"Early?! And we're eting Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Commander-in-Chief Kong?!"
Monet couldn't help but exclaim at Kizaru's words.
For soone who had been an ordinary villager not long ago, the idea of eting so of the most powerful figures in the world in less than two months left her with a sense of unreality.
Kizaru, naturally understanding her reaction, chuckled and reply.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Commander-in-Chief Kong specifically requested both of you—Monet, the Snow-Snow Fruit user, and Jake, the Zoan-type Mythical Seraphim. That's the exact ssage the Den Den Mushi relayed.
Oh, and by the way, with the Admiral position now vacant, the promotion will likely happen within the next six months. You two are the bets Sakazuki and I have placed—don't drop the ball at the critical mont."
Though Jake was surprised, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Still, he couldn't suppress the excitent bubbling up inside, and it showed plainly on his face.
Noticing Jake's grin, Kizaru teased in a lighthearted tone.
"You little brat. That 'big gift' you ntioned—Sakazuki and I were speculating what it could be. We thought it might be so unique Devil Fruit ability developnt, or maybe you'd found a cure for Flevance's plague. But we never imagined you'd actually awakened Conqueror's Haki. So, spill—when did it happen?"
Monet pinched Jake's arm in mock annoyance, scowling as she added.
"Yeah, you even kept it from ! How annoying!"
Faced with this, Jake wasn't quite sure how to explain, so he resorted to the prepared explanation he'd thought of earlier, addressing Kizaru and Monet.
"Actually, mastering Conqueror's Haki happened on the very day I ntioned having a big gift for you. Before that, I couldn't even release it properly, so I wasn't very confident and didn't ntion it to you or Monet."
"To be honest, even when I clashed Conqueror's Haki with Katakuri yesterday, it was more luck than skill that allowed to release it. As for when I awakened it, that would be just a few days ago.
While training my Observation Haki, I suddenly sensed another energy within besides Armant Haki—sothing unexplainable. Rembering what Borsalino-sensei had said about Conqueror's Haki, I made an educated guess."
Since neither Kizaru nor Monet possessed Conqueror's Haki, they couldn't tell if Jake was being truthful.
But after so thought, they realized Jake had no reason to lie to them, so they dropped the subject.
Kizaru nodded, stroking his stubbled chin before scratching his head and continuing.
"If that's the case, I'm not blaming you. But now that you've awakened Conqueror's Haki, you're destined to beco one of the Marine's top brass. Combined with your partnership with that Morgans fellow, you've basically beco the talk of the Marines. Let's just say you're officially famous now. Do you realize how much pressure cos with that kind of reputation?"
Kizaru's usually lecherous expression turned uncharacteristically serious, his eyes gleaming with an unfamiliar intensity.
Jake nodded, then t Kizaru's gaze with equal sincerity.
"Believe , Borsalino-sensei, I'll make sure my strength lives up to my reputation."
After studying Jake's eyes for a few seconds, Kizaru suddenly chuckled.
He leaned back in his chair, stretching lazily.
"Pressure's good, but don't let it strangle you. If it gets too much, just say the word. Once I get promoted to Admiral soon, my achievents won't matter as much—I can toss you a few to lighten your load. Rember, too much pressure changes people. I like you as you are now, so don't overdo it."
His words ward both Jake and Monet's hearts.
They stood and bowed deeply in unison.
After discussing so Marine Headquarters protocols, Kizaru rose to leave.
But just before stepping out, he turned back and tossed two certificate-like docunts from his coat.
"Oh right~ These are your rewards from Marine Headquarters for flawlessly resolving the Gourt Town incident~ Combined with the newspaper coverage, your promotions are practically unprecedented~ Well then, I'll be off~ Lieutenant Jake, Ensign Monet~"
Without waiting to see their stunned expressions, Kizaru sauntered out the door.
The two who remained in the dormitory stared at the positions marked on the certificates with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
Jake had jumped directly from Chief Petty Officer to Lieutenant, bypassing five ranks: Master Chief Petty Officer, Warrant Officer, Ensign and Lieutenant Junior Grade, straight to Lieutenant!
Monet, anwhile, had skipped five ranks, becoming an Ensign!
And these weren't just ordinary branch Lieutenants or Ensigns—both of their gold-embossed appointnt letters bore the unmistakable words "Headquarters" at the front.
The difference between branch and headquarters positions was three ranks.
In other words, Jake was now equivalent to a branch Captain, while Monet was equivalent to a branch Commander!
No wonder Kizaru had remarked that their promotion speed was unprecedented in Marine history!
Still, given their current strength, such positions weren't inappropriate.
Moreover, facing the Big Mom Pirates in Gourt Town was a feat substantial enough to warrant such leaps in rank.
Yet, as Jake looked at the words on the appointnt letter, he still found it sowhat unbelievable.
Especially because, beneath Jake's appointnt letter, there was a form for him to fill in his specific physical data—this was to tailor a custom "Justice" cape for him.
In the Marines, those ranked Lieutenant and above could bear the words "Justice" on their backs.
Captain and higher typically paired their Justice coats with suits as the standard, while officers at the rank of Lieutenant and below couldn't use this combination.
Under their Justice coats, they could wear either their private clothes or Marine uniforms, but not custom-tailored suits.
First-Class Sean to Third-Class Sean were required to wear standard Marine uniforms—the typical grunt attire often seen.
Petty Officers to Ensigns could wear their casual clothes or Marine uniforms, but nothing too extravagant.
At the very least, they couldn't dress in a way that made them look like pirates.
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