[V3] - Chapter 8. Truly Enviable
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This is Marine Headquarters!
At this moment—
A meeting was in progress!
However—
Everyone was frowning slightly as they stared at the newspaper on the table.
Yuto Group!!!
This was the first time they had heard of such an organization!
The name sounded like an ordinary business, but... this seemingly unknown and unremarkable group had actually defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Desert King, Crocodile.
One must know—being chosen by the World Government as a Warlord meant his strength was definitely not weak!
After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were officially recognized by the World Government as great pirates, possessing catastrophic destructive power and military strength rivaling nations. They, together with the Four Emperors and Marine Headquarters, formed the three great powers of the Grand Line.
And yet—
Just like that…
He was defeated by someone they had never even heard of!
No matter how you looked at it, it felt unbelievable!
Of course, that wasn't the most important issue. What mattered more now was… the Warlords had been established to stabilize the seas, and yet so soon—
Such a treasonous incident of usurping a country had already occurred!
Especially since, although the country in question seemed like an ordinary member nation, many of the high-ranking officers present clearly understood that it wasn't just any country!
Therefore, if this matter wasn't handled properly, it would severely damage the Marines' credibility!
In the meeting room—
One person was bored, stuffing their face with snacks; another was yawning while casually picking at their nails; a third glanced at the paper with a frown, then lowered their sleep mask and shut their eyes as if none of this concerned them!
Aside from those three—
Silence filled the room.
Of course—
Everyone else seemed long used to their antics, so they simply ignored them.
"Yuto Group!" said Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marines' Great Staff Officer, picking up a document with a serious expression. "According to investigations… this so-called group appears fairly normal and has not violated any Marine regulations. The Yuto Group is currently operating Yuto Milk Tea, Yuto BBQ, and Yuto Dance Hall. Their headquarters seems to be in Alabasta, but they also have businesses on other islands throughout the first half of the Grand Line. In addition, they have other ventures like Yuto Internet Café and Yuto Communications, though their exact functions remain unclear."
At this point, her face showed a trace of helplessness.
"As for their origins, that's still unknown. Based on current information… it's as if they just appeared out of nowhere. But one thing's certain—their boss, Uchiha Yuto, is quite powerful! After all, he did defeat Crocodile!"
As her words fell—
A burly man in a red suit, draped in the Marines' "Justice" coat, scoffed with disdain. "Just a coward who ran back from the New World! There are plenty of losers who could beat Crocodile!"
"Sakazuki, don't say it like that. Crocodile was one of the last generation's Supernovas!" Tsuru smiled wryly and shook her head. "No matter what, he made it to the New World and challenged the strongest man."
"Hmph!"
"Enough." Fleet Admiral Sengoku sighed and stopped Sakazuki from speaking further. Then, looking at Tsuru, he asked, "So, there are no other problems with this Yuto Group?"
"From what we can tell—no. And according to the investigation, they're not involved in any underground criminal activity. The only minor violation is that they have their own shipyard—Yuto Shipyard—which isn't registered with the Marines. But as you know, as long as they're not building warships, that's not a big deal." Tsuru nodded with a smile. "However, the boss's powers are rather strange—seemingly similar to the Door-Door Fruit. He can instantly appear somewhere else. Most likely a Devil Fruit user."
As she said this, something seemed to come to mind, and she turned to another page.
"Also, the working conditions inside the Yuto Group are very good! They hire both ability users and regular folks. Their wages are generous—three times higher than the best-known factories on the seas! Plus, there are bonuses, benefits, and allowances. In Alabasta, they're hugely popular with the public and considered prime job placements!"
Then she glanced oddly at Vice Admiral Garp, and turned back to Sengoku.
"The rising pirate from the East Blue—Captain of the Spade Pirates, Portgas D. Ace, is currently working there! Apparently, he went on a drunken rampage and destroyed an entire commercial street belonging to the Yuto Group, racking up over 100 million in damages. Unable to pay, he's been forced into labor to repay his debt."
As her words ended—
"???"
Garp: Σ(д;)yO~~
The donut in his hand fell to the floor!
He stared at his old friend Tsuru in disbelief. "What the hell?!"
At that moment—
Everyone else turned to look at him with the same weird expression.
Those who knew, knew!
That guy… was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, wasn't he?
Many had already been displeased that the grandson of this Marine Hero had gone out to become a pirate. But now? That same grandson… had gone into debt and been forced into hard labor?!
However—
Just when everyone thought Vice Admiral Garp would be furious—
"Hahahaha!" Garp burst into laughter, slamming the table wildly. "I didn't think Ace would ever end up like this! I have to tell Luffy about this! Let's see if he still wants to be a pirate! This is hilarious! Absolutely hilarious!"
"…"
No wonder his grandsons all want to become pirates!
With a grandpa like that…
Who'd want to stick around?!
Sengoku, his face dark with frustration, ordered Garp to quiet down, then turned back to Tsuru. "From the looks of it… we should be glad that guy stopped Crocodile in time!" He paused in thought, then asked seriously, "Do we know why he attacked a Warlord of the Sea? Is it really like the newspaper said?"
"He was indeed brought back by Ensign Isuka, who was investigating the Spade Pirates near the Kingdom of Alabasta," Tsuru nodded with a sigh, her expression turning strange. "According to the Marines' questioning, it seems Crocodile went into the man's store and tried to pull a 'zero-dollar purchase,' then trashed the shop. The owner got so angry he charged into Rain Dinners and beat him up. That's when he discovered Crocodile's conspiracy and chose to report it to the Marines."
"…"
Crocodile really was getting worse and worse.
He had actually been beaten up by an ordinary businessman!
Everyone frowned again as they looked back at today's newspaper.
Only to notice—
A full-page spread...
They were all stunned for a moment. So many things were happening at sea, and while the Warlord's coup was indeed a serious matter, it didn't quite justify taking up that much space, right?
Moreover—
Most of the content had nothing to do with the incident!
"Oh~ right!" Tsuru seemed to catch their confusion. "According to information from our contacts in the news agency, that Boss Yuto apparently spent a lot of money to buy ad space—he put in a recruitment ad. Looks like the compensation package is quite good!"
"…"
As she finished speaking—
Everyone fell silent again. With expressionless faces, they instinctively flipped to the next page of the newspaper.
And sure enough—
Want to understand the meaning of life?
Want to truly feel alive?
Want to show your talents to the world?
Then join us!
The Yuto Group is hiring now!
High salary! Excellent benefits!
…
The whole bottom half was covered…
And the salary and benefits really were generous!
Many Marine officers reading it were visibly stunned.
That pay…
It was better than their fixed military salaries!
"Phew~ it makes me want to quit and apply," drawled Admiral Kizaru (Borsalino), who had just been dozing off moments ago. He glanced at the page with curiosity, then let out a lazy whistle, his casual tone tinged with real surprise: "Even two days off on weekends~ truly enviable!"
"...Shut up!"
You're demoralizing the troops!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku shouted, veins popping on his forehead.
But looking at the benefits listed…
Damn it!
They really were kind of tempting!
He quickly averted his eyes, then looked sternly at everyone still staring at the paper and righteously declared: "What are you all looking at?! Huh?! We're here for justice! For justice, you hear?! The meeting's over—get back to work! Move it! Dismissed!"