On the fourth day of the banquet, the navy came and went, but except for those with urgent missions, they all stayed in the main square of the headquarters, wearing cloaks and standing straight. Although their numbers were not as grand as the 100,000 during the Marineford War, there were still 20,000 to 30,000 people.

They gathered here for this one moment.

It was no longer a restaurant, but rather the castle tower atop the largest building at headquarters, in the Marshal's office, where several people were sitting.

Sakazuki sat in the main seat, biting a cigar, head bowed and silent.

Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru sat in a triangle formation, with Tsuru shaking his head helplessly as he watched Garp and Sengoku scrambling for senbei.

Kizaru sat on the sofa, holding a cup of tea, sipping it slowly, and occasionally a smile appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Kuro was playing chess with a blind man dressed in purple clothes and wearing a purple cloak. Yes, chess, shogi.

"A thousand-day hand, huh? How scary, Kuro." Kizaru glanced down and said with a grin.

"What can we do? No, why are you so good at chess even though you're blind? You can't see, can you?!" Kuro smirked and said to the person in front of him.

“I can pinpoint positions by sound. The sound of each move on the chessboard is slightly different. Speaking of which, it’s been four draws. Were you letting me win, brother?” Yi Xiao said casually.

"Thousand-day hand" is a professional term that refers to a situation in shogi where the same move occurs four times.

It wasn't that Kuro was letting him win; it was mainly because he himself didn't know how to play. He was just bored and playing chess with an old blind man.

Since he was about to be promoted to general, Yixiao came to show his support.

The two were bored, so they decided to play chess.

"Is it almost time?"

Seeing that he had played four times with the same result, Kuro simply leaned back, stopped playing, lit a cigar, and asked the others.

I'm not playing anymore. It's embarrassing. I was thinking that if I played a blind man, I could at least beat him, but now I'm still stuck in the same situation. What's the point of playing anymore?

Sakazuki nodded: "Jiando should be here by now. Noon is the time when you will become a general."

John Gaindo, a giant lieutenant general, was also present at the banquet. Kuro's ceremony to become a general was mainly due to the giant lieutenant general's loud voice; a loud voice is essential for a powerful and resonant sound.

Giants who join the Navy are at least Vice Admirals. As a racial talent, their combat strength is inherently strong. However, he is not actually the main combatant in the Navy Headquarters. Instead, he is responsible for giving instructions and serving as an instructor.

"Report!"

Just as Sakazuki was speaking, the door was pushed open, and a giant lieutenant general in a pale yellow uniform with numerous medals on his chest walked in, saluted everyone present, and said, "John Garndall reporting for duty!"

"It's almost time."

Sakaschi stood up and said, "Janedo, let's begin."

"yes!"

Giando saluted again, then nodded and smiled at Kuro before walking to the balcony, facing the many standing marines below.

The people below, ranging from lieutenant general to major, were all renowned naval officers and officers on the high seas.

Kuro sighed upon seeing this, glanced at Kizaru, who smiled at him, stood up, and walked towards the balcony.

At noon, the sun reached its highest point.

"Those who want to run away, now's the time to run away!!"

At that moment, Jaendor raised his voice and roared, "No cowardice is allowed here! In this chaotic era that began after the Marineford War, this place symbolizes peace; it is a bastion of peace!!"

"The weakness of the people is not their fault, for they are merely the people, powerless to resist the pirates' invasion. But! But justice prevails! Whenever a powerful evil force appears at sea, our navy will do everything in its power to drive it away! In the name of justice, we will expel all evil!"

"Drive out all evil!!"

The navy below roared out, with Cass and Wilbur at the front, where the vice admirals were in the ranks, shouting the loudest and their faces flushed with excitement.

"today!!"

Jaendor continued to roar, "We are about to witness a special moment. Our Admiral, Borsalino, who has served the Navy diligently for decades, is retiring!!"

"He is a veteran of the Navy who has made many contributions to the cause of justice. He has been a backbone of our Navy since a very long time ago! But Borsalino, Admiral Kizaru, also has times when he is unwell, times when he is old, and times when he is unable to control everything!"

retire...

Although everyone present already knew, the fact that these words were actually spoken still caused quite a few people to whisper among themselves.

Another pillar of the Navy is retiring. Following Zephyr, Sengoku, and Garp, the new generation of three admirals, except for Sakazuki who is still in office, have finally retired.

They are all people who have served in the Navy for more than ten or even several decades, fighting alongside the three admirals and watching them rise step by step in the Navy. Now, another old colleague is about to retire. Although they had known for a long time, they are still in a state of confusion.

"Don't be confused! Where is your justice?!"

Jaendor seemed to sense this situation and roared, "Does the absence of a general mean you cannot uphold justice? Justice is with us! Our goal is to expel evil, not to rely on generals to do so!"

These words gave everyone a jolt of energy, and they straightened up again.

At that moment, Kizaru appeared next to Gaindo and waved to the crowd below, "Oh~ how scary, so many people. Keep up the good work, everyone."

"Yes! These are Admiral Kizaru's words. We must continue to work hard!!"

"Besides," Jaendor roared, "Admiral Kizaru may have retired, but he's not no longer serving in the Navy; he's simply giving the opportunity to someone more qualified! And with one admiral retiring, we'll welcome a new one!!!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at the location of the castle tower.

"It's your turn to go on stage."

Tsuru patted Kuro on the back and laughed, "Show me your prowess as a young general."

Kuro stubbed out his cigar, shrugged, and walked to the balcony, staring down at the numerous marines below.

"Our new admiral, a young Marine who has served the Navy for over a decade and made outstanding contributions, defeating numerous great pirates—King Lion Kuro!!" Gaendo roared, his face flushed.

Judging from his condition, he seemed to be shouting at the top of his lungs, putting in a lot of effort.

But why go to such lengths? Couldn't he have kept a low profile? Really, he just wanted to handle things quietly and discreetly.