A thin layer of jet-black Armament Haki coated the arms of all five Marines.
Although the Haki was still weak, anyone could tell at a glance that they had genuinely awakened it.
If it had only been Tashigi making the claim, people might have suspected she was lying to protect Lucas.
But now...
Five different people were all saying the same thing.
That couldn’t possibly be a lie.
Awakening Haki in five people within a matter of minutes...
None of them had ever heard of such a thing.
"Heh."
Crocodile burst into laughter.
"Hard to believe, isn’t it? I saw it with my own eyes. That brat’s strength is far beyond what you Admiral Candidates can compare to."
Tashigi and the others’ expressions immediately changed.
Anyone with half a brain could hear the provocation hidden in those words.
"Crocodile, shut up!"
Tashigi snapped.
"Vice Admiral Chaton, please don’t misunderstand."
"Crocodile is only trying to sow discord within the Marines."
"Admiral Lucas has no such intentions."
After spending so much time with Lucas, Tashigi understood his personality very well.
If anyone insisted that Lucas had some grand ambition...
Then his life’s goal was probably nothing more than working nine to five, with weekends off.
Trying to force some hidden political agenda onto someone like that...
Would be far more ridiculous.
"Tashigi, don’t worry."
Chaton smiled awkwardly after recovering from his surprise.
"I’m not foolish enough to fall for a pirate’s provocation."
He paused before asking,
"Since Admiral Lucas personally helped all of you awaken Haki..."
"Then he should also be the one escorting the former Warlord of the Sea, correct?"
"But it’s already noon."
"Why haven’t you departed yet?"
"Are you waiting for the decision regarding the Celestial Dragon incident?"
"If so..."
"I’d advise you to remind your new Admiral."
"Instead of anxiously waiting here for punishment..."
"He’d be better off completing the escort mission as soon as possible."
"That might at least earn him some leniency."
The officers accompanying Chaton immediately nodded in agreement.
Their superior had lost enough face already.
Now that he’d finally recovered a little dignity, of course they would support him.
Tashigi and the others exchanged awkward glances before looking toward the tightly shut residence nearby.
Were they supposed to tell him the truth?
Anxiously waiting?
Not even close.
Today was the weekend.
Their Admiral was still sleeping until he woke up naturally.
Seeing the subtle changes in Tashigi’s expression, Gion frowned slightly.
"Tashigi."
"On my way here, I heard quite a few stories about the new Admiral."
"They say he’s just like Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji—someone with rather... unusual habits."
"I also heard he’s extremely particular about working hours."
"Something about ’nine to five’..."
"And refusing to work on Saturdays and Sundays."
"If that’s true..."
She glanced toward the residence.
"Then today should be a day off."
"Surely you aren’t about to tell me..."
"...that the new Admiral is still asleep?"
"..."
Chaton’s face froze once again.
He seriously wondered whether he’d eaten too much garlic the night before.
Why did every sarcastic remark he made end up backfiring on him?
Normally...
Someone who had assaulted a Celestial Dragon should be spending every waking moment in fear.
Who could possibly sleep peacefully...
And even forget about an escort mission?
Tashigi and the others could only smile bitterly.
Having a superior like Lucas certainly caused plenty of headaches.
The attack on the Celestial Dragon had already shaken the entire world.
They had spent the whole night worrying, racking their brains for a solution.
Only Lucas...
Had managed to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.
Now all they could do was hope that after waking up...
He had already thought of a way out.
Creak—
The courtyard gate slowly opened.
Lucas walked out with a Chinese-style meat sandwich (roujiamo) in his mouth.
After taking a sip of strong liquor, he swallowed another bite before looking at the unusually crowded square.
He blinked in surprise.
"Sorry."
"It’s already twelve o’clock."
"You’ve all had breakfast by now, right?"
"I only prepared enough for myself."
"You don’t mind, do you?"
He shrugged casually.
"Today’s my day off."
"If there’s nothing else..."
"I’m going to stroll around town."
After saying that...
He simply turned around and walked toward the street, still chewing on his roujiamo.
His colleagues...
His mission...
The Celestial Dragon incident...
All of it had already been thrown completely out of his mind.
Gion and Chaton stood there speechless.
Hearing rumors...
And witnessing them firsthand...
Were two entirely different experiences.
A true nine-to-five schedule with weekends off.
That was something unheard of throughout Marine Headquarters.
Yet now...
Someone had actually made it reality.
Ding!
The familiar voice of the 9-to-5 Check-In System rang inside Lucas’s mind.
Congratulations, Host!
You have completed your first weekend check-in as an Admiral.
Mission Completed: Sleep until naturally waking up on your day off.
Reward: Silver Treasure Chest ×1
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
What a pleasant surprise.
Sure enough...
Coming to Marine Headquarters with Garp to become a "salaryman" had been the right decision.
The higher the position...
The better the rewards.
If he was going to slack off...
He might as well become a high-ranking slacker.
After all...
Even a salted fish got unexpected surprises when it turned over to sun the other side.
Originally, Lucas had planned to spend an entire month checking in before earning his 5,000,000-Berry salary, allowing him to exchange it for five Silver Treasure Chests and enjoy a proper spending spree.
Instead...
Barely a week into the job...
The system had already rewarded him with one surprise after another.
At this rate...
Forget three years.
He was confident that within a single year, his strength would undergo a complete transformation.
Looking at the Silver Treasure Chest floating inside his consciousness...
Lucas had never been the type to leave unopened treasure chests overnight.
After all...
He had just beaten up a Celestial Dragon yesterday.
Who knew what would happen next?
Any increase in strength, no matter how small, was worth taking.
"System."
"Open the Silver Treasure Chest immediately."
Ding!
"Please wait, Host..."
Ding!
Congratulations!
Silver Treasure Chest opened successfully.
Reward Obtained: Sage’s Talent
A warm current flooded into Lucas’s mind.
All knowledge related to Sage’s Talent became deeply engraved into his soul.
At that instant...
An indescribable sensation spread throughout his body.
It wasn’t just the power flowing within him.
Even the natural energy permeating heaven and earth suddenly became extraordinarily clear.
It felt as though...
With a single thought...
He could draw upon the ambient energy surrounding him.
But what surprised Lucas the most...
Was the detailed description of Sage’s Talent itself.
As expected...
Anything produced by the system was always top quality.
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