Chapter 4: I Want It All!
"Alright, I'm done arguing with you."
Carlo finally lost his patience. He stood up, looked at Kong, and spoke bluntly:
"If you want me to go undercover in the Rocks Pirates, it's not impossible. But what do I get out of it?"
"Out of it?" Kong froze, then said instinctively, "You can earn double the merit. Undercover work is extremely dangerous—we know that—so you can rise in rank quickly…"
"That's all empty!"
"Merit… you can earn that anywhere."
"Then… what do you want?" Kong hesitated.
"I want something real!"
"Wealth!"
"Status!"
"Power!"
"I want all of it!"
Carlo raised his right hand and clenched it in the air.
His aura suddenly turned far more domineering.
His gaze sharpened, brimming with aggression.
Kong looked at the cigar in his hand. "Wealth… are you short on money?"
"Who ever thinks they have too much money?!" Carlo, under Kong's pained stare, spat out the half-smoked cigar and shoved a new one into his mouth.
Kong tested the waters. "Then how much do you want?"
Carlo held up one finger.
"One hundred million beli?" Kong raised an eyebrow.
Carlo said nothing.
"One billion? That's too much, isn't it?" Kong frowned.
Carlo lit the cigar again, exhaled a mouthful of smoke, curled his lips, and wagged his finger.
"No. Ten billion."
"What?!"
Kong sprang up like his pants were on fire.
He stared at Carlo like he was insane, letting out a shrill scream like a rooster.
"Are you out of your mind—ten billion?!"
"Do you have any idea how much that is?!"
"A fully armed large warship costs only one hundred million beli! With ten billion, I could arm an army of a hundred thousand men. I could build several more Marine bases on the Grand Line!"
"I can't agree to that! The World Government can't agree to that!"
Carlo bared his white teeth, grinning like a greedy wolf.
"Not my problem. If you want the horse to run, you feed it first."
"Since you want me to risk my life in a place that dangerous, you pay enough benefits."
"Ten billion. One beli less, and send someone else."
Kong felt stifled too and snapped, "But you're a Marine. As a soldier, you're supposed to obey orders from above…"
Carlo's smile turned cold. "Above? You mean the Marines, or the World Government? If it were just a Marine order, maybe I'd go."
"But the World Government… thinks it deserves my life?"
"My justice isn't like my deadbeat father's—loyal enough to be their dog, only to die and still have his admiral code name stripped away."
"Hey! Carlo! Watch your mouth!" Kong's expression changed as he reflexively glanced at the half-closed door.
"Watch my mouth? Screw that!"
"I'm not the only one who thinks this. Garp thinks the same! If the Marines didn't still have a shred of conscience and justice, we would've left long ago! The World Government's orders don't mean a damn thing!"
Kong fell silent.
A bitter smile.
A bitter smile!
Nothing but a bitter smile remained on Kong's face.
He sighed. "Fine. I'll report your demands to the Five Elders. Anything else you want… say it all."
"Besides wealth, I want status!"
"Not some rank! I want autonomy over a Marine military base in the New World!"
"I want to be the base commander, fully in control of its operations! Anyone—including Marine high command and the World Government—can make suggestions, but no one has the right to interfere directly!"
"And lastly, the most important thing: power!"
"I want a top-tier Logia Devil Fruit, or a Mythical Zoan!"
"Top-tier. Don't try to fob me off with trash like smoke or gas!"
"Without enough power, I can't survive in a place like the Rocks Pirates!"
"Also, even if I go undercover, the Marines and the World Government cannot contact me whenever they please—otherwise you'll very likely get me killed!"
"That's all for now."
"Kong, you can't decide any of this. Tell the Five Elders directly. If they agree, I'll go. If they don't—or if they get so mad they want to charge me—then come."
Carlo listed his demands one by one.
Kong listened to them one by one.
At first, he still showed shock and a pained expression.
By the end, he was completely numb.
After hearing everything, he nodded stiffly, took out a silver Den Den Mushi, and walked out.
"Wait here. I'll go ask…"
Kong hadn't even been outside for five seconds.
Carlo, back on the sofa, already heard furious roaring and arguing coming from the Den Den Mushi in the hallway, along with Kong's lowly, apologetic explanations.
He listened with great interest.
Leg crossed over knee, lounging on the sofa.
Smoking a Douglas cigar that cost one hundred thousand beli per stick.
Sipping bubble liquor, a Sabaody specialty.
Looking utterly at ease.
The noise outside continued for over half an hour before it gradually died down.
Then Carlo saw Kong walk back in, wiping cold sweat off his face.
He looked more exhausted than if he'd been fighting in here for three days and three nights.
Carlo teased him. "Uncle Kong, you look a bit weak. Want a bottle of Elbaf miracle oil? Drink it and you'll be as hard as a giant."
"Cut the crap! This is your fault!" Kong glared at Carlo's shameless grin.
He walked over, snatched the bubble liquor from Carlo's hand, and drained it in one gulp.
He tossed the bottle aside. "Your conditions—up there basically agreed."
"Basically?" Carlo raised an eyebrow.
"The ten billion beli and a top-tier Devil Fruit—the Five Elders agreed to give you those."
"The New World Marine base you want can also be given to you. They'll even give you the autonomy you asked for."
"But…"
Kong sighed, looking at Carlo with complicated eyes.
"But the base—its soldiers, everything inside it, even the island it sits on—the World Government won't provide any of it."
"The Five Elders said if you really have the ability, then go carve out a region in the New World yourself and build the fortress you want. Otherwise…"
"So they don't believe I can do it." Carlo's lips curled slightly.
"Starting from nothing, building a Marine base in the chaos of the New World—how easy do they think that is?"
"Even the Marines have only just established the first base, G1, and it still faces the risk of being overrun by New World pirates at any time."
"Let alone you alone, and doing it under an undercover identity…"
Kong shook his head.
He clearly didn't think Carlo would pull it off.
But there was no helping it.
This was already the greatest compromise the Five Elders were willing to make.
After all, in the Den Den Mushi call just now, the Five Elders were furious enough to order him to arrest Carlo on the spot and throw him into Impel Down.
If the Rocks Pirates hadn't been expanding too fast—
If the threat they posed to the World Government weren't growing by the day—
If the World Government didn't urgently need a way to break the deadlock and shatter the Rocks Pirates' dominance in the New World—
Those stingy old men would never hand such massive benefits to a mere Headquarters major like Carlo.
Having secured the benefits, Carlo's mood brightened, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Then the money and the fruit—when do I get them?"
Kong looked a little envious.
"The money will be transferred to your World Government bank account."
"In installments. You asked for too much—they won't pay it all at once. And you'll need to trade intelligence for it."
"As for the Devil Fruit, it'll probably be delivered in the next couple of days. Wait here in Sabaody. It works out—I'll have the Marines at Base 66 prepare a coated ship for you to head to the New World."
Then he asked curiously, "How do you plan to infiltrate the Rocks Pirates?"
Carlo leaned back on the sofa. "Don't worry about it. I have my way. Alright—get back to Headquarters. I know you, a Marine admiral, are very busy, Uncle Kong."
"Hmph. Fine, keep it to yourself."
Kong turned away, ready to leave.
When he reached the door, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He stopped and looked back.
Carlo thought he was worried about his safety and was about to give him a few parting instructions.
But instead—
"Uh… right, Carlo. That Elbaf miracle oil you mentioned…"
"Does it really work?"
Carlo: "…"[1]