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[Ding, congratulations, Host! Your "Defense" has been upgraded to Emperor level.]
[Ding, congratulations, Host! Your "Speed" has been upgraded to Emperor level.]
A system notification echoed in my mind, and at the same time, the "Physical" section on the property map on the homepage changed.
[Physique: Monster Level Strength (0/10,000)]
A special note about strength was added below.
And now, a new attribute map appeared:
[Inhuman Constitution: Emperor Defense (0/100,000), Emperor Speed (0/100,000)]
Just by separating these two attributes, it was clear that the monster level and the emperor level were worlds apart.
Akira withdrew his gaze from the system and quickly focused on finishing the food in front of him.
"Fleet Admiral-sama, are you okay?!"
Rouge closed the door and stood in the corner, not daring to move, her face full of worry.
Following her gaze, she saw that although Akira could still eat and talk, he looked nothing like a human at this moment.
The pure white cloak of justice, now dyed blood red, was casually tossed on the ground.
Akira's favorite black suit was no longer its deep, vibrant black.
Instead, it was completely covered by blood scabs, turning the black into a crimson hue.
The key detail was the entire office of the Fleet Admiral.
The ceiling and surrounding walls were splattered with large amounts of blood.
There was so much blood on the ground that it had pooled into several small puddles, to the point where stepping on it would cause it to splash.
No one would doubt that this place had just witnessed the most brutal of battles.
"It's okay, don't worry!" Akira waved his hand, speaking casually without even looking up.
"Yes, but is your blood loss really okay?"
"Hehehehe! It's just replacing old blood with new. If there were any issues..."
Akira paused, then suddenly raised his right hand and gave it a firm shake. "Then I would not be this energetic."
Rouge felt as if she heard the sound of air being squeezed, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
However, since Akira insisted there was no problem, and he didn't seem to be in any trouble, Rouge decided not to press further.
These were men's matters, and even if she knew, she wouldn't fully understand.
After tying up her skirt, Rouge found a broom and began cleaning.
Akira continued devouring the food.
Having just undergone a full-body blood change, he was incredibly hungry.
"Oh, by the way, the Chief of Staff was lingering in the corridor this afternoon."
"It seemed like there was something she wanted to say, but she hesitated."
"Before leaving, she specifically asked me not to tell you."
Rouge suddenly remembered about Tsuru and quickly reported it.
Akira raised his brows slightly, a subtle glint in his eyes. "I see."
"Hmm!" Rouge continued to clean up.
"Don't worry about it; I'll just let a clone handle it!"
Akira took out ten leaves with his left hand and quickly scribbled the names of several soldiers on them.
In an instant, the replica soldiers materialized in front of him. Without hesitation, they grabbed mops, rags, and other cleaning supplies, and began to scrub the area vigorously.
Seeing this, Rouge handed over the task to the replicas and shifted her focus to organizing the documents. Many of the papers had been stained by blood, requiring her to re-transcribe them.
Time ticked by as Akira finally finished off all the food, feeling his strength return.
He leaned back in his chair, casually pulling out a cigar, lighting it, and enjoying a few puffs.
"I've been a little too busy lately, haven't paid much attention to the system…"
He pondered why his experience points had suddenly shot up to over 20,000. He distinctly remembered it hadn't even crossed 10,000 before.
Akira was puzzled.
It seemed that during his brief distraction, the system had decided to surprise him.
Fortunately, the third page of the system contained detailed logs about experience points, with each source clearly documented.
Sinking his mind into the system, Akira navigated directly to the third page of the log.
[Ding, log update!]
[To address the Marine's lack of high-end combat power, the Host formulated the "God's General Plan," recruiting the world's strongest individuals to work for you and help complete tasks. This action contributed to tasks 1, 2, and 3, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[The Host took the initiative to explain the global deception, clearing the Marine of involvement in this disgraceful incident. Although this burdened the Host's conscience, it contributed to tasks 1, 2, and 3, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[The Host demonstrated the power of the three replica Marine monsters in front of several allied nations. This action supported task 3 and earned 100 experience points.]
[At great cost, the Host ensured control over the world's news narrative. This action supported tasks 1 and 2, earning 1,500 experience points.]
[The Host established the "Rehabilitation" and issued "Certificates of Glory for Free Sacrifice." This move attracted strong individuals who resist Marine's rules, making them somewhat obedient to your commands. This action supported tasks 1, 2, and 3, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[Special reminder: The "Rehabilitation" has great potential. The Host should consider investing more time in its development.]
[The Host exposed the ability to produce unlimited deformed leaves, leading the Five Elders to take tens of thousands of these manipulated leaves from your hands. This action supported tasks 1 and 2, earning 1,500 experience points.]
[To divert the attention of the Five Elders, the Host invited Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, for a private conversation. This plan involved personally directing the army's orders. This action supported tasks 1 and 2, earning 1,500 experience points.]
[The Host collaborated with "God of Fortune" Lu Feld, a veteran figure in the underworld, to get powerful pirates to cooperate with the God's Generals Plan. This action supported tasks 1, 2, and 3, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[Special reminder: Lu Feld's connections and strength are significant, and cooperation with him should extend beyond the God's Generals Plan.]
[The Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau, formed by the Host, successfully captured an entire Marine base. Admiral Fujitora, who had recently joined, began to admire you deeply. This action supported tasks 1, 2, and 3, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[Special attention: The progress of the "God's Generals Plan" has encountered delays and inconsistencies with your overall strategy. The Host should address these issues promptly.]
Akira carefully read through the system log, absorbing every detail.
These records documented the various plans and actions he had set into motion across the world.
Finally, he understood where the sudden influx of over 20,000 experience points had come from. With so many strategic moves in play, all benefiting tasks 1, 2, and 3, it made sense that his experience points had surged significantly.
*Click, click, click, click!*
"Rehabilitation, and... cooperate with Lu Feld?"
Akira tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, his pupils flickering with thought.
The system logs rarely highlighted special reminders. Now that it had, it meant these two matters were crucial for him as the Host.
"I'll make a note of it. Once the God's Generals Plan is completed, I'll reach out to Lu Feld and take the Rehabilitation seriously," Akira muttered to himself.
After making a mental note of these two priorities, he turned his attention to the final entry in the log.
His brows furrowed.
Obedience and violation—these four words had not come up since he became Fleet Admiral.
"Who could it be?"
The headquarters? No, the top brass like Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr were always on the same page with him.
Was it the base generals around the world?
Thinking of this, Akira's frown deepened slightly.
He opened the file on his desk, searching for a while until he found the report from the staff. Thankfully, it was only a few days old and still legible.
The report read:
[According to data from various regions, "Rehabilitation" programs have been established near all Marine Bases.]
[The franchise countries are also establishing similar programs, encouraging the strong among their own ranks to participate.]
"Marine and the franchise countries are doing fine, and that guy Lu Feld only cares about making money, so he's not in a rush."
"Then, there's only…"
Akira's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Impel Down!"
With this realization, he turned to Rouge. "Have we received any copies of the deformed leaves from Impel Down recently?"
"No, Fleet Admiral-sama, I haven't received any report from Impel Down," Rouge replied.
Akira licked his lips.
Now he knew who the system logs were warning him about.
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~
"Hello, this is the staff department!"
"It's Akira! Summon the Chief Staff Officer."
"Fleet Admiral-sama, the Chief of Staff isn't at headquarters right now. She went to Impel Down this evening without even having dinner."
"..." Akira paused for a moment before asking, "Has she been going there frequently?"
"Yes!" replied the staff officer on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
As a senior member of Marine Headquarters, she had been visiting for several days, yet she didn't even bring a deformed leaf with her.
Akira knew something was definitely wrong.
"I see. Is Robin there?"
"Yes, Ms. Robin is helping to organize the data in the Chief of Staff's office."
"Call her here!"
"Understood."
Akira hung up the Den Den Mushi and sat quietly in his chair, waiting.
Rouge sensed the shift in atmosphere and quickly retreated to her seat.
Soon, Robin's small figure appeared in the corridor, hurrying towards Akira's office. As she entered, her eyes widened in shock at the blood-soaked room.
"Brother, what happened here? It's terrifying!" Robin exclaimed as she approached Akira.
Akira gently patted her head. "It's nothing, just a little accident. I called you here because I need to ask you something."
"Yeah, go ahead," Robin replied, noticing Akira's serious expression and sensing his bad mood.
"Has Aunt Tsuru run into trouble at Impel Down these past few days?" Akira asked in a deep voice.
"Hmm, I overheard Granny Tsuru mention that something isn't matching up there."
"Why?"
Robin didn't hesitate and quickly shared what she knew:
"It seems to be related to the issue of dissuading those Vice Admirals some time ago. I heard from Granny Tsuru that the Director of Impel Down and the Vice Admirals go way back."
"Apparently, when he was just a guard at Impel Down decades ago, the Vice Admirals were also young and often brought in captured pirates. Over time, they became well-acquainted, and the Vice Admirals helped him with various personal issues."
"So, when he heard that you had persuaded the Vice Admirals to retire, he was furious and demanded that you go and explain yourself to him. Otherwise, he threatened not to cooperate with your orders."
Akira couldn't help but feel a mix of anger and amusement when he heard this.
One by one, they all think they can push their weight around just because they're veterans.
I'm managing the Vice Admirals of my own camp, and you think you have the right to interfere?*
Rouge, who had been listening quietly, was startled: "Making the Fleet Admiral explain to the Director of Impel Down? Isn't that backwards? Shouldn't he be a subordinate?"
"Sister Rouge, that's not exactly how it works," Robin said, shaking her head as she began to explain. "In our curriculum, it's taught that there are three major departments under the World Government: Marine, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down."
"These departments have a separation of powers! They cooperate with each other but operate independently without direct influence over one another."
"Marine is the sharpest spear in the hands of the World Government, with the Marine Fleet Admiral as its leader."
"Enies Lobby is the strongest shield of the World Government, primarily managed by the CP0."
"Impel Down is the most fearsome prison in the world, with the Director as its head."
"So, in a way, the Director of Impel Down is on the same level as the Fleet Admiral of the Marine," Robin explained.
This was the first time Rouge had heard such information, and she was left stunned.
Akira's eyelids drooped slightly as he listened.
Robin was right.
Marine, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down are indeed in a cooperative relationship, not a strict superior-subordinate structure.
Typically, the cooperation among these three departments works like this:
Marine captures pirates, Enies Lobby conducts trials, and Impel Down handles imprisonment.
Marine is answerable to the World Government's Commander and the Five Elders.
The CP1-CP9 units of Enies Lobby report to CP0, which serves the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders.
Impel Down's primary task is to imprison criminals and only answers to the World Government and the Five Elders.
It's important to note that while the Five Elders are Celestial Dragons, they are not like the ordinary Celestial Dragons.
For example, in the original story, when Doflamingo was defeated and imprisoned in Impel Down, ordinary Celestial Dragons sent assassins to silence him to protect the secret of Mariejois.
However, Magellan, the Director of Impel Down, protected Doflamingo.
From this, it's clear that unless the order comes directly from the Five Elders, even the Celestial Dragons cannot control Impel Down. Even CP0 cannot enforce orders without the backing of the Five Elders.
This separation of powers places all three departments—Marine, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down—on the same level.
This is the governance model of the World Government under the control of the Five Elders.
Each department has its distinct duties but ultimately answers to the Five Elders.
This structure makes sense.
If Impel Down and Enies Lobby were both directly subordinate to the Marine, it would create a situation too unstable for anyone to sleep soundly, constantly fearing betrayal.
Even the most "cunning" emperor knows that divided power is good power.
Akira stood up, gazing out the window at the deep night.
Under the soft glow of the moonlight, he spoke slowly:
"While it's true that there's a separation of powers, he might have forgotten that even within that separation, some powers are greater than others."