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Marineford is alive with celebration.
The Sabaody Archipelago is buzzing with excitement.
But for Akira, the environment around him is eerily deserted.
In the high-end reception building of Sanctuary Mariejois, the white and spacious living room is empty, save for Akira, who sits on a soft leather sofa. With his eyes closed, he rests his left hand against his cheek and taps the table rhythmically with his right hand.
The sound of tapping echoes through the empty room.
No one else is in the living room.
Outside the open door, a group of patrolling guards passes by.
"What time is it?" Akira opens his eyes and asks.
The head of the patrol guard immediately stops and bows respectfully. "Akira-sama, it is already 9 o'clock in the evening."
"Is it that late?"
Akira glances at the dark night sky.
After arriving at Mariejois with Kong in the morning, he was told to wait here for a summons from the Five Elders.
Yet, nothing has happened.
Not even a glimpse of the Five Elders, and Kong has seemingly vanished without a trace.
After a whole day of waiting, Akira understands this tactic all too well.
It's a method left over from capitalists.
Back on Blue Star, most companies would make job seekers wait anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours before an interview.
The specific waiting time depended on the popularity of the position.
And the high-sounding reasons HR would give were all about testing the patience of the job seekers, ensuring they were fit for the job.
Nonsense...
What kind of job requires a patience test? This kind of talk might fool children.
It's really just a way to assess whether the job seeker is submissive.
The longer they wait, the more they value the company, and they'll likely obey any order from management after being hired.
Compared to others, they'll be more willing to be exploited.
Akira originally thought the world of Pirates, where personal strength is respected, would be different from Blue Star.
But to his surprise, even the Five Elders, who hold supreme authority, are playing this game.
"It's so boring!"
He knew exactly what position the Marines held when he first joined six years ago, so this kind of trick seems unnecessary.
Akira shook his head, silently complaining.
Making him wait all day is just a way to assert dominance before he officially takes his position, reminding him of the Marines' role.
That role being: no matter how powerful the Fleet Admiral is on the sea, it's all granted by the Five Elders. To them, the Marines are just another department, and the Fleet Admiral is just a slightly higher-ranking officer.
This tactic feels redundant to Akira.
He already has a deep understanding of the relationship between the Marines and the World Government.
No matter how glorified it's made to sound, it doesn't change the fact that the Marines have been the Five Elders' watchdogs for 800 years.
If he wasn't aware of this, he wouldn't have been so careful after becoming the Fleet Admiral, avoiding open defiance against the World Government.
"I wonder how much longer this will go on!"
"I finally understand why I was given so many cigars."
Akira takes out the last cigar from his pocket, glancing at the "mountain of smoke" made up of cigarette butts on the table, and chuckles to himself.
Kong gave him so many on the warship before, and at the time, Akira was confused.
But now he understands Kong's intentions.
Without cigars to pass the time, this wait would have been much harder.
It seems Kong went through the same thing when he moved from Admiral to Fleet Admiral.
Thinking of it this way, Akira feels more at ease.
"Unfortunately, this is the last one."
"After this, I'll have to find my own supply. I wonder how the cigars produced by the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Raccoon taste."
Click.
The lighter makes a crisp sound, and the cigar begins to burn.
Akira exhales a long puff of thick smoke, leans back on the sofa, and closes his eyes.
Although being left alone like this is disrespectful, he decides to endure it for the sake of the Fleet Admiral position.
No matter how long it takes, even if it's ten days or more.
To restore his kingdom, King Goujian of Yue endured ten years of hardship and perseverance.
To avoid breaking the law of Qin, Han Xin, the military genius, endured the humiliation of crawling between another man's legs before his ambitions could be realized.
Even Qin Shihuang, the First Emperor of China, suffered all kinds of bullying from within and outside when he was weak, but silently accumulated his strength.
These ancestors were willing to endure such hardships for their ideals.
As a descendant, Akira thought, if he can't tolerate being left alone for a while, how can he succeed?
Outside.
On a lush tree, a Den Den Mushi was placed on a branch, diligently recording Akira's every move.
All the images were sent to the Five Elders.
"Kong, this young man's performance is even better than yours back then~!"
The Warrior God of the Environment withdrew his gaze from the projected image, stroking his long beard with satisfaction.
He vividly remembered that when Kong was first brought to the Holy Land, he too was left waiting for an entire day.
But even though he waited until nightfall, Kong grew anxious from time to time during the process.
Unlike today's Akira, who remained calm throughout.
Although Akira was left hanging in the building and ignored, the Five Elders did nothing today, leaving the guards to observe his reactions.
After all, they were selecting the Marine Fleet Admiral. If there were no mishaps, the chosen candidate would oversee the massive Marine organization for the next few decades.
For such an important candidate, it's only right to be cautious.
If Akira had shown any anger or felt humiliated by being treated this way, then he would have been sent packing. Forget about the Fleet Admiral position; it would have been handed to Sengoku instead.
Even if Marine would then follow Sengoku's lead, it would be preferable to dealing with someone too full of themselves and likely to be disobedient.
As for Akira's efforts to become Fleet Admiral in the past two months, the Five Elders saw it simply as fulfilling his duties as a Vice Admiral, nothing more.
If he found the process uncomfortable, he could leave the Marines. While the abilities of his Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Raccoon were indeed useful, the world would keep turning without him, especially now that the Marines' financial gap had been bridged.
But luckily!
Akira's performance greatly satisfied them, even exceeding their expectations.
He handled it even better than Kong did back in the day, and Kong is one of their most trusted allies.
That trust was so deep that the position of Supreme Commander of the World Government's army was given to Kong, bypassing even their own ranks.
This alone speaks volumes.
Akira didn't show any confusion when no one came to entertain him for a long time. Even when the guards instructed him not to walk around, he didn't react much.
Instead, he quietly sat on the sofa, smoking and waiting.
"This is excellent! Based on past experience, the Marines will be in good hands with someone like him in charge."
"He's sharp. He probably figured out our intentions long ago, yet he remained calm and cooperated. That shows he knows how to handle the situation."
"No one doubts his wisdom, but accepting the situation calmly when he understands it just proves he's very savvy."
"I agree with Saint Warcury; I like this young man very much."
The other Four Elders spoke one after another.
Their words made it clear—they were very pleased with Akira's performance.
To be honest, the Five Elders were still quite wary of Akira.
Not because of anything specific, but because of his ability to generate a trillion of berries in just half a month.
When they initially delegated power to him, they didn't think much of it, but once it was done, they started to worry.
A person this clever is bound to have pride—so would he follow the rules and serve the Celestial Dragons?
Although they couldn't fully grasp what Akira truly thought, at least he appeared to be compliant.
Kong, who was standing nearby, chuckled when he heard this.
He didn't feel offended.
Having spent decades in the bureaucracy, and having served as Fleet Admiral for many years, he understood the necessity of the Five Elders' tests to choose the right leaders.
Only when you're in a similar position can you appreciate such methods.
He himself had used this tactic many times—it was quite effective.
Those who passed the test were usually obedient.
Of course, the unpredictable Garp was an exception.
However, Garp's rise was largely due to his immense strength.
"It's getting late, and it looks like he's almost out of cigars."
Kong asked for instructions: "Shall we continue the test or end it?"
The Five Elders exchanged glances and nodded.
"Forget it, continuing would just waste time given how things are going."
"Indeed, genuine dissatisfaction usually surfaces within the first few hours."
"Guard, tell the kitchen to serve all the dishes."
"Kong, bring him in!"
The Five Elders turned off the Den Den Mushi and stood up.
Kong also stepped away.
Soon enough, Akira and Kong entered the room where the Five Elders were gathered.
At a table laden with nearly a hundred kinds of delicacies, Akira finally met the Five Elders.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, we were quite busy today, so I apologize for keeping you waiting," said Marcus Mars, the Warrior God of the Environment.
The other four remained seated, though they smiled at him.
Akira smiled too.
Not because of anything specific, but because he noticed the words "Fleet Admiral Akira."
The fact that they addressed him as such right from the start was a clear sign.
It meant that all five had agreed—Akira was to be the new Marine Fleet Admiral.
This was a classic case of showing the stick first, then offering a sweet reward.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host on officially becoming Fleet Admiral! The dual activation conditions of the system have been fulfilled, and a novice gift package has been obtained.]
System dual activation conditions?
So it's not just the title of Fleet Admiral, but also the actual power that counts?
And the novice gift pack is being released now?
Isn't that a bit late?
Akira's breath hitched as his mind momentarily wandered.
But he quickly suppressed his thoughts and desire to complain.
Now wasn't the time to check out the starter pack; the Five Elders were still awaiting his response.
Besides, if he didn't claim it right away, it wouldn't disappear—so there was no rush.
"The five of you are too kind. I didn't wait long at all," Akira said, taking a deep breath. A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he added with an air of indifference, "Compared to life at headquarters, today was rather relaxing."
"That's good! Please, have a seat."
The smile on the Warrior God of Environment's face grew warmer as he gestured to a chair across from him.
Kong, seated beside Akira, immediately spoke up: "Akira, you may not know the five gentlemen yet, so allow me to introduce them!"
"The one speaking to you is the Warrior God in charge of the environment in the World Government, Marcus Mars."
"This is Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance who holds you in high regard."
Kong pointed to the Warrior God who always carried a sharp sword, making a special introduction.
Akira's eyes flickered, and he quickly looked over.
It was surprising to hear that someone among the Five Elders was optimistic about him.
Before today, he hadn't had any dealings with these five.
A friendly smile appeared on the usually stern face of Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance. "I'm very interested in you. Let's have a chat sometime."
"Anytime," Akira replied.
Whether now or in the future, maintaining a good relationship with the Five Elders could only be beneficial.
And when someone from their ranks extends an invitation, refusing would be unwise.
The Warrior God of Finance nodded and fell silent again.
There were still other colleagues to introduce, and it wouldn't be appropriate to take up more time with personal matters.
Seeing that the introductions were nearing their end, Kong continued:
"This is the Warrior God of Science and Defense..."
"This is the Warrior God of Justice..."
"And this is the Warrior God of Agriculture..."
Akira nodded, taking the initiative to greet them: "I've heard great things about you all."
With the formalities out of the way, the conversation shifted into more relaxed, adult banter.
The Five Elders praised Akira, complimenting his plans and achievements over the past two months, and offered their verbal support for his future leadership of the Marines.
Akira, in turn, modestly attributed his success to the wise guidance of the Five Elders, expressing his hope for their continued encouragement in the future.
As time passed, Akira skillfully steered the conversation, controlling the atmosphere with ease.
In his previous life on Blue Star, Akira had thoroughly studied the art of networking and socializing, particularly the nuances of "wine table culture," after securing his job through public exams. Though he hadn't fully applied it back then, he now found that these skills worked just as well with the Five Elders of the Pirate World.
By now, the old faces of the Five Elders were beaming, their trust and satisfaction with Akira evident.
As the evening progressed, Akira suddenly brought up a new topic: "By the way, there's something I hope to get your approval on."
"Go ahead!" said the Warrior God of Finance, who already held Akira in high regard. Taking a sip of wine, he added without hesitation, "As long as it's not something major, we'll give you our support."
"Hehehe..." Akira smiled and said, "It's about Roger's wife. I'd like to request that she and the child she's carrying be spared."
The Warrior God of Finance frowned slightly, pausing to recall the matter.
"She's staying with you now, isn't she?"
"Yes!"
"It seems you're quite taken with her, to bring her up at a time like this."
Given that today marked Akira's promotion to Fleet Admiral, it stood to reason that he could use this opportunity to request almost anything, even something slightly controversial, and the Five Elders would likely agree.
But they hadn't expected him to use such a valuable opportunity to plead for Rouge's life. This caught them off guard.
Akira's eyes gleamed slightly as he licked his lips and responded: "Yeah, she's the one I like. She's quite satisfying and very skilled."
The Five Elders were momentarily taken aback.
But after a brief pause, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, well, you can stay the night. We've prepared even better options for you, both in skill and appearance, and they won't disappoint."
"So, do you agree?" Akira asked.
"It's just one woman," replied the Warrior God of Finance. "Since you've asked, we won't deny you, Marine Fleet Admiral."
Hearing this, Akira raised his glass with both hands and drank without another word.
The Five Elders shook their heads and chuckled.
"The child in her womb carries Roger's blood. Have you thought about what to do with that?" asked the Warrior God.
"There are many cases where a great father has an unremarkable son. The likelihood of this child becoming a threat is low. But regardless of his potential, I'll ensure he joins the Marines and serves you five, dedicating himself to the World Government and contributing to justice."
"And if he chooses not to become a Marine, but instead follows Roger's path and becomes a pirate?"
"Then I'll take Garp and personally see to it that he's dealt with," Akira promised without hesitation.
Of course, talk around the wine table is often full of bravado, and only a fool would take it all at face value.
The future is uncertain, and who knows what will happen then.
"Hahaha, Fleet Admiral Akira, your sense of duty is commendable!"
"Indeed, the Marines exist to serve the Holy Land and uphold justice."
The atmosphere lightened again, the mood more festive.
[Special Reminder: Congratulations to the Host. The crisis involving Roger's wife and child has been resolved within the time limit. In the future, you will have the opportunity to gain an emperor-level potential son or subordinate. It is recommended that you cultivate them well.]