To the entire Marine organization, "Steel Bone" Kong was undoubtedly a meritorious Fleet Admiral.
After all, during his tenure, he had to face the full might of the Rocks Pirates.
He had originally believed that Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr would be enough to lead the Vice Admirals against the Rocks Pirates.
But unexpectedly, the Rocks Pirates were completely dismantled, while two of his envisioned Three Admirals—one stepped back to a secondary role, and the other adamantly refused promotion.
Though he understood Zephyr's grief that outweighed even death, and Garp's refusal to become an Admiral due to his hatred for the Celestial Dragons...
After all, Admirals were obligated to take turns guarding Mary Geoise.
Thinking of this and looking at the new, prime-aged Three Admirals before him, the years of pent-up frustration in his chest finally dissipated.
The vacancies among the Three Admirals hadn't initially seemed like a major issue.
With the Rocks Pirates—their greatest enemy—gone, even having only Sengoku as the sole Admiral hadn't seemed problematic.
But who could have predicted that the remnants of the Rocks Pirates, after Rocks' disappearance, not only didn't collapse but grew even stronger?
No matter how powerful the original Rocks Pirates were, they were still just one crew, with limited reach in terms of influence.
Now, however, the scattered remnants of the Rocks Pirates had expanded independently, casting the shadow of their former crew over the entire Grand Line.
Especially the most outstanding among them.
Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido...
Whitebeard, of course, needed no introduction—the title of the "Strongest Man in the World" wasn't just for show.
Golden Lion was a rival to Whitebeard and had even achieved the unprecedented feat of breaking out of Impel Down.
As for Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, they were among the most formidable pirate forces in the New World.
They carved out their own territories, bringing the entire New World under their rule.
It was precisely because of them that the Marines struggled to gain a foothold in the New World.
Over the years, the influence of the Marines had been steadily weakened by these absolute powerhouses.
In hindsight, the Rocks Pirates were like a raging inferno when united, but scattered, they became a sky full of stars.
And those stars had seized every advantage in the New World.
But Michael's emergence gradually turned the tide in this chaotic era.
Whether it was establishing the Marine branch "Sea God" on Fish-Man Island or collaborating with the Whitebeard Pirates to create a neutral trade buffer zone...
It could almost be said that he single-handedly revitalized the previously deadlocked situation.
Even the relationship between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines had grown ambiguously close due to these maneuvers.
In Kong's eyes, Michael was practically a fusion of Sengoku and Tsuru—his strategic vision and political acumen, whether in diplomacy or deception, were exceptional.
And most importantly... this man was both incredibly powerful and young.
Undoubtedly the perfect successor to lead the Marines into the future!
In that brief moment, Kong had reflected on many things.
But it wasn't until the ceremonial guard beside him began reading the proceedings according to protocol that he snapped back to attention.
"Next! Let Fleet Admiral Kong confer honors upon the new Marine Fleet Admiral and the new Marine Admirals!"
Kong composed himself, then reached out to place the badge symbolizing the Fleet Admiral's authority upon Sengoku's chest.
He then personally presented the golden admiral stars to each of the Three Admirals.
Stepping back, he solemnly saluted all four with a formal Marine salute.
After Sengoku and the others returned the salute, Kong descended the platform and took his seat in the specially prepared VIP section.
His duties for today were complete.
Now, this stage belonged to the Fleet Admiral and the new Three Admirals.
"Ahem, can everyone hear me?" Sengoku tested the microphone before continuing.
"Now, I have an announcement to make."
"After unanimous decision by Marine high command, we've finalized a series of promotions."
"Some of these will be announced during this brief ceremony."
"Boa Hancock, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Empress', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Captain."
"Boa Sandersonia, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Speed', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Commander."
"Boa Marigold, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Heavy Hammer', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Commander."
"Hina, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Black Cage', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Captain."
"Smoker, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'White Chase', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Commodore."
"T-Bone, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Ship Cutter', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral."
"Shu, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Rust Tide', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Commodore."
"Nico Robin, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces and Vice Admiral Momousagi's aide, codename 'Thousand Hands', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Captain."
"Stella, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Songstress', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Dracule Mihawk, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Hawkeye', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Crocodile, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Desert', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"Enel, member of SWORD Classified Special Forces, codename 'Thunder', is hereby exceptionally promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
At first, no one found this particularly strange—at most, they thought the unfamiliar unit designation was somewhat odd.
But as the announcements continued, their astonishment grew.
Every promotion Fleet Admiral Sengoku announced came from this classified special forces unit!
And four Vice Admirals had been exceptionally promoted at once!
This was beyond extraordinary.
Suddenly, they recalled the mysterious unit often referred to as "Ghost Marines" or "The Marines Who Don't Exist"...
Could it be them?
The more the Marines thought about it, the more it made sense.
After all, so many exceptional promotions could only mean these individuals had sufficient merit and military achievements to impress the upright Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"But don't you feel like something's missing?"
"All those just announced were members, weren't they? Even those promoted to vice admirals are still 'members,' not unit leaders."
Just as this doubt arose, Sengoku's final announcement followed.
"Michael, Commander of the SWORD Classified Special Forces, Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
"Vice Admiral Michael is hereby appointed as the Grand Inspector of Marine Headquarters."
"Codename... Silver Falcon."