Note: 1 extra chapter per 35 power stone.
1 chapter per two or three days.
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The meeting hall of the Marines slowly returned to a fragile silence after the earlier chaos.
For a brief moment…
It almost felt peaceful.
Almost.
Then— rustle rustle
A familiar sound broke the stillness.
Monkey D.
Garp casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of rice crackers.
Without hesitation, he opened it.
Crunch.
The sound echoed loudly in the quiet room.
Crunch.
Several Vice Admirals immediately stiffened.
Crunch.
Fleet Admiral Kong’s eye twitched.
Across the room, Ramon slowly turned his head.
“…Grandpa Garp.”
He spoke calmly.
“Don’t eat alone.”
Garp paused for a second.
Then burst out laughing.
“Bwahahaha!”
He grabbed another handful of crackers and shoved them toward Ramon.
“Here!
Here!
Take some!”
“Kuhahaha!” Ramon grinned.
He took the crackers and started eating immediately.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Now both of them were eating together like nothing in the world mattered.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The sound filled the entire meeting hall.
It was rhythmic.
It was peaceful.
It was also absolutely unbearable for everyone else.
A vein popped on Fleet Admiral Kong’s forehead.
Sengoku’s glasses glinted dangerously.
At the exact same moment—
BOOM!
Both Kong and Sengoku moved.
Kong slammed his fist into Ramon’s head.
Sengoku delivered a sharp punch to Garp’s skull.
“OWWW!!”
“OWW OW OW!!”
Both Garp and Ramon grabbed their heads in pain.
“What was that for?!” Garp shouted angrily.
“Why are you punching me, Sengoku?!”
Sengoku’s expression darkened.
He stepped forward, snatched the entire bag of rice crackers from Garp’s hand—
“Hey—!” Garp yelled.
But Sengoku ignored him.
He opened it…
and started eating calmly.
Crunch.
Crunch.
“…Shut up, Garp,” Sengoku said coldly while chewing.
“You were making noise in a meeting.”
Crunch.
Crunch.
Within seconds, he finished the entire bag.
Silence returned again.
Garp froze.
“…My crackers.”
His voice trembled.
“HEY!!
SENGOKU!!
WHY DID YOU EAT THEM?!”
Sengoku calmly adjusted his glasses.
“…Because you wouldn’t shut up.”
The room went quiet again.
But this time—
Even Fleet Admiral Kong looked like he had completely given up on life.
After a brief wave of chaos in the meeting hall of the Marines, silence slowly returned once again.
Fleet Admiral Kong straightened his posture, taking a slow, controlled breath.
Beside him, Sengoku also returned to his seat, adjusting his coat as if trying to restore order to the room through sheer discipline alone.
Kong’s eyes shifted toward Monkey D.
Garp.
“…Now I don’t have time to deal with you,” he said flatly.
“So let’s make this quick.”
Garp grinned lazily in response.
“Kuhahaha… finally, some peace.”
Kong ignored him.
His gaze moved across the room, landing on Ramon.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
All attention shifted.
Kong’s voice turned serious.
“Garp will not be taking the position of Admiral.”
A short pause.
Then—
“I will be nominating Ramon as an Admiral of the Navy.”
For a moment, the entire room froze.
Then—
Whispers erupted everywhere.
“A kid… an Admiral?”
“He’s only thirteen…”
“That’s impossible…”
Shock spread through the Vice Admirals like wildfire.
One of them suddenly stood up.
“Fleet Admiral Kong, sir!”
His voice was tense.
“Is it really wise to appoint him as an Admiral?!”
He hesitated.
“Isn’t he still too young?!”
The room fell silent again.
All eyes returned to Kong.
Even Garp stopped laughing.
Kong didn’t hesitate.
“I understand your concern.”
His tone was calm—but firm.
“But we don’t have a choice.”
He folded his arms.
“The Navy is currently short on top-tier strength.
The world is becoming more unstable by the day.”
His gaze shifted slightly toward Ramon.
“And his achievements… already speak for themselves.”
A heavy silence followed.
Then slowly…
One by one…
The Vice Admirals began to settle.
Because deep down, they all knew it.
Ramon was not normal.
Not even close.
Finally, one by one, the officers nodded in agreement.
“…Understood.”
“…If that is the Fleet Admiral’s decision…”
“…We accept.”
The tension in the room eased slightly.
But the weight of what had just been decided remained.
Now being considered for Admiral of the Navy.
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded slowly, his expression still firm but slightly more measured now.
“Even though he is still too young,” Kong said, “his potential is… still unknown.”
His gaze sharpened slightly as he looked toward Ramon.
“This kid hasn’t even awakened his full potential yet.”
A brief pause.
“Maybe he will reach it in five to seven years… maybe by the time he is eighteen or twenty.”
For a moment, the entire room went completely silent.
Then—
Shock spread instantly.
Five to seven years?
Eighteen to twenty?
And he was already being considered at this level?
Even the Vice Admirals looked unsettled.
Beside them, Monkey D.
Garp suddenly burst into laughter.
“Bwahahaha!”
He leaned back casually, then turned toward Ramon with a proud grin.
“Did you hear that, brat?”
Garp stepped forward and firmly tapped Ramon’s shoulder.
“You’re going to become an Admiral!”
His tone was cheerful, almost celebratory.
But—
Something was wrong.
Garp noticed it immediately.
Ramon wasn’t reacting.
No grin.
No sarcastic laugh.
No usual “Kuhahaha.”
Nothing.
He was completely silent.
Head lowered.
Shoulders still.
The atmosphere around him felt… heavier than before.
Garp’s expression slowly changed.
“…Oi.”
He shook Ramon lightly.
“Ramon.
What’s wrong?”
Instantly, the tone in the room shifted.
Fleet Admiral Kong, Sengoku, Zephyr—all of them turned their attention toward him.
The laughter and chatter vanished completely.
Silence returned, but this time it felt different.
Pressured.
Expectant.
Ramon slowly straightened his posture.
His head remained slightly lowered for a moment longer.
Then—
He lifted it.
His eyes were sharp.
Serious.
No trace of his usual carefree attitude remained.
And then, in a sudden burst of emotion, he shouted—
“I refuse!”
His voice echoed across the entire meeting hall.
The words hit the room like a shockwave.
For a split second—
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even Garp froze mid-expression.
Because for the first time…
Ramon wasn’t joking.
He wasn’t laughing.
He wasn’t going along with it.
He was serious.
The sudden declaration echoed through the massive meeting hall of the Marines like a shockwave that refused to fade.
“I refuse!”
Ramon’s voice was sharp, loud, and absolute.
For a moment—just a single moment—the entire room froze in place as if time itself had stopped.
Even the air felt heavier.
Even the faint sound of shifting coats and rustling papers disappeared.
Fleet Admiral Kong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses slowly, his expression tightening.
Admiral Zephyr stopped breathing for a second.
And even Monkey D.
Garp—who was usually laughing no matter what—stood completely still.
“…Huh?”
Garp blinked.
Then he tilted his head slightly, as if trying to understand what he had just heard.
“Oi, brat…” Garp muttered, his tone unusually low.
“What did you just say?”
Ramon slowly lifted his head fully now.
His expression was not playful.
Not joking.
Not casual like before.
It was serious in a way no one in that room had ever seen from him.
His fists were clenched tightly at his sides.
His voice came again—but this time slower, heavier, like he was forcing every word out with intent.
“I said… I refuse.”
A low murmur spread through the Vice Admirals.
“What…?”
“He refused an Admiral position?”
“Is he insane…?”
Kong took a slow step forward.
His gaze locked onto Ramon like a blade.
“Ramon,” Kong said calmly, though his voice carried authority that silenced the room instantly, “do you understand what you are refusing?”
The weight of his words pressed down on everyone.
“This is not a child’s decision.”
“This is the rank of Admiral of the Navy.”
He paused.
“One of the highest positions in the entire world.”
The silence deepened.
Even Garp didn’t interrupt this time.
But Ramon didn’t back down.
Instead, he clenched his jaw slightly.
His eyes darkened—not with fear…
but with frustration.
“I understand perfectly.”
His voice was firm.
Then he raised his head further, looking directly at everyone in the room—Admirals, Vice Admirals, Kong himself.
“But I’m not going to become your symbol.”
A sharp inhale spread through the room.
Sengoku’s eyes widened slightly.
Zephyr frowned.
Kong narrowed his gaze further.
Ramon continued, his voice gaining intensity.
“I’m not going to sit in some office… wearing a title… pretending to represent justice… while being controlled from above and serve those scums.”
His words cut through the room like steel.
“I fight because I want to fight.”
“I train because I want to grow stronger.”
“I don’t need a rank to prove that.”
A heavy silence followed.
Even the Marines who disagreed couldn’t immediately respond.
Because something about his words…
felt honest.
Too honest.
Garp suddenly let out a low laugh, breaking the tension slightly.
“…Kuhahaha…”
He scratched the back of his head, looking oddly amused now.
“So that’s it.”
Kong exhaled slowly through his nose.
“…You’re just like that old man,” he muttered under his breath.
Ramon heard it—but didn’t react.
Instead, he lowered his fist slightly, his voice quieter now but still firm.
“If you want to call me something…”
Then looked up.
“Call me a fighter.”
Not a Marine symbol.
Not a rank.
Just someone who fights on his own terms.
The room remained silent for a long, long moment.
Because in that instant…
everyone realized something important:
Ramon wasn’t rejecting responsibility.
He was rejecting control.
Ramon stood there in the center of the massive meeting hall of the Marines, his breathing steady but heavy, as if every word he had just spoken had been carved directly from his conviction.
The silence that followed was not normal silence.
It was the kind of silence that pressed down on everyone’s chest.
Uncomfortable.
Dense.
Unavoidable.
Ramon lifted his head slightly, his eyes sharp as he continued, his voice no longer uncertain.
“I refuse to work for those Celestial scums… or whatever they call themselves.”
A few Marines immediately tensed at the words.
But Ramon didn’t stop.
“I joined the Marines because my grandfather wanted to fight for justice.”
His gaze briefly shifted toward Monkey D.
Garp, who was watching him quietly now—no laughter, no jokes.
“I will fight for justice like him.”
His fists clenched slowly.
“I will help people.
I will protect the weak.
I will stand in battles because I enjoy fighting.”
A faint, almost bitter breath left him.
“But I will not serve the World Government.”
That line landed like a hammer.
The room tightened instantly.
“I refuse the position of Marine Admiral.”
Complete silence.
Not even a whisper followed.
Even Fleet Admiral Kong did not speak immediately.
Even Sengoku remained still, his expression unreadable.
Even Admiral Zephyr slowly closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose as if he had expected this outcome from the start.
For a few long seconds, no one moved.
Then—
In the far corner of the room, three figures stood quietly among the assembled officers.
Rear Admirals.
But not ordinary ones.
They were the only Rear Admirals permitted in this meeting due to their extraordinary potential and strength—already considered the future pillars of the Navy.
Kuzan stood with his hands in his pockets, calm and slightly lazy-looking, but his eyes were focused.
Sakazuki stood rigidly, arms crossed, his expression sharp and unyielding, like a blade waiting to be drawn.
Borsalino leaned slightly back, his usual relaxed demeanor present, but his gaze carefully observing everything with quiet calculation.
The three of them exchanged brief glances.
No words were needed.
Because even though they were still Rear Admirals at this point in time…
The atmosphere around them already felt different.
Heavier.
More dangerous.
More significant.
They were not yet legends.
But even now…
they were beginning to feel like they were standing on the edge of something far larger than themselves.
Sakazuki’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Ramon.
Kuzan remained silent, expression unreadable.
Borsalino gave a faint, almost unnoticeable sigh.
And in the center of the room…
Ramon stood firm.
Unmoved.
Unbound.
Refusing not only a rank…
but the entire structure that came with it.
Suddenly—
A loud burst of laughter broke the tension in the room.
“Bwahahahaha!”
Monkey D.
Garp leaned back in his chair, laughing so hard the entire table shook slightly.
“That’s my grandson for you!”
His voice echoed proudly through the meeting hall of the Marines.
For a brief moment, the heavy atmosphere shattered.
Several Vice Admirals blinked in confusion.
Some even forgot what they were supposed to be shocked about.
Fleet Admiral Kong’s patience finally snapped.
He slammed his hand on the table.
“BOTH OF YOU—SHUT UP!!”
The entire room went silent instantly.
Then Kong’s sharp gaze locked onto Ramon.
“RAMON!”
His voice was strict, cutting through the room like a blade.
“Watch your mouth!”
The pressure returned immediately.
“You are not just some random soldier!
Even an Admiral must choose their words carefully in this room!”
He took a sharp breath.
Then continued, more controlled but still firm.
“Garp will be spared because of his military merits and past contributions…”
He glared slightly toward Garp.
“…but you are different.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You are still under evaluation.”
A pause.
“So I am sparing you—for now.”
The room tightened again.
Kong’s voice lowered dangerously.
“If you ever say something like that again… the World Government will come hunting for you personally.”
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
In the corner of the room—
Kuzan tilted his head slightly, scratching it lazily.
“…Arara,” he muttered.
“That kid really lives up to his name.”
Beside him, Borsalino let out a slow breath, his tone calm and almost amused.
“…Scary, y’know,” he said softly.
“So that’s Vice Admiral Garp’s grandson.”
But across the room—
Sakazuki was different.
His expression darkened instantly.
His jaw tightened.
His fist clenched so hard the veins in his hand became visible.
“…The son of Dragon,” he muttered under his breath.
His voice was low.
Cold.
“I will not tolerate it.”
A tense silence followed.
Then Sakazuki spoke again, louder this time, his tone burning with conviction.
“Justice will be served.”
His eyes locked directly onto Ramon.
“Just wait.”
“When I become strong enough… I will crush you with my own hands.”
The room froze.
Even the Vice Admirals nearby stiffened.
Kuzan slowly shifted his gaze toward Sakazuki.
“…Haaah,” he sighed, scratching his head again.
Borsalino tilted his head slightly, expression unchanged but quieter now.
Even Fleet Admiral Kong paused for a moment.
Sakazuki’s words hung in the air like fire refusing to go out.
And in that moment…
it became clear to everyone present— this meeting was no longer just about ranks or justice.
.
.
.
Chapter End.