Marineford, within the shattered Fleet Admiral's office.
Kong sat with a grim expression in the main seat, while Sengoku and Raleigh sat on the sofa below him.
"Regarding this matter, can anyone explain it to me?"
Sengoku let out a bitter laugh before speaking. "It's my fault, Commander-in-Chief Kong. As the Fleet Admiral, my personal feelings led to unnecessary losses for the Navy soldiers."
"Raleigh is right. Navy soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice. If they die on the path to eliminating Pirates, they would never regret it. Regarding this matter, I am willing to bear all responsibility. I will step down from the position of Fleet Admiral and do my utmost to make amends for the fallen Navy soldiers."
Sengoku seemed as if his spirit had been drained, instantly aging by more than twenty years.
Sitting in his office chair, Kong looked helplessly at his capable and beloved disciple.
Back then, he carefully selected Sengoku for the position of Fleet Admiral, but he never expected that after assuming the role, Sengoku would do such a thing due to personal feelings.
Kong had no way to defend Sengoku.
Because this battle had already been publicized among the Navy Headquarters's forces, even if Sengoku were to retire now, he would still bear a great deal of criticism.
The best outcome would be to transfer Sengoku and Garp out of Marineford, finding a place for them to semi-retire.
Moreover, about half an hour after the battle ended, he received orders from the Five Elders to support Raleigh's ascension.
He understood that all of this was due to the Five Elders' silent support behind the scenes.
"You truly acted very wrongly in this matter. Stepping down from the position of Fleet Admiral is the best punishment for you. However, now is precisely when we are short on personnel. Even if you step down as Fleet Admiral, I will not allow you to leave the Navy. You will stay and continue to contribute."
With Kong's words, Sengoku's fate was sealed.
As for Sengoku's final placement, that would have to be decided by the next Fleet Admiral, as he was no longer in the position.
"Since Sengoku is stepping down, let's recommend candidates for the new Fleet Admiral."
Kong scanned the people below him. In terms of seniority and strength, those who met the requirements among them were Zephyr, Raleigh, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
But in terms of prestige, the ones with the highest prestige in the Navy now were Raleigh and Sakazuki, who had just defeated Kaido.
Seeing this, Sakazuki spoke directly. "Commander-in-Chief Kong, regarding the candidate for Fleet Admiral, I recommend Raleigh."
Without any hesitation, Sakazuki gave up his own chance to compete for the position of Fleet Admiral. In the current Navy, the only one who could compete with Raleigh was him.
If even he voluntarily gave up, then the only one who could ascend would be Raleigh.
Kong nodded. "This outcome is the best."
After the battle between the Navy Headquarters's Fleet Admiral and Admirals, the Navy nearly became a joke.
If they were to fight again over the successor to the Fleet Admiral, it would cause a split in the Navy.
Zephyr was too old, Borsalino was too lazy, Kuzan was too young.
In comparison, the younger Raleigh surpassed the others in strength, prestige, and strategic planning.
Kong nodded: "Very well, since Sakazuki has already made the decision, I will report Raleigh's name to the Five Elders. If there's nothing else, I'll return to Mary Geoise. Sengoku, before you officially step down as Fleet Admiral, make sure Marineford is properly handled."
Without waiting for Sengoku's reply, Kong stood up and left the office using Moonwalk.
After Kong left, Raleigh and Sakazuki also rose simultaneously. They glanced at the people around Sengoku but said nothing before departing.
The departure of the two Admirals prompted the accompanying Vice Admirals to leave as well.
Once everyone had gone, Sengoku looked despondently at the shattered Marineford outside and sighed.
"Garp, this time we really made a mistake."
...
In Sakazuki's study, Raleigh and Borsalino were both present.
Scalding tea was poured into cups and distributed by Sakazuki to the two.
Raleigh lifted his cup, gently inhaling the aroma of the tea.
A satisfied smile appeared on Sakazuki's face: "Raleigh, this time we've won. We've finally brought down those detestable old men."
Raleigh glanced at Sakazuki, who was covered in bandages, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"Was Garp that difficult to deal with?"
After taking a sip of tea, Sakazuki couldn't help but sigh.
"That old man's bones are too tough. I thought Garp, like Teacher Zephyr, would weaken with age, but I found that wasn't the case at all."
"Garp's strength hasn't diminished with age, and his Armament Haki has been honed into his very bones. No matter how I fought, I couldn't defeat him. Someone who has remained active since the Rocks era and even earned the title of Navy Hero is truly extraordinary."
"Even attacks as aggressive as Meigo and Dai Funka couldn't achieve much against Garp's physique. Garp's Armament Haki defense is incredibly hard. Even Sakazuki, whose natural attacks rank first, felt like he was fighting a steel hedgehog."
"Moreover, Garp's stamina is formidable. If you can't defeat him instantly, a battle lasting five or six days would be normal."
"It doesn't matter. As long as Garp still wears the Navy uniform, we have ways to deal with him." Raleigh cradled his cup and said.
"One Sengoku, one Garp—where do you plan to assign them? Oh, right, and that guy Kuzan."
Sakazuki was curious.
Given their statuses, assigning them to remote locations would be unacceptable to many within the Navy, while placing them in important positions would make them uneasy.
As for Kuzan, although he's a couple of years younger than them, his strength is now nearly at the peak level of a Vice Admiral, which is beyond doubt.
Raleigh looked out the window and said: "At the junction between the Grand Line Paradise and the New World, there's a place called Sabaody Archipelago. Its population is highly complex—Navy personnel, Pirates, representatives of underground forces, and Celestial Dragons often appear there. So, let those two guard Sabaody Archipelago."
"Two individuals with Admiral-level strength won't be wasted at Sabaody Archipelago. In terms of importance, Sabaody Archipelago is a necessary transit point between Paradise and the New World. Pirates wanting to enter the New World must go to Sabaody Archipelago for Coating, descend to Fish-Man Island, and then proceed to the New World."
Moreover, Sabaody Archipelago is not far from the current Navy Headquarters, Marineford, so it can't be considered exile to some remote place.
More importantly, neither Raleigh nor Sakazuki wanted to deal with the Celestial Dragons.
At this stage, no other place was more suitable for these two than Sabaody Archipelago.
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