Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 131 Should You Be a Candidate for General?

Shortly after Bane beheaded Teach, the live stream screen went dark.

For the Navy, the live broadcast was undoubtedly a great success, as they eliminated Whitebeard and many of the core members of the Whitebeard Pirates before the execution.

They even got their hands on the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which is said to be able to destroy the world!

They also gained a comprehensive advantage on the main battlefield, and the outcome after that is already predictable.

Therefore, ending the live stream here is just right.

There's not much to say about the Whitebeard Pirates' rout. After Newgate's death, their fighting spirit was shattered. Many wanted to escape the battlefield, but it was impossible. Kuzan immediately froze the surrounding sea, and then it was a one-sided massacre.

This is also why the Sengoku period marshal shut down the live broadcast, so as not to let such a bloody massacre scene affect the image of the navy.

After confirming that there was no possibility of turning the tide on the battlefield, Sengoku calmly stepped down from the execution platform and returned to the Fortress of Justice.

As a naval admiral, he still has a lot to do.

Bane was following behind him at this moment.

"When I first heard that you had taken Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit, I found it a bit unbelievable. After all, although I had heard that the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit was terrifying, I had never witnessed it with my own eyes. But today on this battlefield, I saw it clearly. Jozu's ability, Marco's ability, and even Newgate's ability were all taken by you. It seems that you have mastered the technique of taking abilities?" Sengoku asked as he walked.

"Practice makes perfect, it sounds scary and mysterious, but in reality, it's just a basic application of ability," Bane said frankly.

Sengoku nodded first, then walked silently down the corridor. After about ten seconds, he suddenly said, "Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate for Marine Headquarters, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Bane paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"In today's battle, you made outstanding contributions and demonstrated your strength. Although you were somewhat overwhelmed by a powerful enemy like Kaido, you were absolutely unstoppable against Jozu, Marco, and the others. Your performance is better than most vice admirals. Furthermore, you are now Zephyr's adopted son. With this status, no one will question your seniority. That's the influence of Zephyr. So, if you feel it's appropriate, our Navy can offer you the corresponding treatment: Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate!" Sengoku said without turning his head, but his tone was very serious.

To be honest, this offer was quite tempting for Bane.

After a moment's thought, he replied, "Marshal, what do you mean by 'general candidate'?"

He knew what it meant, but he wanted to hear it from Sengoku himself!

"It's a contingency plan to ensure the navy's combat effectiveness and the operation of its high command. The position of admiral candidate means that the candidate has the strength to rival that of a navy admiral. As you know, the sea is unpredictable and anything can happen. Even someone as strong as Whitebeard died on the spot today. How can a navy admiral be an exception?" Sengoku explained it this way.

Then he continued, "This is how the position of admiral candidate came about. If some special circumstances occur that cause an accident to happen to a naval admiral, or if he is unable to continue to perform his duties, the position of admiral candidate is the first priority to fill the vacancy."

"So you think I'm strong enough to challenge for the position of general?" Bane asked with a smile.

"Of course not." Sengoku rejected Bane's statement without hesitation, saying directly, "You are quite good, but I think you need at least another year and a half to truly reach this level. Even then, among the many top experts, you can only be considered bottom-tier. If you really want to become a strong person who can stand on your own, you still have a long way to go. Perhaps it will take two or three years before you can achieve something."

Then, before Bane could speak, Sengoku continued, "Actually, I don't need to hide anything from you. After all, Zephyr will probably tell you soon. After this battle, I should step down as Fleet Admiral. At that time, I want to nominate Kuzan as the new Fleet Admiral. Of course, that's all for later. The reason I'm telling you is that there will soon be a vacancy for a Marine Admiral."

"So you mean, if I join the Navy now, I'll immediately have the opportunity to become the new Admiral after you step down as Fleet Admiral?" Bane asked, somewhat amused, as he looked at Fleet Admiral Sengoku's retreating figure.

"I can only say that there is a chance. I don't want to talk to you about such empty words. Before you, there are two other candidates for admiral: Momousagi Gion and Chaton Kakei. They are both veteran vice admirals and have been candidates for admiral for many years. Their strength and qualifications are widely recognized by their naval colleagues. So I don't really think you can seize this opportunity, surpass them, and become an admiral," Sengoku said frankly.

Bane then withdrew his somewhat amused gaze. It seemed that Fleet Admiral Sengoku was an honest man who hadn't been trying to scare him by promising to make him an admiral and tricking him into joining the navy.

However, upon closer reflection, Sengoku might use such words to fool others, but he certainly couldn't fool Bane. After all, Bane had Zephyr behind him. Even if he didn't explain things clearly, Zephyr would explain them to Bane once he found out. In that case, Sengoku would offend people for no reason. With his intelligence, he wouldn't do something so foolish.

After a moment's thought, Bane hesitated before asking, "Fleet Admiral, do you think it's possible that Gion-senpai and Kake-senpai might not want to become Marine Admirals? If you retire and they both refuse the promotion, wouldn't that benefit me? Have you considered this possibility?"

In the original story, the Navy also had two Admiral candidates, Gion and Kake. However, after the two Admiral positions became vacant, neither of them was willing to take the position, causing the situation to spiral out of control. The World Government seized the opportunity and forcibly arranged for the two Navy Admirals to be parachuted in through a "world conscription".

In fact, from any perspective, the appointment of an admiral from outside the navy is disadvantageous to the existing high-ranking members, so it is unlikely that this was promoted internally within the navy.

It can only be driven by the world's governments.

Sengoku was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter, saying, "How could that be? What navy officer would refuse a promotion to admiral?"

Honestly, the Warring States period had never really considered such a thing, especially since these two had been candidates for general for many years. If they didn't want to be generals, why did they want to be candidates for generals?

Therefore, the Warring States period never considered this possibility.

But after he finished laughing, he found no movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Bane with a teasing smile on his face, saying, "Have you forgotten about Mr. Karp?"

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Garp and Sengoku felt uncomfortable just hearing that name. And you know what? It's true, the position of Marine Admiral, which others were vying for, was offered to Garp several times, but he refused without hesitation. It was simply outrageous.

"Kapuna is an exception, but we can't treat exceptions as the norm," Sengoku said dismissively, then added, "In any case, you should seriously consider my invitation. This is the greatest sincerity I can offer you, Bane."

That's true. Being a candidate for admiral is arguably the highest rank in the navy, aside from marshals and admirals.

Even if Sengoku were mentally challenged, as the Fleet Admiral, he couldn't possibly promise to promote Bane directly to Admiral. Such a statement would seem absurd and illogical.

Therefore, being ranked third among the candidates for admiral is already a very sincere offer. When he retires and Kuzan becomes the Fleet Admiral, either Gion or Kake can take his place. Considering that Sakazuki and Borsalino are both over fifty years old now, it would be just right to give Bane some time to fully integrate into the Navy, which would take at least ten years and at most twenty years.

Judging from this timeline, Bane will be only in his forties at most by then, in the prime of his life. He will be much more mature then, and it will be natural for him to become a Navy Admiral. He could even become a Navy Fleet Admiral in the future.

This is the development path that Sengoku, from his own perspective, wanted to arrange for the navy!

Bane had now figured out Sengoku's thinking. It had to be said that the Grand Marshal's ideas were quite normal and mature. But unfortunately, there were many things he couldn't have foreseen.

Do you think you can make Kuzan a marshal just because you want him to?

Do you think that just because Gion and Kakei are willing to be promoted to general, they will be promoted?

Even if you were a naval admiral, you couldn't possibly be good at everything, Mr. Sengoku.

(End of this chapter)