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Chapter 60: Pay Up
On the high-spec Marine warship heading for the East Blue, the atmosphere was leisurely.
"Ara ra, such lovely weather."
Kizaru sat lazily on a deck chair with his legs crossed, delicately filing his long nails with an exquisite nail file.
The sun was bright, the sea breeze was calm.
This S-rank secret mission was, in his opinion, a perfect paid vacation.
Beside him, Gion, in full uniform, her hand on the hilt of her famous blade, Konpira, persistently practiced drawing her sword.
Her sharp eyes scanned the calm sea, maintaining maximum vigilance at all times.
This was a stark and comical contrast to Kizaru's lazy posture.
"I say, Gion-chan, no need to be so tense."
Kizaru spoke without lifting his head, his signature, obnoxious drawl stretching his words.
"This is the weakest East Blue. You can barely find any decent pirates here. Relax, relax a little."
Gion snorted coldly.
"An opponent capable of defeating Admiral Kuzan in three minutes appeared in this very East Blue. That warrants the highest level of vigilance, no matter what corner of the world, Borsalino-san."
"Besides, I'm here to become stronger!"
"For the Justice of the Marines, I will become the world's greatest swordswoman."
"Ohoho, such terrifying fighting spirit."
"I should record that with the Den Den Mushi. Fleet Admiral Sengoku would be moved to tears."
Kizaru exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders, continuing to file his nails.
Just then, a hurried, off-key ringing from the Den Den Mushi suddenly broke the leisure.
Bururururu!
Burukacha!
The sound came from the luxurious, golden, exclusive Den Den Mushi on Kizaru's wrist. This was the encrypted line reserved only for a Marine Admiral.
Gion's face instantly changed.
Kizaru's filing hand finally stopped.
He slowly raised his wrist and lazily pressed the answer button.
"Hello hello, it's me. Sengoku-san, what's up?"
The next second.
"Borsalino!! You straighten up right now!!"
The golden Den Den Mushi perfectly mimicked Fleet Admiral Sengoku's furious, vein-bulging face. The sound was so loud it made the ship's windows hum.
Kizaru dug his fingers in his ear from the shouting, but his face remained playfully cynical.
"Ara ra, such anger, Sengoku-san. Did you eat some expired Senbei?"
"Stop playing games! Listen! Emergency intel!"
"Just now, the Celestial Dragon Saint Jalmack was attacked in the waters of Goa Kingdom!"
Kizaru's eyebrow twitched.
"Oh? Well, that's... truly a shame for him."
"That deadweight isn't the point!"
Sengoku roared.
"Oh oh! Please continue, sir."
Kizaru rolled over.
"Who had the audacity to attack the world's rule? How terrifying."
On the other end of the line, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"The attacker..."
"Was Monkey D. Dragon!"
Dragon.
The moment the name was spat out through the Den Den Mushi, time seemed to pause. The gentle sea breeze on the deck carried an icy chill.
Gion's hand, gripping her blade, clenched suddenly, her knuckles white. Her sharp eyes, for the first time, held an unconcealable horror.
That man!
The World's Worst Criminal!
The only Revolutionary who dares and is capable of directly challenging the World Government's rule!
How did he end up in the East Blue?
And he attacked a Celestial Dragon?!
Compared to Gion's shock, Kizaru's reaction seemed... delayed.
He simply stopped filing his nails, placed the file aside, and slowly, leisurely, sat up from his lounge chair.
His expression was still lazy, but his signature brown sunglasses slipped down slightly.
"Ara ra... Sengoku-san."
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses, speaking in a more drawn-out, obnoxious voice than usual.
"I'm getting old. My ears aren't what they used to be."
"You just said... who was that?"
The golden Den Den Mushi was silent for two seconds.
Then.
"It's Monkey! D.! Dragon!!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's roar, like a volcanic eruption, blasted from the other end of the line!
"Borsalino! I'm telling you again! The attacker of the Celestial Dragon Saint Jalmack is the Revolutionary Dragon!"
"Do you hear me clearly?!"
This time, Kizaru heard him.
A trace of seriousness finally appeared on his lazy face.
"Ohoho... now that is... quite the big deal."
Kizaru stood up, stretched, his bones letting out a series of pop-pop sounds.
He walked to the ship's rail, looking out at the boundless sea. His tone suddenly became incredibly sincere, incredibly earnest.
"Sengoku-san."
"You don't mean... you want me to go deal with Dragon, do you?"
"Shouldn't this be Mr. Garp's job?"
On the phone, Sengoku's voice was frigid.
"Dragon's motives in the East Blue are unknown! As a top power of Marine Headquarters, this is your duty!"
"Ara ra, you can't say that."
Kizaru's tone suddenly became aggrieved, clutching his chest, his face full of sadness and difficulty.
"That Dragon... he's like a brother to me, a dear friend!"
"Back in the day, we drank together, we talked together!"
"And now you want me to go deal with him..."
"This... this puts me in a tough spot!"
"I need a raise."
Kizaru said seriously.
Beside him, Gion stared, dumbfounded.
From the Den Den Mushi, the sound of heavy panting came through.
It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku, so enraged his blood pressure was spiking.
After more than ten seconds.
Sengoku's voice, suppressing a monstrous rage, was squeezed out, word by word.
"Borsalino..."
"You listen to me!"
"If you fail this mission, I'm sending you to the New World to be stationed permanently."
"Stationed in the New World?"
The angry face of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, as mimicked by the Den Den Mushi, reflected clearly on Kizaru's sunglasses.
"Pursuing the World's Worst Criminal is my inescapable duty as a Marine Admiral."
Kizaru sighed dramatically, spreading his hands.
That monster paradise, the New World. Besides battle maniacs like Sakazuki, who wants to stay there long-term? My old bones can't handle that kind of stress.
"Borsalino, this is no time for your games!"
"Listen carefully!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice was heavy with unprecedented gravity.
"That deadweight Celestial Dragon, ignore him for now! He won't die!"
"The CP0 organization has already evacuated him. Dragon didn't intend to kill him."