Happy New Year
[Bonus Chapter for the new year]
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Sengoku snatched the newspaper from the naval intelligence officer's hand, his expression growing darker with every passing second.
He knew Golden Lion Shiki—a man even more dangerous than the Pirate King, Roger.
Roger, for all his infamy, had a sense of honor and limits in his actions. Shiki, on the other hand, was a ruthless tyrant, driven by ambition and unconstrained by morality.
When Shiki declared he would destroy the East Blue, he meant every word. Lives meant nothing to him, and he had no qualms about following through on his threats.
This man had lain low for twenty years, hidden and anonymous. Sengoku knew he must have been planning something monumental. A man like Shiki could never be content with a quiet, uneventful life.
Now that he had resurfaced, there was no doubt—he had returned with an even greater, more sinister plot.
"Uchiha Akira! Gion! The two of you are to depart immediately for the East Blue and try to capture Golden Lion Shiki!" Sengoku ordered sharply.
"Yes, sir!"
Gion, also known as Momousagi, immediately accepted the command.
"Wait! My first mission is this dangerous? Isn't this asking a bit too much…?"
"This is an urgent situation, Akira! The people of the East Blue are under threat! The Admirals are already preoccupied with their own assignments. Who else here can take on Shiki besides you?" Sengoku barked, leaving no room for debate.
The seas were overrun with pirates, forcing the Admirals and high-ranking officers to spread themselves thin across the globe. Their priority was maintaining the safety and stability of the World Government's member nations.
Admirals couldn't move recklessly either; their presence was a deterrent against potential attacks on the World Government and Marine Headquarters.
And much of this predicament could be traced back to Uchiha Kitaro. His battle against five of the World Government's top forces had become a terrifying legend, leaving even the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois trembling with fear.
Their panic led to the implementation of a new rotation system: at least one Admiral would always be stationed in Mariejois, while the other three rotated through monthly assignments.
For instance, Akainu was stationed there this month, Aokiji the next, and Kizaru the month after that.
This system, however, placed an even greater strain on the already overburdened Marine Headquarters. The only solace came from new recruits like Aramaki, Issho, and Uchiha Kitaro disguised as Akira, who had bolstered their ranks.
Aramaki and Issho were both fervently capturing pirates, which was undoubtedly a good thing.
Kitaro, on the other hand, had been stationed at Marine Headquarters, doing absolutely nothing. Yet, in Sengoku's view, even his inaction was a relief—it kept him out of trouble.
But this time, there was no other choice. If Kitaro didn't step in, the East Blue could be devastated.
"Ugh… fine! I'm too kindhearted for my own good. If I complete this mission, though, there'd better be some serious credit coming my way."
"Fine! You'll earn a Special Commendation!"
The mention of rewards immediately brought back unpleasant memories for Sengoku. His tone soured as he begrudgingly agreed.
"Three!" Kitaro raised three fingers.
"Three?! Are you insane? Three Special Commendations would qualify you for promotion to Admiral!" Sengoku exploded.
Marine promotions were strictly regulated.
One Special Commendation equaled ten First-Class Merits. One First-Class Merit equaled ten Second-Class Merits, and so on.
A Third-Class Merit required capturing a pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries or eliminating an entire crew with a cumulative bounty above that threshold.
To become a Rear Admiral, one needed three Third-Class Merits. For Vice Admiral, three Second-Class Merits. For Admiral, three Special Commendations, along with unparalleled strength, were required.
Kitaro certainly had the strength to qualify as an Admiral. With sufficient merit, he could be promoted immediately if a position opened up.
Blocking his promotion would undermine the Marines' rules and shake morale. A fractured spirit among the ranks could lead to chaos.
Kitaro smirked. "Then why do you think I'm asking for three?"
Sengoku froze. 'This sly brat! He'd been planning this all along. Could it be that his apparent laziness was just a front? From the beginning, he'd been eyeing the Admiral's seat!'
He'd assumed Kitaro was uninterested in advancing, given his lack of activity. But now it was clear—Kitaro simply didn't care about minor accolades.
"Two! The most you're getting is two Special Commendations!" Sengoku ground his teeth as he reluctantly made the counteroffer. He wouldn't have allowed it if the situation weren't so dire.
Kitaro's grin widened. "Deal!"
"Damn it, you Uchiha brothers are all bloodsuckers!" Sengoku growled, furious at being outmaneuvered again.
The bad memories he mentioned? Those came from Akira's elder brother, Kitaro. During a crisis in Mariejois, he'd demanded a staggering 5 billion berries.
In the end, he only took 2.5 billion, but the damage he'd inflicted on Marine Headquarters far exceeded that amount. Repairing the headquarters alone would cost well over 25 billion berries.
Kitaro adopted a sheepish, modest expression. "Oh, you flatter me. Compared to my brother, I'm still far behind."
"That wasn't a compliment!" Sengoku roared in exasperation.
"Enough! Get out of here! I don't want to see your face!"
Every time Sengoku looked at Akira's face, which was identical to his brother's, he felt an inexplicable surge of frustration. That face had brought him no end of trouble.
"Understood! Mission accepted!" Kitaro saluted before leaving with Gion.
They boarded Gion's ship for the mission. Though Kitaro had been assigned his own ship, it had sat unused in the harbor, gathering dust. He hadn't recruited any subordinates either, and there wasn't time to do so now.
"Akira, so you really do want to become an Admiral?" Gion asked as they set off.
She had assumed Kitaro's half-year of apparent idleness meant he had given up on competing for the position.
"Of course! I joined the Marines to become an Admiral. A Marine without ambition isn't a real Marine. But mark my words, being an Admiral isn't the end goal for me. I, Akira, a man of bright future."
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