The crowd surged with excitement.
As the young figures stepped forward one by one, Zephyr's eyes reddened beneath his sunglasses, though his smile remained gentle.
His chest instinctively lifted, back held straight and proud.
To him, no amount of glory or power could compare to this moment.
Watching the students he had trained with his own hands march forward under the eyes of the world—walking toward a bright future to pursue the justice they believed in—this was his greatest reward as an instructor.
The trainees lined up neatly below the stage, taking their places according to their assigned order. One by one, they stepped onto the platform under the gaze of the crowd.
Kuzan went first.
He walked up casually, yawning as he raised his hand in salute to the former Admiral standing before him.
"Zephyr-sensei."
Zephyr shot him a glare and muttered under his breath,
"Kuzan, wake up! This is a live broadcast to the entire world. Look around you—there are cameras everywhere!"
Kuzan scratched his head and replied lazily,
"But Zephyr-sensei... Daren's not here. I just can't get fired up without him."
Several veins popped on Zephyr's forehead, and his smile stiffened.
Suppressing the urge to lose his temper, he took a brand-new Marine cloak from a nearby guard and, maintaining a serious tone, called out loudly:
"Captain Kuzan of Marine Headquarters, in recognition of your exceptional performance and combat strength during the Battle of Marineford..."
"On behalf of Marine Headquarters, I hereby promote you to the rank of Rear Admiral."
He draped the Rear Admiral's cloak over Kuzan's shoulders and stared at the young man's half-awake face with blazing eyes.
"Congratulations, Rear Admiral Kuzan."
"Now, please say a few words to your fellow comrades."
Kuzan rubbed his eyes and turned toward the microphone.
His half-lidded eyes and laid-back demeanor stood in stark contrast to the formality of the event.
With dozens of eyes filled with anticipation staring up at him, he scratched his head again, looking thoroughly disinterested.
At that moment, Zephyr stepped up beside him and whispered,
"Daren's arriving soon. Think it over—don't let him outshine you."
A spark flashed in Kuzan's eyes.
His entire aura shifted, and a fire ignited in his gaze.
Then—
He suddenly thrust his hand up, flashing a "peace" sign to the audience and shouted with a grin:
"That's right! I'm Daren's lifelong rival... Kuzan!!"
"Keep your eyes open! There's no way I'm letting him outdo me!"
He then turned abruptly to look at Garp in the audience.
"Garp-san! I heard you took down 'Red the Aloof' Patrick Redfield and refused a promotion! That's so badass!"
"Dahaha—mmph!"
A large hand suddenly clamped over Kuzan's mouth.
Zephyr, face dark with rage, grabbed him by the head and yanked him offstage as his legs flailed wildly.
Kong: "…"
Sengoku: "…"
Tsuru: "…"
Garp waved cheerfully, laughing, "Bwahahaha! Kuzan, you're pretty cool yourself—mmph! Sengoku, what are you doing!?"
The crowd was left utterly bewildered.
Moments later...
Zephyr, expression frozen, walked stiffly back onto the platform.
Facing a sea of confused stares, he cleared his throat twice.
"Ahem... next."
Gion, who had been waiting patiently, stepped up the stairs in her heels.
With a golden Meito at her waist, she strode forward with poise and saluted sharply.
"Zephyr-sensei!"
Zephyr smiled in approval.
Now this was the kind of student he could be proud of.
"Commander Gion of Marine Headquarters, for your excellent conduct during the defense of Marineford and your outstanding performance and discipline in training... On behalf of Marine Headquarters, I hereby promote you to the rank of Commodore."
He placed the Commodore's cloak over her shoulders.
Gion saluted once more, then stepped to the microphone and spoke simply,
"All glory belongs to justice."
Clap, clap, clap...
The scene returned to normal as thunderous applause broke out.
The energy of the ceremony reignited as if that earlier absurd moment had never happened.
Seeing this, Zephyr, Sengoku, and the other high-ranking officers all exhaled in unison.
"Yes, that's Gion for you."
"Such remarkable talent, strength, and charm."
"Tsuru, your sister really is outstanding."
They smiled and nodded, clearly pleased.
But they were far too happy, far too early.
Because before Gion could even finish speaking, a figure from the crowd had already burst onto the stage, completely uninvited.
Wearing flip-flops that left his toes exposed, baggy shorts, a brown hat, and a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, Tokikake swaggered up with an arrogant stride, standing proudly before Zephyr like he owned the place.
Zephyr's eye twitched.
Something about this eager grin and bouncing energy sent a chill of bad premonition down his spine.
Down below, Kong, Sengoku, and Tsuru watched with wide eyes and clenched jaws.
"Zephyr-sensei!"
Tokikake gave a crooked salute, his voice deliberately loud enough to grab the attention of every single person present.
Zephyr: …
Taking a deep breath, Zephyr barely forced a smile onto his face.
"Hmm. Very... spirited."
He quickly turned to address the audience, raising his voice:
"Commander Tokikake of Marine Headquarters. In recognition of your outstanding performance in the Battle of Marineford, you are hereby promoted to Commodore."
He draped the Commodore's cloak over Tokikake's shoulders with practiced speed, and leaned in, lowering his voice:
"Time's short. Tokikake, skip the speech this time—"
But before he could even finish the sentence, Tokikake vanished with a whoosh, reappearing in front of the mic in a flash of high-speed movement—Soru, nearly at secret technique level.
Zephyr: …
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, flashes from cameras, and recording Den Den Mushi, Tokikake's face flushed red with excitement. His body visibly trembled.
Stay calm. Be cool. This is your moment... The entire world is watching you, Tokikake!
This is your best chance to outshine Daren!
Screaming internally, he shoved his hands into his pockets with forced nonchalance, plastered on a smug smile he thought was charming, and leaned into the mic in a deliberately deep voice.
"Hello everyone. That's right, I'm the genius of Marine Headquarters—Tokikake!"
"Yes, I know many of you have already heard my name... I'm the one who can rival the 'monsters' of the Marines! The future Admiral! The embodiment of justice itself!"
"Hahahahaha!"
He threw his hands onto his hips and laughed loudly, then spotted a cluster of women in the crowd. His eyes gleamed, and he flicked his hair dramatically before adding,
"Oh, and one more thing—good news, ladies. I'm still a bachelor."
"So, single ladies... and lonely wives—if you're curious about this perfect, strong body of mine, feel free to reach out."
"I specialize in serving the people."
"My Den Den Mushi number is—"
BOOM!
A massive black fist slammed straight into his face, launching Tokikake like a cannonball across the entire plaza.
Under the brilliant sunlight, amidst his howls of agony, a blood-smeared broken tooth clattered to the ground with a ding ding.
"Zephyr-sensei, don't be rash!"
"Zephyr-sensei, calm down!"
"Zephyr-sensei—!!"
...
Several Marines rushed forward to restrain the raging Zephyr, who was struggling like a wild beast.
"LET ME GO! I SWEAR I'LL KILL THAT LITTLE BASTARD TODAY!!"