chapter 56

"En, okay. I understand, Lord Five Elders," Sengoku said with a gloomy expression as he hung up the phone. Garp stood beside him.

"Did the Five Elders agree!?" Crane asked.

Judging by Sengoku's face, Tsuru probably guessed the result.

Sengoku shook his head and said, "The Five Elders stated that the Marine organization was established eight hundred years ago, so they do not agree to add a fourth Marine Admiral. However, they have allowed the establishment of a Marine General Counsel position with the same rank as an Admiral."

"I told you those five stubborn old guys would never agree," Garp said, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. Although he had no intention of becoming an Admiral himself, he hoped that Mu Feng would achieve that rank and become the strongest sailor.

"Then, when Mu Feng returns, I will appoint him as Marine's General Counsel," Sengoku decided.

............…

Three months passed by in a flash.

Mu Feng's accomplishments—killing "Drought" Jack, crushing the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and contending with Kaido—spread throughout the world. Even pirates who paid little attention to world affairs knew that Mu Feng possessed the power of a top Admiral. As a result, despite his aggressive suppression of pirates in the Chambordian Islands, none dared to cause trouble there.

Taking over the Chambord Islands was Lieutenant General Mags, a veteran from Naval Headquarters.

Mu Feng boarded the battleship and returned to headquarters. When Weibull was beheaded, he dropped twenty-seven Armament Haki exclusive experience scrolls. However, they only increased his proficiency from 2.5% to 24.7%. Mu Feng's Armament Haki had already reached level 9, but he realized there was still a long way to go to reach the maximum level.

As for the thirty-three advanced experience scrolls, Mu Feng hadn't yet figured out how to make the best use of them.

Main mission: Become Marine Admiral. [Mission Introduction: A soldier who doesn't aspire to be a marshal isn't good enough. But even becoming a Marine Admiral isn't the end goal for you to become a marshal. So... work hard, Host. Become an admirable Marine Admiral. Task reward: draw a handful of Zanpakutō immediately. Mission failed: the system will shut down for ten years.]

"Hmm... With my current combat power, it wouldn't be justified for me to continue serving as a lieutenant general at headquarters. I wonder how Sengoku will arrange things for me? The fourth-ranked Admiral? I'll have to figure it out myself," Mu Feng murmured.

............…

The return of Mu Feng's battleship caused congestion once again in the harbor of Naval Headquarters. Excited and whispered voices mixed together, creating a chaotic scene. Even with a general commanding and guiding, the frenzy of star-chasing couldn't be suppressed.

Feeling a headache coming on, Mu Feng activated Moonwalk and left the harbor, heading straight for the marshal's office.

"I'm back, Mu Feng boy," Sengoku greeted him with a smile.

In Sengoku's eyes, Mu Feng was like a nephew, given his close relationship with Garp. Consequently, Sengoku would unconsciously let go of some of his marshal's authority and become more of an easygoing elder in front of Mu Feng.

He pretended to be angry and said, "Let's not make the Kaido incident a precedent."

After a pause, Sengoku continued, "I never expected you to be so strong. Kaido's strength ranks second among the Four Emperors, only behind Whitebeard. If you can fight him to a draw, I'm afraid your current strength is no less than mine."

Mu Feng smiled and replied, "It was just a trick."

"In battle, there is no deception. Victory is victory, and defeat is defeat," Sengoku smiled, shaking his head. "By the way, with your current strength, it's not appropriate for you to continue serving as a lieutenant general. So I am going to appoint you as the General Counsel of Naval Headquarters, with a rank equal to Admiral. However, the Admiral does not have the power to mobilize the army or issue kill orders. You'll be ready to assume the position tomorrow."

"General Counsel!?" Mu Feng frowned slightly.

Before returning to Naval Headquarters, he had imagined that Sengoku might choose to promote him to Admiral, or perhaps avoid the topic altogether. But he never expected Sengoku to offer him a position as Marine General Counsel, a role he had never heard of.

· Asking for flowers · ·

Instead of answering Sengoku directly, Mu Feng turned to the system and asked, "Does becoming Marine's General Counsel count as completing the mission?"

"It does not count as completion, but it also does not count as a mission failure. Therefore, the mission reward and penalty will be canceled simultaneously. This main mission will disappear, and the system will initiate the next phase of the main mission," the system's voice sounded in Mu Feng's mind.

Canceling the mission rewards? That's out of the question.

Mu Feng refused to let that happen. Plus, the reward for being promoted to Admiral was the chance to draw a random sword. Ryūjin Jakka, Kyōka Suigetsu... These extraordinary Zanpakutō were beyond Mu Feng's expectations. But Shinsō, Fengsei, Haineko... these ordinary Zanpakutō, if he could reach Bankai level with them, he would become an unstoppable force against the pirates.

.... ....

Raising his head, Mu Feng looked at Sengoku calmly and said, "I'm sorry, Marshal Sengoku. I refuse to serve as Marine's General Counsel."

"Huh?" Sengoku's face showed a mix of surprise and dismay. "Why!?"

Mu Feng smiled and explained, "My dream is to become a Marine Admiral and then a Marine Marshal. What is a Marine General Counsel? I've never even heard of it. If I can't become an Admiral, then I'd rather continue as a lieutenant general."

"Boy, have you really thought this through?" Sengoku asked, looking distressed.

With Mu Feng's strength, there would be no problem with him serving as an Admiral. However, with the third Admiral position already filled and the Five Elders refusing to allow the addition of a fourth Admiral, Sengoku was left with no other options but to offer the position of General Counsel.

"I remember... Doesn't Marine have a rule allowing an Admiral to be promoted?" Mu Feng suddenly spoke, causing Sengoku's eyes to widen. Mu Feng continued, "Naval Headquarters Lieutenant General Monkey·D· Mu Feng, requesting promotion to Admiral. Challenge target: Admiral of Headquarters 'Red Dog' Sakazuki. Please grant your approval, Marshal Sengoku."