Chapter 64 – All of You Marines Present Here… Not a Single One of You Is Worth Anything!
"So… this time you came here—who are you actually siding with?!"
The atmosphere in the entire conference room froze solid.
The gazes of every Marine officer were like sharpened blades, all focused on the man lounging comfortably in his chair, still holding Gion tightly in his arms.
Magma churned violently in Akainu's clenched fist. Golden light flickered around Kizaru's fingers. A cold mist slowly spread from Aokiji's body.
Even Garp—who had been casually chewing senbei until now—stopped mid-bite, his eyes turning deep and serious.
Akira looked at the tense scene before him, stretched tight like a bowstring ready to snap.
Then—
He smiled.
"Hahahahaha…"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
He burst into loud laughter, laughing so hard his body rocked back and forth, tears nearly spilling from the corners of his eyes.
He even casually patted Gion's thigh as she sat in his arms, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Gion herself was so embarrassed and furious she nearly fainted, but she didn't dare move an inch.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Akira finally stopped laughing. In his deep eyes, an unreadable glint of light flickered.
"That question of yours… it's truly very clever."
He raised a single finger and slowly waved it from side to side.
"What you really want to ask is…"
"Whether I'll stand on the side of Whitebeard—that old man—and join him in opposing the Marines."
"Or…"
"Stand on your side, and help you send that old man Whitebeard straight to hell."
Sengoku didn't answer.
But the tension in his body and the dark expression on his face said everything.
This was the question he feared the most.
And at the same time, the question the entire Marine force dreaded more than anything.
If Akira—a monster whose power stood on the same level as a Yonko—truly chose to join Whitebeard…
Then this Paramount War—
The Marines would lose, without the slightest doubt.
"Relax."
Akira lazily leaned back into his chair, once again propping his leg up on the table.
"Actually, I'm a man with very clear principles."
"I will always…"
"Stand on only one side."
"Which side?!"
Akainu couldn't hold back anymore and demanded loudly.
Akira grinned broadly, revealing a row of white teeth that somehow looked unsettling.
"That would be…"
"The side of 'money'!!"
"..."
"..."
The entire office sank once more into a deathly silence.
Money?
Everyone froze.
The deep furrow in Sengoku's brow loosened slightly.
"Money?"
"This man… is it really all for money?"
He recalled the report Gion had submitted, as well as the outrageous demands Akira had made before.
Greedy.
A womanizer.
Arrogant.
It seemed those really were this man's "weaknesses."
"As long as it's about money…"
A sharp glint flashed through Sengoku's eyes.
"That makes things much easier."
As long as something could be solved with money, then it wasn't a problem at all!
The World Government might lack many things—but money was absolutely not one of them!
"Akira."
Sengoku's tone softened slightly.
"Gion should have told you already."
"We can pay you… and offer additional compensation."
"Two billion Berries!"
Sengoku raised two fingers.
"As our 'mercenary.'"
"As long as you're willing to help us fight Whitebeard in the upcoming war."
"Even…"
A trace of killing intent appeared in Sengoku's eyes.
"If it comes down to it—killing Whitebeard!"
"Then these two billion Berries will be yours!"
"Two billion Berries?"
Akira stroked his chin, as if thinking it over.
"Hmm…"
"Two billion Berries is indeed a bit low."
"But no matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat."
Akira smiled and nodded.
"Alright."
"In that case… hurry up and hand over the money."
"..."
Sengoku fell silent for a moment.
"Now?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Akira extended his hand, palm open, right in front of Sengoku.
"No debt."
"Pay first. Then I work."
"That's my rule."
The corners of Sengoku's mouth twitched.
Suppressing his anger, he gestured to Tsuru standing behind him.
"Give it to him."
Tsuru let out a quiet sigh, then took out a special World Government check worth "Two Billion Berries" from the safe and handed it to Akira.
Akira accepted the check, glanced at the number printed on it, then flicked it with satisfaction.
"Ding~"
"Listen to that. What a beautiful sound."
He casually slipped the check into his trouser pocket—where it was promptly stored inside his system space.
"Alright, I've received the payment."
"Now, bring out that Ace you captured."
Akira stood up and straightened his clothes.
"I want to see whether my cattle and horses are being treated properly in your place."
"Wait!"
Sengoku immediately called out to him.
"Bring Ace out now?"
"The war hasn't even started yet!"
"War?"
Akira turned around, looking at Sengoku with a strange expression.
"What war?"
"The Summit War!"
Sengoku roared in anger.
"The Whitebeard Pirates! They'll be attacking Marineford any moment now!!"
"Oh, that one."
Akira waved his hand casually.
"That's already been canceled."
"..."
"Huh?"
Sengoku, the three Admirals, Garp, Tsuru—everyone was stunned.
"Canceled?"
"Canceled what?"
"Whitebeard?"
"Correct."
Akira answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I can say this to you very clearly."
"Whitebeard."
"They're not coming."
"..."
"What?!"
Sengoku charged right up to Akira, his eyes bulging wider than bronze bells!
"They're not coming?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"I went to great lengths to use Ace as bait!"
Sengoku trembled violently with rage, saliva spraying onto Akira's face.
"All of this was to lure that old Whitebeard into bringing his full force to attack Marineford!!"
"And then!"
Sengoku clenched his fist hard.
"Completely annihilate a Yonko crew!!"
"Open the path for the Marines to advance into the New World!!"
"For this purpose!!"
Sengoku pointed out the window, toward the endless ranks of warships and soldiers.
"Do you know how many Marines I mobilized for this war?!"
"One hundred thousand elite troops!!"
"All the Shichibukai were summoned!!"
"Three Admirals standing guard!!"
"And yet…"
Sengoku's voice was filled with despair and disbelief.
"You're telling me they… aren't coming?!"
"Then my ten thousand—no, one hundred thousand Marines…"
"Doesn't that mean they all came here for nothing?!"
"This is unacceptable!!!"
"..."
Seeing Sengoku's expression—one that looked even more tragic than "losing his father"—
Beside him, Garp instead broke into a grin and burst out laughing.
"Bwahahahaha!!"
Stuffing senbei into his mouth, Garp couldn't stop his thoughts from running wild.
"Whitebeard's not coming?"
"That's amazing!!"
"Then Ace… doesn't that mean there's a chance he won't die?!"
Thinking of that, Garp finally laughed out loud.
"Bwahahahaha!!"
"Garp! Shut your mouth!!"
Sengoku turned and roared at him angrily, then glared sharply back at Akira.
"Akira! Are you playing games with me?!"
"With Whitebeard's personality, how could he possibly let his son die without coming to save him?!"
"If they don't come, then all one hundred thousand Marines I've prepared, all the Shichibukai I gathered—wouldn't it all be for nothing?!"
"Tch."
Akira clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"The way you're talking is really strange."
"What do you mean, 'for nothing'?"
Akira pointed at himself.
"Aren't I… here to pick someone up?"
"Pick someone up?" Sengoku froze.
"That's right."
Akira shrugged.
"These one hundred thousand Marines of yours, all the Shichibukai, you as Fleet Admiral, the three Admirals, and all the other Marine higher-ups."
"Since I'm already here."
"You should all get ready to come with me."
"Come with me to help build Dressrosa. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"..."
"..."
The entire office fell silent once more, like a graveyard.
Everyone stared at Akira as if they were looking at a madman.
"At my place, food and lodging are provided."
Akira continued casually advertising his "sweat-and-blood factory."
"There's no salary."
"But there's work twenty-four hours a day, no days off."
"Life is filled with labor! Very fulfilling! Very happy!"
"And it's safe and peaceful."
"Isn't that much safer than constantly fighting and killing on these dangerous seas?"
"..."
"Akira!!!"
Akainu Sakazuki finally couldn't hold back anymore!
Boom—!!
Scalding magma erupted violently from both his arms!
The temperature in the office skyrocketed instantly!
"Are you… insulting the Marines?!"
"Insulting?"
Akira smiled.
He looked at Akainu, then slowly swept his gaze across the furious Marine executives.
"How could this be called an insult?"
"I'm merely stating a fact."
Akira sat back down in his chair, once again crossing his legs casually.
His deep eyes, filled with boundless contempt, swept across the entire room.
"After all."
"Your Marines really are all useless."
"If that weren't the case, how could there still be so many pirates in this world?"
"..."
"What did you say?!"
"You bastard!!"
"You're asking to die!!"
A group of Marine Vice Admirals leapt to their feet in fury, drawing their swords and glaring at Akira with rage!
Akainu, shrouded in magma, stepped toward Akira one step at a time.
"What do you mean?"
Akainu's voice was dark and terrifying.
"You're saying…"
"That I'm trash who can't even catch pirates?"
"No, no, no."
Akira waved his hand, wearing an expression that said, "You misunderstood."
He looked at Akainu, then smiled brightly.
"I didn't say you were trash."
Akira's gaze slowly swept over Sengoku, Kizaru, Aokiji, Garp, Tsuru…
And everyone else present in the room.
"What I mean is…"
"Everyone sitting here."
"All of you…"
"Are trash!!"
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