The conference hall fell into complete silence.
The admiration everyone had felt for Lucas moments ago vanished without a trace.
The corners of their mouths twitched before ultimately turning into bitter smiles.
Trying to talk about friendship with this young man...
Only ended with a lighter wallet.
He had spent so long building up the atmosphere that even these seasoned veterans had been moved.
And then, out of nowhere—
"Friendship comes with a premium ."
The emotional whiplash was almost insulting.
Still...
After everything Lucas had done recently—
Even dragging back a Seven Warlord’s top executive and CP0 just for bounty money—
If he hadn’t asked for money before accepting the mission...
They probably would’ve found that even stranger.
Even Tsuru smiled wryly.
Looking at Lucas’s perfectly matter-of-fact expression, she finally understood that this young man simply couldn’t be judged by ordinary logic.
"Friendship comes with a premium ."
Who in the world could come up with an excuse like that?
"You little rascal."
Sengoku glared at him with an expression of disappointment.
"You’re an Admiral of the Marines."
"Could you stop smelling so strongly of money for once?"
Lucas simply continued sipping his strong liquor as though nothing had happened.
Sengoku sighed in defeat.
With most people, talking about money hurt friendships.
With Lucas...
Not talking about money was what hurt the friendship.
"Fine."
"If you’re willing to take this troublesome assignment..."
"The mission is yours."
Sengoku waved a hand helplessly.
"As for your performance bonus..."
"I’ll authorize 10,000,000 Berries."
"That’s the maximum."
"Ten million?"
Lucas adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with a faint smile.
"Fleet Admiral..."
"Are you underestimating the bond between old man Zephyr and me?"
"If he found out..."
"He’d be heartbroken."
Heartbroken?
Sengoku’s eyelids twitched repeatedly.
If this mission weren’t so troublesome that someone absolutely had to accept it...
He would’ve smacked Lucas across the back of the head already.
If Zephyr actually heard Lucas’s "deep friendship costs extra" logic...
He’d probably rather not have that friendship at all.
"Another five million."
"I’ll add another 5,000,000 Berries."
"That’s my absolute limit."
Sengoku held up five fingers.
"That’s already three times your normal salary."
"If I give you any more, I’m afraid everyone else will complain."
The gathered Marine officers immediately shook their heads vigorously.
Not one of them dared object.
Lucas was earning every Berry through sheer ability.
Who among them could possibly argue?
Lucas also knew when to quit while he was ahead.
15,000,000 Berries wasn’t exactly enough to solve all his problems.
But once this month’s salary was included...
That meant two Golden Treasure Chests.
More importantly...
Collecting the mission reward wasn’t his only objective.
He intended to accomplish something else during this assignment as well.
"Thank you for your generosity, Fleet Admiral."
Lucas stood up.
"Since the mission has been assigned..."
"I’ll head out immediately."
"Oh, and don’t forget the bounty reward for capturing CP9."
"Transfer it as soon as possible."
"They even said they wanted to join Marine Headquarters."
"That’s an extra bonus."
"Don’t skim any of it."
Listening to Lucas’s voice fade down the hallway, Sengoku rubbed his aching temples before collapsing into his chair with a weary sigh.
"Everyone..."
"Do you think sending Lucas on this mission will damage the relationship between him and Zephyr?"
"If Zephyr learns that the Five Elders have truly decided to make Edward Weevil one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."
"Is there any room left to change their minds?"
Silence answered him.
Every Marine present had witnessed countless deaths.
Even so...
None of them could accept Weevil’s atrocities.
Zephyr had personally watched the Marine recruits he painstakingly trained be slaughtered before his eyes.
The helplessness he experienced...
Had become the greatest source of his grief and rage.
If that rage ever erupted...
It would deal an unprecedented blow to Marine Headquarters.
"No."
Tsuru suddenly spoke.
"Sengoku..."
"I actually think sending Lucas is the best choice."
"There might even be a chance for things to take a different turn."
"A different turn?"
Sengoku and the others stared at her.
"I’m not sure why."
Tsuru smiled faintly.
"It’s just a feeling."
A feeling?
No one knew how to respond.
If someone else carried out this mission...
The result would simply be one more Seven Warlord.
But considering Lucas’s completely unpredictable personality...
Would things really end that simply?
Several hours later...
A massive Marine warship once again set sail.
Standing on the deck, Smoker blocked Lucas’s path with a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Tina stood beside him, having hurried over after receiving the news.
Both had only recently been promoted to Marine Headquarters as Rear Admirals and therefore lacked the authority to attend the earlier meeting.
Even so...
They had learned about its contents almost immediately afterward.
"Admiral Lucas."
"Why did you accept this mission?"
Smoker asked.
"What you’re doing..."
"It’s going to break Instructor Zephyr’s heart."
He turned toward Ain.
"Ain."
"You’re one of Instructor Zephyr’s disciples."
"You understand better than anyone what this means."
"You should have stopped Admiral Lucas."
Tina remained silent.
She merely looked at Ain.
Feeling everyone’s gaze upon her, Ain finally broke her silence.
"Commodore Smoker... Commodore Tina..."
"I know everyone is worried about Instructor Zephyr."
"But I also know..."
"If anyone else accepts this mission..."
"They’ll only bring back a real Seven Warlord."
"But if Admiral Lucas goes..."
"I’m confident he’ll bring back a Seven Warlord as well."
"At the very least..."
"That would be a good thing."
Smoker and Tina froze.
The two exchanged puzzled looks.
Wasn’t she saying exactly the same thing?
However...
Koby and Helmeppo, who stood behind Lucas, instantly understood what Ain truly meant.
Both outcomes involved bringing back a Seven Warlord.
The difference...
Was whether that Seven Warlord returned willingly...
Or in chains.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have received 10,000,000 Berries in performance bonus.
Current Performance Bonus Balance: 10,000,000 Berries.
Would you like to exchange it for a Treasure Chest now?
The familiar voice of the 9-to-5 Check-In System echoed in Lucas’s mind.
Lucas raised an eyebrow and glanced back toward the distant Marine Headquarters building.
He couldn’t help smiling.
It seemed this wasn’t because CP9 was especially valuable.
Old man Sengoku had simply been unusually generous for once.
Even after pulling out the "deep friendship with Zephyr" card, he’d only managed to negotiate another five million Berries.
Originally...
Lucas had estimated CP9 would be worth roughly seven million Berries in total.
Receiving a full ten million instead...
Was an unexpected surprise.
Looks like...
He’d have to put a little more effort into this mission.
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