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"Look, someone's coming out."
"It's Fleet Admiral Akira of the Marines."
"Strange, the Five Elders were offended, but he looks unscathed. What's going on?"
"It shouldn't be. Last time with Director Desmond of Impel Down, it wasn't like this."
Outside Mariejois, many guards and officials eagerly watched the exclusive entrance to the area where the Celestial Dragons lived.
Working in the safest place in the world, everyone was generally idle.
So, their gossip instincts were incredibly strong.
For someone who could provoke the anger of the Five Elders, they were not only curious about the person's identity but also eager to see them humiliated.
However, after hours of waiting, the sight of Akira walking out was nothing like they expected.
He had also angered the Five Elders, yet he wasn't carried out miserably like Desmond.
Not only did he look perfectly fine, but he was breathing calmly, with a noticeable smile on his face.
This surprised them all.
After all, leaving unscathed after provoking the Five Elders was one thing, but being this happy was unexpected.
Everyone couldn't help but gossip among themselves.
Uh-huh.
At that moment, Akira felt the stares from those around him, his sharp gaze turning toward them.
The guards and officials flinched, quickly looking away and lowering their heads, not daring to meet his eyes again.
"Pathetic."
Akira shook his head and complained, but he had no intention of wasting time or energy on them.
With his hands in his pockets, Akira walked straight toward the exit under everyone's watchful eyes.
"Akira!"
Just as he was about to leave, a voice called out from afar.
Akira turned his head to look.
He saw Commander Kong approaching.
"Commander Kong, good afternoon," Akira greeted him first.
"I'd be better off if you didn't cause me so much trouble."
After Kong's complaint, he asked, "Master Nusjuro didn't give you a hard time, did he? How are we going to handle this mess?"
Akira chuckled, pulling two cigars from his coat. He placed one in his mouth and handed the other to Kong. "Ah, no trouble at all. In the end, he just had me apologize to the innocent female Celestial Dragon, and that was it. He left right after."
"That simple, huh?"
Kong frowned as he took the cigar, biting down on it while eyeing Akira suspiciously from head to toe.
Like everyone else, he didn't believe it could be that easy to walk away after upsetting the Warrior God of Finance.
After all, the incident with Desmond just a while ago was still fresh in everyone's minds.
Even though Desmond couldn't compare to the Fleet Admiral in terms of rank or importance, both had disrespected the Celestial Dragons.
Akira, too, should have been reprimanded and humiliated.
"Otherwise, it wasn't even my fault to begin with."
Akira shrugged.
To be honest, Akira hadn't expected the situation to escalate to the point of the Five Elders getting involved.
The Celestial Dragons were more delicate than he had imagined.
In fact, he originally just intended to knock out the offending Dragon and leave with Rouge, Stella, and the others.
But things had taken an unexpected turn, and the female Celestial Dragon, shocked for two days straight, had quite literally lost control, soiling himself.
This certainly brought shame to the nobles of Mariejois.
Thus, it was only natural for Akira to be questioned by the Five Elders.
Even if it was an unintended mistake, the Five Elders probably assumed Akira had deliberately used Conqueror's Haki to cause such a spectacle, which explained why they had felt slapped in the face.
But Akira is the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, so it's impossible for him to be completely dismissed over something so minor.
After all, even among the Celestial Dragons, there are different levels of status.
While all of them are indeed regarded as untouchable by the outside world, within the ranks of high-ranking officials and military generals, they aren't entirely immune to offense.
Otherwise, in the original story, Garp wouldn't have gotten away with calling them "Dragonian garbage" without facing consequences.
So, unless Akira had made a significant mistake or openly defied the Five Elders' orders like Desmond, the repercussions would be minimal.
Throughout the situation, Akira maintained a good attitude, taking responsibility and explaining everything clearly, ensuring there were no misunderstandings.
In the end, the Warrior God of Finance's focus shifted due to Marine matters, allowing this small incident to blow over.
As a result, the foolish male Celestial Dragon was dealt with by the Five Elders themselves.
All Akira had to do was apologize to the female Celestial Dragon who had been caught up in the chaos.
On top of that, he received an order from the Warrior God of Finance: arrange for the Marine officers to head to the second half of the Grand Line as soon as possible to take on the major pirates and keep them occupied.
This order was exactly what Akira had been waiting for.
In fact, he had already been planning to make moves in the New World.
That's why he walked out in such a good mood.
If every visit to Mariejois resulted in good news like today, he wouldn't mind coming here every day.
"Yeah, I had to apologize to that woman," Akira said, grinning.
"Even if she's a Celestial Dragon, it's still pretty embarrassing to scare a woman in public like that."
"I heard she's been causing a fuss these past couple of days," Kong added.
When Kong said this, his expression was quite animated. "I didn't mean to criticize you, Akira, but how is she supposed to find a husband in the Holy Land after something like this?"
"Then she can be an independent woman," Akira replied indifferently, exhaling a puff of smoke. "As a Celestial Dragon, she doesn't have to worry about food or clothing. Why would she even need to get married?"
"Well, even Celestial Dragons prefer to marry within their ranks," Kong responded. "Anyway, that's enough of that. If you have nothing else going on, head back. And be careful next time—don't cause any more trouble like this."
"Of course, Commander Kong, you can count on it," Akira said with a slight smirk, waving goodbye before turning and walking away.
On his way back, Akira entered his office at Marineford and sat in his chair, thinking for a moment. Then, he picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed a series of numbers.
"Moshi moshi, Aunt Tsuru, it's me! Can you come over? I've got something to discuss."
"Understood, I'll be right there," Tsuru replied.
After hanging up, it didn't take long before Tsuru, the Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff, arrived.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, what's going on?" she asked.
"Aunt Tsuru," Akira began, crossing his hands and resting his chin on them, speaking calmly, "the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line have mostly settled down. Next, I'm planning to officially extend Marine operations into the second half of the Grand Line."
At the sound of his words, the office grew quiet.
Tsuru furrowed her brow, her mind clearly working through the implications.
In the corner, Vergo, who was busy processing documents, kept his head down, but his ears perked up, listening closely.