Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Ezra D. Vale had barely rested. Sengoku had practically dragged him into the Fleet Admiral's office under the excuse of "getting familiar with the job in advance." In reality, the old man was simply exhausted.
After so many years, so many battles, Sengoku's age was finally catching up to him. Even the white hairs on his head had noticeably increased.
Inside the office, Sengoku sat comfortably on the guest sofa, holding a cup of tea, looking every bit like a retiree enjoying his afternoon.
Meanwhile, Ezra sat behind the Fleet Admiral's desk, buried in paperwork.
Only after handling the duties himself did he truly understand how overwhelming the position was.
From top to bottom, documents from every naval branch required his approval. Personnel rosters, transfers, departmental changes, names, numbers, reports. Everything had to pass through his hands.
Just looking at the lists made his scalp tingle.
In the end, he could only sigh.
"There's something seriously wrong with the Navy's system…"
The workload alone was enough to make him admire Sengoku for enduring it all these years. Ezra knew he would never tolerate this long-term.
He was already considering reforms.
At the very least, trivial matters should not reach the Fleet Admiral. He should only deal with major decisions.
Of course, for now, those were only thoughts.
He was not Fleet Admiral yet.
Glancing up at Sengoku relaxing on the sofa, Ezra's mouth twitched.
"Hey, old man… don't you think you're going a bit too far?"
Sengoku calmly took another sip of tea and smacked his lips in satisfaction.
"Hm? What did you say?"
So now he was pretending not to hear?
Ezra snorted and lowered his head, continuing his work.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Ezra's voice rang out.
Outside, Sakazuki paused.
Wasn't this Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office?
With that confusion, he pushed the door open.
Then he saw Ezra sitting behind the desk and Sengoku resting nearby with tea.
Sakazuki froze.
"…Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what's going on here?"
He definitely had not received any notice that Ezra had taken over the position.
Sengoku waved casually.
"He's just getting familiar with things early. Whatever you need, talk to him."
Sakazuki nodded slowly, still processing the situation.
Walking up to the desk, he spoke.
"Admiral Zanka… Fleet Admiral?"
For a moment, he did not know what title to use.
Ezra waved dismissively.
"Just call me Admiral."
Sakazuki nodded and handed over the mission report.
"The unrest in the New World has been suppressed. Several small pirate crews formed an alliance. They wanted to attract Navy attention and raise their bounties."
Ezra's mouth twitched.
What kind of ridiculous pirates were these?
He read through the report carefully, then looked up.
"What about your casualties? And the civilians?"
Sakazuki answered calmly.
"No deaths among my men. Thirty-two injured."
"As for civilians… they were all killed by the pirates."
Ezra's crimson eyes locked onto Sakazuki's.
"This time, I'll take your word for it."
"Report the injured soldiers' names to finance. Make sure they receive compensation."
"And regarding your duel with Kuzan, rest for two days and recover. I'll inform you of the exact time."
Sakazuki nodded.
"Understood, Admiral."
Ezra waved him off.
"Alright. Go get some rest."
Sakazuki left without hesitation.
Only then did Sengoku speak with satisfaction.
"Handled pretty well, Ezra."
"Well… I learned from you."
Sengoku raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? What's this? You're actually complimenting someone today?"
Ezra waved casually.
"Just telling the truth."
Sengoku squinted with a smile.
"I'm happy to hear that. But you still can't leave early."
"…Old man."
Ezra muttered under his breath.
Sengoku's head snapped up.
"What did you say?!"
Ezra froze.
Now his hearing works?
"Nothing, nothing. You heard wrong."
"I'll keep reviewing documents. Haha…"
He quickly buried himself in paperwork again.
Sengoku snorted.
"Brat."
Two more days passed quickly.
As usual, Ezra arrived at the office. Sengoku was already there drinking tea.
Ezra had begun writing down some ideas for Navy reforms when another knock sounded.
"Come in."
Kuzan entered.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Zanka."
He greeted Sengoku out of habit before remembering that Ezra was the one currently in charge.
"What is it, Kuzan?"
"Well… about my duel with Sakazuki. You didn't forget, right?"
Ezra raised an eyebrow.
"Relax. I didn't forget."
"Since you're here, I'll tell you now. Tomorrow morning. Punk Hazard."
"I'll send someone to inform Sakazuki as well."
Kuzan nodded and left.
Time passed, and morning arrived the next day.
This time, Ezra did not remain behind for paperwork. Instead, he boarded Pluto together with Rosinante, leaving Sengoku to oversee G-1 Headquarters.
Sakazuki and Kuzan were already aboard the ship.
Sakazuki, normally rigid and serious, was actually running his hand along Pluto's steel plating with clear admiration.
Ezra's mouth twitched, deciding to ignore him for now.
"Rosinante, give the order. Set sail."
"Yes, Admiral!"
In an instant, Pluto seemed to come alive, racing toward Punk Hazard at incredible speed.
After two days of travel, a barren island appeared ahead.
Because of Caesar's experiments, large amounts of toxic gas had once been released there, turning the island into a lifeless wasteland.
It was the perfect battlefield for their duel.
"Well, we're finally here."
"The rest is up to you two."
Sakazuki and Kuzan nodded to Ezra before stepping onto the island.
Sakazuki adjusted his cap, his cold gaze fixed on Kuzan.
"Kuzan. I will not hold back."
"If you want to surrender, now's your chance."
Kuzan snorted.
"That's exactly what I should be saying… Sakazuki."
The next second, freezing cold and blazing magma collided violently.
The battle was about to begin.