User blog comment:StrawKid/Does anybody think there's a possibility of Smoker being one of the new marine admirals/@comment-3242083-20120106130309

I believe Smoker is supposed to be the future Fleet Admiral, replacing the corrupt Akainu at the end of the story.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if he is already an Admiral (or becomes one midway through Luffy's journey in the New World).