As the broadcast signal was cut off, this historic, yet utterly bizarre, Fleet Admiral inauguration ceremony finally came to an end.
The Marines in the plaza began to disperse in orderly waves, but that didn't mean the commotion was over.
On the contrary, for the Marine's high-ranking officers, an even more shocking "afterparty" had just begun.
On the high platform, Renzo finally got up from his luxurious ice sofa.
Monet immediately stepped forward and draped the Justice coat over him, even though it hadn't really slipped off in the first place.
"Ah… finally over."
Renzo stretched his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds.
"Standing for so long… really tiring."
He turned to look at the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, Kizaru, who was about to head to his office to "suffer."
"Borsalino."
Renzo called out casually, like he was greeting a neighbor.
"Maa Renzo-kun~."
Kizaru stopped, his sunglasses reflecting the afternoon sun, his trademark sly smile on his face.
"What is it~? Want to come to my office for a cup of tea to celebrate~?"
"No need. The tea at G-5 is better than yours."
Renzo waved his hand dismissively. "I'm here to give you a gift."
"A gift~?"
Kizaru blinked, then smiled even wider.
"My how thoughtful~."
"We're colleagues, no need for anything extravagant~."
"Yeah, it's just a small gesture."
Renzo nodded. "A tiny token. After all, you'll be Fleet Admiral now, you'll have to help me deal with paperwork, approve leave requests… I'll be counting on you."
After saying that, Renzo crooked his finger toward the platform below.
"Rehn."
"Present! My lord!"
Rehn, who had been waiting eagerly by the golden gangway of the Lullaby, immediately lit up with excitement. His chubby face bloomed into a grin as his body trembled slightly.
"Bring that… what was it again?" Renzo seemed to have forgotten the gift.
"The congratulatory gift for the new Fleet Admiral, my lord!"
Rehn reminded loudly, then waved his hand and roared at the G-5 Marines behind him:
"Move it! Don't keep the Fleet Admiral waiting!"
"Bring that little boat up here!!"
"A little boat?"
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and the rows of Vice Admirals who hadn't left yet all stopped, curiosity written on their faces.
'A ship as a gift? That's a bit cliché, isn't it?'
But in the next moment-
RUMBLE!!!
A heavy, mountain-moving roar came from the cargo hold of the Lullaby.
Sixteen G-5 elite soldiers, each built like giants, bare-chested and muscles bulging, were straining as they carried something enormous down the gangway step by step.
It was indeed a boat.
A sleek, finely crafted speedboat about ten meters long.
But when sunlight hit it, the entire Marineford plaza was swallowed by blinding golden light!
"Holy!!"
A Vice Admiral with weaker composure blurted out a curse.
Because that wasn't just any boat.
It was, a solid gold speedboat, made entirely of high-purity gold, with every rivet embedded with diamonds!
Even more terrifying, inside the cabin, there were no seats.
Instead, it was filled to the brim with Gold bricks! Gold bars! Gold coins!
And countless top-tier gemstones that now looked as worthless as glass beads!
THUD!!!
With a collective roar, the sixteen soldiers slammed the dozens-of-tons "small gift" onto the ground in front of Kizaru.
The stone beneath cracked instantly.
Silence.
A deeper silence than even when Renzo had been sleeping.
Sengoku dropped his bag of crackers.
Garp's jaw hung open.
Akainu's magma froze mid-drip.
"Th-this…"
Kizaru's hand froze halfway through adjusting his sunglasses.
Even as the Glint-Glint Fruit user, who had seen countless forms of light, he had never seen something so… simple, unadorned, and utterly dazzling.
"Renzo-kun~…"
His voice wavered slightly.
"This is what you meant by… 'a little' token?"
"Yeah."
Renzo nodded matter-of-factly, even scratching his head a bit awkwardly.
"I originally thought of giving you that giant golden statue to melt down for fun, but Rehn said it was too ugly and didn't match your image."
"So we just casually melted a small boat and filled it with some pocket money."
He pointed at the pile of gold bricks.
"I figured being Fleet Admiral means lots of social events, treating people, dinners, that kind of thing. It's not much, but enough for you to buy some tea… maybe nail clippers or something."
"..."
The Marine officers screamed internally:
'Nail clippers?! This boat of gold could buy the entire factory, and the island it's on!!'
"Rehn."
"Yes, my lord!"
Rehn instantly appeared beside Kizaru, holding a list.
"Fleet Admiral, here is the inventory: one solid gold speedboat, five hundred standard gold bricks, and assorted jewels."
"Total value… well, since it's self-produced, we didn't calculate precisely. Roughly a few tens of billions of Beli."
He said it casually, as if he were handing over a few hundred bucks' worth of souvenirs.
"Please sign here." He offered a solid gold pen.
Kizaru looked at the mountain of gold, then at Renzo, who clearly just wanted to finish this and go back to sleep.
He smiled. Brightly and shamelessly.
"My since it's Renzo-kun's goodwill~."
He took the pen and signed his name in a few strokes.
"I'll gladly accept. Perfect timing I needed funds for office renovations~."
"Good."
Renzo let out a sigh of relief, as if completing a difficult task.
He turned to leave.
"Let's go. Back to the ship."
"Yes!"
Rehn followed, but not empty-handed.
On his back was a large bulging sack,
Filled with gold bricks.
Renzo walked down the red carpet, passing through the rows of Marine officers.
Every time he recognized someone vaguely, he'd stop.
"You… the spider-head guy."
He pointed at Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"Sir! I'm Onigumo!"
"Mm. Good work."
"Here!"
Rehn slapped a gold brick into his hands.
"From Lord Renzo! Buy some shampoo, washing all that hair must be a hassle!"
"..."
Renzo continued.
"You, the smoker. Smoker, right?"
"Yes!" Smoker clenched his cigars, expression complicated.
"Smoking too much is bad for your lungs."
Smack!
Another gold brick.
"Buy better cigars! Stop smoking that cheap stuff!"
Smoker nearly bit through his cigars.
This money could fund a lifetime of premium cigars!
"And you, the sword guy."
"You with the hat."
"You who looks like a dog."
Doberman: "…?"
Renzo walked.
Rehn handed out gold.
Like a god of wealth scattering blessings.
The once-disciplined Vice Admiral formation fell into chaos.
"This… this is too much…"
Vice Admiral Momonga weighed the gold, his expression complicated.
"This kind of wealth… rivals entire nations."
Finally, Renzo reached the end, where Akainu and Aokiji stood.
"Sakazuki."
"Hmph!"
"I don't-"
SMACK!!
Before he could finish, Rehn shoved three stacked gold bricks into his arms.
"Take it!!"
Rehn glared.
"This is Lord Renzo's 'cooling-off fee'! Stop looking like someone owes you money! Buy some herbal tea!"
"..."
His magma fists tensed, then relaxed.
In the end, he didn't lash out.
After all… this was "colleague care"?
Terribly executed, though!
"Kuzan."
"Ara ara… I don't need one, do I?"
"Take it."
Another brick.
"Buy a better eye mask. Yours is pilling."
"..."
After distributing everything, Rehn patted the empty sack proudly.
"All done, my lord! Everyone has felt your warmth!"
"Mm."
Renzo didn't care.
To him, money was just numbers.
If it could simplify relationships and reduce trouble,
It was the best deal in the world.
"Let's go."
He waved without looking back.
"Don't call me for meetings unless it's profit sharing."
He boarded the Lullaby.
The golden gangway retracted.
The massive black ship slowly sailed away.
Behind them, tens of thousands of Marines, dozens of officers, and the three top powers,
All stood holding gold bricks, staring blankly.
That day, a new legend spread in Marine Headquarters.
About Admiral Haiiroyo.
Lazy. Willful. Undisciplined.
But, he was insanely rich and unbelievably generous.
"G-5 Branch…"
A young Marine clenched a gold coin Rehn had tossed.
"I must transfer to G-5!!"
"I want to serve Lord Renzo too!!"
On the platform, Kizaru looked at the golden speedboat, smiling behind his sunglasses.
"My Renzo-kun really is… the best friend~."
"With this even if the Five Elders cut my salary, I won't have to worry about tea money~."
At that moment, the Marine had never been more united.
At least on one point: No one wanted to offend the god of wealth.
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu