It had been exactly 72 hours since Rear Admiral Ain's Den Den Mushi call announcing bonuses.
During those 72 hours, Secret Dock No. 3 of the G5 Branch witnessed a human miracle, or rather… a "G5 miracle."
First: Secrecy
The moment Ain issued the order, Dock No. 3 and the living quarters of the Pangolin Engineering Battalion were sealed inside and out by three defensive layers of G5's elite Hellhound special forces.
All communication signals, including internal lines, were taken over by Rehn's personal guard, physically isolating the area from any possible intelligence leak.
Every soldier participating in the project was "kindly" informed:
Before the Phase One project passed inspection, anyone, even going to the bathroom, who dared step beyond the security perimeter would be considered to have voluntarily forfeited the fivefold bonus, and would be escorted by the Hellhound unit to solitary confinement to calm down.
Second: Manpower
G5 lacked many things, but it never lacked lunatics and tough men.
At Ain's command, all non-essential combat personnel, off-duty staff, logistics mechanics, and even the Macho Care Squad, led by Potts during their spare caretaking time, were mobilized to Dock No. 3 to perform the simplest work: moving earth and rubble.
Meanwhile, the Pangolin Engineering Battalion unleashed inhuman energy.
They were veteran rogues of G5, top engineers gathered from ruins and black markets across the world.
They had dug underwater tunnels for Impel Down and blasted mining sites belonging to Yonko.
The dual stimulus of fivefold bonuses + fivefold mission allowance ignited the soul of infrastructure construction within them.
"Faster! Faster! Faster!"
"Drill No. 1! Adjust downward by three degrees! We must complete the main load-bearing structure within 12 hours!"
"Team Two! Where's the Seastone rebar mesh?! I want it laid twice as fast!"
"'Giant Elephant' concrete trucks ready! Do not stop for 24 hours! Pour it to the limit!"
72 Hours, Three Days and Three Nights
G5 soldiers rotated in three shifts, people rested, machines never did.
At dawn on the third day, the G5 engineering commander, a one-eyed man covered in grease, wiped sweat and dust from his face and pressed his communicator.
"…Huff… huff… Rear Admiral Ain… the temporary 'Golden Vault' Phase One… is… complete… requesting inspection…"
His voice was hoarse, but filled with incomparable pride and excitement.
.....
When Ain and Nami arrived at the undreground vault entrance, they were stunned.
The former secret port had been entirely repaved.
At its center stood a massive entrance as large as Marineford Plaza.
Its core was a 20-meter-thick special Wapometal alloy gate.
No decoration, only cold metal and the G5 Haiiroyo emblem.
"Rear Admiral Ain, Consultant Nami."
The commander forced a salute.
"The main vault and Isolation Zone No. 1 are complete. Defense standards… absolutely meet your requirements."
Ain nodded and immediately opened her briefcase, taking out G5 Research Institute instruments, laser rangefinders, alloy density scanners, and even a Seastone energy detector.
She inspected meticulously.
"Door thickness: 20.03 meters. Qualified."
"Seastone wall reaction: Area A excellent; Area B excellent; Area C…"
"Joint sealing: satisfactory."
While Ain conducted a devilishly strict inspection, Nami was in a completely different state.
"Open it! Open it now!! OPEN IT!!!"
Her Berry-symbol eyes spun at maximum speed as she pressed against the alloy gate, stroking it with gloved hands.
"This door! This texture! This thickness! How many Berries did this cost?!"
She trembled with excitement.
"No, it's too plain! Ain! After inspection, I'm plating it with gold! And diamonds too!"
"Nami-san!" A vein bulged on Ain's forehead.
"This is a vault, not your jewelry box!"
"Open it! Iron Drill, right? Hurry!"
"Yes!"
The engineer stepped to the control panel and completed triple authentication, iris, voiceprint, and fingerprint.
Hummmmmm
With a deep vibration that resonated in the chest, the hundreds-of-thousands-ton alloy gate slowly slid open.
Cold, dry air smelling of metal and rock rushed outward.
Nami rushed inside first.
"AHHHHH!!!"
Her ecstatic scream echoed through the underground space.
It was enormous.
Not a warehouse, asubterranean dome.
A super-space capable of holding tens of thousands of people.
Thousands of high-intensity lamps illuminated it like daylight. The floor, walls, and ceiling were reinforced concrete infused with Seastone, glowing faint blue-gray.
"The first batch of 'materials' has been moved into Isolation Zone No. 1," the engineer reported.
Nami sprinted there.
Inside was a small mountain,
a mountain of gold bars, coins, and golden artifacts.
"My… my… my treasures!!!"
She dove into the coins and began "swimming" like a joyful sea otter.
Clatter… clatter…
The sound of coins colliding was the sweetest music in the world.
"Ain! Look!"
She popped her head out, gold dust on her face.
"Here! I'm putting a bed here! Solid gold! Velvet sheets, no, sea-rabbit fur!"
"And up there!"
She pointed at the ceiling.
"Too empty! Fill it with diamonds and rubies, like a starry sky!"
"Nami-san!" Ain's blood pressure rose again.
"We do not have a budget for your decoration!"
"Yes we do!" Nami grabbed a handful of coins.
"Isn't this money?! Use it! Buy things!"
"That is material, not funding!"
"I don't care! Captain Iron Drill!"
The engineer jolted.
"Can your team install gold flooring?"
"…Huh?"
"And gemstone inlays?"
"Consultant Nami… gold is too soft for flooring…"
"I don't care! I want it!"
Before the argument escalated, Ain's Den Den Mushi rang.
"Rear Admiral Ain."
Rehn's round voice came through.
"Admiral Renzo says Phase One bonuses may now be distributed. They must be efficient, public, and transparent, so every soldier is satisfied."
Ain hung up and activated the vault broadcast system.
"Attention, all personnel!"
Her cold voice echoed across the port.
The exhausted soldiers, engineers, and laborers struggled to stand and form ranks.
This was the moment of fate.
Ain stood on the platform before the vault gate, looking at faces smeared with sweat, grease, and expectation.
"Three days. 72 hours."
"You completed the most intense construction mission in G5 history."
"I, Ain, on behalf of Admiral Renzo, acknowledge your efficiency."
"Inspection… PASSED."
A suppressed cheer erupted.
"According to Rehn's G5 Efficiency Reward Regulations!"
She raised her voice:
Pangolin Engineering Battalion: S-rank performance. Bonus +20% on top of the fivefold base.
Logistics Transport Unit: A-rank. Full fivefold bonus.
Hellhound Special Forces: S-rank secrecy mission. Fivefold bonus.
"G5 Finance Department, begin transfers!"
Soldiers instantly pulled out their G5 identification cards and rushed to temporary self-service terminals.
Beep.
An engineer with one arm trembled as he checked.
Seven digits appeared.
"…Seven… zeros?!"
"Oh God!!"
The veteran dropped to his knees, crying.
"My daughter… I can finally buy your medicine…"
"Mine too! Five million Berries! A full five million!!"
"I can build a house back home!!!"
"Long live G5! Long live Admiral Renzo!!!"
The port exploded into celebration.
Hats flew into the air. Soldiers hugged each other, kissed the ground, and shouted the name of the man who gave them everything.
"Long live Admiral Renzo!"
"Follow him and you'll have food and money!"
"For Admiral Renzo, I'd even fight a Yonko!!"
Ain watched calmly from the platform.
A moment ago they were thugs, now more devout than holy knights.
This was G5.
This was Renzo's G5.
The strongest shield, armed with efficiency and money.