One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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Marineford.

Rosinante hung up the Den Den Mushi, sighing slightly as he looked at it.

A month and a half ago, he had firmly supported his father as the Fleet Admiral, but now, as time passed, his resolve had started to waver.

He had always been in the Marine's staff department and understood Akira's power better than those Admirals who chased pirates across the seas.

The seemingly nonsensical Honey plan had produced impressive results, despite everyone's initial skepticism.

Before that, anyone with keen insight could clearly see that the world's order was heading toward collapse, and it was an unstoppable trend.

The seas would belong to the pirates.

This was the general direction!

Not even the Marine could stop it.

The truth was indeed harsh. When Kong was still at Marine Headquarters, he was worn down, constantly sighing about the situation.

In the end, he was so desperate that he made a rash decision to take Garp to personally confront Patrick Redfield, the Red Earl.

It was a futile attempt to boost the soldiers' morale with a victory and to reduce the number of people turning to piracy.

The idea was hopeful, but reality was cruel.

It was useless!

It didn't help at all.

The number of pirates continued to increase, and before the soldiers could even muster up their confidence, they were quickly overwhelmed by the massive number of enemies and lost all courage.

In this seemingly unsolvable situation, Rosinante, along with many colleagues in the staff department, spent three days and three nights trying to come up with a solution, but they couldn't find one.

They couldn't even ease the situation a little bit.

But then, like a miracle from above, Akira, the Shinma, took over.

Rosinante admitted that he was initially not optimistic about this ordinary Vice Admiral who was "bold" and "lacked self-awareness."

He had firmly believed that after Kong could no longer bear the pressure and stepped down, the future of the Marine and the world would depend solely on his own father.

Not to mention that Akira's reputation and connections were almost non-existent.

As the acting Fleet Admiral, there were barely any mid-level or high-ranking officers who were willing to openly support him, except for Vice Admiral Gion, who might have had a personal connection with him.

Unexpectedly, in such a situation, Akira achieved remarkable success in a short period of time by mobilizing the limited power at his disposal.

He sent out wives, awarded medals for bravery, issued empty promises, fabricated love stories, and brainwashed the entire world...

Deceptive tactics, but they drove the soldiers and young men who hadn't yet turned to piracy into a frenzy.

In order to obtain the so-called medal of bravery and to win the affection of beautiful women, every soldier became a fierce warrior, fighting with all their might.

The arrogance of pirates worldwide was like being doused with a bucket of cold water.

While it didn't completely extinguish their defiance, it certainly suppressed it significantly.

To achieve this with just clever tactics, it's no exaggeration to say Akira is the smartest person in the Marine!

But now, to solve the manpower issue, it's necessary to address the financial problem.

This God of Wealth plan—whether it succeeds or not—just thinking of such a cunning strategy proves Akira is a true genius.

Even Rosinante had to admire it.

Based on what he knew about his father for over 20 years, he didn't think his father could outmaneuver Akira, who was full of tricks.

"Akira's acting as the best candidate for Fleet Admiral is undeniable, but unfortunately, I am still my father's adopted son."

Rosinante sighed again and tucked the Den Den Mushi into his coat.

The tremendous success of the Honey plan had completely convinced everyone in the staff department, making them fanatically follow Akira's orders.

Rosinante, too, respected Akira greatly, but because of his identity, he had to remain neutral and perform his duties impartially.

"Rosinante, it's time to start work."

A colleague called out from the hallway.

"Coming."

Rosinante took a deep breath, splashed some water on his face, and felt the coolness wash away some of the fatigue from staying up late.

Rejuvenated, he walked towards the office with his colleagues.

As they passed by the staff headquarters, the place was already buzzing like a vegetable market.

Everyone was dutifully delivering and explaining Akira's orders to the Marines.

"Rear Admiral Momonga, yes, you heard correctly, Fleet Admiral Akira has asked you to stop running around. Your next patrol route is between the Dana Wobe Kingdom and Ski Island. If no pirates breach that area, you can stand down."

"Vice Admiral Compton? You're in charge of the trade route between Alabasta and Felwood Lake. Why so far away, you ask? Because the drinking water and fruits shipped from here fetch a high price there."

"The acting Fleet Admiral has issued a directive that the primary focus moving forward will be on earning berries, while pirates will be put on the back burner."

"Vice Admiral Tokikake, are you still on Fish-Man Island? That's right, Fleet Admiral Akira has asked you to stay there for now. Your main task is to snipe any pirates attempting to enter the New World and claim their treasure."

"Vice Admiral Kuzan, Marine Headquarters needs you to head to the designated location and wait for Vice Admiral Borsalino to arrive."

"This is from the North Blue 76th Branch..."

"..."

Rosinante and his colleagues made their way through the crowd toward the office that had been specifically set aside for them.

"Finally, I don't have to come up with those little love stories anymore. That was pure torture for bachelors like us."

A colleague remarked with a sigh.

Rosinante nodded sympathetically.

Compared to writing short love stories, he'd much rather take on other tasks, even if it meant deceiving the world.

"Has Fleet Admiral Akira returned to the office?"

Rosinante glanced around, asking.

When he had sneaked out to make his phone call earlier, Akira had still been there, personally explaining things to others.

"Yeah, Commander-in-chief Kong just came by to inspect the work, and Akira left to accompany him," the colleague replied.

Rosinante paused: "Commander-in-chief Kong is back? Did he say anything when he learned about the headquarters' next move?"

"No, after getting a brief understanding, he didn't say anything. He just told us to do our best!"

"..."

Again?

Why does this feel so familiar?

It seems that Admiral Zephyr reacted the same way during last month's Honey plan.

There was no time to dwell on it, so the two quickly entered the office.

Inside, many people were already busy with their tasks.

Once everyone had arrived, the office door was shut tight.

The deputy chief of staff of Marine Headquarters stepped up to the podium and began putting up a few freshly printed slogans.

[For Justice, Deceive the World!]

[Making Money Depends on Everyone—Happiness for You and Me.]

[There is No Perfect Individual, Only a Perfect Team!]

[...]

At that moment, the deputy chief of staff, who had always been serious and composed, had a "Hard Work and Struggle" headband tied around his forehead, and his energy was through the roof.

He looked at the slogans with satisfaction, then turned around, clenched his fists, and raised them high.

"The performance target that Fleet Admiral Akira has given us is to earn 1 trillion berries in half a month."

"Everyone, tell me... do you have confidence?"

Rosinante, along with the others, raised his fist and shouted, "Yes!"

"Did you even eat? Louder!"

"YES!"

This time, the response was so loud it echoed out of the office and into the square.

The deputy chief of staff nodded in satisfaction.

'The acting Fleet Admiral would be pleased to see this.'

He thought to himself as he turned around and used a projector to display two documents on the wall.

Everyone looked on.

The first one read:

[Hello, I am Gol D. Roger, but I was not executed in Loguetown.]

[The executioner was bribed by me to help fake my death.]

[However, he didn't get paid, so he refused to release me.]

[Just send me 100,000 berries, and when I get out, I'll accept you as a crew member.]

[I'll take you to find the One Piece and share the world.]

[Contact info for the executioner: 134**2110 or 151***]

[Make sure to include your contact information so I can repay you when I'm free.]

The top of the paper had this text, and below it was a new photo of Roger in prison.

The Marine Headquarters had plenty of these photos. When Roger was in Impel Down, the news department took nearly a hundred photos from every angle. It was easy to pick one that hadn't been published in the newspapers.

The second document read:

[Big Reward for Finding a Child]

[I am Alice, female, twenty-three years old, the twenty-eighth wife of King Stonelet, plump and charming.]

[Due to my husband's early indulgence and excessive desires, he has lost his fertility. To ensure the continuation of our state and uphold the royal family's image, my husband and I have decided that I should find a considerate, healthy, and decent man to conceive a child with.]

[Fulfill my dream of becoming a mother and my husband's dream of becoming a father. If satisfied with our in-person meeting, I will immediately come to your place with a 100 million berry deposit.]

[I'll stay with you alone for one hundred days. This won't interfere with our families, and there will be tens of billions of berries as thanks afterward.]

[Phone number: 86****87**, or, 151***200, or...]

On the left side of this paper was a picture of a beautiful woman with a pleasant face, dressed in revealing clothes.

A Marine soldier had rushed to the Sabaody Archipelago overnight after receiving Akira's orders, searching through Happy Street until he found someone who fit the description. For 10,000 berries, she agreed to cooperate with the photo shoot.

To be honest, if Rosinante hadn't been involved in the whole process, even he might have been tempted by this "big reward for finding a child."

The idea of a royal wife traveling thousands of miles to offer such a proposal, and spending a hundred days with you for free, was almost too good to believe.

Not only would he receive a 100 million berry payment, but he would also earn tens of billions of berries if she successfully conceived.

Hiss...

Who could resist such an offer?

What man wouldn't be confident about landing this kind of "job"?

Isn't this just handing out money and affection?

The deputy chief of staff continued:

"Even though Roger is dead, his name still carries weight across the entire sea. Using him as the first operation of our 'Department of Fraud' is a perfect way to kick things off."

"The second proposal with the big payout is highly recommended by Fleet Admiral Akira, so it will be executed simultaneously."

"At 6 o'clock this morning, our soldiers went to the nearest islands, including the Sabaody Archipelago, to distribute a thousand copies of the propaganda papers we printed overnight."

"To help you get into the right mindset, Fleet Admiral Akira will personally demonstrate how it's done."

Phew...

Hearing that there would be a live demonstration, everyone present felt a wave of relief.

After all, it was the first time anyone had done something like this.

They didn't have much experience, and they were afraid of messing it up.

"Alright, everyone, sit down and keep an eye on the Den Den Mushi."

The deputy chief waved his hand and placed two Den Den Mushi on the podium.

"Yes."

Everyone straightened up and waited attentively.

Minutes ticked by.

"It's time for people to be waking up, so why hasn't anyone called yet?"

"Could it be that our deception was seen through?"

"Should we switch to another plan? Or think of other ways to make money?"

"..."

As Rosinante and his colleagues started to doubt whether the scam would actually work...

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~.

One of the Den Den Mushi opened its eyes and started ringing.

"There's a call!"

With a "shua," everyone stood up involuntarily, their eyes full of anticipation.

"Hurry up and get Fleet Admiral Akira!" the deputy chief shouted, his face brimming with excitement.

But before anyone could respond, the door swung open.

"No need, I'm already here."

Under the gaze of everyone, Akira and Kong walked over to the ringing Den Den Mushi.

"Moshi moshi!"

"Hello, hello, are you the one who announced the proposal with the big payout?"