The spacious conference hall fell silent.
Everyone stared stiffly at the brief message on the Den Den Mushi fax.
Moments earlier, the possibility that Lucas had encountered one of the Three All-Stars hadn’t seemed like a major issue.
But now...
The contents of that fax struck everyone like a bolt from the blue.
A pirate with a 1-billion-Berry bounty...
One of Kaido’s Three All-Stars...
Had not only been defeated—
He had already been tied up.
Had they not seen the fax with their own eyes...
No one would have believed it.
What made it even more unbelievable was the timing.
From the moment Sengoku received Lucas’s call to the arrival of the fax...
Barely four or five minutes had passed.
Within those few minutes...
One of the Three All-Stars had been defeated...
Captured...
And restrained.
It was almost impossible to believe.
Was it really Jack...?
"F-Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
Vice Admiral Momonga finally broke the silence.
"Shouldn’t we verify this immediately?"
He had complete confidence in Lucas.
But this was one of the Three All-Stars—a pirate with a 1-billion-Berry bounty.
Defeating someone like that in mere minutes...
He knew most of the people in this room would struggle to believe it.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku... Vice Admiral Tsuru..."
At that moment, Hasol, Tsuru’s adjutant stationed outside the conference room, hurried inside with a bitter smile.
"I don’t think we’ll need to verify anything."
"Commodore Tashigi has already sent a full report from the fleet."
He handed over a thick stack of photographs.
Everyone’s attention shifted immediately.
The moment they saw the first picture...
Every scalp in the room tingled.
Jack’s mountain-like body had been wrapped from head to toe in multiple layers of Seastone chains.
Any lingering doubts vanished instantly.
As they continued turning page after page...
Examining the photographs alongside Tashigi’s detailed report...
Several minutes passed.
Finally...
Sengoku sank heavily into his chair.
He rubbed his aching temples.
"That brat..."
"Every single thing he does gives me a headache."
"I’m afraid..."
"Even Kaido himself never imagined that Jack the Drought..."
"...would lose to one of our rookie Admirals."
He sighed deeply.
"But now..."
"We’re already on the verge of conflict with the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Jack’s capture has completely disrupted all of our original plans."
The room immediately grew tense.
Going to war with one of the Four Emperors was already enough to put Marine Headquarters under enormous pressure.
If they ended up provoking two Emperors simultaneously...
It would become a nightmare.
One mistake...
And Marine Headquarters itself could be destroyed.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Akainu, who had remained silent with his arms folded across his chest, finally spoke.
"So..."
"Are you planning to release Jack?"
His voice was cold and unwavering.
"I understand the need to consider the bigger picture."
"But if we release him..."
"We’ll be setting a precedent."
"The pirates will learn that they can pressure Marine Headquarters into returning captured prisoners."
"Once that happens..."
"It won’t be the last time."
"My opinion is simple."
"If Whitebeard..."
"Or Kaido..."
"Declare war on the Marines..."
"Then we fight."
His words echoed throughout the conference hall like thunder.
The assembled Marine officers all tensed.
Everyone knew Akainu represented the Marines’ hardline faction.
Still...
Proposing war against two Four Emperors at once...
Exceeded everyone’s expectations.
All eyes turned toward Sengoku.
Waiting for the Fleet Admiral’s decision.
Sengoku remained silent for a long moment.
Finally...
He let out a weary sigh.
"We’ll set Jack’s matter aside for now."
"Tsuru."
"Contact Lucas immediately."
"Tell him to suspend the transaction with Marshall D. Teach."
"Escort Jack directly to Impel Down."
"We’ll decide what to do afterward."
He then looked toward another Admiral.
"Kizaru."
"I want you to replace Lucas for the exchange with Teach."
"Kizaru?"
Borsalino slowly continued trimming his fingernails.
He looked genuinely surprised.
"You want me to take over Admiral Lucas’s mission?"
"That was a job whose price Admiral Lucas personally negotiated with you."
"If I take it over now..."
"I’m afraid Admiral Lucas will expect compensation according to the agreement."
"I certainly can’t afford that."
"..."
Sengoku’s face twitched.
By now...
He knew Lucas well enough to believe that such a demand was entirely possible.
But after everything that had happened...
Allowing Lucas to continue handling the matter might lead to even more unexpected disasters.
And if Teach took advantage of Lucas after his battle with Jack...
The consequences could be severe.
Sengoku rubbed his temples once more.
"Fine."
"Tsuru."
"Tell Lucas the mission has been canceled."
"He’ll still receive the agreed payment."
"But make absolutely sure..."
"He doesn’t do anything unnecessary."
Tsuru rolled her eyes while organizing the documents on the table.
"Don’t worry."
"That brat only works according to how much he’s paid."
"If there’s no money involved..."
"He won’t lift a finger."
The room fell silent once again.
No one could refute that statement.
The following morning...
Golden sunlight shimmered across the deck like scattered pieces of gold.
Lucas stretched lazily as he walked out of his cabin.
He glanced toward the battered island where Smoker and the others remained stationed.
Then he raised an eyebrow.
If I remember correctly...
Today should be payday.
His first month’s salary as an Admiral should have arrived.
Ding!
The familiar voice of the 9-to-5 Check-In System sounded in his mind.
Congratulations, Host.
You have successfully completed one consecutive month of attendance.
Salary Reward: 5,000,000 Berries
Current System Currency: 20,000,000
Would you like to spend it immediately?
Looking at his balance jump from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 System Currency, Lucas couldn’t help taking another sip of strong liquor to calm himself.
Sure enough...
The happiest moment for a working man...
Was always payday.
After that...
Every last Berry would eventually disappear into one bill after another.
With almost nothing left.
Still...
Considering he now had to escort a walking troublemaker like Jack...
Lucas decided it was time to trust his luck.
"System."
"I’ll take two Golden Treasure Chests."
"Ten million each."
He spoke with rare extravagance.
But the instant his 20,000,000 System Currency dropped to zero...
The corner of his mouth twitched.
That hurts...
Ding!
"Please wait, Host."
Ding!
Congratulations!
Successfully exchanged for Golden Treasure Chests ×2.
Current Quantity: 2
Open immediately?
The notifications echoed one after another.
Inside his consciousness...
Two golden treasure chests appeared out of thin air.
Without the slightest hesitation...
Lucas immediately issued his next command.
He wanted to see...
Whether two pulls could really create a miracle
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