"You've worked hard!"
Gazing at the wound on Zephyr's chest, Sengoku sighed helplessly, then looked towards Esdeath.
Zephyr led Esdeath to the very front of the conference room and then spoke, "I am here to apply for the graduation of Esdeath, who is standing before me."
"And I am willing to recommend her to directly become a Marine Captain!"
Esdeath, as the person involved, was a bit bewildered, not knowing what was going on; she thought they were just reporting on work.
The quiet conference room immediately erupted in an uproar; they had come here just to promote a wet-behind-the-ears little girl to Captain.
"Zephyr-sensei, isn't this a bit improper?"
The speaker was an experienced Vice Admiral, his face covered in scars of various sizes, his skin dark; his name seemed to be Doberman.
Esdeath had some impression of this person; he was one of Zephyr's students and also the only one who shed tears for Zephyr after he was killed.
He also had a subordinate that Esdeath remembered particularly well, T-Bone, a very righteous fellow, though his appearance was unfortunately a bit frightening.
Although the others didn't speak, they were more or less displeased; a student who hadn't even graduated yet wanted to become a Captain.
"Zephyr-sensei, what qualifications does she have to be recommended by you?" Akainu asked his question in a deep voice; he was busy with work and had never heard Esdeath's name.
Besides, compared to age, he cared more about strength!
The capable should lead!
"Introduce yourself, Esdeath."
Zephyr didn't speak; instead, he told Esdeath to introduce herself.
He had long anticipated that Esdeath might not convince the crowd, but it would be fine as long as Sengoku and the others agreed.
"Yes!"
Stepping forward, Esdeath's eyes sharpened as she spoke, "Esdeath, 15 years old, a swordswoman, possesses ice abilities, and I believe there is no problem with me becoming a Captain!"
"Some time ago, I accompanied Vice Admiral Garp and cut down pirates with bounties totaling nearly 30 million Berries!"
"A 15-year-old swordswoman, and she also possesses ice abilities? Is that true?!"
"Are the Marines of this generation so abnormal?"
Many people voiced their doubts, and the Marine conference room grew even noisier.
"Hahaha!"
"I can vouch for her."
Garp had been practically suffocating, unable to speak, but now he could finally talk, and Sengoku's anger had subsided considerably.
"And I am also willing to guarantee Esdeath." He said it in a carefree manner, not caring at all about the reactions of the others.
"Oh my, I agree too."
Kuzan's lazy voice also came over, speaking up for Esdeath.
After all, he had seen Esdeath's potential, he agreed with her philosophy, and he had successfully convinced himself.
"Oh~ I also agree."
"If possible, I can even mentor Esdeath until she becomes a Rear Admiral."
"No pay raise needed either."
This time, it was Kizaru who spoke, and he even expressed willingness to mentor Esdeath, which was simply outrageous.
Everyone in Marineford knew that Admiral Kizaru was the laziest; he would definitely lie down if he could, rather than stand, yet this time he actually supported Zephyr's decision.
Even Akainu looked at Kizaru curiously; the sun must have risen from the west today for even Kizaru to be so eager to mentor a newcomer.
Sengoku did not speak; he was responsible for making the final decision, and it would be meaningless if he spoke.
Two legends and two Admirals agreed, which left no room for the others to disbelieve, and even Fleet Admiral Sengoku did not raise any objections; not opposing meant agreeing.
"Oh, that's right, I must add one more thing: if Esdeath hadn't been there this time, I'm afraid this old man would have died at Weevil's hands."
His tone could not be faked; so this young girl was a lifesaver. If they objected again, it would be quite impudent.
"I also agree, but there's one condition: how about you let me mentor Esdeath?"
Tsuru also did not object; instead, she proposed a condition.
After all, there were no women among the Vice Admirals and Admirals present, so entrusting her to Tsuru was reasonable.
"No!"
"I hope she grows independently!"
Zephyr directly rejected Tsuru's proposal, and his attitude was firm.
He no longer wanted Esdeath's ideals to change because of anyone; he saw the future in Esdeath.
Everyone's gaze turned to Tsuru, but Tsuru was not angry; as an old comrade-in-arms for many years, she probably guessed Zephyr's thoughts.
Even Akainu did not raise any objections.
Because even if he hadn't heard Esdeath's name, one could tell a lot about a person just from her words and actions.
She showed no fear when she first entered!
One must know that this place gathered more than half of the Marine's high-end combat power!
And she walked gracefully, cleanly, and decisively.
There was not a hint of sloppiness about her.
She was also extremely confident and possessed strength that matched it, and most importantly, she was still young.
She was simply an unpolished gem!
"Good! Since everyone agrees, then it's settled." Clearly, judging by Sengoku's tone, even Sengoku was extremely satisfied with Esdeath.
"Then you can go back for now, Esdeath."
"Yes!"
Becoming a Captain was nothing to be proud of; her small goal was to become a Marine Vice Admiral, to become a Queen!
"Next, let's discuss the matters of the Marine's Grand Inspection…"
The noisy Marine conference room fell silent once again.
...
"System, check my prestige."
"Ding! Prestige: 8000 points!"
"Tsk tsk! As expected of a gathering with more than half of the Marine's generals present, it actually increased by several thousand."
As long as she killed two more pirates of the ten-million-Belly level, she would be able to purchase High-Speed Regeneration, at least guaranteeing her life.
With light steps, she returned to her Marine dormitory.
However, it seemed that Captains were not assigned housing; would she still have to earn money to buy a house?!
Would the housing prices in Marineford be very expensive?
After all, she couldn't claim bounties for killing pirates; she could only receive a fixed salary, but she could keep some of the pirates' treasures.
It was all for earning money to support her family.
After all, she had four girls at home waiting for her to support them; it was all for life.
"No one's here."
Returning to the dormitory, Esdeath looked at the empty room and, after a moment's thought, roughly knew where they had gone.
The Marine training ground!
"Soru!"
Tashigi, with both hands on her sword, appeared in front of Ain, striking down with a single slash.
Clang!
Two daggers crossed to block the sword, and a horizontal kick from her left leg swept towards Tashigi.
Unable to dodge, Tashigi was swept to the ground by a kick, a dagger stuck by her side.
"I won, Tashigi-chan."
"Hmm~ I want to try too~"
Twisting her body, Sadi-chan walked over, swinging her whip.
"As expected, they're here."
Watching Tashigi and Sadi-chan attack Ain together, they already showed a hint of their later style.
But it was clearly still a bit difficult; within ten minutes, both of them were defeated.