The resolution was announced, and no one was surprised.
After all.
Kong was already over ninety years old, had toiled for many years in the position of Marine Fleet Admiral, and was highly respected and virtuous.
Even without this incident, following the normal procedure, he would have assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Three Military Forces in at most four or five years.
However—
After Kong's official appointment as the new Commander-in-Chief , the next announcement, which should have followed immediately — the appointment of the new Fleet Admiral — was unexpectedly delayed. No word came at all.
——
A small dinner gathering was underway at Nao's home.
"The successor for Fleet Admiral still hasn't been decided?"
Gion sliced her steak and passed a portion to Nao, frowning as she looked across the table at Tsuru. "It's already been almost a week, hasn't it? What's there to hesitate about? What's the World Government waiting for?"
It wasn't just her sentiment — it was the question echoing throughout the entire Marine and among the public at large.
Who would take the now-vacant seat of Fleet Admiral?
Did that even need to be asked?
Across the entire Marine, there were only three people with the seniority and strength worthy of the position — the old "Three Great Admirals": Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr.
But among them, Zephyr had long since retired from the front lines, retaining only the title and benefits of an Admiral. As for Garp — he had spent decades refusing promotions to Admiral; the idea of him accepting the Fleet Admiral's role was laughable.
So naturally—
In everyone's mind, there was only one possible answer.
That was Admiral Sengoku, who tirelessly handled mountains of paperwork each day — a man who essentially did the work of three people, combining might, wisdom, and leadership.
A warrior of strength, a man of unmatched experience, and a rare strategist — clearly, the most suitable and unquestionable choice for the next Fleet Admiral.
"If only things were that simple."
Tsuru shook her head slightly. "One radish, one hole — but when one is moved, the others shift too. On the surface, it looks like just Sengoku moving up a few years ahead of schedule. Nothing major, right? But think about it — when you pull one root, the entire field shifts. Every other 'radish' has to move too."
As the Marine's Chief Strategist, Tsuru always had a knack for putting complex politics into plain speech. Instantly, everyone at the table understood what she meant — except, of course, for Ace and the sisters Nojiko and Nami, who were still focused on battling the vegetables on their plates.
Nao's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
"So the higher-ups don't want our generation to be promoted to Admiral too soon?"
He chuckled. "Interesting… though it makes sense. Right now, most of the three Admiral seats are already empty, but as long as Admiral Sengoku still holds one, the government has an excuse not to fill the rest. Once he's promoted, though, all three seats will have to be reassigned at once. They'll need to reshuffle the entire top rank."
"Exactly. In terms of seniority and merit, you, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino are already qualified — maybe even overqualified. If it were just about achievements, you, Nao, could easily be Fleet Admiral yourself."
Tsuru sighed lightly. "But the higher-ups have always cared about something very different."
She didn't say the rest aloud, but everyone understood perfectly well.
Throughout history, it wasn't unusual for multiple top-tier powerhouses to emerge from the same generation. Yet the number of Admiral seats had always remained fixed at three.
It was tradition — one not easily altered.
But more than that, it was the World Government's way of maintaining power balance among its military forces.
A strong Marine benefited the Government — but a Marine too strong was another story entirely.
And in recent years, under Nao's leadership, the new generation of Marine elites had grown rapidly. The Marines now held overwhelming dominance over the pirates, reclaiming territory across the New World, their momentum and prestige soaring higher than ever before.
Before the Great Pirate Era came to an end, the World Government had no choice but to rely on these rising Marine powerhouses — yet at the same time, they didn't want them climbing the ranks too quickly.
That, perhaps, was the contradictory sentiment of those in power.
And especially now, with Nao standing at the peak of public acclaim — after his recent "blasphemous" actions that had already caused the World Government enough headaches — their hesitation was only greater.
"Boring."
Nao sipped his borscht and said lazily, "Even if they hadn't delayed, we'd probably be promoted within the next two or three years anyway. It doesn't make a difference. But I'm curious — just how long do they plan to stall this? I'd like to see what their solution will be."
"If you hadn't gone off to the North Blue recently,"
Tsuru raised two fingers and smiled faintly, "then there would've been two possible outcomes. One of them — you would've been promoted to Admiral ahead of the others, filling Sengoku's seat, while Sakazuki and Kuzan remained where they are. That way, the current balance of power would stay the same until Zephyr's eventual retirement."
"That one's already off the table."
Nao shrugged. "So that just leaves the last possibility — the one everyone would rather not see, right?"
"..."
Tsuru didn't answer. She simply lifted her teacup and sighed quietly.
——
A week later—
Amidst the swirling rumors and growing uncertainty, the World Government finally announced the identity of the new Fleet Admiral.
And the result — shocked the entire world.
The man everyone had assumed would naturally succeed the position, Sengoku, remained exactly where he was — still holding the rank of Admiral.
Instead, the title of Fleet Admiral of the Marines, replacing Kong, was given to a completely unknown figure.
—— Barrick Veil.
To call him "unknown" wasn't entirely accurate — it was more that he had rarely appeared in public and was virtually unknown to the wider world.
At fifty-five years old, Veil had long held an influential position within the World Government's military administration, with a rank roughly equivalent to a Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Three Powers.
His appointment as Fleet Admiral wasn't even a promotion — if anything, it was a demotion by half a rank.
Still, this decision — a leader parachuted from the skies into the Marine's highest seat — set off a storm of disbelief and uproar.
Throughout Marineford, discontent spread among the lower ranks.
Complaints and doubts echoed in every corridor, every mess hall.
The upper brass, however, were far less surprised.
After so many days of delay, they had already guessed this was coming.
As for Nao — he didn't take it to heart at all.
As a transmigrator, although he didn't remember the specific timeline clearly, there was no doubt that the future Fleet Admiral position would still undoubtedly be Sengoku's, and it would happen within the next few years at most.
As for this Veil… Nao had no recollection of such a man at all.
At best, he'd be a temporary, transitional figure — an outsider sent down from above, destined never to truly integrate into the Marine's inner structure.
In Nao's view, no one in Marine Headquarters expected much from this new "Fleet Admiral Veil."
If the man had any sense, he'd simply follow precedent, keep his head down, maintain the status quo for a few quiet years — and then hand the reins over to Sengoku when the time came.
No mistakes is an achievement in itself — at least that would leave him with a decent reputation inside the Marine.
But unfortunately, the world sometimes just does the opposite of what you expect.
…
Three days later, Veil arrived in Marineford from the Holy Land and formally assumed the position of Marine Fleet Admiral.
Tsuru and the other senior Marine officers had arranged a welcome ceremony to fete the new supreme commander and ease him into his office.
However, the moment he stepped ashore, Veil expressed disdain for the scale of the event, finding the ceremony too modest. He maintained a perpetually sour expression throughout, and merely offered a perfunctory handshake to Tsuru and the others who had come to greet him. He left with his close subordinates for the Fleet Admiral's office before the ceremony was even over.
Then, early the next morning, he issued his first official command as the new Fleet Admiral: a document mandating a grand, high-level military parade to be held at Marineford. In the document's words, he demanded that Headquarters select its elite forces for his personal inspection, to assess the current mental fortitude of Marine Headquarters and so on.
In addition, within the next two months, all G-branch Commanders must return to Headquarters to report for duty. Only after passing his personal review would they be eligible to continue in their current positions; otherwise, they would face significant transfers or demotions.
With this series of actions, within just two days, Headquarters was filled with complaints and grievances.
But at the same time, many people realized that this new Fleet Admiral Veil clearly had no intention of being a temporary placeholder. He harbored great ambitions and intended to truly seize control of the Marine, the most powerful force on the seas.
…
"The new official is starting with three fierce fires—each one hotter than the last."
Nao lounged lazily, lying with his head on Sadaharu's belly in the courtyard. "I really didn't expect this new Fleet Admiral Veil to make such a racket right away. He hasn't only turned Marineford upside down — he's even dragged you back from the New World."
"I didn't want to come back either — what could I do?"
Aokiji, sitting on the swing across from them, grumbled, "At first they just sent a memo, and because I was out hunting down pirates I didn't respond immediately. Then, in the middle of the night, a call came directly, chewing me out thoroughly."
"I had to leave at once. Luckily my task was nearly finished and the New World's been fairly calm these last two years, otherwise I wouldn't have stepped away so easily."
"Tch, a proper G-5 Branch Commander taking that kind of treatment — how can you stand for it?" Nao chuckled. "But look on the bright side: at least you busybody types finally have time to come to my place for dinner. Come to think of it, since you and Molly got married it's been a year and a half — haven't you missed me at all?"
"No."
"Really? Not even a little bit?"
"Not even a little."
"Then get off that swing. With your weight, you'll break my daughter's swing in a moment."
"Heh, I won't. What are you gonna do about it?"
…
Half a minute later, Aokiji obediently sat cross-legged on the lawn, three layers of bandages piled high on his head, faintly crackling with electric light.
"The same familiar feeling… See? That old rhythm came right back."
Nao clapped his hands in satisfaction, then leaned back against Sadaharu's belly again and asked casually,
"Sakazuki and Borsalino have both returned to Headquarters, right? Have you seen them yet?"
"Haven't seen Borsalino."
Aokiji shook his head, hesitating before adding,
"As for Sakazuki—when I went to the Fleet Admiral's office to report in, I happened to see him coming out. Looked like he'd just had a huge argument with Veil. His face was pitch-black with anger—didn't even acknowledge me when I said hi."
"Oh? That so?"
Nao blinked, then shook his head with a faint smile. "Not surprising, really. With that temper of his, mouthing off to a superior is exactly the kind of thing he'd do…"
"You talk like your own temper's any better," Aokiji muttered, rolling his eyes. "I asked around afterward—turns out Veil's a real piece of work. Arrogant, condescending, treats everyone like they're beneath him. If you weren't exempt from the performance review as a Branch Commander, I bet you'd be the first one to lose your cool with our new Fleet Admiral."
"I don't have to go through the review."
Nao's tone was calm. "But this new Fleet Admiral said personally that he wants to meet me one-on-one in three days. Claims he has something important to discuss face-to-face."
"A private meeting?"
Aokiji frowned. "You don't think it's about White City, do you? Maybe he's acting on orders from above—coming to settle accounts after the fact?"
He looked genuinely concerned, wanting to say more but holding it back.
"Relax, I know what I'm doing."
Nao smiled faintly, gazing lazily up at the sun.
"I'm not the same person I used to be. Back then I still dreamed about becoming an Admiral, clinging to that childhood ideal—putting up with any humiliation to reach it. You think I'd be dumb enough now to lose my cool and pick a fight with the great Fleet Admiral?"
Aokiji gave him a strange look, about to reply—
—but suddenly there came a knock knock at the door.
Both turned their heads toward the sound.
"Gentlemen."
Leaning casually on the garden wall, smiling as if he'd been there all along, was none other than old 'Kizaru'—Borsalino himself.
"Save the small talk for later. Time to head to the conference room—urgent summons from the Fleet Admiral. Seems something big happened in the Holy Land last night…"
————————
Author's Note (PS):
The protagonist may not clearly remember the exact timeline, but the author certainly double-checked. For reference:
According to the original manga, in the year 1510 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Fisher Tiger died in an ambush by Vice Admiral Strawberry, while his direct superior, Borsalino, was still a Vice Admiral of G-2 at that time.
Also, in 1509, when Corazon was killed by Doflamingo, Sengoku was still a Marine Admiral.
Which means Sengoku couldn't have been promoted to Fleet Admiral until after 1510.