"Fleet Admiral, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Hawke pointed toward the glittering golden vault.
"This… is just an appetizer."
Inside, his heart was as calm as still water.
One hundred billion Belly.
That amount was enough to drive any king insane, enough to make countless pirates risk their lives.
But for the Marine Headquarters, the ruler of the seas—
It wasn't enough.
Far from enough!
This amount of money, thrown into the massive machine that was the Marines, wouldn't even make a sound.
Even if they emptied the entire Sky Island of its gold and exchanged it for Belly, it would only cover immediate expenses for a short while.
It would treat the symptoms, but not the root cause.
Justice could not be born from someone else's purse.
If the Marines wanted true independence…
If they wanted to uphold justice…
They needed to find a "money source" that could produce wealth endlessly.
"..."
In Hawke's mind, the image of a man surfaced—
Wearing purple sunglasses, his face twisted into an arrogant, mocking grin.
The Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro.
Tesoro—
A business prodigy who climbed from slavery to the peak of the world's wealth in just twelve short years.
He controlled the largest entertainment city in the world, holding twenty percent of the entire world's Belly.
If he could be "persuaded" to serve the Marines…
It would solve everything—once and for all.
But there was no rush.
For now, the Sky Island's gold was enough.
Once he finished cleaning up the "paradise," he would put "persuasion" on the agenda.
"..."
Inside the warehouse, silence.
Dead silence.
The expression on Sengoku's face shifted from shock to complete stupor.
He slowly turned his head, first looking at Hawke, then back at the golden mountain.
What are you saying, kid?!
He, the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, had fought across half a lifetime and seen countless scenes of grandeur and chaos.
And you're calling this an appetizer?
An entire warehouse filled with gold… an appetizer?!
Then what's the main course?
Huh?!
"Hawke…"
"If this entire warehouse of gold is just an appetizer…"
"Then… what's the main dish?"
Tsuru took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions, and asked the key question.
Her gaze locked firmly onto Hawke, not missing the slightest change in his expression.
"..."
"A golden city."
Hawke's voice was calm, yet it exploded in their ears like a thunderclap.
"Ten thousand meters above the sea lies a legendary island… known as 'Sky Island.'"
"And on that island exists a city built entirely of gold, called 'Shandora.'"
Hawke extended his hand, gesturing toward the warehouse.
"Fleet Admiral, Vice Admiral Tsuru—what you see now is merely the limit of what a single massive warship's cargo hold could carry back."
"As for how much gold remains in Shandora, the exact number… we'll only know after we send people to take full inventory."
"But what I want to say is this…"
"Justice… is already free!"
"..."
"..."
Sengoku and Tsuru fell into silence again.
At this moment, the words "golden city" crashed into their minds like a tidal wave, leaving them blank and breathless.
Who were they?
One was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
The other, the Chief Strategist of the entire Navy.
They were two of the most powerful people in the world—
Legends who had witnessed countless storms and lived through endless battles.
And yet right now, they found themselves struggling to breathe.
Sengoku slowly turned his head again, staring at the mountain of gold.
In his mind, a vision began to take shape.
A city!
A city built entirely from gold!
And from that golden city… a sea of unimaginable wealth would flow!
"Thud!"
"Thud-thud!"
"Thud-thud-thud-thud——!"
Sengoku could clearly hear the pounding of his own heart within his chest.
He remembered—
He remembered every single time he had been forced to personally go to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise just to request military funds.
He remembered how many times, he, the Marine Fleet Admiral who upheld the so-called "Justice Over the Seas," had been forced to bow his head for Belly, bending the proud spine he had kept straight his entire life.
He remembered those five arrogant old men, handing out funds as if tossing scraps to beggars.
"Sengoku, the Marine budget is too high. You need to learn restraint."
"The balance of the world is more important than a few warships."
"Use this Belly sparingly."
And what was justice?
Was it faith? Was it power?
No!
In this twisted world, justice was something built with money!
And now—
Hawke had brought the Marines a golden city!
With this…!
The Marines would never have to fear shortages again!
Justice… would be independent!
Justice… would be strong!
Justice… would be free!
"Haha…"
Sengoku's shoulders began to tremble as a low, uncontrollable laugh escaped his throat.
"Hahahaha…"
The laughter grew louder.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA——!!!"
Finally, it became unrestrained, a roaring explosion that echoed throughout the warehouse!
Sengoku laughed so hard his body bent forward and backward, tears streaming down his face.
All the humiliation and frustration he had endured over the past decade burst forth at this moment, carried away by his wild laughter!
"Whooooom——!"
An invisible, overwhelming aura suddenly erupted from Sengoku's body, beyond his control, sweeping through the entire area!
Conqueror's Haki!
This willpower, fused with unbridled joy and long-awaited liberation, swept through the warehouse like a hurricane!
The mountain of gold shuddered faintly under the sheer force of his dominating will, as though bowing in submission!
Even the entire G-3 Branch trembled faintly beneath the surge of that uncontrolled aura.
"Sengoku! Calm yourself!"
Just then, a sharp, icy voice cut through the madness like a bucket of cold water.
An aged but steady hand gently pressed down on Sengoku's shoulder.
Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Paramecia-type — Wash-Wash Fruit ability, activated.
An invisible, refreshing power instantly seeped into Sengoku's body, washing away the "stained" chaos of his emotions, cleansing and drying them completely.
Of course, Tsuru understood Sengoku's feelings.
She knew better than anyone how much Belly this man—this man called the "Buddha," her lifelong comrade-in-arms—
Had begged for, how many times he had lowered his head before those five old men of Mary Geoise, and how much humiliation he had swallowed.
But this was not the time to lose control!
First, the existence of this golden city was still a secret known only to them, and the gold itself was far from secured. A single careless mistake could invite immeasurable trouble.
Second—and most importantly—Hawke was standing right here watching!
You're the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
In front of a prodigious subordinate with limitless potential, laughing like a lunatic just because of a city's worth of gold—Where is your dignity?!
Get ahold of yourself, old man!
"Whooo…"
Like scrubbing away the deepest, most stubborn stain, Sengoku's overheated brain instantly cleared a little.
He straightened his back slowly and turned toward Hawke.
This young man… he had brought them the Marines' future.
The true dawn of justice.
"Hawke…"
"The next Fleet Admiral… will be you!"
Hawke: "???"
Tsuru: "Nonsense!!!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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