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695.8 billion berries, rounded up, is...
Seven hundred billion berries.
This amount is just 300 billion berries away from the trillion-berry shortfall in the Marines.
As long as the "Marine Bank," which holds great promise, doesn't falter, the crisis should be easily averted.
Of course, the final outcome is already known.
The bank's total deposits must exceed -300 billion berries.
It's just unclear by how much.
Akira slowly looked at the last document:
"Marine Bank Report Form (Note: Due to the tight schedule of this task, only whole numbers are recorded)"↓
"The total bank deposits of the East Blue Division are roughly: 500 billion berries."
"The total bank deposits of the South Blue Division are roughly: 300 billion berries."
"The total bank deposits of the West Blue Division are roughly: 400 billion berries."
"The total bank deposits of the North Blue Division are roughly: 300 billion berries."
"The total bank deposits in the first half of the Grand Line are roughly: 700 billion berries."
"The total bank deposits in the second half of the Grand Line are roughly: 200 billion berries."
"The total world deposits are roughly 2.4 trillion berries."
(Note: This data has automatically deducted the collection account of the Fraud Department and the 83 billion berries donated by scholars from around the world, leaving mainly the real deposits of residents globally.)
Akira took off his glasses and carefully wiped them with a clean white cotton cloth.
After putting them back on, he carefully read the report from start to finish again.
After a long, long time...
"Unexpectedly, Marine Bank is at the forefront of change this time."
Akira sighed softly.
Everything has two sides.
The Age of Pirates is a crisis, but it also brings many opportunities.
Whether for pirates, opportunists, civilians, or Marines, it's the same.
In this era, civilians all over the world are given what they desire.
But they are not NPCs programmed to simply accept things as they are.
They are living humans who can think, use their brains, and resist.
If the world's way of life remains unchanged, that's one thing.
But the powerful Marines suddenly opened the "Marine Bank."
As long as you deposit your hard-earned money there, it's not only convenient to deposit and withdraw, but even if it gets stolen, you're guaranteed compensation.
At that point, who would keep their money on their person?
If pirates came to rob again one day, wouldn't the berries you've saved with so much effort end up as someone else's dowry?
Why let that happen?
Rather than having all your savings stolen by pirates and being killed, you'd rather let them starve to death at sea without getting a single berry.
People will think this way.
There are even darker thoughts they might consider:
When the pirates know that everyone's money is deposited in the bank, will they continue to target us who have no money, or turn to the Marines?
Even if they bully the weak and point the knife at me, all my money is in the bank, and they can't get it even if I'm killed.
If they want it, let them take me to the bank and get it from the Marines!
The mighty Marines are like reassuring bodyguards for their property, protecting their berries for free.
And because of its good reputation, most civilians share a common belief: a just Marine would never be greedy for the hard-earned money of ordinary people.
Not to mention that the Marines themselves are making headlines all over the world. They've acquired an ancient city of real gold worth quadrillions of berries.
Though people don't quite grasp the concept of a quadrillion, they know it's far more than the little savings they have.
While most people remained silent, they expressed their inner thoughts through their actions.
So, when Akira announced the establishment of Marine Bank to the world...
And when newspapers were filled with articles highlighting the disadvantages and dangers of keeping savings at home...
People all over the world cheered.
"It's better than losing everything to those filthy pirates!"
"I'd rather have my berries sit in Marine Bank than let those damn pirates enjoy them."
Chanting these slogans, people rushed to Marine branch banks everywhere, driven by the overwhelming public opinion.
Waving their savings in hand, they eagerly lined up to deposit them.
This surge happened even before the outcome of the Alabasta battle between the Marines and the Pirates over the Golden City was known.
The heads of branch banks were caught off guard and quickly pulled hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the bases. After a few hours of basic training, they were put straight to work.
Marine's wallet, which had been nearly empty, suddenly swelled with wealth.
It was full to bursting.
Akira's breathing gradually calmed down. As he looked at the string of large figures, the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
"A pig standing at the right moment can fly. This saying from Blue Star is truly accurate."
People still have money in their pockets. Take Cocoyasia Village, one of the 20 or so villages under the rule of Fish-Man Arlong in East Blue, for example.
The villagers paid a monthly tribute of 22 million berries, which added up to nearly 300 million a year, extracted from them for eight years straight.
But Cocosia is just a small, insignificant village on a global scale.
In those eight years, Arlong and his gang amassed 48 billion berries in East Blue alone.
Now, imagine the sum total of berries accumulated by millions of people in villages, towns, and kingdoms all over the world.
Though some larger places have their own banks, those small private banks are no match for the official Marine Bank.
For instance, when Straw Hat Luffy went to exchange the gold he brought from Sky Island into berries at Water 7, the place was called a bank, but it was more like a pawn shop that exchanged gold and sold jewelry.
Strictly speaking, it's more fitting to call it a "pawn shop."
Such places may offer deposit services, but in an era rampant with pirates, without strong credit backing, people aren't comfortable depositing their money there.
After all, there's no compensation if it's stolen.
So, those small private banks don't really make money from people's deposits.
Akira picked up his pen and wrote "read" on the document.
After setting the file aside, he sank back into his chair.
Yes, the work was done for today!
With the trillion-berry gap filled, as Fleet Admiral, he no longer had as much on his plate as before.
Spending just 2-3 hours a day reviewing files, he could now relax, enjoy some tea, and fish.
"Fleet Admiral-sama, you've worked hard."
Secretary Rouge approached, and sensibly positioned herself behind him, using her slender fingers to ease the tension in Akira's shoulders.
The fresh, pleasant scent reached his nose, and Akira sighed in relief as she applied just the right amount of pressure.
"How's little Robin doing?"
"She's quite sensible and easy to get along with."
"That's good!"
Akira nodded lightly, then sank deep into thought, checking the system log in his mind.
[Ding, log update!]
[The host ordered Borsalino to evacuate Shandora and showcase the massive amount of gold worldwide—this display, along with the inflated false gold price, will help soldiers and civilians gain more confidence in the Marines under your command.
This action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 600 experience points.]
[The host ordered Admiral Zephyr and Chief of Staff Tsuru to crack down on the evil mafia worldwide, effectively reducing the number of people forced to go to sea. This action benefits the task of becoming the Pirate King and rewards 100 experience points.]
[The host ordered all soldiers and generals to protect valuable trade routes—although the wave of people going to sea can't be stopped immediately, this action significantly reduces the number of people turning to piracy in areas where trade routes are secure.
This action benefits mission three and rewards 100 experience points.]
[The host sent Vice Admiral Chaton to guard Fish-Man Island, intercepting and eliminating pirates about to enter the second half of the Grand Line—this action benefits mission three and rewards 100 experience points.]
[The host sold the Poneglyph containing Roger's information—this action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 600 experience points.]
[The host instructed Ohara to publish many treasure locations under the name of a scholar, with many being extremely dangerous—the swarm of pirates attracted to these locations is likely to suffer heavy losses. This action benefits mission three, rewarding 100 experience points.]
[The host cooperated with the CP department using the obtained pirate treasure maps—although only half of the treasures were recovered, most CP1-CP9 agents' loyalty towards you increased greatly. This action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 500 experience points.]
[The host ordered Vice Admiral Gion and Secretary Rouge to enter the world and fraudulently bankrupt two of the most notorious pirate leaders—the big fish eating the small fish. This action benefits mission three and rewards 100 experience points.]
[The host established the "Fraud Department," using sophisticated methods to deceive the world and secure huge funds. This action benefits mission three and rewards 100 experience points.]
[The host set up official banks worldwide, protecting the property of civilians while preventing pirates from looting it, reducing the incentive for evil forces to go to sea for money—Marine's wealth in business, showcasing plenty of resources, is the most effective way to break free from the World Government's control.
This action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 600 experience points.]
[The host sent a cloned Kuma to East Blue to search for the Flame-Flame Fruit to cultivate loyal followers—this action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 600 experience points.]
[The host sent all members of the corrupt North Blue branch to trial, and to protect Marine's reputation, placed the blame on the pirate Doflamingo—this completed the three ultimate missions.
Marine missions are paramount and must not be stained.
This action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 600 experience points.]
[The host plans to establish a Marine Crime Monitoring Department, effectively preventing Marine's reputation from being tarnished and enhancing public trust—this action benefits missions two and three, rewarding 50 experience points.]
"Total: 4,800 experience points."
"Big win! Enough for four monster-level abilities."
Akira mentally tallied his total experience points, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch in satisfaction.
He quickly turned to the first page to check his personal stats at this moment.
[Host: Akira]
[Age: 29]
[Physique: Monster Level (0/10000)]
[Development of Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon: Monster Level (0/10000)]
[Haki: Monster Level Conqueror's Haki (0/10000)]
[Abilities: Gun Mastery, Six Forms Iron Body]
[Experience Points: 7,300]
"I'm not sure if I should keep saving up to unlock the next physique level after exceeding 10,000 experience points."
"Or should I focus on learning all the skills like Observation Haki, Armament Haki, swordsmanship, and the Six Styles, and improve those?"
Akira pondered deeply.
In reality, it doesn't matter which path he chooses, since he plans to learn it all eventually.
But given the current situation, whether to prioritize the first option or the second depends on his identity.
If he were a Vice Admiral in the headquarters, the second option would be ideal.
Having multiple abilities would offer better survival chances in this era of great pirates.
But if he becomes a full-time Marine Fleet Admiral, the first option is more suitable for him.
As a great leader, it wouldn't make sense for him to risk his life fighting pirates on the front lines. Instead, he should delegate tasks to his subordinates and rely on them to handle strong enemies.
Strength is just the icing on the cake for him. The most important thing is to accumulate experience points and maximize his physique, reaching the top of this world.
"Come to think of it, it seems like only physique requires experience points to improve," Akira mused, pinching his chin. "Other abilities can be cultivated on their own!"
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Rouge paused the massage and stood behind him, maintaining decorum.
Akira opened his eyes, sat up straight, and called out, "Come in!"
"Akira, sir!"
The one who walked in was Chief of Staff Tsuru.
She approached the desk, standing still with a gentle smile, and spoke softly.
"Aunt Tsuru, please have a seat!" Akira quickly stood up, gesturing toward the sofa.
Tsuru, a veteran with outstanding achievements, was highly respected in the Marine, especially given her influence and connections. As a member of the famed Four-Person Group, her status was well-established. Akira, having been taken under her wing during his time as a Vice Admiral, held her in high regard.
"Aunt Tsuru, did you come here for something specific?"
"Yes, there are a few things I need to discuss with you," Tsuru replied bluntly, nodding.
"Please, go ahead!"
"It's about the Fraud Department. When they started closing in, they discovered that some Marines were sending money to Roger. I came to ask how you want to handle this."
"Marines sending money to Roger?" Akira was slightly taken aback.
"Yes, your deception about Roger didn't just fool many villains and lawbreakers; even within our Marine ranks, some believed it and paid money to join the revived Roger at sea."
Tsuru's expression was complicated. "During the operation, soldiers arrested people based on the addresses they left behind and caught a lot of them."
"Ordinary citizens following what you said can be fined and released, but what about those soldiers?"
Akira was momentarily speechless. This situation was beyond ridiculous. Ordinary people and criminals being duped was one thing—they might be desperate or looking for an escape. But Marines, with their duties and organization, dreaming of this kind of freedom?
"Should we dismiss them?" Tsuru suggested, watching Akira ponder the situation.
"No, if we kick them out of the Marines, they'll almost certainly turn to piracy," Akira responded firmly. "It's better to keep them in the Marines, where they can still be of use."
"Are you sure about letting them stay? What if they influence the other soldiers?"
"That is a valid concern," Akira admitted, frowning as he tapped his fingertips on his knee. After a long pause, he looked back at Tsuru.
"Are there many of them?"
"Across all regions, their numbers could match the size of one branch."
"And who are these soldiers?"
"Most of them are troublemakers, rarely following orders from their superiors."
"Then send them to the G-5 Branch," Akira decided after a moment of thought. "It's a tough place, and they'll either straighten up or at least be kept occupied where they can't cause trouble."