Chapter 13: Marine Faction—Marine Belongs to Garp's Family

Outside the Marshal's office.

"Rear Admiral Chiba, Marshal Sengoku is currently in a meeting with the three Admirals, Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and others. Please wait a moment, and I'll find an opportunity to inform them," the guard said, stopping Chiba while glancing at the stack of documents he was holding.

Seeing Chiba carrying a pile of papers, the guard was inwardly surprised. Could it be that Rear Admiral Chiba has made another breakthrough in his research? he thought. The implementation of "Qi and Physical Training" and the "New Haki Training Method" had already gained traction within the Marines, and nearly everyone at Marine Headquarters knew about Chiba—even if they hadn't met him, they'd definitely heard of him.

"Alright, I'll wait here for a while," Chiba replied, taking a seat.

Inside the Marshal's office, Sengoku cleared his throat. "It's rare to have all of you gathered like this."

"Let's get straight to the point. I propose promoting Chiba to Vice Admiral of Naval Headquarters. Does anyone object?"

"I have no objections," Admiral Aokiji spoke up first. Being Garp's apprentice and knowing that Chiba was Garp's grandson, he naturally supported the promotion.

"Chiba Rear Admiral is quite the prodigy, about to become Vice Admiral at such a young age. What a little monster," Kizaru commented in his usual laid-back, teasing tone.

Sengoku frowned slightly at Kizaru's vague response. "So, Kizaru, does that mean you agree?"

Kizaru gave a casual smile. "If the Marshal asks me to agree, then I agree." Kizaru understood the internal dynamics within the Marines well. Garp and Aokiji were aligned, and Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru supported Garp's faction. Now, with Chiba in the picture—a prodigy with immense potential—Garp's influence would only grow. It was clear that the future leadership of the Marines was likely to fall under Garp's lineage. Admiral Sakazuki, on the other hand, stood alone. As for Kizaru himself, he was inclined to lean toward Garp's side, but he wasn't about to commit too openly.

"Alright, since you agree, what about you, Sakazuki?" Sengoku turned to the last Admiral.

Akainu, with a grim expression, crossed his fingers and thought for a moment before replying, "The position of Marine Vice Admiral is a crucial one. While Chiba has made two significant contributions to the Marines in the past six months, his combat strength is insufficient for a Vice Admiral's role. I object."

Sakazuki's mind raced. One-fifth of the Marines already falls under Garp's influence. With Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru favoring Garp and Aokiji, the Marines are practically becoming Garp's territory. If Chiba is promoted and starts building his own team, given his extraordinary talent, many Marine powerhouses will likely rally to him. Garp and Aokiji's power will swell beyond imagination.

Sengoku's retirement was approaching. If Chiba was promoted now and lent full support to Aokiji's bid for the Marshal position, Sakazuki knew he wouldn't stand a chance. Thus, Chiba's promotion had to be blocked.

Sengoku frowned. Three Admirals, and just one disagreement is enough to prevent Chiba's promotion, he thought. This Akainu is really troublesome.

He lowered his voice and continued, "Sakazuki, Chiba's position is not a combat role; it's an administrative Vice Admiral post. Combat strength is not a requirement."

"Marshal, Marines have rules. Strength is a prerequisite for leadership positions. I don't believe you'd undermine Marine regulations for Chiba alone," Akainu replied firmly. "If you want my agreement, he'll have to withstand ten of my attacks. Otherwise, I refuse."

Sakazuki was adamant. If Sengoku agreed to let Chiba face him, he was certain he could defeat the kid in a single blow.

Sengoku's expression darkened. He knew that Chiba's current strength was no match for Sakazuki. Chiba wouldn't be able to withstand even one of his attacks. Yet, he needed to secure the Vice Admiral position for Chiba—he saw him as the future of the Marines.

As Sengoku strategized, the guard saw an opportunity to introduce Chiba. He approached Sengoku and whispered, "Marshal, Rear Admiral Chiba is here with a stack of documents and a bottle of medicine, requesting to see you."

Sengoku's eyes lit up. Perfect timing, he thought. He smiled and announced, "It seems Rear Admiral Chiba has successfully developed a new medicine. Bring him in quickly. Let's all share in this good news."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied, exiting the office to inform Chiba of the situation and relay a warning. "Rear Admiral Chiba, it's Admiral Sakazuki who opposes your promotion. Be cautious when you go in. If he says anything, stay alert."

"Thank you," Chiba nodded before striding confidently into the office.

"I greet Marshal Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Admiral Aokiji, Admiral Kizaru, and Admiral Sakazuki," Chiba saluted the room full of Marine leaders, noting Sakazuki's displeased expression.

Sakazuki's face twisted further. This kid has the nerve to place my name last, he thought. It's obvious he doesn't see me as an ally. In the future, he'll definitely back Aokiji for the Marshal position. He's a direct obstacle in my path. I can't let him become Vice Admiral.

"Alright, no need for formalities," Sengoku said, smiling at Chiba. "Rear Admiral Chiba, have you come to see me because you've developed a powerful new body training liquid?"

Sengoku emphasized the words Marshal and powerful medicinal liquid to cue Chiba—reminding him to maintain formalities in this setting and hinting that if he had developed something new, he should exaggerate its effectiveness. If not, he should claim it was close to completion. In essence, Sengoku wanted Chiba to highlight and emphasize his accomplishments.

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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧