and maintain overall combat effectiveness. The disadvantage, however, was the impact on morale. How would the existing soldiers feel seeing people with zero military merit suddenly leapfrog over them in rank? It would be no different from the World Government parachuting in political appointees.
Moreover, there was no guarantee these recruits would be driven by justice; there was a high probability that criminals would slip through the cracks. In the short term, the benefits outweighed the risks, but in the long run, it was a recipe for disaster.
This was why the Marine had avoided such measures for so long. It wasn't until after the Paramount War, when the mid-to-low levels suffered massive casualties and two Admiral positions became vacant, that they were forced to take this path.
"What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought," Ain's voice broke through his reflections.
"Just thinking that the Marine's future is looking pretty bleak," Sean replied.
Ain shared this sentiment. The lack of fresh talent in the Marine was obvious to anyone with eyes.
"It can't be helped. The Marine has just had terrible luck lately. Who can say why no one as strong as the Admirals has appeared?"
"Luck, huh... if it were really just a matter of luck, that would be great," Sean muttered.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Forget it, let's not talk about this now. The exams end today. How about I treat you to something good?"
'Something good?'
Seeing the slight curl of Sean's lips, Ain suddenly felt a strange surge of pity. He didn't know why he felt it at the time, but when the exams finally ended and he saw Sean kick Kuro unconscious, Ain realized exactly where that feeling of pity had come from.
The next day, everyone boarded the ships to return to Marine Headquarters.
Kuro stood on the beach to see them off, with all the students waving goodbye. However, when Kuro looked at Sean, his eyes held a very human expression of deep resentment.
"Sean, Kuro's hind leg looks injured. Don't tell me you..."
"Ah, I just took Ain out for a great meal last night!"
Zephyr was speechless. A long silence followed before he finally spoke again.
"You two... actually didn't invite me?"
'''
Half a month later, at Marine Headquarters.
Because Smoker had arrived a few days before the students of the Elite Training Camp, Nezumi and the marines of the 16th Branch had already been imprisoned and interrogated.
Unlike when he had encountered Sean, Nezumi now denied every single accusation. He was stubbornly refusing to talk, which was unlike his usual self. He was certain that "that person" would protect him, and he didn't have to fear a lunatic like Sean while at Headquarters. As long as he kept his mouth shut, he believed his protector would find a way to save him. He even held a slim hope that he might be allowed to remain a Branch Chief.
Consequently, after two days of interrogation, the Marine had failed to break Nezumi.
Meanwhile, a special guest arrived at Sengoku's office.
"Rob Lucci, is it?" Sengoku asked, looking at the young man in his twenties wearing a black suit. "I know of you. They say you're the strongest member of CP9 in eight hundred years. I wonder what mission brings you to the Marine today?"
As he spoke, Sengoku felt a twinge of frustration. Even CP9 could produce such a young powerhouse—barely in his twenties and already approaching the strength of a Vice Admiral—while the Marine...
It was a depressing thought.
Wait, no, the Marine still had Sean. At only fifteen, he was already nearly as strong as Lucci. The Marine still had a future!
Thinking of Sean made Sengoku feel slightly better. However, Sengoku didn't realize that if Sean fought with everything he had, he was actually stronger than Lucci. After all, Sean had never demonstrated the release of hisZanpakuto or his Kidō in front of Sengoku. In fact, even Zephyr had never seen them.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I have been ordered to come to Headquarters to take custody of Nezumi and the other marines of the 16th Branch," Lucci stated.
"What? Take Nezumi and those marines? CP9 intends to interfere with the Marine's internal affairs?"
"As I said, I am following orders. I do not know the reasons behind them. If you have questions, Fleet Admiral, you may contact the commander of CP9."
"Spandine?"
"No. Officer Spandine has been transferred to CP5. The new commander of CP9 is Spandam."
"Spandam? That piece of trash is the commander of CP9?"
Sengoku's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Spandine had visited Headquarters once before and brought his son along; Sengoku remembered him vividly. Because from start to finish, that son was... a complete waste of space.
And now this waste was the head of CP9? It was an absolute farce!
"I am not in a position to comment on my superior," Lucci replied. "But if you wish to obstruct my mission, I suggest you contact Officer Spandam for a change in orders."
Lucci actually agreed with Sengoku that Spandam was useless, but he possessed absolute loyalty to the World Government. Since Spandam was appointed by the government, his orders represented the will of the World Government, and that was a will Lucci was bound to obey. That was simply how Lucci's mind worked.
"Very well. I'll have someone show you to your quarters. We will discuss this further after I have spoken with Spandine."
"Very well."
With a curt nod, Lucci left the office.
Sengoku's expression, however, grew somber. In terms of raw strength, CP9 wasn't even fit to carry the Marines' boots. Yet, because the organization reported directly to the World Government, they often held a higher priority than the Marine in certain matters.
It was, quite frankly, absurd.
"So, Spandine is indeed the one backing Nezumi," Sengoku murmured to himself. "This is becoming problematic."
As for Spandam, he didn't even consider him. That useless waste lacked the competence to orchestrate such a vast web of corruption, let alone keep the Marines in the dark for all these years.
After a moment of contemplation, Sengoku picked up a Den Den Mushi and began to dial. However, he wasn't calling Spandam at Enies Lobby. Instead...