Temporarily putting aside the so-called "impassioned and eloquent" speech, Wright instructed Kuina to return to the G-5 Branch while he went ahead to make detailed arrangements for Señor's mission.
Smoker was already waiting at the base. Now that Wright had been promoted to Admiral, the organization and structure of the G-5 base had become a crucial matter.
Currently, G-5 remained the Marine branch most deeply entrenched in the New World, serving as a frontline fortress against the Four Emperors. If Wright were reassigned to Marine Headquarters due to his promotion, G-5's strategic role would undoubtedly be significantly weakened.
Of course, that was only the outward appearance.
With the Lightforged Beacon in place, Wright's presence at G-5—whether in person or not—made little difference.
However, by tradition, branch bases were generally overseen by a Vice Admiral, and New World branches were no exception.
Fortunately, after the Alabasta incident, Smoker had earned enough merit to qualify for a promotion to Vice Admiral, having defeated Crocodile and protected the citizens of Merveille.
In terms of strength, Smoker was now no weaker than some newly promoted Vice Admirals. While he was still not yet on par with veteran Vice Admirals, as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, his abilities were far more valuable in team-based operations than in one-on-one combat.
Thus, Smoker's promotion to Vice Admiral and his appointment to oversee G-5 was widely expected. Aft er all, he had already been acting as the de facto leader of the branch—especially considering how often Wright was away!
Upon returning to his office, Wright found Señor already waiting for him.
"Any thoughts on the upcoming mission?"
Wright sat down and looked at Señor, who had already changed out of his suit and Marine Justice coat, now wearing a black kimono.
"I never expected that I'd be taking over Cora… I mean, Rosinante's mission."
Senior's expression was complicated. The details of Rosinante's activities had been deliberately obscured by Marine Headquarters over the years, but it wasn't difficult for Señorto guess what he had been up to—it was, after all, their old line of work.
Still, could he truly take on this role? Back during the Heavenly Tribute incident, he had experienced Rosinante's combat prowess firsthand—and had been utterly crushed.
"Rosinante has already completed the groundwork; all you need to do is utilize your abilities for covert operations. You won't be responsible for direct confrontations."
Wright could tell what Señor was thinking. "The samurai of Wano are formidable. You'll be replacing Rosinante in his current role, but you won't have time to familiarize yourself with Wano's customs and traditions."
"Therefore, you'll need to play a character who is as silent as possible. Keep that in mind."
"Understood."
Señor nodded. That wouldn't be a problem.
"Senior Brother!"
Kuina had arrived as well. She stepped into Wright's office and paused in surprise. "And this is…?"
"This is Major Señor, an intelligence officer tasked with classified missions. He will be taking over Rosinante's assignment."
Wright introduced them. "As for Kuina, I don't think I need to introduce her, do I?"
"Of course, Major Kuina's name comes up frequently in Lucian's conversations."
Indeed, after the Alabasta incident, Kuina had been promoted to Major (Lieutenant Commander). At the same time, Tashigi and Cavendish had also been promoted—to Ensign and Warrant Officer, respectively.
Cavendish had already displayed strength far surpassing the enlisted ranks, and his contributions in Alabasta had earned him a two-rank promotion.
Señor chuckled. "Russian often mentions how Vice Admiral Gion is quite interested in your training methods for Major Kuina."
"She believes that, for someone like Major Kuina, the so-called gender barrier has already been overcome—it's just that your standards are far higher than those of ordinary people."
"…"
Kuina playfully stuck out her tongue, a bit embarrassed. "Ah, Vice Admiral Gion has mentioned that to me as well. But if I were to compare myself to her, I'm still far from enough!"
After all, Gion was a candidate for Admiral—a warrior of Admiral-level strength!
Señor gave a wry smile. As expected of Admiral Wright's junior disciple.
"Alright then, now that everyone's here, let's set out."
Wright clapped his hands, drawing their attention back. "When you arrive in Wano, you will encounter many powerful samurai. Remember, the samurai are Wano's strongest swordsmen!"
"Wano is an isolationist nation. Be sure to avoid mentioning any information about us to prevent exposure!"
"Understood!"
—
While Wright, Kuina, and Señor headed for Wano, Marine Headquarters officially announced two major pieces of news to the world: the establishment of a fourth Admiral position and the promotion of Admiral-candidate "Orange Horse" Wright to full Admiral.
The revelation of these two announcements caused a surge of excitement across the world.
The World Government's initial stance on the matter had been evident to all—they had tried to bury the Alabasta incident.
However, as more details were revealed in the newspapers, it became clear that Vice Admiral Wright had noticed something was amiss years ago.
Adding the incident with Shiki into the mix, Wright had achieved two major accomplishments in succession. Even Marine Headquarters had submitted an official request to increase the number of Admirals—yet the World Government had remained silent.
But once the global vote was held, the World Government caved in surprisingly quickly, agreeing to establish a fourth Admiral position.
To the world at large, this decision almost symbolized the World Government bowing to public pressure. The people saw themselves as participants in this victory—a triumph for the world's citizens!
"Hahaha! This is a grand victory for the World Economic News Paper—a personal triumph for this great editor-in-chief!"
Morgans took a satisfied sip from his cup of top-grade, world-exclusive tea.
"Which is why I say, Lord Tesoro, our collaboration has only just begun!"
Gild Tesoro, lounging on the luxurious sofa of an S-Class VIP suite, burst into laughter.
"Lord Morgans, you certainly played this move brilliantly. But…"
Tesoro sat up, a sharp glint in his smile.
"We've known each other a long time. This time, you've successfully freed yourself from the World Government's grip—but you've also made yourself their enemy."
"The World Government has a long history of ensuring that 'tools' which outlive their usefulness don't fall into other hands."
"Hahaha, Lord Tesoro, I am not one to simply swallow my grievances!"
Morgans cut him off. "Originally, I had planned to negotiate for journalistic freedom even if the World Government retaliated…"
"But to think those bastards exposed my newspaper's location and lured pirates to attack me! If I hadn't relocated my headquarters in time, I would've fallen into their trap!"
Morgans' eyes gleamed with malice. "This grudge cannot be ignored. If I let this slide, what face do I have left in the underworld?!"
"Even a 'tool' can strike back!"
"Hmm… In that case, the foundation for our partnership is solid."
Tesoro nodded in satisfaction, his smile widening. "Then, welcome aboard, Lord Morgans…"
"As fellow collaborators of Admiral Wright, we have much to discuss."
"Hahaha… The pleasure is all mine!"
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