Chapter 748: Who Is He? He

As Colonel Ta Li's voice fell silent.

The entire venue plunged into deathly silence.

The previously roaring, bustling atmosphere.

Suddenly became utterly still.

So silent it was horrifying.

Standing beside Ta Li,

over three hundred elite navy personnel now stared blankly at the white-clad boy before Ta Li.

The boy appeared to be no more than five years old.

Very young,

and extremely immature.

His freshly worn plain white robe resembled an elegant white tailcoat.

Upon returning to Windmill Village, Lu En had already changed into a new set of clothes.

As the saying goes,

when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Lu En was not wearing the navy's righteous greatcoat today.

Therefore,

at first glance, no one could have imagined.

that the five-year-old Lu En was in fact a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters!

Thus,

when Ta Li's words landed, they instantly shocked every elite navy member present.

Their eyes widened to the size of saucers, faces frozen in stunned, horrified disbelief— their gazes locked immovably on the white-clad boy ahead.

They were paralyzed with fear.

What?

What's going on?

What did Colonel Ta Li just say?

What did he call that five-year-old boy?!

Gulp!

A group of navy personnel involuntarily swallowed hard, staring dumbly at Ta Li and Lu En.

At this moment,

their entire worldview was utterly rewritten.

They were all recruits from a Marine branch in the East Blue, merely ordinary members stationed at the East Blue branch, nothing more.

Many events occurring across the seas were naturally unknown to them, being confined to the East Blue.

In short,

as ordinary navy members of a routine East Blue branch, they mostly dealt with petty pirates of the East Blue.

In normal circumstances, even encountering a pirate with a bounty over one million Berries was an extremely rare event.

On a daily basis,

they knew virtually nothing about what transpired in the Grand Line.

Naturally, they found the five-year-old Lu En utterly unfamiliar.

"Is this… really not an illusion?"

"Did Colonel Ta Li just…?"

"Call that five-year-old boy a Vice Admiral?!"

"Are you sure?"

"Is this real?"

"A five-year-old Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters? Is this the great person Colonel Ta Li mentioned earlier?"

"Oh my god!"

All navy personnel present stood frozen like statues, their spirits violently shaken.

After the truth was revealed,

their emotions grew even more tumultuous.

Clearly,

they had never imagined.

that the supreme being Colonel Ta Li spoke of was merely a five-year-old boy!

"That boy… is the supreme being Colonel Ta Li mentioned?"

"Are you kidding?"

"That my lord from Windmill Village… is this boy?"

"Good heavens…"

"Incredible!"

"Is he really a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters? How can there be a five-year-old Vice Admiral? Is this a joke?"

"In the hundreds of years since the Navy's founding, I've never heard of a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters being born at only five years old!"

"Unprecedented!"

"…"

The entire navy audience was deeply moved and visibly shaken.

They had never heard of such a thing in their lives.

There could be a Navy Headquarters Junior General so young!

One navy officer said in a trembling voice: "I have a feeling the record has already been broken! The record for the youngest Junior General in Navy history must have been shattered!"

"There is no doubt about it!"

"A five-year-old Junior General!"

"I feel this record will stand unbroken for millions of years to come."

With those words spoken.

Still, many navy officers harbored doubts.

Their throats were dry; they timidly looked toward Colonel Ta Li and asked: "Colonel Ta Li, is this true?"

Is he really a five-year-old Junior General?!

If this were truly the case…

Then they could instantly understand.

Why, before this,

Colonel Ta Li, a man of such exalted status, had shown such profound reverence to a mysterious figure returning to Windmill Village.

Of course!

He was a Navy Headquarters Junior General!

That was a Headquarters Junior General.

He was five or six ranks higher than a Navy Branch Colonel!

The two were utterly incomparable.

A Navy Headquarters Junior General ranked even higher than a Navy Branch Vice Admiral.

No wonder.

Colonel Ta Li treated Lu En with such respect!

At this moment,

every navy officer's confusion seemed to dissolve instantly, becoming crystal clear.

"So that's how it is…"

"The supreme being Colonel Ta Li spoke of was a Navy Headquarters Junior General! And even more, the youngest Junior General in history!"

"Now I understand why Colonel Ta Li was so nervous and restrained on this trip."

One by one, navy officers' eyes glazed over.

They stared blankly at the figures of Colonel Ta Li and Lu En.

Even now,

despite having witnessed it with their own eyes, they still could not fathom it.

Colonel Ta Li had addressed a mere five-year-old boy as Junior General!

A five-year-old Junior General!

This had completely overturned their worldview.

"Are you all idiots?!"

"Get over here right now."

"Don't you know how to salute a superior officer?!"

"Have you never learned how to salute a commanding officer in all these years?!"

Seeing the stunned expressions of his navy subordinates, Colonel Ta Li flew into a rage and scolded them furiously.

Instantly,

over three hundred navy officers rushed forward before Colonel Ta Li, heads bowed, too terrified to meet the eyes of the five-year-old Lu En, visibly tense and uneasy.

"Salute, Junior General Lu En!"

Under Colonel Ta Li's lead, the navy officers hastily bowed and greeted him with utmost reverence.

"Hmm."

Seeing the respectful navy officers before him, Lu En gave a slight nod.

He had been waiting for these navy officers for a long time.

That group of bandits…

Naturally needed to be handed over to the navy for detention.

As for him?

He had no time to waste on a bunch of minor thugs.

In comparison,

he was far more interested in the mysterious master of Little Lufei, Ace, and the three brothers.

Unfortunately,

he had just returned to Windmill Village yesterday and had not yet had the chance to meet that ancient-era pirate.