"Vice Admiral Garp..."
Gion hesitated for a moment before asking,
"The mission we’re currently handling..."
"Is Admiral Lucas going to take over from us?"
As one of Marine Headquarters’ dispatched Vice Admirals, Gion was stationed at a frontline base closest to the territory of the Four Emperors.
Admiral Candidates like her and Chaton were specifically tasked with monitoring the movements of the Four Emperors.
Within Marine Headquarters, that assignment was widely regarded as one of the most dangerous duties imaginable.
Only officers of Admiral Candidate caliber were considered qualified for it.
Under normal circumstances, that was sufficient.
But the crisis unfolding in the New World this time...
Even they found it extremely difficult to handle.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled all the way back to Marine Headquarters to request reinforcements.
In their view...
Only a true Admiral possessed the authority and strength needed to stabilize the situation.
Although Lucas’s earlier display had completely overturned their understanding of his abilities...
They still couldn’t help feeling uneasy about sending him to deal with such an incident.
"Hahaha!"
"Gion."
Garp laughed as he snatched the roujiamo from Chaton’s hands and stuffed it into his own mouth.
"Your brain is just as sharp as Tsuru’s."
"Maybe when she gets too old to think clearly, you can take her place."
No sooner had he taken a bite...
Smack!
A hand slapped him squarely on the back of the head.
"You’re the one whose brain doesn’t work properly!"
An elderly voice sounded behind him.
"And you’re still just as unreliable as ever."
"Sengoku sent you here to handle the matter involving the Celestial Dragons."
"Yet you keep calling them ’trash’ in front of everyone."
"Are you trying to make Sengoku die from anger?"
"And instead of stopping Lucas and Chaton..."
"You let them fight."
"If your salary hadn’t already been docked through next year..."
"I’d file another complaint against you."
Gion’s eyes lit up.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
She quickly stepped forward.
"When did you arrive?"
Although Gion had already become an Admiral Candidate herself, she still held immense respect for Tsuru, who had personally mentored and promoted her.
"Hehe."
Tsuru smiled.
"It’s been a while, Gion."
"You’ve grown stronger again."
"At this rate, becoming an Admiral is only a matter of time."
However...
The moment her gaze fell upon Lucas casually drinking beside them...
Her words abruptly stopped.
Gion noticed immediately and gave an awkward smile.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru..."
"I would’ve been happy to hear that before meeting Admiral Lucas."
"But now..."
"I’d rather not hear it."
Then she quickly returned to the main topic.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"Did Fleet Admiral Sengoku really assign Admiral Lucas to take over our mission?"
"According to eyewitness reports from three days ago..."
"This incident may involve more than one of the Four Emperors."
"To investigate something of this scale..."
"Wouldn’t one of the veteran Admirals be a safer choice?"
Hina, Smoker, and the others all exchanged uneasy glances.
Escorting the Seven Warlords had been little more than routine work.
But anything involving the Four Emperors...
Was practically stepping into a sea of blades and flames.
Gion’s words might have sounded somewhat blunt...
Yet everyone understood her reasoning.
Compared to a newly appointed Admiral...
The veteran Admirals naturally inspired greater confidence.
The atmosphere subtly shifted.
"Admiral Lucas."
Tsuru shot Gion a reproachful look before quickly explaining,
"Gion is only concerned about the bigger picture."
"Please don’t take her words to heart."
Lucas chuckled.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"You’re worrying too much."
"Vice Admiral Gion isn’t wrong."
"To deal with monsters from the previous era..."
"The three veteran Admirals are undoubtedly the safest choice."
"I actually agree with her."
Everyone froze.
No one had expected Lucas to openly acknowledge the gap between himself and the veteran Admirals.
Even Gion and Chaton were surprised.
After all...
In a world where strength ruled above all else...
Who would willingly admit someone else was superior?
Even the Four Emperors wouldn’t.
"Admiral Lucas."
Chaton hurriedly spoke up.
"I never expected you to put the bigger picture first."
"If you’re willing to decline this mission..."
"We should report it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately and let him make a new decision."
Gion nodded repeatedly.
Tsuru, however, fell silent.
After a long sigh, she finally spoke.
"Admiral Lucas..."
"If the incident with the Celestial Dragons hadn’t happened..."
"Refusing this mission probably wouldn’t be an issue."
"But now..."
"Sengoku assigned it to you mainly to get you away from Marine Headquarters until the situation settles down."
"Changing that decision at a time like this..."
"Won’t be easy."
"Convincing Sengoku to reconsider..."
"Will be even harder."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Gion immediately became anxious.
"If you alone can’t persuade Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
"Then Chaton and I will go with you."
"We’ll ask him to assign someone else."
"We should leave immediately."
She turned and hurried off.
Then—
Lucas’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Assign someone else?"
He adjusted his glasses with a smile.
"Vice Admiral Gion..."
"You’re overthinking it."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku made this arrangement out of concern for me."
"As his subordinate..."
"How could I reject his kindness?"
He paused.
"That said..."
"You’re absolutely right."
"A mission involving the Four Emperors really should be handled by one of the three veteran Admirals."
"Now Fleet Admiral Sengoku is making me take over work beyond my pay grade."
"Whether publicly or privately..."
"That doesn’t seem very appropriate."
"So..."
He smiled brightly.
"The risk is this high."
"Asking for a little performance bonus isn’t unreasonable, is it?"
"I’m sure Grandpa Sengoku won’t object."
Silence.
The entire plaza fell silent once again.
Gion’s anxious expression froze completely.
So...
Everything about putting the bigger picture first...
Had merely been setting up a request for a performance bonus?
Thinking back to everything she’d just said...
And how desperately she’d tried to change Sengoku’s mind...
What exactly had she been expecting?
She had actually hoped someone obsessed with money...
Would suddenly stop caring about money.
That truly had been wishful thinking.
Watching Lucas leisurely eating his roujiamo while sipping baijiu with a gentle smile...
Gion suddenly wanted to be left alone.
The wrinkles on Tsuru’s face twitched uncontrollably.
Finally, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Admiral Lucas."
"I suggest you stop talking about performance bonuses."
"You just smashed part of Marine Headquarters."
"Then you blasted open the Gates of Justice."
"The Celestial Dragon is still lying in bed crying to his parents."
"Sengoku is practically paying compensation until he’s broke."
"If you ask him for a performance bonus now..."
"He’ll probably be the first one chasing you across the seas."
"Oh, and one more thing."
She pointed toward the harbor behind them.
"Take a look."
"The Kuja Pirates still haven’t left."
"They’re probably waiting to complain to Sengoku about what happened yesterday."
Then Tsuru looked toward the harbor and sighed.
"...Your luck really isn’t very good."
"They’re already heading this way."
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