The room was still echoing with Fleet Admiral Sengoku's words when Ezra nearly lost his balance from sheer exasperation.
Of course, even if Sengoku wanted to promote him, it wouldn't happen immediately. The report for his promotion to Rear Admiral had only just been submitted nothing had been officially approved yet.
So, the old man was probably just saying that to encourage him… or maybe to acknowledge his growing strength.
Watching the sailors busily scurrying about the deck of the warship, Ezra decided not to linger there any longer. He turned toward the training grounds, determination flashing in his eyes.
Improvement was the true path of power.
Even if it was only a 0.01% increase, it was still progress earned through relentless, day-by-day effort.
Once again, his intense training drew the admiration of everyone around him.
"Rear Admiral Ezra is so hardworking!"
"And so handsome too! Ugh, I'd marry him in a heartbeat!"
"Dream on! If anyone's marrying him, it's me!"
"Oh yeah? You got something to prove, sweetheart?"
The chatter grew more chaotic, voices rising like a sudden storm of gossip.
But all the noise died out in an instant.
Because someone no one knew when she had approached was suddenly standing right beside Ezra.
Tina.
And before anyone could process what was happening, she mustered every ounce of courage she had and grabbed his right hand.
Ezra froze, blinking in surprise as he looked at her flushed face. Then, with a soft chuckle, he gently tightened his fingers around hers.
From a short distance away, Sengoku and Garp stood watching, jaws practically dropping to the floor.
"Good grief… this girl actually dared to do that?" Sengoku muttered.
Garp scratched the back of his head, both impressed and mortified. "I told her to be a little bolder, but come on! I didn't mean this bold!"
Sengoku rubbed his temples, a sense of dread crawling up his spine.
If Vice Admiral Tsuru found out about this… her expression alone would be catastrophic.
Still, that was a problem for another time.
For now, neither Ezra nor Tina seemed to care about anything else in the world.
The news of Shiki the Golden Lion's attack on Marineford spread like wildfire reaching even the Holy Land of Mariejois within hours.
The Five Elders were absolutely livid.
"Those useless Navy fools!" they roared, slamming their fists on the table.
But the moment they heard it was Ezra who had personally taken down Shiki, their outrage flipped into pure delight.
"Ahh, yes, yes! I always said the young man was extraordinary!" said the First Elder, stroking his beard with pride.
"Indeed! A dragon among men!" the Second Elder chimed in enthusiastically.
"See? I told you! His potential was limitless from the start!"
Then came the inevitable question
"What about his Rear Admiral promotion?"
"Approved!"
"Seconded!"
And just like that, the decision was made.
If there was such a thing as professional bootlicking, this was it.
A day later, the official report confirming Ezra's promotion reached Marineford Headquarters.
Sengoku could barely contain his grin as he showed the file to Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"I told you, didn't I? Those old fossils would definitely approve it."
Tsuru glanced at him with her usual calm, unreadable gaze.
"Oh."
Sengoku blinked.
"Wait, wait how do you manage to make a single word sound colder than a blizzard at thirty-seven degrees?"
He coughed awkwardly and tried again, "Ahem… well, now that Ezra and Tina's relationship has… developed, maybe you shouldn't be too upset, right?"
Tsuru raised a brow. "Developed? How far are you implying it's gone?"
She waved her hand dismissively before he could answer. "Never mind. You're misunderstanding. I'm not thinking about those two."
That caught Sengoku's attention. "Oh? Then what's on your mind?"
She handed him a classified report. "Read it yourself."
Sengoku's expression darkened the further he read. When he reached the end, he slammed the papers onto the desk.
"This is absurd! What kind of nonsense is this?!"
"Big Mom what on earth is she thinking?!"
He never imagined the Yonko herself would extend an invitation to a Marine to attend her so-called tea party.
And not just any Marine. It was Ezra, the very man they all regarded as the Navy's future!
Sengoku's brow furrowed deeply. "Is this intelligence verified?"
Tsuru nodded. "CP0's undercover agents risked everything to extract it. The source was one of Katakuri's lieutenants. The information is solid."
Sengoku fell silent for a long time before asking quietly, "Then what's your opinion, Tsuru?"
Her answer was calm, but firm. "We wait and watch."
"Wait?" Sengoku frowned. "Why?"
Tsuru's eyes glimmered slightly. "Because… we reassessed Ezra's combat data yesterday."
Sengoku's posture stiffened. "And?"
Even Tsuru's usual composure wavered as she recalled the results. "His strength… stands at the very pinnacle."
Sengoku nearly jumped out of his chair. "You can't be serious."
"I'm dead serious," Tsuru replied. "And that's only based on the power he revealed during the test. There's a strong chance he's still hiding more."
She paused. "Yesterday's battle seemed almost… effortless for him."
Sengoku's heart pounded with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Once, he had thought of Ezra as the Navy's future.
But now he was its very foundation.
"Given that," Sengoku murmured, "his rank can't be raised again for now."
"Unless…"
"Unless we send him to the East Blue," Tsuru finished for him.
Their gazes met. Sengoku's eyes glinted with strategic light.
"Exactly. Let him be part of something bigger. A major event is coming."
He leaned forward, voice lowering.
"One month from now, Gol D. Roger will be executed publicly in the East Blue."
"Countless pirates will gather. Chaos will follow."
"And Ezra… will be there first. In that one month, he'll cleanse the East Blue of every last threat."
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