Chapter 160: In the Name of Justice! Long Live the Marines!
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Hahahaha, I can't take it anymore. From now on it's going to be, "Comrade Smoker lawfully arrests pirate Straw Hat Luffy, earns a first-class merit, hereby commended"... This is too funny!]
[Esdeath: Hm? What's wrong with my dear doing that? Do you have an issue with him?]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Ah, uh... sorry, I spoke too loudly. Kizaru-sama is awesome!]
[Kobayashi: Well, I think Kizaru-san's idea makes sense—earn more merits and you get promoted~]
[Fubuki: If only the Hero Association had so many heroes...]
[Tony Stark: Raising soldiers' pay is fine, but upgrading their equipment would be better. With more and better gear, they can actually fight pirates!]
[Orochimaru: Equipment is just a tool. Becoming stronger yourself is the key. Someone without talent will remain weak, no matter how good the tools they get.]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Mm... well, if luck counts as talent, then I guess you're not wrong.]
[Orochimaru: Heh, it seems the future of the shinobi world is even more exciting than I imagined.]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: True, but the world I know is one where Orochimaru never became Hokage. Just like now—Kizaru became Fleet Admiral, and I have no idea what's going to happen next...]
[Kamado Tanjiro: A-amazing! Senior Kizaru is truly incredible!]
[Kamado Tanjiro: Are all these people under Kizaru's command?]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Uh, from your point of view, yes. But this is only a fraction of Kizaru-sama's subordinates~]
[Hermione Granger: How spectacular! Is this the scenery of another world?]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Haha, this is nothing. But if you want spectacular sights, you can't go wrong visiting Kizaru-sama's world.]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Things like Reverse Mountain, Knock Up Stream, Skypiea, and the Red Line... see them once and you'll remember them for life. I'll definitely visit Kizaru-sama's world if I get the chance!]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: @Haibara Ai, how long have you been in Kizaru-sama's world?]
[Kobayashi: Sounds fun. Once Kizaru-kun's world becomes safe enough, I want to travel to another world too~]
[Fubuki: Count me in when the time comes.]
[Fubuki: @Orochimaru Weren't you researching how to let others travel to different worlds? How's that going?]
[Orochimaru: Unfortunately, there's no new progress yet. But if you don't have too many people to bring, you can just buy a Zoan-type Devil Fruit from Kizaru-kun.]
[Kamado Tanjiro: Eh? We can also go to Kizaru-san's world?!]
[Passerby Wanting to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Uh... Tanjiro, you're only realizing this now?]
[Kamado Tanjiro: Then once Nezuko is cured, I'm taking her to travel to other worlds too!]
...
Naturally, Kizaru had no time to pay attention to the barrage of comments in the livestream. After announcing his two major upcoming initiatives to the entire Navy, his speech was already moving into its conclusion and closing phase.
Overall, Kizaru's speech couldn't be called extraordinary, but barring surprises, as the opening act of his tenure as Fleet Admiral, this speech would surely go down in history—alongside the eventual downfall of the World Government.
"...Finally, I declare to the world: In the name of justice! Long live the Marines!"
Kizaru put down the speech manuscript in his hand, raised his right fist high, and shouted loudly to the Marines gathered in the plaza.
The Marines, already stirred up and brimming with excitement, also raised their right fists and roared in unison.
"In the name of justice! Long live the Marines!"
"...Long live the Marines!"
"Long live Fleet Admiral Kizaru!"
...
Cheers erupted across the skies, and even the branch marines around the world, watching through the transponder snail broadcasts, all raised their right fists high, shouting in excitement.
The two major measures announced by Fleet Admiral Borsalino would truly benefit these lowest-ranking branch marines.
They were the greatest supporters of raising naval benefits and introducing the new merit system.
Now, even if Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself stepped forward, he couldn't possibly gain a higher approval rating within the navy than Borsalino.
The only group within the navy who might feel dissatisfied with the new merit system were probably those parasites who had monopolized the old promotion channels and sucked the lifeblood out of the mid- and lower-ranking marines.
"Damn it! That… Fleet Admiral Borsalino—how can he act so recklessly?"
"No, we must file a complaint with the World Government!"
"I knew it! Once that guy became fleet admiral, he'd definitely stir up trouble…"
In a spacious office, a group of inspectors wearing coats emblazoned with the word Justice were gathered around the broadcast screen of Borsalino's speech, angrily voicing their grievances.
They were inspectors from Marine Headquarters, tasked with overseeing the affairs of each branch and evaluating whether officers seeking promotion were qualified.
In reality, however, these so-called inspectors under headquarters were nothing more than the World Government's tentacles inside the navy.
When the inspector role was first created, the World Government intended to control the navy indirectly by monopolizing its promotion channels.
Unfortunately, the inspectors proved so inept that not only did they fail to achieve that goal, they also became a malignant tumor within the navy.
Borsalino didn't even allow these inspectors to attend the fleet admiral inauguration ceremony.
"Even if we can't stop the new merit system from being implemented, we must at least seize the authority to grant the merits!" one pot-bellied inspector growled through gritted teeth. They had the World Government backing them, yet they were being suppressed by headquarters to the point they could only influence branch marines.
And now Borsalino was trying to take away even the little authority they still held—this was going too far!
If it were merely a matter of improving marines' benefits, they could tolerate it, but once the mid- and lower-ranked marines gained a new promotion pathway, how could the inspectors keep skimming their profits?
"You're right! Even if he's fleet admiral, he can't just do whatever he wants!"
"We must stop him!"
"We can't let Borsalino run rampant!"
…
The inspectors echoed each other angrily, and just as the atmosphere reached its peak, there was a loud BANG!—the office door was kicked open. Sengoku, now wearing the uniform of the Chief Inspector of Marine Headquarters, strode in.
"Well, well, such a lively scene. Hello, gentlemen. I'm the new Chief Inspector of Headquarters, though I suppose I don't need to introduce myself, do I?"
Sengoku stood with his arms crossed, smiling. The moment they heard his words, the inspectors felt as though they'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
"F-Fleet Admiral Sengoku?!"
The inspector who had been shouting the loudest just moments ago now looked like a trembling quail, shivering in fear.
Facing the invisible pressure that came naturally from Sengoku, the Chief Inspector, he could barely speak without stammering.
For branch marines, headquarters inspectors might not quite be imperial envoys holding life-and-death power, but their status was still enough to make most branch officers wary.
To headquarters marines, however, so-called inspectors were nothing more than annoying parasites who popped up only to disgust people when they weren't paying attention.
And to Sengoku—who had just stepped down from the position of Fleet Admiral and taken up the role of Chief Inspector—these inspectors were nothing but clowns.
"Now, don't get the wrong idea—the current Fleet Admiral is Lord Kizaru. I am merely a humble Chief Inspector," Sengoku said, pushing up his glasses, his tone carrying a rare hint of mockery.
When he was Fleet Admiral, every word and action had to be carefully measured, and he often had to feign ignorance or tolerate things he didn't like just to keep the peace.
Now that he'd stepped down, he could finally relax a little—and take the opportunity to clean up these bloodsucking parasites clinging to the navy.
°°°
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