"Admiral Lucas... did I say too much?" Ain asked hesitantly.
"Too much?"
Lucas snapped out of his thoughts, took a swig of liquor, and replied, "What did you say? I was only responsible for bringing them back. Don’t overthink it."
"As a Marine Admiral, everything I do needs a proper reason. And I have to follow the rules. It’s 3:30 in the afternoon now—afternoon tea time. I’m going to take a break."
With those words, Lucas headed straight into the cabin, leaving everyone staring at one another in silence.
If those words had come from anyone else, they might have believed them.
But considering Lucas’s usual way of doing things—he had bundled together both the Warlord’s subordinates and CP0 agents and hauled them back in one trip.
Would his next mission, the one involving the appointment of a new Warlord of the Sea, really be that simple?
Smoker and Tashigi exchanged uneasy glances.
The dissatisfaction they had felt moments ago had somehow changed into something else.
Now, they found themselves feeling a little sorry for whoever was about to become the next Warlord.
Inside the cabin, Lucas paid no attention to what the others were thinking.
Sengoku had been unusually generous this time, allowing him to accumulate a full 10,000,000 System Currency, enough to exchange for a Golden Treasure Chest.
Naturally, Lucas wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.
"System, exchange it for a Golden Treasure Chest immediately."
Ding! Host, please wait.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. Golden Treasure Chest exchanged successfully. Open it now?
The familiar notification sounded one after another.
Watching his System Currency instantly drop to zero, Lucas couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret.
Still, the thought that a Golden Treasure Chest could potentially contain Platinum-tier rewards made his fingers itch with anticipation.
Sure enough, money never stayed in his hands overnight.
Only poor people managed to keep money overnight.
A single Golden Treasure Chest?
He could afford to gamble.
Besides, Lucas had always believed in one universal truth:
When you’re poor, a single draw can create a miracle . When you’re rich, ten pulls only guarantee pity.
I’m all in.
"System, open the Golden Treasure Chest!"
Ding! Host, please wait!
Congratulations, Host. Golden Treasure Chest opened successfully. Reward obtained: Super-Tier Magic — Fallen Down!
A torrent of information surged into Lucas’s mind like a roaring river.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
He had no idea what the Golden Treasure Chest might contain.
But this reward had completely exceeded his expectations.
If he remembered correctly, Super-Tier Magic: Fallen Down came from Overlord.
It was one of the signature trump cards once used by Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King.
When cast, nine layers of enormous magic circles would bloom across the sky before summoning a colossal pillar of divine light from heaven itself, annihilating everything within its area of effect.
Its destructive style was somewhat similar to Haki Beast Manifestation, which he had obtained earlier.
The difference was that Fallen Down didn’t consume Conqueror’s Haki.
In other words, it neatly compensated for the enormous Haki consumption required by Haki Beast Manifestation.
After all...
Who wouldn’t want to unleash devastating attacks over and over without worrying about exhausting their Haki?
Three days later.
Uls Sea, Paradise.
Not far from Marine Base G-93, a pirate ship drifted through the waters.
Its pirate flag, depicting a white horse pierced by crossed swords, fluttered proudly in the wind.
Standing at the bow was a handsome young man dressed in aristocratic attire. His shoulder-length blond hair and refined demeanor gave him every appearance of a noble gentleman.
He silently stared at the Marine base ahead—
Now reduced to nothing but ruins.
Behind him, the pirates on deck clicked their tongues in disbelief.
The scene they had witnessed only moments ago still sent chills down their spines.
"Captain... was that man just now really Edward Weevil, the one calling himself Whitebeard Jr.?"
One pirate finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
"He’s monstrously strong! He destroyed an entire Marine base by himself! Isn’t that basically declaring war on Marine Headquarters?"
"No."
Cavendish brushed aside the blond bangs hanging over his forehead before answering calmly.
"When we were at the tavern earlier, that ugly old woman kept mentioning that Whitebeard Jr. had already caught the World Government’s attention and received an invitation to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"If that’s true, then this kind of violence may very well fall within his privileges. Even Marine Headquarters would have no choice but to swallow the humiliation."
An invitation to become a Seven Warlord of the Sea?
The pirates’ expressions changed dramatically.
One of them quickly spoke up.
"Captain, I heard that before this, the World Government first offered the position to the previous generation’s Super Rookie, Fire Fist Ace."
"But Ace turned it down and instead joined the Whitebeard Pirates as the commander of the Second Division."
"Now that Crocodile has been defeated and imprisoned in Impel Down, Whitebeard Jr. has seized the opportunity."
"Captain, you’re the most famous Super Rookie of this generation. If another seat opens up, I’m sure it’ll be yours."
"When that happens, you’ll become the greatest of all the Super Rookies and make your name known throughout the seas!"
The greatest Super Rookie?
A gentle smile appeared on Cavendish’s face.
He had always carried himself like a true noble.
Reputation and public image meant everything to him.
Unfortunately, many exceptionally talented pirates had emerged across the Four Blues and the Grand Line recently, stealing much of the spotlight that once belonged to him.
That only made him care even more about prestige.
If he truly became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he was confident he could stand above every other rookie pirate.
"Super Rookies?"
A lazy voice suddenly interrupted.
"The kind I can knock out with a single slap?"
The unexpected words instantly put every pirate on high alert.
They turned toward the source of the voice—
And their pupils contracted sharply.
Even Cavendish froze.
This was a pirate ship.
When had a Marine boarded without anyone noticing?
Looking at the man’s Marine uniform...
And hearing those unbelievably arrogant words...
Wasn’t he being far too overconfident?
After all, their captain carried a bounty of 230 million Berries and was celebrated across the seas as one of the Super Rookies.
Yet this lone Marine had dared to infiltrate their ship—
And then openly belittle him.
If that wasn’t courting death, what was?
"Super Rookies? The kind I can knock out with one slap?"
Could anyone actually say something like that to their captain’s face?
Reputation was what Captain Cavendish valued most.
To demean him so openly was nothing short of an insult.
"Captain!"
One pirate stepped forward angrily.
"This Marine must’ve swum over from G-95. If he hadn’t been so arrogant, we might’ve spared his life and kept him around as a deckhand. But now... it’s time to teach him a lesson!"
The moment he finished speaking, the pirates all drew their weapons.
In an instant, killing intent filled the deck.
Before anyone could make a move, however—
A trembling voice suddenly rang out.
"H-He... he really does have the right to say that."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789