As soon as Shyarly's voice fell, Cudius ughed and said, "See? It seems Little Sister Shyarly's ability is quite powerful and very accurate, Sengoku."

  Sengoku chuckled modestly, waving his hand as he replied, "Yhness, don't tease me. It's just a ce."

  Although Sengoku spoke with humility, the subtle joy written across his face betrayed his true feelings.

  Iy, this wasn't much of a secret, at least not among seniures in the Wover like Cudius and Sengoku. Whether it was Kong or the Five Elders, everyone had long been grooming Sengoku to asd to the position of Fleet Admiral.

  Currently, Sengoku was the only Admiral who fulfilled the ditions for promotion. To qualify as a Marine Fleet Admiral, one must first serve as an Admiral, and Sengoku was the sole active Admiral at the moment.

  Zephyr, the former Admiral, had retired years ago to head the Marine Officer Training Camp, where he now traihe geion of Marines. Meanwhile, the position of Admiral that was meant farp remained vat sihe man stubbornly refused the role. Garp's reje was so absolute that the idea of him being Fleet Admiral was entirely out of the question.

  Tsuru, while highly capable, had no i in being Marine Fleet Admiral either. Among those most qualified, Sengoku was the only oh eligible and willing. He was also the most suitable didate in terms of temperament and experience.

  This is why Cudius, after hearing Shyarly predict Sengoku's promotion in the "near future," praised her ability—it was essentially a firmation of what everyone already expected.

  The mention of the "near future" meant Sengoku's promotion was immi.

  As Cudius thought about this, he couldn't help but refle how Sengoku's rise would so major ges to Marihe vat Admiral positions would o be filled quickly, and the didates for those roles were already established.

  There were five tenders: Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Gion, and Tokikake.

  Among them, Sakazuki had openly expressed his ambition to bee an Admiral. He was driven and fident in his abilities.

  Borsalino, oher hand, took a much more rexed approach. His attitude could be summed up as: If they offer me the position, I'll take it. If not, I'll just tinue being Vice Admiral.

  Kuzan, while not as eager as Sakazuki, also quietly hoped to be promoted.

  As fion, she showed little i in being Admiral. Despite her qualifications, her ck of enthusiasm for the role was evident. She seldom participated in Admiral-reted training and clearly had no iion of peting for the title.

  Lastly, Tokikake, while skilled, shared a certain carefree attitude with Garp. He wasn't motivated by ambition and seemed indifferent to the prospect of being an Admiral.

  Based on what Cudius remembered from the inal timeline and the current developments, he was fident the new Admirals would be Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan. These three were poised to lead Mario a new era of strength and authority.

  With this lineup, Marine would undoubtedly experience signifit growth and development in the five to ten years.

  After Sengoku's reading was plete, the group shifted back to lighthearted versation. Stussy, Mero, and the others were so Cudius to give Shyarly's ability a try. Despite some initial reluce, Cudius eventually agreed.

  Shyarly began her usual process, pg her hands on the crystal ball. However, to everyone's surprise, nothing happehe crystal ball remained dim, showing none of the glowing light from earlier readings.

  fused, Shyarly tried again and again, but the results were the same. Finally, she spoke, her tone puzzled. "It's strahere's no respo all. I 't see Big Brother Cudius's future."

  Lenny stepped in quickly to reassure her. "You've been using your ability a lot today, Shyarly. Maybe you're just tired. It's okay if it doesn't work, don't bme yourself."

  Cudius nodded with a gentle smile. "Exactly. It's no big deal. Holy, I've already seen enough of my own future."

  His words were meant to fort, but deep down, Cudius was genuinely curious. Shyarly's expnation soon gave him something to think about.

  "It's not a failure," Shyarly insisted, shaking her head. "This is… different. It's not like the times when my ability simply fails. It feels like… there's nothing there. Like something is actively blog me from seeing you. It's as if your future does, it's being devoured."

  Her words made Cudius pause. He rubbed his thoughtfully. Was this because he wasn't truly a part of this world? After all, his soul came from another ptirely. If he was, in a sense, a "dead man," it would make sehat his future was obscured.

  In any case, he saw this as a good thing. If some unseen force roteg him from being spied on, it was better thaernative.

  Still, Cudius didn't dwell on it for long. With a casual wave of his hand, he ughed it off. "Maybe it's because I'm too handsome for the future to handle. Hahaha! Let's not overthink it."

  The group quickly moved on from the topic, treating the failed reading as little more than a minor oddity. They tio enjoy their coffee and versation, and even Sengoku had fully rexed into the atmosphere.

  Sengoku couldn't help but marvel at how much he had ged retly. The more time he spent with Cudius, the more he felt his perspective shifting.

  There was something about Cudius, an ineffable quality that seemed to influence everyone around him. People who stayed in his orbit iably ged, though whether for better or worse for debate.

  For Sengoku, the ge felt positive. He found himself feeling younger in spirit, less rigid in his thinking. In the past, he would have approached someone like Shyarly with purely strategitent, seeing her as an asset for Marine. Yet now, he felt no desire to exploit her gift.

  Sengoku didn't know if this newfound mi was entirely a good thing, but for the moment, he was tent to let it be.

  In the days that followed, Cudius held several more discussions with Princess Otohime and Kiune, solidifying a number of agreements.

  One of the most signifit deals involved the liberation of the remaining Fish-Man sves in Mariejois. Cudius assured uhat these individuals would be gradually freed until the number of ensved Fish-Men reached "zero."

  Ohis task was plete, Cudius anticipated earning a great deal of goodwill from the people of Fish-Man Isnd. With this trust established, he po move forward with CP-X and Marine's efforts to reform the wless Fish-Man District.

  However, one key obstacle remaihe unruly leaders of Fish-Man District. T them under trol, Cudius would need someone capable of anding their respect.

  Fortunately, he already had someone in mind—Fisher Tiger.

  Currently imprisoned in Mariejois, Fisher Tiger was a wildcard. Cudius had initially debated killing him ht to prevent the infamous Mariejois fire that would threaten his own home. But now, he saw a better opportunity.

  "e work for me, Fisher Tiger," Cudius thought with a sly smile. "Let's see if we rewrite your story."