60. The New Fleet Admiral Of The Marine, Akira!

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That day, newspapers were sent out from Marineford and spread across the entire sea once again.

This time, the powerful Marine Headquarters wasn't just focusing on major events—they were distributing the newspapers for free.

This was a necessary move.

The news that Akira had become the new Fleet Admiral, along with all the details about him, needed to be widely publicized.

Only by doing this could the public's trust in Marine Headquarters be strengthened.

If they had secretly changed the Fleet Admiral without informing anyone, people might think the leadership was weak and lose respect for them.

It was also important to avoid any embarrassing situations where soldiers stationed in remote areas might not recognize their own Fleet Admiral in the future due to outdated information.

The newspaper's content and headlines were crafted by Rosinante, the head of the Marine News Shock Department.

A mix of sensational and standard styles was used to ensure that both conservative old-timers and the younger generation who embraced new ideas would be interested.

"Shock the world! What did this young man do to make a Marine Admiral bow down in public?"

"Fleet Admiral Kong is promoted, and the new Marine Fleet Admiral is 'Shinma Akira'!"

"Tens of thousands of people watching! What did that man do?"

"Shocked! Marineford is out of control, but the new Fleet Admiral stays calm amidst the chaos."

"Sea Circle Calendar 1500: A New Era Births a New Fleet Admiral—Akira!"

"Mastering the Art of Manipulation: Akira will teach you step by step!"

Grand Line.

At a branch base.

The sound of hurried footsteps quickly approached, followed by the office door being kicked open with a loud bang.

The Rear Admiral, who was holding a teacup, was startled and spilled hot tea on himself.

"You idiot, can't you knock?"

The Rear Admiral grimaced, jumping up and shaking his clothes, then glared angrily at the door.

A sweaty soldier, panting heavily, waved the newspaper in his hand.

"My lord, you have to see this! The newspaper just arrived!"

"Didn't I teach you to keep your composure at all times, even if Whitebeard himself shows up…"

"The new Fleet Admiral of Headquarters has been confirmed. Akira-sama defeated Admiral Sengoku and is now officially in position!"

Before the Rear Admiral could finish, the soldier interrupted him.

As the Rear Admiral listened, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Hurry, give it to me."

The Rear Admiral rushed over, grabbed the newspaper, and examined it closely.

The more he read, the more his expression shifted to one of utter shock.

Outside, the soldiers were also receiving the news.

All of them erupted in excitement.

"Akira-sama has become the Fleet Admiral! Justice will prevail…"

"I knew Akira-sama's actions would make him Fleet Admiral, but you all doubted it."

"I didn't believe it either, but I didn't expect Admiral Sengoku to actually admit defeat."

"Admiral Sengoku is indeed strong, but I still think Akira-sama is better suited to be Fleet Admiral!"

"Absolutely! As long as Akira-sama is in charge, I don't have to worry about our pay."

"My wife will be thrilled when she hears that the new Fleet Admiral is Akira-sama, who's always been on our side."

On the base's training grounds, groups of soldiers gathered together in twos and threes.

As they read through the various newspapers in their hands, they shared their excitement.

This scene was being repeated at Marine bases and on warships all over the world.

At this stage within the Marines, the most resolute and fanatical supporters of Akira are likely these low-ranking soldiers.

Whether it's the Honey Plan or the God of Wealth Plan, they are the ones who benefit the most from both.

For hundreds of years in the Marines, it has been rare for a Fleet Admiral to consider all aspects of their lives. Naturally, they are extremely supportive of Akira.

Although the middle and high-ranking officers aren't lacking in money or women, they have witnessed everything Akira has accomplished in the past two months.

They share the same admiration.

The soldiers are full of fighting spirit, and when the commander takes them out to battle, their record and achievements speak for themselves.

Whether it's for fame and status or the justice they hold in their hearts, seeing the soldiers working so hard fills them with pride.

Therefore, their attitude towards Akira becoming the Marine Fleet Admiral is much like that of the soldiers.

It can be said that Akira's rise to Fleet Admiral is something everyone anticipated.

The soldiers are happy, and the public is responding with enthusiasm.

"The newspaper says the Marines have a new Fleet Admiral."

In a certain village, as one of the few literate people, the elderly village chief was asked by the villagers to read the newspaper aloud.

The gathered villagers looked at each other in confusion.

"Who's the new Fleet Admiral? Admiral Sengoku?" someone asked.

"Let me see… No, it says here it's someone called the Shinma Akira," the old village chief replied after carefully reading the text through his glasses.

"Heart Demon? So, the new Marine Fleet Admiral is Akira-sama!"

"Isn't he the acting Fleet Admiral who's been pulling strings for the soldiers and set up the Marine Bank to protect our berries?"

"He's not just acting anymore—he's the official Fleet Admiral now."

"Wow, I've heard of him. Many young people from our village joined the Marines because of him."

"Under his leadership, the soldiers have been very brave against the pirates. Thanks to him, the number of pirate attacks on our village has gone down recently."

"Didn't the neighboring island get attacked by pirates not long ago? If it weren't for the Marines' protection, many women here would be starving."

"With him as the new Fleet Admiral, I don't think we can go wrong."

The villagers whispered among themselves.

The old village chief quietly listened to their words.

As he absorbed the information, his cloudy old eyes began to glisten with understanding.

Supporting poor women, encouraging marriage with soldiers,

Establishing Marine Banks worldwide with the backing of wealth and Marine reputation,

Significantly increasing soldiers' salaries and benefits,

Providing subsidies for soldiers' families…

These were all things he had never heard of in his more than 80 years of life.

What struck him most was how successful each initiative had been.

Although he was old and his thoughts had slowed, his mind was still sharp.

Years of experience had taught him the power of such carefully planned steps.

"This Fleet Admiral is very different from those before him."

"Maybe, just maybe, the era of pirates could end under his leadership!"

The old village chief muttered to himself as he stared at Akira's face on the newspaper cover.

In the second half of the Grand Line…

"Brother Kaido, there's big news from the Marines."

Inside Wano Country, King held a few newspapers and approached Kaido, handing them over.

"Marines?"

Kaido, who had been staring at a pile of withered, deformed leaves, stirred slightly.

He took the newspaper and began to read it carefully.

Minutes ticked by.

For some reason, Kaido kept reading, his expression hardening.

"King, do you think this liar Akira became Fleet Admiral because he stole money from us?"

King swallowed nervously. Although Kaido's tone was calm, he could sense the hidden rage and murderous intent beneath it.

The Heart Demon Akira's Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon abilities had already spread across the sea.

And the distinct deformed leaves that could not be disguised were well known too.

It had been so long since they were swindled out of more than 100 billion berries, and they still hadn't figured out who was behind it.

"I'm not sure!" 

King took a deep breath, shook his head, and said, "But I heard from the underworld that the Marines were really short on money before."

Boom!

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kaido's pent-up rage exploded uncontrollably.

The wind howled as Kaido's eyes radiated pure killing intent.

"That lying scumbag, ahhh! I'm going to kill him!"

"Brother Kaido, calm down, calm down! Marineford is extremely dangerous—even the Golden Lion couldn't escape from there."

"Do you expect me to just swallow this?"

"When we've gathered enough strength, or find the right moment, we can go and settle the score with him."

The massive dragon that covered the sky finally reverted to Kaido's human form.

No matter how impulsive Kaido was, he knew that Marineford was a fortress that neither he nor the entire Beasts Pirates could overcome.

If he charged in recklessly out of anger for being cheated, he would definitely fall into a trap.

Unless Garp and Sengoku weren't around, then maybe he could attempt it—to reclaim what was taken and give Akira, who swindled them out of more than 100 billion berries, a taste of his fury.

But for now, it wasn't possible.

Kaido sat down heavily, grabbed a large barrel of sake from the side, and guzzled it down.

The strong scent of alcohol immediately wafted from his body.

"Woooh, my berries… That damn Akira, how dare he!"

"Does he know what we've been through lately? Woo woo woo… hiccup."

"I've been so broke that I can only afford one barrel of sake a day."

Seeing Kaido sobbing like a child after getting drunk, King covered his masked face.

Meanwhile, another great pirate who had also been deceived learned of the news that Akira had become Fleet Admiral.

"Katakuri, have you found the whereabouts of those races?"

Big Mom slammed the table, her eyes as large as copper bells glaring forward, and demanded in a harsh voice.

Katakuri sighed, "Mama, those were all fakes."

"Kuros, elves, angels, ghouls… None of those races exist."

"I even captured someone from the World Government and asked them. No one had ever heard of this so-called kingdom."

Katakuri was exasperated.

Ever since she saw those races that day, even though Big Mom knew she had been scammed, she couldn't let go of her obsession with those races.

Because of this, she had sent all her sons to search for any trace of those groups.

"If those races don't exist, then how did the Marine Fleet Admiral conjure them up?"

"Didn't the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia say that the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon ability can only copy people from memory?"

"If he hadn't seen them in the world, he wouldn't have been able to replicate them. Have you really searched thoroughly?"

Big Mom was stubborn; even if her son denied what she believed, she wouldn't accept it.

She picked up the newspaper, pointed to Akira's photo, and questioned him repeatedly.

"This..." Katakuri hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

Indeed, the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia doesn't lie—the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon ability can only replicate characters from memory.

And if it can be copied, it means the user must have seen it somewhere in the world before.

But...

They couldn't find anything, no matter how hard they searched.

During this time, they had exhausted all their resources, connections, and influence, and still, there was nothing.

No clues at all.

Katakuri pursed his lips, knowing full well that if he couldn't provide a satisfactory answer, he'd be in serious trouble.

Seeing Big Mom's increasingly dangerous expression, a sudden idea flashed in his mind.

"Mama, I think those races must be hidden by him or the World Government."

"After all, those races aren't just rare in appearance but also in their abilities," Katakuri continued. "Even the most common members of the Mink Tribe, if used properly, can be incredibly powerful in the dark."

"But, Mama, don't worry. The Marines will eventually use these hidden races. When we catch wind of it, we can strike and capture them ourselves."

After a long, tense discussion, Katakuri finally emerged from the room. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. He had managed to convince Big Mom, but it had taken everything he had.

"Is Marine insane? Letting someone like him become Fleet Admiral?" Katakuri muttered as he held the newspaper, frowning. "He can deceive even pirates—what kind of person has no bottom line?"

It was becoming clear to him that Akira was behind the recent wave of deceit sweeping the world.

"We can't broadcast the fact that we were conned, but there's no way Marine's new Fleet Admiral can keep this under wraps."

"I'd like to see how he plans to salvage his reputation."

Katakuri crushed the newspaper in his hand and pulled out his Den Den Mushi.

During this whole scam, the Big Mom Pirates had been swindled out of more than 100 billion berries, and they had been conned twice—first by the fake "I, Roger need Money" scam, and then with the shape-shifting leaves that were used to sell nonexistent races.

Was this a joke? Did they think the Big Mom Pirates could be plucked like sheep?

Katakuri couldn't let this go. If he couldn't go to Marineford to confront the new Fleet Admiral directly, he would make sure Akira felt the repercussions.

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~

The Den Den Mushi connected.

Before the other side could speak, Katakuri said sharply, "This is Katakuri. I've got some big news about Marine's new Fleet Admiral. Interested?"

Meanwhile, on the Moby Dick…

"The new Fleet Admiral isn't Sengoku?" Whitebeard asked, surprised, as he read the newspaper in his hands.

He had been dealing with Sengoku for decades, and they knew each other well.

Over the past two months, Whitebeard had received bits and pieces of information suggesting that Marine might change its Fleet Admiral. There were even rumors of an unfamiliar acting Fleet Admiral, but Whitebeard hadn't paid much attention to it. After all, in his mind, Sengoku was the obvious choice for the position, given his experience, strength, and cunning.

But he hadn't expected the newspaper to deliver such surprising and shocking news today.

"This Heart demon Akira… What exactly did he do?"

"To defeat Sengoku and claim the title of Fleet Admiral?"

Whitebeard's curiosity was piqued.

Unfortunately, after reading several newspapers multiple times, he found nothing about Sengoku.

Instead, the articles were filled with records of Akira's achievements since he joined the Marines six years ago.

"Should I ask someone?" Whitebeard thought to himself.

At that moment, Marco flew down from the sky and landed in front of him with a worried expression.

"Dad, you need to see Jozu."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He hasn't smiled since he returned, and the ship's doctor says he might have a mental issue."

Whitebeard's face tightened.

Well, he needed to take care of his son's problems first.

*****

On a distant island, Doflamingo was also reading the newspaper.

"Trebol, how's Vergo doing?"

"Doffy, he's successfully integrated into the Marine Base."

"Excellent! Send some pirates his way so he can prove himself."

Doflamingo set down the newspaper with a slight smile on his face. "I want this new Fleet Admiral to notice Vergo's potential as soon as possible."

"I think…"

"That this demon is in desperate need of loyal subordinates right now!"