Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

In the world of One Piece, on the Red Line, inside the Marine Headquarters council hall, a group of Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals sat on the two sides below. Vice Admiral Tsuru, as the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters, sat in the first seat on the right, next to the newly appointed Fleet Admiral Akainu. Opposite her sat Sengoku, who had just stepped down as Fleet Admiral.

The only person absent from the entire meeting was Garp, who was known as a naval hero. However, no one was surprised by this. It was common for Garp not to attend meetings, and even when he did attend, he mostly slept. Therefore, his absence or absence did not make much difference.

Since the Marineford War, coupled with Zephyr's betrayal and Aokiji's departure, the Navy's overall strength has severely declined, resulting in a shortage of high-end combat power. This has greatly displeased the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, Akainu. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, but his efforts have barely begun, and he already seems to be struggling to keep up.

If it weren't for the deterrent effect of annihilating the Whitebeard Pirates, the Navy would probably be unable to contain the increasingly rampant pirate wave. Therefore, Akainu convened this meeting today to address this situation.

After everyone had arrived, Akainu stubbed out his cigar and said to Vice Admiral Tsuru, "Chief of Staff Tsuru, let's begin the meeting."

Upon hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru stood up from his seat, picked up a document, and said, "With Kuzan's departure and the promotion of Fleet Admiral, only Borsalino remains of the three admirals. Therefore, the first proposal of today's meeting is the nomination of an admiral."

As Vice Admiral Tsuru finished speaking, the vice admirals began to murmur amongst themselves, many focusing their attention on the man and woman—Chaton and Momousagi, talents cultivated and reserved by the Marine Headquarters. The system of selecting successor admirals has always been a tradition within the Navy. From among the elite Marines at Headquarters, the most outstanding individuals are chosen to fill any admiral vacancies.

The world of One Piece is full of risks. No one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Even the admirals, who are the highest-ranking combatants in the Navy, cannot say for sure whether they will be caught off guard and lose their lives. The previous admiral Zephyr is a clear example. If it weren't for Kizaru's timely rescue, he would probably have been killed by pirates.

"I propose that Kaji and Tsubasa be promoted to the rank of admiral to fill the vacancy in the navy's top combat power." Doberman spoke first while everyone was still discussing.

After hearing Doberman's words, everyone glanced at Akainu with subtle expressions. As everyone knows, Doberman was Akainu's direct subordinate when Akainu was an admiral and was extremely loyal to him. Therefore, it was more accurate to say that Akainu was using Doberman to express his own position rather than him making a suggestion.

"What do you all think of Vice Admiral Doberman's proposal? Does anyone have any opinions?" Akainu tapped the table with his right hand, glancing indifferently at everyone. Seeing that no one spoke, he looked at Chaton and Momousagi and said, "Vice Admiral Chaton, Vice Admiral Momousagi, are you two confident in taking on the responsibilities of a Marine Admiral?"

"I have..." Before Momousagi could even speak, Chaton excitedly tried to answer. As one of the highest-ranking military forces in the Navy, a Marine Admiral is second only to the Fleet Admiral, a position of immense prestige. From his very first day in the Navy, Chaton had been striving towards the rank of Admiral, and he never expected the opportunity to present itself so quickly.

"No, I object." Just then, Sengoku, with his full head of white hair, suddenly stood up and voiced his opposition.

"Oh, Vice Admiral Sengoku, tell me your reasons." Akainu's expression changed slightly when he saw Sengoku stand up. He said in a deep voice, pausing slightly on the word "Vice Admiral," whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Sengoku, his former superior, had suppressed him for decades, and they had always disagreed. He had finally endured Sengoku's retirement, but now Sengoku was contradicting him again, which made Akainu slightly displeased. However, considering Sengoku's immense influence within the Navy and his unwavering loyalty, he could only suppress his displeasure.

Despite Sengoku's opposition, Momousagi remained unmoved, but Chaton's expression turned grim, a hint of dissatisfaction with Sengoku rising within him.

"First of all, I can say for sure that Momousagi and Chaton are both extremely talented individuals in the Marine Headquarters, but their strength is still quite far from that of an Admiral. If we were to promote them rashly, it would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, and it would easily put them in danger."

"Vice Admiral Sengoku, what you said makes some sense, but as naval officers, they must have a fearless spirit. As for your suggestion of forcing growth, in my opinion, it will only give them greater training. I believe that after they become admirals, they can quickly improve their strength after a few trials. Back then, Kuzan, Borsalino, and I were all like that; didn't we all rise from vice admirals to admirals in a flash?" Akainu said, then turned his gaze to Kizaru, who was trimming his nails, and asked, "Borsalino, do you agree with what I said?"

Kizaru, who was slacking off, immediately sat up straight when Akainu brought up the issue with him. He quickly hid the nail clippers in his hand and said in a serious voice, "Yes, I agree with Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's statement."

He who works for someone else is subject to their authority. Now that Akainu is his direct superior, he naturally has to obediently follow orders, hoping to work for another two years and smoothly retire. He doesn't want to go against Akainu and get himself retaliated against.

Akainu smiled with satisfaction at Kizaru's agreement, then ignored Sengoku's gaze and looked at Chaton, saying, "Vice Admiral Kake, are you confident in yourself?"

Just then, a "bru bru..." sound suddenly rang out.

Akainu frowned upon hearing the sound, took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and started ringing continuously.

He looked at the people at the conference table, then got up, walked out of the conference room, entered an empty office, and answered the phone.

The next second, the Den Den Mushi transformed into the portraits of the Five Elders, which was the telephone of the highest organization of the world government.

"I am Akainu." Akainu's face darkened when he saw the Den Den Mushi transform into the image of the Five Elders.

In the selection of the Fleet Admiral, the Navy was divided into two extreme factions: a conservative faction led by Aokiji and a radical faction led by Akainu. Aokiji's side initially held the upper hand with the support of former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but Akainu unexpectedly received help from the Five Elders, ultimately winning and becoming Fleet Admiral. However, after becoming Fleet Admiral, Akainu astutely perceived the Five Elders' intentions: to interfere in the Navy's affairs.

Although the Navy was one of the World Government's directly subordinate agencies, it had repeatedly defied the World Government's intentions during Sengoku's tenure as Fleet Admiral, showing signs of disobedience. To curb this trend and bring the Navy back under its control, the World Government selected the more radical Akainu among the Five Elders.