The den den mushi simulated a stern face, and a steady voice sounded. "Marineford Night Watch Office."
Tatsuki immediately pinched his nose and shouted in a shrill tone, "Re... report! I am a concerned citizen of Marineford! I... I saw something huge!"
"Please proceed."
"I saw two trainees from the Marine Elite Training Camp. They were at that place called 'Sea Sweetheart,' the biggest whor... ahem, adult entertainment establishment."
Tatsuki's voice was extremely exaggerated. "They were partying wildly inside, drinking and surrounded by women. The big guy was dead drunk, and even said Marine discipline is bullshit. Utter moral decay, tarnishing the Marines' reputation."
The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly stunned by the shocking news.
"Are you certain they are Elite Training Camp trainees?"
"Absolutely certain. One is a tall, big guy with curly hair, and the other is an especially handsome blond kid."
Tatsuki unhesitatingly sold out himself and Kuzan, "If you don't come soon, the Marines' face will be completely disgraced by them. I heard that Admiral Zephyr values discipline the most. If he finds out about this..."
"What would happen if he found out?"
A cold and furious voice suddenly came through the den den mushi.
That voice...
The smile on Tatsuki's face froze.
Oh no! It's Zephyr himself! He was personally on duty at the Night Watch Office tonight?!
"Uh... he would... be very pleased, because his subordinates have such responsible citizens keeping watch." Tatsuki's mind raced, trying to salvage the situation.
"Is that so?"
Zephyr's tone held not a trace of emotion, but Tatsuki sensed a terrifying aura.
"This 'concerned citizen,' your voice sounds very familiar to me."
"I also remember what you said about that—'especially handsome blond kid.'"
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The den den mushi was hung up.
Tatsuki held the now sleeping den den mushi, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead, but the corners of his lips curled up wildly.
He overplayed his hand but...
"Now this is what I call thrilling."
The light returned to Tatsuki's eyes.
'With Zephyr personally coming to catch us, the 'Witness Multiplier' will go crazy.'
He quickly adjusted his mindset, plastering that sorrowful, compassionate expression back on his face, and walked back into the tavern as if nothing had happened.
—
Less than five minutes after sitting down.
Just as he saw Kuzan looking utterly hopeless, being backed into a corner by that red-haired dancer.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The two solid oak doors of "Sea Sweetheart," along with half the wall, instantly turned into a shower of splinters, shooting in all directions.
A terrifying shockwave sent several bodyguards at the entrance flying.
The entire venue fell deathly silent. Everyone stopped moving, staring in terror towards the entrance.
Amidst the swirling dust, a burly, mountain-like figure stood silhouetted against the light. His short purple hair stood on end like an angry lion's mane. Black Armament Haki, like flames, coiled around his thick arms, emitting a suffocating pressure.
Marineford Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr!
Zephyr's gaze instantly swept across the room, locking precisely onto the two figures sitting by the bar.
When he saw that blond kid, holding a drink, with a dancer snuggled beside him, and even a trace of "enjoyment" lingering on his face that he hadn't had time to hide, Zephyr felt his blood rush to his head.
It was this bastard!
The same one who just pretended to be a citizen and reported himself on the phone.
And beside Zephyr, two more figures appeared.
A tall, thin man wearing sunglasses adjusted his glasses, a sleazy smile curling at his lips as if relishing the drama. "Oh my. Instructor Zephyr is getting serious. So scary."
A man with a stern, rock-like face, wearing a dark red suit and smoking a cigar, frowned deeply at the debauched scene.
Borsalino! Sakazuki!
The future Three Admirals, all present!
Clatter.
The wine glass in Kuzan's hand fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. His face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of all color.
"In... Instructor... Zephyr..."
It's over.
However, amidst this tense atmosphere, a series of system notification sounds rang in Tatsuki's mind.
[Ding! Detected multiple disciplinary violations by the host!]
[Leaving camp without permission, Points +80]
[Visiting and deeply participating in red-light district activitie, Points +100]
[Corrupting future core Marine combat power (Kuzan), Points +200]
[Deceiving a Marineford Admiral, Points +250]
[Total Base Points: 630]
[Triggered 'Witness Multiplier'!]
[Witness: Zephyr (Admiral rank). Points x5!]
[Witnesses: Borsalino, Sakazuki (Future Admiral potential). Points x3!]
[Triggered 'Subversion Degree Multiplier'!]
[Behavior Description: Distorting the worldview of a future Admiral. This action severely impacts the Marines' traditional values, subverting the established image of elite trainees!]
[Subversion Degree Multiplier determined: x5]
[Final calculation in progress... Multipliers stacking...]
[Congratulations, host! This instance has earned a total of 47,250 discipline points!]
[Violation points: 48,192]
Looking at the shining five-digit number on the retinal display, Tatsuki felt like he was about to faint from happiness.
Jackpot!
Before he could even recover from his ecstasy, a roar like thunder shattered all the surrounding glassware.
"Tatsuki!!!"
"Kuzan!!!"
"You two bastards!"
"Get out here!!!"
Half an hour later.
In the Chief Instructor's office at the Marineford Elite Training Camp, the atmospheric pressure was so low it was suffocating.
Under the horizontal plaque with the word "Justice" on the wall, Zephyr sat behind a large desk. His face was now incredibly dark and the veins on his forehead throbbing as if they might burst at any moment.
In the center of the office.
Tatsuki and Kuzan stood side-by-side, their heads bowed so low they were almost buried in their chests.
Kuzan's two-meter-tall frame was trembling slightly, and cold sweat dripped from the tips of his curly hair onto the floor. In his mind, three words were on an infinite loop—
I'm dead meat.
Not only did he leave the island without permission to go to that kind of place, but he was caught red-handed by Zephyr. Was his Marine career over before it had even begun?
Tatsuki, standing beside him, also had his head down. His shoulders were even trembling violently, looking as if he were at the height of remorse.
But in reality, Tatsuki was desperately biting his cheeks, using the pain to prevent himself from snorting with laughter.
'I'm rich. This is straight-up financial freedom.'
'Should I save up to fifty thousand and go all in on a lottery to gamble for a Mythical Zoan? Or should I just focus on Rokushiki and become a physical monster? It's so hard to choose. Is this the worry of a rich man?"