Buru bururu—Buru bururu—
The rhythmic urgent sound of a Den Den Mushi echoed across the sunny deck.
Bessermer Reginald approached Raleigh's sun chair, holding a snail that was significantly larger than the ordinary ones.
It bore the official insignia of Marine Headquarters on its shell.
"Raleigh-sama," Reginald whispered nervously, presenting the device with two hands like an offering.
"It appears to be a call... from the Fleet Admiral's office."
Looking at the oversized Den Den Mushi, Raleigh's sense of foreboding grew increasingly clear.
He sighed, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Sigh... blessings cannot be avoided, and disasters cannot be escaped."
Raleigh sat up and helplessly picked up the receiver.
"Moshi moshi, this is Christian Raleigh of the North Blue Marines."
"BWAHAHAHA!"
A hearty, booming laughter exploded through the speaker.
The snail's face transformed, mimicking the rugged, scarred features of the Fleet Admiral.
"Raleigh! This is Fleet Admiral Kong!"
The voice was so loud Raleigh had to hold the receiver away from his ear.
"Based on internal Marine assessments," Kong boomed, "your combat record is outstanding. During your service in the North Blue, you have met the requirements for rank promotion three times over! Therefore, after a Headquarters discussion, you are formally appointed as Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
Kong didn't wait for a reaction.
"Make arrangements for matters in the North Blue immediately. Hand over your duties, then come to Headquarters for the award ceremony. Your new assignment awaits."
Raleigh had long anticipated this situation.
The call from Borsalino earlier was the warning shot and this was the cannonball.
Although his facial expression wasn't particularly happy, he maintained his professional composure.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong," Raleigh responded solemnly. "I will return to Headquarters at the fastest possible speed."
"Mmm, good! Prepare well. When you arrive, I'll personally host a welcome banquet for you. Don't be late!"
Click.
Kong ended the call abruptly.
Raleigh held the receiver for a second, listening to the dial tone.
Then, his stoic mask dropped.
He sighed deeply and casually tossed the expensive Den Den Mushi aside like a piece of trash.
"Hey!"
Bessermer Reginald screamed, diving forward. He barely managed to catch the heavy snail before it hit the deck.
"Raleigh-sama!" Reginald cried, cradling the snail. "This is a secure line issued specifically for Admirals! What should we do if you break it so carelessly? The paperwork alone would kill me!"
Raleigh glanced at Reginald, looking bored.
"I'm officially Vice Admiral now," Raleigh shrugged. "Headquarters won't demote me just for breaking a damn snail. Why are you so concerned?"
Reginald looked at Raleigh with a pained expression.
"Raleigh-sama, don't you get it? After you leave for the Grand Line, won't the North Blue commander position be mine? Then all these fancy things will belong to me! You're breaking my future inheritance!"
Raleigh blinked.
Then, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
'So that's it,' Raleigh thought.
No wonder this kid was so enthusiastic.
Reginald had seen Raleigh's recent performance and the rapid cleaning of the North Blue. It had inflated his confidence to the point of delusion.
Out of a senior's care for a junior, Raleigh decided to crush his dreams with the cold, hard truth.
"Reginald," Raleigh said, patting the lanky man's shoulder. "I doubt you'll get the position in the next few years."
"Eh?" Reginald froze.
"First," Raleigh explained, counting on his fingers. "After I leave, there won't be any High ranking officers left in the North Blue. Headquarters will likely dispatch a veteran Vice Admiral from Marineford to serve as commander. They won't trust a rookie."
"Second," Raleigh continued mercilessly, "even if that Vice Admiral leaves later, the next in line would be Momonga or Cleveland. They have seniority and political skills you lack. For it to be your turn... you'd need to wait at least eight or nine years."
Reginald's face turned ashen gray, he looked like a stone statue of despair.
But then, color quickly returned to his cheeks.
His eyes lit up with a terrifying, illogical optimism.
"Don't say that, Raleigh-sama!" Reginald argued. "Look how quickly you and Vice Admiral Sakazuki were transferred back to Headquarters after becoming Commander! You guys moved up like rockets! If everyone gets promoted as fast as you, the seat will be empty again in no time! I might become North Blue Commander in just three years!"
Raleigh stared at him.
'This kid was hopeless.'
"Heh," Raleigh chuckled. "Fine. If you have that much energy... double your training today. No dinner until you finish 5,000 pushups."
"Received! Sir!"
Bessermer Reginald looked as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.
He saluted sharply, his face radiating confident light, and ran off to find the weights.
Watching his retreating figure, Raleigh stroked his chin.
"This guy probably has great resistance to the Hollow-Hollow Fruit," Raleigh muttered to himself.
"Confident people aren't hard to find, but someone as supremely confident—and delusional—as Bessermer Reginald is truly rare."
Raleigh waved his hand, summoning a nearby messenger soldier.
"Go tell the people on deck that today's tasks are all doubled," Raleigh ordered. "Everything must be completed before the evening meal."
The messenger looked worried, but Raleigh grinned.
"Then go to the kitchen. Tell the Chef to break out the reserves. I'm holding a banquet tonight to celebrate everything. Meat, rum, music—I want it all."
"Yes, sir!!"
The messenger's eyes widened.
He had been standing behind Raleigh earlier and naturally heard the Den Den Mushi's contents.
As he ran to the kitchen, the messenger thought: 'No wonder he's Vice Admiral Borsalino's brother. Despite his youth, he's already accumulated countless military achievements. He's moving up to the big leagues!'
Whoosh!
Using the Six Styles - Soru, the messenger instantly vanished from the balcony and appeared on the main deck.
"Brothers!" he shouted. "Raleigh-sama is going to Headquarters for his promotion ceremony! He says today's tasks are doubled, but if we finish on time, he'll throw a luxurious banquet in the main hall! All you can eat!"
"GREAT!!"
"A banquet?!"
"We're eating good tonight! Work harder!"
"No wonder Raleigh-sama gained Headquarters' favor so easily. He knows how to treat his men!"
The deck erupted in cheers.
The marines worked with renewed vigor, scrubbing the decks and securing the rigging at double speed.
Raleigh stood up and looked down at the lively crew.
'Enjoy it while it lasts,' he thought. 'The North Blue is a paradise compared to where we are going.'
...
The banquet was in full swing below deck, but Raleigh had retreated to his office.
The noise of laughter and clinking glasses drifted up through the floorboards.
Raleigh stood before a large map of the world pinned to his wall.
Sea Circle Calendar 1497.
The year was not even half over, yet two notable events had already occurred within the Marines that shook the hierarchy.
First: The Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp, had once again declined a promotion to Admiral.
He chose freedom over rank, frustrating the World Government.
Second: The North Blue Superintendent, Christian Raleigh, was formally promoted from Rear admiral to Vice Admiral at a record-breaking speed.
This promotion symbolized Raleigh's formal transition.
He was leaving the minor stages of the East and North Blue. He was stepping onto the true center stage—the Grand Line.
He was entering the core echelons of the Marines, where he would rub shoulders with legends.
Raleigh looked at the map of the New World.
On the pirate front, the water was boiling.
"Golden Lion" Shiki was becoming a nightmare.
His actions were growing increasingly audacious. He had engaged in several direct clashes against Marine fleets and won.
Leveraging his top-tier strength and his notorious reputation, Shiki had spent the past six months aggressively recruiting ambitious pirates
. His "Flying Pirate Fleet" was becoming an armada.
"Whitebeard" Edward Newgate was different.
He chose to focus on family. He sailed the seas finding lone, rejected pirates and adopting them as his "sons."
Although he showed little interest in territorial conquest, his reputation for loyalty was so immense that many island natives willingly raised the Whitebeard flag just for protection.
Then there was the enigma. "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin.
According to Marine intelligence, she had occupied an island chain that resembled desserts—Totto Land. S
he remained inactive in territorial expansion, focusing on building her strange kingdom and having children.
And finally... Gol D. Roger.
Raleigh tapped the location of the Twin Capes on the map.
"Crocus," Raleigh whispered.
Roger had received medical treatment from the legendary doctor.
He no longer needed to roam while critically injured. He was healthy, focused, and entering his final, greatest voyage.
"The board is set," Raleigh muttered.
He walked over to his desk, where a chessboard sat.
The pieces were made of ivory and ebony.
Raleigh picked up a white pawn.
In the grand scheme of the world, Raleigh knew he was strong.
But compared to Roger, Whitebeard, Shiki, and the Five Elders?
"Sigh," Raleigh breathed out a cloud of cigar smoke. "I wonder if this was the right move to make."
He moved the pawn forward one square.
"Such is the sorrow of being a pawn," Raleigh said to the empty room. "You can only move forward. You can never retreat."
He looked at the G-5 Branch location on the map.
It was deep in the New World, surrounded by pirates.
"But," Raleigh smiled, his eyes glinting in the dim light, "a pawn that reaches the end of the board... can become anything it wants."