"Hurry up and count the goods. Let's get this deal done."
"Hmph! This time, I've come in person. If the Capone family dares to show up, they won't be leaving alive."
Bonanno Petrov was full of confidence. Not only had he brought a large number of gunners with him, but he had also deployed forces throughout the nearby waters.
Any unknown ship spotted would be immediately intercepted and warned.
If the Capone family sent too many people, they'd retreat.
If only a few showed up, they'd wipe them out completely.
They were prepared for both offense and defense.
Of course, he believed there wouldn't be any issues this time around.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
"No one's leaving? I'd say you're the ones with no chance of going back."
"Looks like we got lucky today, caught ourselves a big fish."
Dressed sharply in a suit and tie, Capone Bege strolled over with a cigar in his mouth and his hands clasped behind his back.
"Capone Bege?! What are you doing here?!"
Bonanno Petrov's expression instantly darkened, shock flooding his heart.
They had locked down the surrounding waters, yet Capone Bege still appeared on the island.
What did that mean?
The other side had arrived at the transaction site even earlier than them!
This wasn't something that could be explained away by a mole anymore.
Petrov began to suspect that Colonel Hammond was playing a double game, pretending to side with them while secretly colluding with the Capone family.
Otherwise, this scene in front of him made no sense at all.
Still, Petrov was a man of deeper cunning. He didn't immediately break ties with the Marine.
Instead, a wild idea sprang to mind!
As long as Capone Bege was taken out here, everything would be over.
Without their backbone, the Capone family wouldn't be able to withstand a full counterattack from the Four Mafia Families.
So, without hesitation, Petrov gave the order: "Open fire! Kill him!"
Countless gun barrels immediately pointed at Capone Bege, ready to riddle him with bullets in the next instant.
But what they didn't know was that inside Capone Bege's body fortress, countless "windows" had already opened, dozens of cannons were aimed right at them.
And the very words Capone Bege had just spoken? They were the command to fire.
In the next moment, dozens of cannonballs shot out from his internal fortress, instantly returning to full size midair.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM...!
A sea of fire erupted in front of Capone Bege.
From beginning to end, he was never alone!
In a single second, the mafia gunmen and Marine present were blown to pieces.
Petrov, godfather of the Bonanno family, was utterly obliterated.
In the next moment, a flood of mafia members jumped out from Capone Bege's internal fortress.
One by one, the miniature men returned to normal human size, each holding a firearm.
The remaining mafia and Marine, seeing how bad the situation was, tried to flee by boat, only to be gunned down on the spot by Capone Bege's men.
Weapons, money, all confiscated!
There were even unexpected gains.
With the death of the Bonanno family's godfather, the family would inevitably fall into chaos.
The dream of unifying the West Blue's underworld was now one step closer.
And it all began with his partnership with that Marine brat.
...
When Colonel Hammond received the news, he was completely stunned.
It was over.
Totally over!
He slumped into his chair, eyes bloodshot like a gambler who had just lost everything.
The biggest issue now wasn't whether he could still cooperate with the Four Mafia Families.
It was that this massive shipment of arms hadn't earned a single Beli, all of it had been stolen!
If he couldn't patch up this hole fast, he was dead.
The infamous Donquixote Family wouldn't spare him just because he was a Marine colonel.
The only reason they agreed to ship the goods before receiving payment was because of his official status.
Now he says the goods were stolen and he has no money?
He'd be sleeping with the fish by tomorrow.
Resist?
Don't kid yourself.
They had far too much dirt on him, each piece enough to ruin him and land him on the gallows.
Even without that leverage, he was in no position to challenge a Warlord of the Sea.
What to do?
Only one way, pay up.
Yes, as long as he paid for the goods quickly, there wouldn't be a problem.
He'd skimmed plenty off the top over the years.
But when it came down to actually spending it, he hesitated.
After all, that was most of his savings.
Make money!
He had to make a lot of money, fast!
Eyes red, Colonel Hammond began plotting other ways to cover this massive loss.
Then, a piece of "inside information" sent the entire base into chaos.
Several vacant positions, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, and Warrant Officer, would be up for auction in five days, conducted through sealed bids.
Cross-rank bidding wasn't allowed.
but if you were a rich Private First Class, you could bid for a Warrant Officer position, then bid again for Staff Sergeant, and even for Sergeant, making a three-rank leap!
It was insane!
Of course, regular Marine soldiers couldn't afford that kind of money.
This "benefit" was clearly aimed at the wealthy and noble children who held honorary Marine titles
Those who weren't short on cash, but needed connections to Marine higher-ups to get things done.
Usually, things didn't go this far.
But then things really escalated.
Not just NCO positions, even officer ranks were up for auction.
Three Lieutenants, five Ensigns, and ten Warrant Officers…
Ten days from now
Highest bidder wins!
Which meant the NCO auction in five days was just an appetizer
A ticket to the real prize: commissioned ranks!
The rich would never let such a golden opportunity slip by.
...
"Has Colonel Hammond gone mad?!"
"This is outright madness!"
Buck gritted his teeth, not because he had just spent all his money recently and now couldn't afford to bid.
Jay laughed, "If even you can see he's lost his mind, it means he's completely lost control. He's not far from getting canned."
Buck wasn't convinced. "Huh? It's not that serious, is it? Stuff like this happens all the time, it's just a bit more intense this round."
"Just wait. West Blue isn't some place where our dear Colonel gets to run the show unchecked. If he really pulls off this auction, do you think the Marine will have any credibility left?"
"So… we're not participating?"
"Of course not. Pretend we don't know. These ranks aren't as easy to buy as they look."
"Haha! Great. I can't wait to see those bastards flush their money down the drain."
Hearing Jay say that, Buck felt much better, and even started to enjoy the misfortune of others.
Jay had been hoping to earn another promotion with Colonel Hammond's help, but now that the man had made such a desperate, foolish move and was on his way out, there was nothing more to be done.