"This is what you call showing respect for your elders, huh…"
Kuzan let out a wry laugh, glancing down at the tattered remains of his uniform.
He looked more like a beggar than an Admiral at the moment.
"I already held back," Noah replied casually.
"After all, it was just a friendly spar."
"You weren't going all out either, were you, big bro Kuzan?"
With a light hop, Amamiya Noah landed beside Kuzan, gently waving his hand to scatter the dust lingering in the air.
His clothes were pristine, completely untouched by the chaos.
The stark contrast between him and Kuzan was almost comical.
"Looks like I underestimated you," Kuzan muttered, placing a hand on Noah's shoulder.
Noah glanced down at the large, sooty handprint now marring his spotless clothes, and his expression darkened slightly.
This bastard. Clearly payback.
Leaving a black smudge like that before they'd even left the battlefield?
Guess I'll have to change clothes as soon as we get back…
"Let's go. If that old geezer Sengoku starts yelling later, you're taking the blame."
Noah chuckled, nudging Kuzan forward as they walked away from the wreckage.
Behind them, the Thousand-Armed Buddha still stood tall amid the ruins.
Whatever they decided to rebuild there had nothing to do with Noah anymore.
As the two emerged, a crowd of Marines quickly surrounded them.
But before anyone else could step forward, the medics rushed over, only for Kuzan to wave them off.
He wasn't some delicate flower.
He was an Admiral, after all.
He hadn't actually suffered any serious injuries, just looked like hell.
Noah, on the other hand, could feel the countless gazes fixated on him.
Until now, he'd flown under the radar.
But at this moment, it was as if he were the shining star of the entire Marine force.
Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals alike were looking at him with admiration in their eyes.
He had become their idol.
"Tch. Great, now I've got another rival."
Tsuru's protégé, Gion, stood in the crowd, arms crossed and clearly annoyed.
She hadn't expected that lazy, good-for-nothing guy to actually win.
And so decisively at that. He completely overwhelmed Kuzan.
Didn't even give him a chance to fight back.
It was obvious. From this day on, Noah would be one of the Navy's most closely watched talents.
He was practically guaranteed the next Admiral seat.
Gion had worked toward that goal for years.
And now, he'd cut in line.
"Noah! You made way too much of a scene!"
Sengoku stormed over, veins bulging on his forehead, jowls quivering with rage.
"Come on, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if you're gonna yell at someone, yell at Kuzan!"
Noah laughed, grabbing Kuzan by the arm and pulling him forward like a human shield.
"He's the one who brought it up. He wanted a friendly spar."
"But you know how it is at our level. There's no such thing as 'light' sparring."
Noah pointed straight at Kuzan, the picture of innocence.
Kuzan stood there, stunned.
He was seriously being thrown under the bus like this?
"This how you treat your big bro now?"
Kuzan's face twisted into an expression of betrayal.
Using him as a meat shield?
"All right, that's enough from you two," Tsuru interjected calmly.
She wore a gentle smile, but when she looked at Noah, her gaze was full of warmth, like a mother-in-law eyeing a promising son-in-law.
The more she looked at him, the more satisfied she felt.
Noah reminded her of Garp.
Maybe even someone who could surpass him one day.
After all, he was still young.
He hadn't even reached his peak yet.
When that day came, he just might be the one to drive pirates off the seas entirely.
To plant the flag of justice in every corner of the world.
"Noah, the Five Elders are proposing a fourth Admiral seat."
"What do you think?"
Tsuru asked the question in front of everyone.
Now that they had witnessed Noah's true strength, she truly believed the Navy could, and should, appoint one more Admiral.
Noah wasn't lacking in power.
And his presence alone could be enough to suppress the pirates of the New World.
Right now, the Navy was at a disadvantage across the seas.
Noah stepping into the spotlight would boost morale everywhere.
Sengoku and Garp blinked in surprise.
They hadn't heard a word about this proposal before.
But neither of them spoke up to stop Tsuru.
A fourth Admiral position would be a massive boon to the Navy's strength.
As long as Noah agreed, not even the Five Elders could oppose it.
"Make Noah an Admiral?"
Zephyr gave a small smile, glancing at the scheming trio.
They were probably in for disappointment.
That kid Noah had absolutely zero interest in becoming an Admiral.
If he wanted the title, he would've stepped forward a long time ago.
"Nope. Not interested."
Noah waved it off without hesitation.
The whole idea of a fourth Admiral didn't appeal to him in the slightest.
"Huh?!"
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
The surrounding Marines stared at him in disbelief.
They had thought this was a dream come true.
Someone who had joined the Navy just three years ago, now ascending to Admiral?
The whole sea would go wild.
It would've been a massive blow to the pirate world.
But Noah just turned it down.
Flat.
An opportunity that countless people would kill for, and he rejected it on the spot.
Many thought he must've misspoken.
But Noah was serious.
"Noah, are you sure?"
Sengoku's voice was tight with barely restrained frustration.
He had truly expected Noah to accept without a second thought.
Almost no one ever refused the title of Admiral.
Only one person had ever done it before, and that was the old man standing beside him now.
And now here came Noah.
Another headache for the Navy.
"Of course I'm sure."
Noah smiled, glancing at Garp.
"My dream is to be just like Vice Admiral Garp."
"Serving the Navy as a Vice Admiral is more than enough for me."
He even gave Garp a cheeky wink.
Garp looked puzzled at first, but then realized. Was Noah… praising him?
And when Noah rejected the Admiral seat so cleanly, Garp couldn't help but think...
Damn. This kid's cool.
It reminded him of Kuzan back in the day.
So chill. So sharp. So damn cool.
He must've looked just as awesome back then too.
"Hahaha! Good kid. You've got taste!"
Garp laughed heartily, slapping Noah on the back.
Didn't think the kid was one of his secret fans.
He was genuinely excited now.
So many things could be set in motion with this.
"Garp! Shut up!"
Sengoku couldn't take it anymore and roared at him.
With a Lion's Roar so fierce it shook all of Marineford into silence.
The Marines around them stiffened in fear.
Sengoku's face was pitch black with fury.
There went his image…
"What are you all crowding around here for?"
"Back to work! Noah, come with me. We've got a meeting!"
Still fuming, Sengoku dispersed the crowd and ordered the surrounding officers to leave.
Most of them had already finished their duties and were loitering anyway.
Seeing that the Fleet Admiral was clearly in a bad mood, they quickly scattered.
In the blink of an eye, only a few key officers remained.