Chapter 102: Admiral Candidate, Codename: Shikiryū!

After Sengoku officially announced Kaito as an Admiral candidate, the conference room fell silent once again. The gathered officers glanced at each other, clearly wanting to say something, but unsure of what.

Zephyr, Tsuru, and Gion were the first to speak up, raising their hands almost simultaneously to express their full support for the decision. They made it clear that they had no objections and firmly backed Kaito's appointment.

Onigumo, recently returned from recovery, and several others seated near him, all instinctively turned their gazes toward Akainu, who remained silent.

Meanwhile, some looked to Aokiji.

Due to age, Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru had all subtly started retreating from frontline responsibilities. That left Akainu and Aokiji as the de facto leaders of the two largest factions within the Marines.

Akainu finally broke his silence. This was not a moment to remain quiet. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly opened his mouth:

"I agree with nominating Uchiha Kaito as an Admiral candidate. Whether it's his strength or his sense of justice, both have earned my recognition."

With that, he fell silent again. Seeing Akainu's approval, Onigumo and the others decided there was no need to raise any further objections and voiced their agreement with the proposal.

Aokiji gave Akainu a surprised look. He hadn't expected someone as stern and cold as Akainu to hold Kaito in such high regard.

Truthfully, Akainu's impression of Kaito was quite positive. For Akainu, the very first requirement to acknowledge someone was their strength. After all, what good is "Absolute Justice" without the power to uphold it?

And Kaito's strength was already well-known—it was right there for all to see. He fully qualified to be on Akainu's radar. Akainu had been paying close attention to him ever since the end-of-year exam at the training camp.

More than Kaito's current power, what truly impressed Akainu was the speed of his growth. Back when he defeated Tokikake, it was already a solid testament to his strength. But compared to true top-tier combatants, there was still a gap.

Yet now, Kaito had managed to take down the Golden Lion head-on. Even Akainu had to admit that such growth potential far exceeded the current Admirals.

More importantly, it was Kaito's attitude toward pirates that won Akainu over. This was the trait Akainu valued most. If someone had overwhelming power but showed unwarranted mercy toward pirates, then what was the point of that power?

The photograph of Kaito snapping the Golden Lion's neck was, in Akainu's view, the ultimate proof of qualification. That was exactly what a Marine commander should do.

For pirates guilty of heinous crimes, there was no need to waste resources locking them away in Impel Down—execution on the spot was the most appropriate response!

As for concerns about Kaito's age or lack of seniority, Akainu scoffed at the idea. Dignity and rank are earned through strength. If you don't have what it takes, then don't dream of gaining what doesn't belong to you.

The fewer deadweight freeloaders in the Marines, the better.

Of course, Akainu didn't dislike Kizaru. In fact, they got along fairly well—after all, they had been classmates. Akainu also acknowledged Kizaru's strength. Even in the original anime, after Akainu became Fleet Admiral, Kizaru was the one who often volunteered for high-stakes missions.

Akainu wasn't devoid of emotion—his cold demeanor just often masked it.

Once Akainu gave his approval, Aokiji didn't raise any objections either. His opinion of Kaito was even better. If nothing else, during that mission to assist Zephyr, Kaito had left a deep impression on him.

Kaito's approach might resemble Akainu's "Absolute Justice," but Aokiji knew there was a fundamental difference between them.

Kaito had never harmed a civilian. On the contrary, during battle, he would deliberately take measures to ensure civilian safety. The pirates he killed were mostly irredeemable scum.

For those who didn't deserve death, Kaito often chose to spare them.

And the trait Aokiji admired most about Kaito—he genuinely looked out for his own people.

Whenever someone close to him was in danger, Kaito always did everything in his power to help. The most prominent example was when he saved Fleet Admiral Sengoku's adoptive son, Corazon.

Even though Corazon had no connection to Kaito, he had gone through the trouble of safely escorting him and the child back. Surely, Sengoku's influence played a part, but who wouldn't want to befriend someone like Kaito?

What surprised Aokiji, though, was how decisively Akainu had voiced his agreement. He had expected Akainu to object—and was even preparing to argue with him.

If that had happened, this conference room would've once again become a battlefield of ice and magma.

Sengoku also shot a surprised glance at both Aokiji and Akainu, thinking to himself that Kaito really had a talent for winning people over. All the better—this way, he wouldn't have to struggle to maintain order.

As for Kizaru, he wasn't worth considering in this case. The man was a classic two-faced type. Now that both sides had agreed, what more was there to say?

Off to the side, Gion tilted her head curiously and asked:

"Then, what's Kaito's codename?"

The role of Admiral candidate practically guaranteed that Kaito would eventually become an Admiral. And Admirals always had codenames.

The standard format was a color combined with an animal—it had become tradition in the Navy.

It wasn't just Gion who wanted to know. Akainu and Aokiji also looked toward Sengoku. For an Admiral, a codename was a symbol—something that couldn't be chosen lightly.

Sengoku nodded and said in a deep voice:

"As for Kaito's codename, let's wait for him to return to HQ and let him decide. For now—"

"Let's go with Shikiryū!"

Bzzzt!

A burst of electricity crackled through the air, and Kaito's figure appeared in the middle of the conference room. He scanned the room with a quick glance...

And then his gaze settled on Gion. He smiled.

"Kaito (Vice Admiral)!"

Gasps rang out around the room—his sudden entrance had startled everyone.

Akainu and the others stared blankly at Kaito, who still had arcs of lightning dancing around him. The same thought flashed across their minds:

"Lightning? Was that elemental transformation just now? Did he acquire the Pop-Pop Fruit? No... was it the Goro Goro no Mi—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"

If that were true...

Akainu and Aokiji's expressions turned serious. As fellow top-tier Logia users, they knew all too well how terrifying that fruit was.

Lightning combined the speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, the destructive force of the Magma-Magma Fruit, and the control of the Ice-Ice Fruit. It was easily among the most powerful Logia-class Devil Fruits.

Even a weakling could dominate a sea with it—let alone someone as powerful as Kaito.

Sengoku and Gion, meanwhile, were already certain that Kaito had acquired the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. They were aware of the unique traits of his abilities.

Now that this top-tier Logia Fruit had been secured by the Navy, Sengoku couldn't help but feel even better. He glanced at Garp, who was happily munching on senbei, and even that sight seemed adorable.

In high spirits, Sengoku turned to Kaito and asked why he chose that codename.

Kaito replied with a smile:

"My eyes are purple. And in my hometown there is a sacred animal that brings good luck to those around it. I like that... so I went with Shikiryū."

By "hometown," Kaito was referring to Earth. He didn't even know if qilins existed in the One Piece world.

Everyone in the room instinctively nodded. It did sound nice. Maybe, just maybe, they'd catch some of that luck and one day have a breakthrough of their own—maybe even become Admirals.

Gion stepped forward and gently brushed the stray hair from Kaito's forehead. Smiling, she said:

"Then let me congratulate you in advance... Admiral Shikiryū!"

(T/N: Next I will explain why the codename is Shikiryū, in One Piece, Admiral codenames strictly follow the "Color + Animal" format in Japanese-style phrasing, like: Akainu – Red Dog, Aokiji – Blue Pheasant, Kizaru – Yellow Monkey. The original Chinese author's text gives a codename which literally translates to "Purple Qilin". So I use Shikiryū - Purple Qilin.)

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