North Blue. Aboard Borsalino's Warship.
The sea was calm, a stark contrast to the political storm brewing at Headquarters.
Raleigh and Borsalino were sitting in the Vice Admiral's office, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Borsalino gently blew on his hot tea, his sunglasses reflecting the steam, before looking up lazily.
"Oooooh, Raleigh. During the banquet earlier, Admiral Sengoku mentioned applying to Headquarters to transfer me away. He said the current situation in the New World is... scary. Too complex. He needs a powerful right-hand man."
Raleigh nodded calmly while sipping his own tea.
Although he hadn't known Sengoku had explicitly said this to Borsalino, the matter was unexpected yet reasonable.
With Byrnndi World's defeat, Sengoku had accomplished his mission.
If not for the Rebellion, Sengoku would have already left.
The New World was indeed a mess.
If a monster like Byrnndi World was driven back to the North Blue to seek weapons, the pressure up there must be immense.
Raleigh mentally reviewed the roster.
Among the current Marine personnel, there weren't many vice admirals who caught Sengoku's eye.
Since Dragon left the Marine, the leading figures among the younger generation were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
Kuzan was out—he was too young, too inexperienced, and practically glued to Garp's hip.
Sakazuki was a qualified soldier, but he had moved past the "deputy" stage.
He was currently living his best life at the G-5 branch, burning pirates alive daily.
He wouldn't want to be Sengoku's secretary.
After much thought, the only person Sengoku could reassign was Borsalino.
"Hey, hey, hey," Borsalino whined, seeing Raleigh's calm face. "Don't you care about your big brother at all? That's the New World! The people there are as strong as monsters! Even Byrnndi World ran back because he couldn't beat them! I might die of exhaustion!"
Raleigh just calmly picked up his teacup and said.
"So what? You're Vice Admiral Borsalino, my big brother. I don't think they can harm you in the slightest. You're made of light. You'll be fine."
"Well, that's true," Borsalino preened, easily distracted by flattery. "After all, I am a little bit powerful."
With the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino practically had an innate condition of being undefeatable unless he faced top-tier Haki users.
"If I go to the New World," Borsalino added, a mysterious smile playing on his face, "you'll likely become the North Blue Commander, Raleigh."
"Huh?" Raleigh blinked. "I don't think I can become Commander, right? My rank isn't high enough. I'm just a Rear Admiral." Raleigh was surprised.
Although he was confident in his ability to rule the North Blue, he wasn't officially ready yet.
Due to rank restrictions, he theoretically needed another year or two.
"It's a special transfer order from Headquarters," Borsalino winked. "Although you don't meet the conditions to be a full Commander, the title will still be technically under my name for administrative purposes. But effectively? Fleet Admiral Kong has promoted you to Vice Admiral and appointed you as Acting Commander of the North Blue."
Raleigh fell into deep thought.
Vice Admiral. Acting Commander.
This was already a very dangerous position.
One more step, and he'd be a full Admiral with his own fleet.
Raleigh had been planning to lay low in the Four Seas for a while longer, preferably slacking off until he was invincible before making his move to the Grand Line.
But now? The original plot was still a long time from starting.
In a few years, Roger would become the Pirate King, die, and trigger the Great Pirate Era.
Raleigh didn't want to become a workaholic who only knew how to grind during the chaos.
"Fine," Raleigh sighed, accepting his fate. "Since things are already settled, there's no point resisting. At the very least, Acting Commander comes with a raise. Stay in the North Blue for a few more years in spirit—if necessary, I'll shoulder some pressure from Headquarters for you."
Borsalino noticed Raleigh's resignation and muttered a few words gloomily about "too much paperwork."
Raleigh suddenly looked up, staring at Borsalino with an expression of feigned disbelief.
"You handled the paperwork transfer for me? So cool, bro! From now on, I'll do whatever you say."
Raleigh eagerly refilled Borsalino's cup with hot water, acting the part of the dutiful younger brother perfectly.
Borsalino enjoyed the service, blissfully unaware that he was being schemed.
...
Eryoku Kingdom.
The uprising was over.
The King had abdicated, the nobles were dead, and the new "Queen" was installed.
But for the rebels, the journey was just beginning.
"Leader... are we really leaving this place?" A young rebel soldier named Brin asked Dragon, who was walking at the front of the column.
He couldn't understand.
They had won. They were powerful. Why did they have to leave their homeland?
"Leader, can't we stay? Now that we've overthrown the king, wouldn't it be better to establish our own country? We can implement the new system here!"
Hearing the young soldier's words, Dragon stopped in his tracks.
The entire column halted.
Thousands of faces filled with admiration and curiosity turned toward him, hoping to hear an answer from the man who had led them to victory.
"Brin," Dragon said, his voice heavy. "This is what you call Victory-ism."
Dragon sighed.
He knew that most of the rebels behind him thought like Brin.
They were high on the thrill of winning.
So, he had to explain the harsh reality to them here, before it got them killed.
Dragon took a deep breath and spoke with a serious expression, his voice carrying over the crowd.
"We've only defeated the Kingdom's Guard and the Royal Guard. We haven't even faced the Marines head-on yet. Of course, with our current strength, three or four Marine branches wouldn't be able to defeat us."
"But," Dragon raised a finger, pointing at the sky, "you don't understand the power of the World Government. You don't know the true strength of the Marine Elites."
"It's foolish to think that one victory alone can change the environment. The World Government's power far surpasses ours. The Eryoku Kingdom is a crucial producer of coal and steel resources. They pay close attention to this region."
Dragon's eyes darkened. "If they take this seriously... if they send an Admiral... or a Buster Call... everything we have now will be wiped out. We would be ash in an hour."
Dragon knew in his heart that even if 100,000 people were fully armed, they would still be nothing more than slightly stronger ants in the eyes of the World Government's war machine.
"Now, you have only two choices," Dragon declared, offering his hand to the young soldier.
"Either leave this kingdom with me, retreat to the sea, and grow stronger in the shadows... or stay here, try to negotiate with the next wave of rulers, and hope for mercy."
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