Retired?
How could he have retired so soon?!
Kuro's pupils dilated violently, his body stiffened, and he stood up abruptly, shouting, "Grandpa, how could you retire?! That shouldn't be! You're still in your prime!"
"Oh~ This is a decision from above. I've also been feeling a bit drained lately," Kizaru said with a chuckle.
"impossible!"
Kuro vehemently denied it, "That's absolutely impossible! How could they possibly let you go?! I absolutely don't believe it!"
"Well, it's not a matter of belief or not. That's just what's stipulated above. I've already decided to retire. As for who will succeed me, Kuro, you'd better be prepared," Kizaru said with a smile.
"Wait, wait..."
Kuro's head was a little numb. He waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about whether you step down or not. This position shouldn't be mine right now. There are so many qualified people. Look at Brother Storoberry, I think he's the right one."
Being a general is absolutely out of the question!
“I can’t do it, Kuro, you’re the most qualified,” Strawberry refused outright.
"Well, I can't do that either. If all else fails, I can choose... never mind, never mind." Kuro pursed his lips.
He originally wanted to say that there were two more candidates for admiral, but he quickly realized that they were talking about the successor of Kizaru's faction, and how could an outsider interfere in this faction?
Although Brother Jiaji is quite compatible with them, he is ultimately not part of their faction.
The tricky part is that while the successor and the position of admiral don't conflict, it doesn't mean they can't work together. Kuro knows very well that he's also a candidate for admiral, and once the old man steps down...
"Is there no other way?" Kuro was still unwilling to give up.
Kizaru nodded with a smile: "That's all, Kuro."
"Can't you give me a chance?" Kuro gritted his teeth.
"What opportunity?" Kizaru asked.
"I don't want to be a general."
"You can't say this to me, you have to say it to the higher-ups."
"I want to be a good lieutenant general," Kuro said in a deep voice. "I just want to be a good lieutenant general."
"Well, I can't decide."
Kizaru chuckled, reached out, pressed Kuro's shoulder, and pushed him back into his seat.
"In short, the higher-ups have decided to have me retire, so it's up to you to take over."
"I refuse to accept this!"
Kuro, with his neck stiff, shouted, "Old man, you've served the government and shed blood for the Navy. How can you just retire like that? You have to see the Five Elders! You have to see the Five Elders!"
"I've already met you and recommended you, so don't worry."
After forcibly pressing Kuro into his seat, Kizaru patted him on the shoulder again: "Anyway, now everything is up to you."
Kuro stared at him for a long time, then stammered, "So, you've already retired, and that's why you're not wearing a cloak?"
Kizaru chuckled: "Well, I'll have a new cloak. The old one isn't suitable anymore, so I'll leave it to you to wear from now on."
"I..."
Kuro looked into Kizaru's eyes, then turned to look at the expectant crowd, opened his mouth, but remained silent.
"I'll head out now; it's not a good time to stay here."
Kizaru said something else, shrugged, and left the venue.
Kuro, meanwhile, stared blankly at the people in the hall, his mind a complete mess.
The day has finally come.
Kuro knew that as a candidate for general, he would definitely succeed the old man once he stepped down. Although he didn't want to take over, it was obvious to anyone that, given the old man's personal retirement and the fact that his faction was the most powerful among the three general candidates, he would be the one to succeed the old man.
The faction's power will not allow anyone else to occupy this position, after all, this is different from the position left by Aokiji's voluntary withdrawal and Akainu's promotion to Fleet Admiral.
One faction nearly disintegrated, while the other progressed to a higher level.
As veterans of the Navy, the old man's faction would not allow the last Admiral position to be occupied by someone recruited from around the world. Kizaru's faction would also not allow anyone else to take the Admiral position, and Sakazuki would also take their faction into consideration.
In other words, from the day he took over Kizaru's faction and transformed the monkey faction into the fish faction, his position as admiral was already secured.
but...
Why so fast!
Why can't he just wait patiently for more than ten years until the old man retires peacefully before taking over? That would work too. By then, he could find a suitable successor, stay in this position for a few more years, and use his age as an excuse to retire smoothly.
It's too fast now. He's not even thirty yet, he's only twenty-seven!
Faction leaders are fine, that's one thing, but the thought of the generals makes him feel choked up.
"I...I need to calm down..."
Seeing so many people here, Kuro pursed his lips, waved his hand, then crossed his hands to cover his mouth and said in a deep voice, "You all go out first."
Stromberg was the first to get up and walk outside.
The remaining generals gradually dispersed and left.
"Big brother?"
Sentomaru noticed that Kuro's expression was a bit off, so he went over and asked, "Are you too excited? To be honest, I am too. The old man actually announced his retirement today. From now on, you'll be a general."
Snap!
Before he could finish speaking, Kuro stood up abruptly and slapped Sentomaru on the back of the head.
"General! I'll let you be a general! I'll let you be a general! Is it so easy to be a general? Will it always be me?! Don't be so complacent, Sentomaru!"
Kuro cursed a few times, then felt a bit breathless. He clutched his chest, took a few deep breaths, and shakily pulled out a cigar, lit it, and started smoking.
Sentomaru stood to the side, clutching the back of his head, looking aggrieved and confused as to what he had done to offend Clow.
He suddenly thought of something and said, "Brother, don't worry. Vice Admiral Chaton and Vice Admiral Momousagi can't compete with you, and they won't compete with you. You will definitely be an Admiral."
"Yeah! I know! That's what makes it so scary!" Kuro glared at Sentomaru. "Don't bring that up!"
Kuro knew that Kakei and Gion couldn't compete with him. First, the old man had stepped down and there was a successor. Second, neither of them would compete with him. In other words, it was a foregone conclusion that he would become a general.
Even if they forced Kake and Gion to compete with him, they still wouldn't win.
He is no longer just himself; he carries the expectations of the entire faction. He has to fight for this position of general, even if no one is competing with him. Even if someone were, he cannot give up this position!
This is the most fucked-up thing ever!
His current situation is like making love; he clearly wants it to last longer, but the circumstances are too restrictive. The entire faction is too comfortable, making it impossible for him to control or manage the situation.
Then the only option is to unleash energy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
