After the meeting, Zephyr, Sengoku, and Garp walked side-by-side down a long corridor in Marineford.
“Garp, Sengoku…” Zephyr suddenly stopped and spoke, “Conqueror's Haki… is there a way to…
Hmm, a way to directly fix, remotely lock onto, and suppress an enemy?”
“Huh?” Hearing Zephyr’s words, Garp picked his nose, looking bewildered, “Can Conqueror's Haki be used like that?!
Isn’t it just for intimidating small fry and Haki Infusion?”
“It seems Gern has awakened Conqueror's Haki!” The quick-witted Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharp as he looked at Zephyr.
“But that makes sense, after all, the photo in the newspaper was indeed Haki Infusion.”
The two tacitly avoided mentioning the black blade eight desolations in Gern’s hand, as if it were an unspoken secret.
“However, Zephyr, we truly don’t know about the method you’re describing,” Sengoku continued.
“After all, while many people awaken Conqueror's Haki, if you differentiate it fundamentally, each person’s is unique.”
“I was just curious.” Facing Garp and Sengoku’s confusion, Zephyr also sighed, “After all, when Gern awakened Conqueror's Haki and cut down Golden Lion, his state was very peculiar.
Despite it being his first awakening, he displayed mastery of Conqueror's Haki.
But now that he’s come to his senses… he can’t even display basic intimidation.”
“Alright, alright!” Garp laughed heartily, patting Zephyr’s shoulder, “Didn’t Sengoku say it already? Conqueror's Haki, everyone’s manifestation is different!
I’ll go talk to that kid when I have time, but the cultivation of Conqueror's Haki ultimately relies on one’s own comprehension.
At most, I can only teach him basic intimidation.”
“Garp is right.” Sengoku nodded slightly, “The essence of Conqueror's Haki is the ‘King’s Qualification’.
It is not just intimidation, but also a manifestation of will.
Since Gern can awaken it, it means he possesses this qualification; the rest depends on how he controls it.”
“Sengoku.” At this moment, Garp suddenly blurted out thoughtlessly, “Do you want to be Fleet Admiral?”
As soon as Garp spoke, Sengoku’s expression instantly tensed, “What nonsense are you talking, Garp.”
“Didn’t you say there’s a qualification to become a king? But I also awakened Conqueror's Haki, yet I don’t want to be a king.” Garp said, bumping Sengoku’s shoulder with a mischievous grin.
“Hey, Sengoku, tell me quietly, do you want to take down Fleet Admiral Kong, and then… Mmmph!”
Before Garp could finish speaking, Sengoku clapped his hand firmly over his mouth, “Idiot, how dare you say such things!”
“Do you really not want to be Fleet Admiral?” Garp struggled free and asked.
“This is my dream, I must become Fleet Admiral to realize my justice!” Sengoku replied seriously.
“Then no problem! We’ll team up and take down Fleet Admiral Kong, then I’ll recommend you for the position! Hahahahaha!” Garp finished, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
“This idiot…” Sengoku gritted his teeth in anger.
Zephyr, however, chuckled and shook his head, “He’s always been so carefree.” Then he paused, adding meaningfully,
“However… ‘Justice that reigns supreme’ truly requires that position.”
“Don’t mention that bastard.” Sengoku rubbed his temples, turning to gaze at Zephyr, “It’s you, Zephyr.
Are you sure you want to do this? The application submitted to the Fleet Admiral…”
Zephyr’s eyes dimmed, the scene of his confrontation with Golden Lion appearing before him.
Then, he touched the sword wound on his chest, his voice hoarse, “My strength will definitely not keep up in a few years! Rather than occupying this position, it’s better to honorably retreat.
Moreover… Lina is pregnant.
In a few more years, when the opportunity is right, I will step down as Admiral and retreat to a secondary role as Marine Chief Instructor.” As he spoke, Zephyr looked towards the training ground.
“However, before that… those four guys still need to grow!”
“Your plan from three years ago, after this incident with Gern, the Fleet Admiral should agree.” Sengoku said, placing his hand on Zephyr’s shoulder, and both their gazes simultaneously turned towards the window.
“The future backbone of the Marine will depend on you, Zephyr!
They don't know, but I know, your ‘non-killing’ isn't towards pirates, but rather a kindness towards your own heart.
Therefore, please instill a trace of ‘non-killing’ kindness into the various ideologies of those new Marines!
Because any foundation of justice needs to be built upon that kindness!
Otherwise, justice will no longer be justice.”
...
Just as Sengoku had said, a few days later, in the Fleet Admiral’s office,
Kong sat at his large desk, an old, dusty plan spread before him—the “Marine Elite Training Camp Proposal.”
This was a plan Zephyr had proposed long ago, aiming to centrally cultivate the new generation of Marine’s core combat forces,
and from them, extract top-tier combatants to be appointed to mid-level positions.
Kong had rejected this plan a long time ago.
Because if this was implemented, it could easily affect the existing Marine promotion system, but now things were different…
Especially with the emergence of someone like Gern, who came from a Four Seas branch.
Gern’s existence had already proven that relying on the Navy School’s limited spots would cause the Marine to lose, waste, or let many talents fall into obscurity.
Thinking of this, Kong’s fingers habitually tapped lightly on the desk, his gaze profound.
“In the future, Sengoku will take over as Fleet Admiral… Garp and Zephyr will be the visible combat power…,” he murmured to himself.
“But Zephyr’s strength… sigh, but thankfully, he has the idea of cultivating a new generation.”
Then Kong’s gaze swept over another document on the desk, which listed the outstanding young Marines:
Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki, and… Gern.
Originally, Gern’s qualifications were shallow, and given his West Blue origin and not being a Navy School graduate, he should have been ranked after the three.
But now, his achievement of severely wounding Golden Lion with a single strike made him fully qualified to join the ranks of “monsters.”
“Four young Marine monsters…” Kong’s lips curved slightly upward.
“Since that’s the case, let your four successes be the pioneering start for the training camp.”
“And the future of the Great Sea, it can’t always be a pattern of four great pirates, can it?”
Thinking of this, after a moment of hesitation, Kong decided to pick up his pen and solemnly sign his name on the document.
The Marine Elite Training Camp was officially launched.
This marked a major reform within Marineford.
It not only preserved the traditional cultivation system of the Marineford Navy School but also opened a brand new promotion channel for branch Marines from the Four Seas.
Under the new selection mechanism, any branch Marine who showed outstanding performance and exceptional strength would gain the opportunity to directly enter the Elite Training Camp for advanced training.
This meant that no matter their origin, as long as they possessed sufficient talent and strength, they could achieve a leap in rank through this channel and ultimately obtain important positions in Marineford.
It was no longer like Gern’s previous situation, where one had to accumulate powerful and impressive achievements to be promoted to Marineford,
and might even be looked down upon for not being a Navy School graduate.
Now, Zephyr’s “merit-based” promotion system completely broke the previous promotion barriers between Marineford and the branches,
giving Marine talents from the Four Seas a true stage to compete with Marineford elites.
After signing his name, Kong stood by the window, gazing at Marineford’s harbor.
“The future of the Great Sea should be dominated by the Marine.”