"Rear Admiral Smoker, these are the personal letters received this week... Most of them are addressed to Vice Admiral Wright."
In the New World, at the G-5 Branch Base, Smoker had officially taken over as the base commander in place of Wright. However, his promotion in rank would be announced alongside the Admiral promotion ceremony to bolster support for both Marine Headquarters and Wright.
Captain T. Bone held a stack of letters, reporting to him.
"Are they urgent?"
Smoker adjusted his sunglasses, his cigar crunching between his teeth.
Although he had already taken over many of the branch's affairs, the psychological pressure of acting commander versus an official base commander was entirely different.
Faced with an overwhelming amount of paperwork, Smoker found himself missing the days when Ain was around—back then, did he ever have to handle internal affairs himself?
As for Hina... internal affairs? Forget it.
"These are congratulatory letters from various affiliated nations celebrating Vice Admiral Wright's imminent promotion to Admiral."
A rare look of pride appeared on Bone's fearsome face:
"Even when the current three Admirals were promoted, there weren't this many congratulatory letters from allied nations!"
"You know Wright's reputation," Smoker replied.
Taking the stack of letters, he flipped through them briefly.
"Hmm... Alabasta, Ryugu Kingdom, Germa Kingdom, Gran Tesoro... Hah! The Goa Kingdom?"
He let out a cold chuckle and shook his head. "It's expected that the kingdoms of the East Blue and North Blue would send their regards, followed by those along the Grand Line. But Wright has barely been to the West Blue or South Blue, yet there are plenty of letters from there as well."
"Hmm... What is this 'Sakura Kingdom'? Is there such a country on the Grand Line?"
"That was formerly the medical powerhouse known as the Drum Kingdom," Bone explained. "Apparently, their former king ruled with tyranny and cruelty before mysteriously disappearing."
"Afterward, the people elected a wise new ruler, and the nation was renamed Sakura Kingdom—there seems to be a story behind the name, but I'm not sure of the details."
"I see..."
Smoker nodded. "It seems that for many allied nations, a stronger Marine force is a good thing—something both commoners and nobles can agree on."
"Since there's nothing urgent, set these aside for Wright when he returns."
"Oh, right..."
Smoker turned to Bone. "Speaking of which, Bone, your Armament Haki still hasn't awakened. I'll help you train it!"
"Huh? That's very generous of you, but—"
"No buts. Come on, let's head to the training ground—if I read one more document, I'm going to be sick!"
"If you collapse, just recover on the Dawn. Perfect plan!"
Bone wiped his sweat.
"I think—"
"This is for justice! If you lack strength, how can you uphold justice?!"
"...Yes! For justice!"
...
Moby Dick.
Onboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard took a massive swig from his oversized sake barrel, laughing heartily as he read the newspaper.
"Gurararara... The fourth Admiral of Marine Headquarters, huh? Indeed, who else but Vice Admiral Wright could have achieved this!"
"Pops, this isn't exactly good news for us—four Admirals, plus the Seven Warlords, means even more pressure on the New World."
Marco scratched his pineapple-shaped head, sighing. "Vice Admiral Wright becoming an Admiral was inevitable, but no one expected it to happen this way!"
"That guy, Shiki, met his end in a fitting manner. A legend fades, and another one rises..."
Whitebeard gazed at Wright's photo in the newspaper, an uncharacteristic sigh escaping him before he quickly resumed laughing.
"To take down Shiki when he was nearly at his peak—this kid Wright is getting stronger and stronger!"
"But remember, this era... belongs to Whitebeard!"
"That's right, Pops!"
A round of cheers erupted across the Moby Dick.
...
Whole Cake Island.
"Those bastards! Like I care if the Marines have three Admirals or four!"
A thunderous roar echoed from within the castle, the sheer pressure of her soul energy making every Homie on Whole Cake Island tremble in fear.
"That fool Lola! Running away from her wedding!"
"Perospero! Go find Chiffon! Those two look identical—send Chiffon to Prince Loki instead!"
"Mama~ Prince Loki fell head over heels for Lola at first sight. If he finds out Chiffon isn't her... that would be a disaster! Lick~"
"Shut up! If we don't try, our alliance with Elbaf is finished!"
"With Elbaf's strength on our side, why should I care about the Marines?!"
"...Yes, Mama! Lick~"
...
In an unknown island – Red-Haired Pirates' temporary base.
"Hahahaha! Beckman, a fourth Admiral! I'd love to see you fight him!"
Shanks clapped his hand on Beckman's shoulder, the latter looking exasperated.
"Captain, you've been saying that all day—you fought in the Edd War. You know how strong Shiki was!"
"Wright taking down a peak-condition Shiki makes his promotion to Admiral a foregone conclusion!"
"And why are you talking about me fighting him? Shouldn't it be you?"
Shanks sighed. "This makes the Marines even stronger!"
"Looks like we'll have to be more active... I just hope they don't get too confident and do something reckless. The time isn't right yet..."
Muttering to himself, Shanks then grinned again.
"For the World Government to compromise, it means Wright isn't just strong—his promotion carries special significance. I'm really looking forward to his ceremony."
"We need to step up our game! If we let Wright surpass us, none of you will be able to show your faces!"
"Captain, he surpassed us years ago. You're talking about yourself, aren't you?"
"Huh? Hahahaha..."
"..."
...
Wano Country – Onigashima.
"That bastard Wright is already becoming an Admiral?! Hic~"
Kaido tossed aside an empty sake jug and burped.
"That old man Shiki... ended up as his stepping stone! How ironic... Hic~"
"Oi, King! Don't you feel regret?"
King the Wildfire scoffed, his gaze sharp.
"Regret? Perhaps... I wanted to take down that old man myself."
"That Float-Float Fruit was a real nuisance! Who would've thought he was hiding in that place for decades?!"
Kaido yawned loudly.
"How's that kid Drake? Now that he's one of the Tobiroppo, how's he performing?"
King nodded approvingly. "He's making solid progress. He's not at the level of the All-Stars yet, but in two years, he should be close."
"Two years? Perfect..."
While Kaido was unknowingly digging his own grave, Wright had already visited Shimotsuki Yasuie with Kuina and had fully taken over Rosinante's mission with Senor Pink.
The third "Kyoshiro" had emerged. With the Swim-Swim Fruit, redistributing wealth was even easier than with the Calm-Calm Fruit.
With limitless energy from the fifth-generation Lightforged Beacons, the resistance supply line was now fully established, operating out of Kuri Village.
Golden City's (Gran Tesoro) supplies poured into Kuri Village, ensuring the rebels were well-prepared for the prophesied moment to come.
At G-5, the golden glow of the Lightforged Beacon flashed several times as Rosinante, who hadn't been back in years, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
"Phew... I really missed this. Wano felt like a damn prison."
"Thanks, Senor. Finally, I'm back!"
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