Raleigh showed keen interest.
"Not bad," he said, while staring at the floor.
Receiving Raleigh's affirmative response, the finance minister's expression became smug.
He gestured grandly at the spilled treasure. "This is from our great King—drawn from his personal treasury to show gratitude for Lord Raleigh's arrival. It's... reward money for our Marines brothers."
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Of course, this isn't bribery for Raleigh-sama specifically. Oh no. It's special military funds for the Marine officers, to make suppressing the lowborn populace... easier."
"This... this..." Cleveland and Gion stared, dumbfounded, at the valuable items covering the floor—stacks of crisp Belly notes, gleaming gold bars, velvet pouches of diamonds.
Their eyes darted to the additional dozen unopened chests stacked behind the minister.
The sheer magnitude of wealth was beyond their comprehension.
Though neither had ever worried about money—Cleveland was a simple soldier, and Gion had a decent salary—that didn't mean they were wealthy.
A single one of these chests likely contained more wealth than they'd earn in a lifetime of Marine service.
No one could remain calm facing such a sight.
Raleigh smiled with deep satisfaction.
He glanced at his two paralyzed companions, shook his head at their lack of composure, and cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem. Well then," Raleigh said, his voice smooth. "I'll express the Marine soldiers' gratitude for His Majesty's generosity on their behalf. I also deeply appreciate the hospitality from all the noble lords. Rest assured... I will protect this kingdom.
He raised his wine glass. "Protecting His Majesty's safety has always been the duty and obligation of our North Blue Marines."
The finance minister beamed. "This is only as it should be! The Marine soldiers risk their lives fighting rebellious commoners for our safety—anyone who sees this would be moved! We understand the hardships faced by the Marines, which is why we're voluntarily donating to them."
He wiped a tear from his eye, though whether it was from emotion or the cigar smoke was unclear.
"We've long had this intention, but never found the right opportunity. Now that Raleigh-sama is here, he happens to be the perfect person to deliver these things to the soldiers."
Though before Raleigh's arrival, he hadn't even known who Raleigh was, his professional integrity as the host kingdom's finance minister compelled him to praise Raleigh extravagantly.
He was laying it on thick.
"If that's the case," Raleigh said, standing up to shake the man's hand, "what a remarkable coincidence. I'd be very pleased to do such a favor. Please be sure to convey to His Majesty that our Marines are extremely satisfied with the gifts and willing to pay any price to maintain the stability of the Eryoku Kingdom."
The finance minister showed a satisfied smile and bowed slightly.
"Actually, this is nothing less than what the Marines deserves. We're deeply grateful for the North Blue Marines' contributions. His Majesty has other matters to attend to, so please rest for a while—we've prepared a unique banquet for this evening, and we sincerely hope all Marine officers will attend."
After the finance minister left, closing the grand doors behind him, Cleveland immediately rushed over.
He fell to his knees and began carefully collecting the spilled treasures back into the chest, his hands shaking slightly.
"Boss... this is... this is insane," he muttered.
Gion, however, did not move.
She watched Raleigh with a cold expression, her arms crossed.
"Raleigh," she said, her voice cutting through the room. "Why do you seem so comfortable accepting these things?"
"Ahaha." Raleigh scratched his head, attempting to gloss over the matter with a laugh. "Well, you know..."
"If you don't explain this clearly to me," Gion said angrily, stepping forward, "I'll definitely report it to Marine Headquarters. Don't forget my position as the Four Seas Patrol Officer. This is blatant corruption!"
However, she kept her voice low.
She knew her boundaries and wouldn't confront Raleigh when outsiders were present.
This was already much better than how she'd been initially, back when she would have just drawn her sword.
Raleigh sighed.
He pointed at the treasures on the floor.
"Didn't you hear? This is just special military funding for the Marines."
Gion immediately retorted, "Do you take me for a three-year-old? How many Belly of these treasures will actually reach the Marine soldiers? How many officers in the Marines privately accept bribes from affiliate kingdoms like what happened today? This is dirty money, Raleigh!"
"If you don't give me a proper explanation today, I'll definitely tell Tsuru. Before I came here, Tsuru mentioned that the Marine branches in the Four Seas are different from those in the Grand Line—now I understand. They're rotten."
"Admittedly, there are Marine officers in the Four Seas who accept bribes," Raleigh said calmly, pouring himself another glass of wine.
"But are there none in the Grand Line Marines?"
He looked at her.
Raleigh certainly didn't believe that.
Any organization, after eight hundred years of development, could never remain as pure as it was at the beginning.
Collaborating with pirates, being in cahoots with nobles and kings... these things definitely existed at HQ too.
But one must view issues dialectically.
"I know," Raleigh said, his voice serious. "In your eyes, this is evidence of the Eruyorobu Kingdom's king bribing me. And you're right. It is. But so what?"
"You're an adult now, Gion. You should understand that Belly itself has no inherent moral alignment. In the hands of kings, it's merely used to buy expensive jewelry and delicacies while their people starve. But in my hands?" He gestured to Cleveland, who was struggling to lift a heavy gold bar.
"In my hands, I can pay my soldiers proper wages. I can equip them with the latest cannons and swords so they don't die fighting pirates. I can build better bases."
Raleigh didn't bother explaining whether these things were evidence of bribery, because such explanations were meaningless to an idealist.
As a Marine officer, being able to ensure his soldiers received sufficient monthly pay and could use the latest weapons to fight—that was true capability.
That was his job.
"Besides," Raleigh continued, "you might think I'm forcing them to donate money, but actually, it's quite the opposite. I dare say eighty percent of this money comes from the common people in their kingdoms. Their money gets collected by the king to please me. Even if I didn't accept it, do you think this money would be returned to the people? No. It would stay in the King's vault."
"The North Blue, no... the entire world is the same. If a local branch commander refuses this money, the locals actually become uneasy. They think, 'If he won't take our money, he must be planning to destroy us.' Only by accepting the money will they feel comfortable entrusting everything to you."
It's laughable, but true.
Sometimes if you don't accept money, you'll actually be ostracized.
Once you accept, they trust you, because they think they own you. Human nature is just that complicated.
Cleveland wasn't as particular about this as Gion.
Born and raised in the North Blue, even if he hadn't experienced such massive bribes personally, he'd heard plenty about them.
Raleigh didn't come to this world to be a naive do-gooder.
If he had to define himself by alignment, he'd be chaotic neutral.
Methods didn't matter to him—he pursued only his version of justice.
And his version involved being funded.
"Cleveland," Raleigh ordered. "Order the soldiers outside to transport the wealth to the warship. Leave two chests in the small boat for... personal transport. Have the rest moved to the naval base's secure vault."
In this world, there were indeed people in the navy who would never cooperate with the Mafia like Raleigh did, or work with pirates, or accept bribes from kings.
Raleigh respected these people—Zephyr, Sakazuki, Gion—but he would never become like them.
They were admirable, but rigid.
Raleigh never tried to change their thinking, because having one's own dreams was true freedom.
It was precisely because of these seemingly "foolish" people that others could believe this world could become better.
But Raleigh knew he couldn't be like Luffy, attacking Enies Lobby without a plan.
Without Luffy's plot armor or terrifyingly deep background, trying to imitate that kind of heroism would only make him disappear.
.....
On the warship that night, most navy soldiers had already retired to rest.
The cabin rose and fell gently with the ocean waves, causing the candlelight to flicker.
A gust of wind swept through the locked cabin, and a figure seemed to materialize in the corner.
"Raleigh," Dragon's voice came from the shadows. "I just visited you yesterday. Do you have something to discuss with me today?"
Dragon removed his hood and looked at Raleigh with curiosity.
Raleigh, as usual, had prepared two cups of black tea and was quietly waiting while holding a book.
"You might not believe this, senpai," Raleigh said, smiling. "Today, I visited the Kingdom of Eryoku, and their king tried to bribe me. He offered several large chests of treasure."
"So you accepted it?" Dragon raised an eyebrow, unable to fully understand his junior.
He had encountered similar situations; people trying to bribe Garp's son.
It annoyed him so much he always turned them away.
"Of course i accept it!" Raleigh pointed to the two large chests sitting innocently behind the door.
"This is why I contacted you, senpai. The treasure sent by the King of Eryoku—I gave it to the rebel army opposing them to purchase weapons instead. Isn't that amusing?"
"Knowing the rebel army lacks funds, I prepared this for you in advance."
Dragon was taken aback.
He stared at the chests.
The King probably never dreamed that the bullets fired at him would be bought with his own money.
"You—what are you trying to do?" Dragon was bewildered.
Why would Raleigh give away such a fortune?
Raleigh handed over a piece of paper.
"Today, I visited the royal palace. It was incredibly luxurious. By the way, my people also figured out the location of their main treasury."
"I have no doubt that the rebel army can defeat the King's Guard. So, I'm investing in you. The cost is that, after capturing the palace, 60% of the treasure inside must go to me."
Dragon laughed in disbelief. "The Kingdom of Eryoku is famously wealthy. Their treasury is undoubtedly an astronomical sum. Isn't it possible that we also need such a large sum to strengthen our forces when we retreat?"
Raleigh waved his hand dismissively and pushed the steaming black tea toward Dragon.
"Senpai, one shouldn't be too greedy."
Dragon choked on his tea.
Raleigh spoke in a serious tone: "You're just starting out. Having such a massive fortune is dangerous. Not only will the World Government target you, but pirates will too. You can't defend that much gold yet. So, for your safety, we must help you store it properly."
Dragon felt both annoyed and suspicious.
Raleigh was definitely trying to trick him.
"If we split it 60-40," Dragon asked tentatively, "wouldn't that be a bit unfair? After all, you might pin the blame on me."
"How could that be, senpai?" Raleigh replied with a look of pure, innocent guilt. "I swear in Borsalino's name that if I shift the blame onto you, I'll work overtime until midnight every day."
Far away in the North Blue base, Borsalino suddenly sneezed violently in his sleep, feeling a terrible chill as though someone was cursing him from afar.
"Fine," Dragon sighed. "60% is 40%. It should be enough anyway."
Dragon currently lacked experience in finances, and honestly, he rarely experienced hardship due to his connections.
He didn't realize just how much money he was giving up.
Of course, this incident later became a classic case study Dragon used when educating Sabo.
Lesson 1: If you feel Raleigh is about to trick you, you must decisively refuse. Because Raleigh is definitely going to trick you!
"When will your uprising approximately begin?" Raleigh asked.
Dragon thought for a moment.
"Probably in about half a month. We need to prepare. Contacting weapons suppliers, persuading miners... Most importantly, we haven't found a target that would attract the World Government's attention yet."
Raleigh calculated inwardly.
The longer Dragon remained, the stronger they became.
And although World Government agents were swarming, Raleigh didn't believe they could catch Dragon.
"Thank you, Raleigh. Let's cooperate again when we have the chance. I'll take responsibility for the Eruyorobu Kingdom matter for you."
Dragon stood up, picking up the two large boxes by the door as if they weighed nothing.
He slung them over his shoulders, then turned to Raleigh with an awkward expression.
"What's wrong, senpai?"
Dragon looked embarrassed. "Well—Raleigh—could you... open the door for me? I don't have any free hands."
Raleigh's jaw dropped.
He never expected the future World's Worst Criminal to have such a humorous, clumsy side.
....
Meanwhile, in the North Blue Underworld.
"Young Master," Trebol's slimy voice came through the snail. "People from Rear Admiral Raleigh's side have contacted us, offering a cooperation opportunity."
"There's an organization in the Eryoku Kingdom that needs large quantities of weapons and equipment. The price they're offering isn't particularly high... but the volume is huge. Should we take this business?"
"Hehe," Doflamingo's laugh echoed. "That guy Raleigh... his final mission destination is also in the Eryoku Kingdom. It seems he's going to stir up something earth-shattering there."
"As for selling weapons? Why wouldn't we? As long as the other party pays, we'll sell to anyone regardless of what they plan to do with them—even if they're just going to use them as firewood. Sell it all, Trebol."
After being lectured by Raleigh, Doflamingo had painstakingly devoted himself to studying the man.
After extensive research, he reached one conclusion: This guy has absolutely no shame.
To obtain benefits, he'll use any method possible.
"Raleigh," Doflamingo whispered to the dark sea, "why does someone like you exist in this world? Things are getting more and more interesting... Hehehehe!!"
...
In the cabin of Doflamingo's ship, Bell-mère and a group of Marine soldiers were resting.
Awakened by Doflamingo's maniacal laughter from the deck, they began whispering.
"Is that kid outside having some mental problems?" Hans whispered.
"Shh, keep your voice down," Beck hissed. "He did save our lives after all."
"Why should I care about him? He didn't come here voluntarily anyway. This was arranged by Raleigh-sama. If we're thanking anyone, we should thank Lord Raleigh."
"Raleigh-sama is planning something in that Eryoku Kingdom, but Captain Momonga knows and just won't tell me," Hans grumbled.
"It's infuriating—after all, I'm an old-timer who served under Raleigh-sama too."
The two whispering men were none other than Hans and Beck.
Raleigh probably never expected that these two eccentric Marine soldiers, who used to secretly complain about him constantly, would end up joining Bell-mère's team.
"But to be honest," Beck sighed, "serving in the Marines under Raleigh-sama was truly the best."
Ever since Raleigh left, the entire Branch 133 seemed to have lost its backbone.
Before Raleigh revealed his true strength, they enjoyed gossiping about him; after he revealed his power, they came to worship him.
"I miss Commander Raleigh," Hans agreed, his stomach rumbling. "When he was around, even my steamed buns had meat in them."
"Hans... do you think we should just stay in the North Blue?" Beck asked quietly. "After all, Commander Raleigh is our old superior—we just need to inform Captain Momonga."
"Ahem, actually, I was thinking the same thing."
"Me too—" "Me three!"
Upon hearing Hans and Beck discussing staying under Raleigh's command, the Marine soldiers who had been resting suddenly became alert, one after another.
They too had enjoyed the benefits brought by Raleigh.
They remembered the pay, the food, the easy victories.
Moreover, they knew that their old superior had boundless prospects.
The position of North Blue Commander was just a stepping stone; it wasn't impossible for him to reach the rank of Admiral in the future.
"We're staying," Hans decided firmly.
"To hell with the East Blue. We're Raleigh's men."
---------
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