Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Ah~ yawn..."
Kizaru lazily drooped his eyelids, letting out a long, drawn-out yawn as he slumped weakly on the sofa.
In front of him was a mountain of documents piled high like a small fortress, and beside it… only a pitiful handful of processed files, forming a cruel and mocking contrast.
"This is killing me~"
Kizaru whined weakly, his voice dragging as if he were about to melt into the couch.
Back when he thought Fleet Admiral Sengoku would be away, and he would temporarily act as Fleet Admiral…
He assumed it would be a cushy job — a rare chance to enjoy the Navy's highest authority, sip tea, read the paper, and spend his days leisurely.
Reality, however, had other plans.
Authority? He hadn't even gotten close enough to touch its shadow!
But paperwork? That came like a tsunami.
Endless. Truly endless!
And this was just temporary!
If he were to actually become Fleet Admiral one day…
"Hiss—"
Kizaru shuddered violently, quickly shaking that horrifying thought out of his head.
"No, no, no…"
He muttered softly, "Whoever wants this Fleet Admiral position can have it."
If his name ever came up for Fleet Admiral nomination, he'd be the very first to abstain.
Let Sakazuki and Kuzan fight over it if they wanted.
Worst case, even letting Hawke-kun take the seat wouldn't be so bad.
As for him? No way he'd get involved.
He was perfectly content staying as a Marine Admiral — clocking in and out on time every day, sipping tea, trimming his nails, slacking off comfortably, and occasionally going out to shine a little light.
Now that was the life of a god!
Just then, the office door creaked open with a soft "squeak."
Sengoku walked in, chatting casually with Tsuru by his side.
"Tsuru, Hawke's 'Sea Bottom Dredge' plan is pure genius!"
Sengoku's booming voice was filled with barely contained excitement.
"Mm, indeed."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded approvingly, a gentle smile on her lips.
"From persuading Alabasta to become an ally of the Navy and providing a perfect platform for digesting the wealth of Gran Tesoro…"
"To now, with this 'Sea Bottom Dredge' plan — Hawke always manages to find entirely new paths for the Navy, ones full of hope, from angles none of us could've imagined."
"As long as this plan is successfully implemented, the Navy's budget problem will be solved once and for all."
"Hmm…?"
Kizaru's ears instantly perked up.
"The Navy… won't have to worry about funding anymore?!"
His once sleepy, half-closed eyes lit up in an instant.
This was big!
The Navy, this colossal money-burning war machine… having a day when it doesn't worry about funding?!
"Borsalino…"
Sengoku spotted Kizaru, strode toward him, and patted him firmly on the shoulder.
Then, in a deep, weighty tone, he spoke slowly and seriously.
"The future of the Navy… I'm entrusting it to you—"
"!!!"
"Huh?!"
Kizaru's entire body jolted, goosebumps racing across his skin.
What the hell?!
Why… why was the Navy's future suddenly being entrusted to him?!
Wasn't this Hawke-kun's job?!
He was just a simple man trying to clock out on time and avoid responsibilities! How was he supposed to be reliable for this?!
"Convince Vegapunk."
Sengoku finally revealed the second half of his sentence.
"This mission… I'm assigning it to you!"
His gaze grew sharp and commanding.
"The very first step — and the most crucial step — of the 'Sea Bottom Dredge' plan requires Dr. Vegapunk to develop a super-class salvage vessel for us."
"This matter… determines whether the Navy can truly achieve independence!"
"Borsalino, you're an old friend of Vegapunk's. Out of everyone, only you have the highest chance of convincing him."
"Funding is not a problem. The Navy will invest 50 billion Belly up front!"
"This mission, you must complete!"
"Phew—"
Kizaru let out a long sigh of relief, his tense body finally relaxing.
Good grief, Fleet Admiral…
Next time, could you not pause so dramatically mid-sentence?!
You nearly scared me to death!
So it was just about persuading Vegapunk, huh?
That's fine then.
Vegapunk, after all, was his old buddy.
Sure, the guy was obsessed with strange and wacky inventions all day long, but deep down, he was a pure scientist.
His lifelong dream was to use science to benefit the world.
Meanwhile, the World Government? All they wanted was to turn Vegapunk's genius into weapons, tools for maintaining their control.
All he had to do was tell Vegapunk about the Navy's new vision.
There's no reason Vegapunk would refuse.
At worst, the guy might open his mouth wide when it came to research funding.
But right now… didn't the Navy just become loaded?
Exactly!
"!!!"
Kizaru's eyes suddenly sparkled like gold coins.
If the Navy was about to enter an era of overflowing funds…
Then the bonuses from all his past deployments, reinforcements, and guard duties… shouldn't those be doubled too?!
Thinking of this, Kizaru cleared his throat dramatically.
"Ah~ Sengoku-sama, you don't know this, but…"
"Vegapunk is my dearest friend! My closest kin!"
"…"
Sengoku's lips twitched slightly as he looked at Kizaru's obvious 'I-want-more-money' expression.
Borsalino, you damn…
Still, soon the Navy would have no shortage of money.
Sengoku reached into his coat and pulled out a golden check, stamped with the Fleet Admiral's highest authority seal, waving it casually in front of Kizaru with a confident smile.
"This is 3 billion Belly. You can cash it directly from the Treasury."
Sengoku's voice was calm, but every single word slammed into Kizaru's chest like cannon fire.
"Of that, 1 billion is a reward for your recent reinforcements to the branches — hard work well done."
"Another 1 billion is hardship pay for temporarily acting as Fleet Admiral and holding the fort at Headquarters."
"And the final 1 billion is an advance bonus for this mission."
"If you can successfully persuade Dr. Vegapunk, after the mission is complete, the Headquarters will grant you an additional 2 billion."
"In total, 5 billion!"
Sengoku paused briefly, then dropped the real bombshell.
"And I'm granting you full authority over the first phase of the 'Sea Bottom Dredge' plan. From the first batch of recovered treasures, you'll get a 5% commission."
"The sooner you finish the vessel, the sooner the salvage starts. The more we salvage, the faster your extra bonuses will arrive — and the bigger they'll be."
"!!!"
"Hiss—"
Kizaru sucked in a sharp breath, nearly choking on air.
Five. Billion. Belly.
Plus a 5% cut of the haul?!
Do you know what that means?!
A life spent lying on mountains of Belly, sipping tea, and trimming nails in blissful comfort… was finally within reach!
"…"
Kizaru felt like every lazy cell in his body had just been purified by the holy light of money.
With uncharacteristic seriousness, he straightened his posture, saluted Sengoku with textbook precision, and spoke solemnly:
"Fleet Admiral, rest assured!"
"No one in this world… understands persuasion better than me, Borsalino!"
...
The chapter for Powerstones