The Navy's top brass had reached a consensus on the reward for Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

He was promoted two ranks in a row, leaping directly from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral. Promotion, decoration, authority—not a single piece was left out. Once this decision was finalized, the battle report from the G-ICE branch began to circulate widely throughout the Navy.

Previously, the officers at Marine Headquarters had been extremely cautious about mentioning Yoriichi Tsugikuni, afraid that even a careless word might drag them into his orbit. But once his achievements were officially announced across the entire force, that so-called "taboo" disappeared completely.

Fourteen years old, and a Vice Admiral with real authority.

After all that had happened, Yoriichi was promoted again. Given his age and rank, even the dullest among them understood what this meant.

No one dared object to calling him the "future of the Navy."

Especially since he had the accomplishments to back it up.

The Flying Pirates, led by the Golden Lion Shiki—within today's Navy, only the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals could truly claim achievements that surpassed Yoriichi's. Among the Vice Admirals, only Garp and Tsuru could be said to hold greater prestige.

Yoriichi's feats were outstanding, but compared to Sengoku and Tsuru, who helped plan and execute the fall of the Rocks Pirates, he still fell slightly short. As for Garp, he had been the main combatant in the legendary God Valley Incident.

And then there was Kong himself—the man who personally captured the Red Count.

Throughout the Navy, aside from those few, no one else could compare to Yoriichi Tsugikuni. During the battle with the Flying Pirates, several of the enemies he casually struck down would've been beyond the reach of many Rear Admirals or even Vice Admirals in their entire careers.

Given this record, even if Headquarters had promoted Yoriichi to Admiral, few would have dared to protest.

And if anyone did have a problem with it, they were free to prove themselves on the seas. Golden Lion Shiki may be dead, but the Whitebeard Pirates were still out there.

"Truly, the next generation is awe-inspiring!"

In the New World, at the Navy's G-10 branch in the Kingdom of Neill, Rear Admiral Loka stood by the broad coastline, smiling with admiration as he read the "battle report" sent from Marine Headquarters. His weathered face lit up with genuine pride.

In a certain East Blue naval branch…

Upon receiving the report, the Marines there immediately began buzzing with discussion about Headquarters' rising star, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

"Those Headquarters guys are seriously amazing!"

"Golden Lion Shiki and his entire Flying Pirate crew were wiped out, just like that."

"This time, justice has truly prevailed!"

Inside the branch cafeteria, Bell-mère had just finished her meal. Holding the report passed into her hands, she couldn't help but light a cigarette and sigh with joy.

The Navy's annihilation of the Flying Pirates—such a monumental event—couldn't remain confined to internal reports. This was a major victory, one that would raise the Navy's prestige and demoralize pirates everywhere.

The very next day, Kong personally reached out to "News King" Morgans and tipped him off about the news.

Morgans, upon receiving the scoop, immediately printed the Flying Pirates' destruction as the front-page headline of his paper. As newsbirds distributed the story across the seas, word of the battle spread like wildfire throughout the world.

In a small East Blue town, Dragon—living a quiet life with his wife—received the newspaper early in the morning.

"Incredible, Yoriichi…"

He smiled broadly as he read the headline.

At the same time, in Wano Country…

The Whitebeard Pirates, having just returned Kozuki Oden to his homeland and driven off Kaido, were in the middle of a celebration. They too received the newspaper.

Edward Newgate stared at the paper in his hands and let out a sigh.

"Shiki… a guy like you, taken down by that brat?"

"Now that caught me off guard."

They weren't the only ones to receive the news.

Roger, who had since gone into hiding under a false identity on Patrilla Island in the South Blue, also read about Shiki's death.

"The Navy's future, huh…"

"A remarkable kid."

"For a feat like that… and the Navy only gave him this little reward? How stingy."

"Heh… I'm curious to see how the Navy plans to handle him in the future."

"Ugh, cough… cough…"

Roger's eyes glinted as he folded the paper and tucked it into his coat. Turning back toward his home, his harsh coughing echoed through the air before slowly fading.

As the news of the Flying Pirates' destruction spread across the seas, the entire world was left reeling.

But while the outside world was in an uproar, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had no time to pay attention.

Though most of the Flying Pirates had been killed or captured, a number of them had escaped the Navy's grasp and gone into hiding within Migo Town.

For days now, Yoriichi and Kuzan had barely stopped moving, working tirelessly with Marine squads to scour the island and root out these fugitives.

Both possessed exceptional Observation Haki, with wide area coverage. Wherever they detected strong presences, they led squads to strike. This method was highly effective, rarely failing.

But fighting pirates within a civilian town came with serious limitations. The pirates didn't care about collateral damage—but the Marines did. To avoid harming innocent people, Yoriichi and Kuzan were forced to restrain themselves in combat, which made the search far more difficult.

Naturally, word of their aggressive search tactics spread quickly among the remaining pirates. The smarter ones had already begun planning ways to escape the island.

Within a week, after capturing over twenty fugitives, the pair found no new leads.

It seemed the rest had gotten away.

And there was nothing more they could do.

With the pursuit concluded, Marine Headquarters officially sent orders to summon Yoriichi back.

Lodestar Island was a long way from Marineford, and the return voyage would take time.

Upon receiving the summons, Yoriichi gathered twenty Marines, brought along his second-in-command Kyros, said farewell to Kuzan and the others, then boarded a warship to return to headquarters.

Late July, Year 1499 of the Sea Calendar.

Yoriichi's fleet had been sailing toward Marineford for nearly two weeks. Their supplies were running low, so on this particular day, they stopped at the Principality of Verdant Peaks to restock.

The Principality of Verdant Peaks—one of the World Government's member nations—was known as the "Kingdom atop the Mountains."

The warship docked at the port. Curious townsfolk crowded the harbor, staring at the unfamiliar vessel.

Just like its name implied, the terrain of the Principality matched perfectly. Aside from a narrow strip of flatland near the harbor, the island was dominated by towering, cloud-piercing mountains and ancient giant trees.

After disembarking, Yoriichi didn't immediately send his men out to buy supplies. Instead, he first led them to a bar near the docks, intending to let everyone relax for a while.

They'd been sailing for so long, some proper rest was well deserved.

At the bar counter, Yoriichi ordered drinks for his men and a mug of juice for himself. He then started casually chatting with the bartender. The Marines gathered around, drinking and unwinding. A few bored sailors noticed a dice game happening at one of the side tables and wandered over out of curiosity.

Yoriichi didn't stop them. As long as they didn't get out of hand, he had no objections.

"Ohhhh! He won again! This guy just keeps winning!"

"Eleven rounds straight, amazing! He's on an eleven-game streak!"

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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter

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