Swordsmanship Instructor

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

At this moment, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had just hung up the phone, crossed his hands under his chin, furrowed his brow, and wore a contemplative expression.

Then, as if recalling something, he lowered his head, opened a large drawer below, and reached toward the section holding bounties from the East Blue sea, as if searching for something. After rummaging through it, he pulled out a wanted poster.

[Name: Moke]

[Bounty: 30,000,000 Berries]

That's right—this was the bounty of Moke, the Captain of the Moke Pirates, who had been giving Marine Branch 16 such headaches.

Logically speaking, as Fleet Admiral, he wouldn't pay much attention to a pirate like this. Although a 30-million-Berly bounty was considered very high in that weakest of seas, he was still just a small-time 30-million-Berly pirate stuck in the East Blue.

As long as he didn't enter the Grand Line or cause any major disturbances, it was a trivial matter for Marine Headquarters.

As for Marine Branch 16, while they had indeed been applying for funds frequently, according to the review personnel's investigation, all their application materials were legal and compliant. The only suspicious thing was the sheer frequency.

However.

Now it seemed...

Sengoku lowered his head, frowning as he stared at the wanted poster in his hand. "It seems I've indeed wronged Branch 16 somewhat."

To escape from Garp, earn even Garp's recognition, and have Garp himself propose a bounty of 50 million—this was definitely not something a mere Marine branch could handle.

A pirate like this was indeed troublesome for the East Blue, the weakest of seas.

That Branch 16 had been able to hold out against him for so long was already somewhat incredible in hindsight.

But still.

Why would such a formidable pirate keep staying in the East Blue?

Did the guy have no ambition?

If he had no ambition, then why did he keep harassing Marine Branch 16?

What kind of grudge or grievance was this?

Also, Sengoku had some impression of Branch 16's base commander—Dander Xieche.

After all, he was once the Marine Genius Colonel, but it seemed that ever since he was demoted, he had fallen into decadence.

He had stayed in the East Blue all these years without any outstanding achievements.

At the time, Sengoku had also suspected that this Colonel Xia Che, with no notable record, kept fixating on the Moke Pirates—was he really colluding with pirates to defraud military funds?

But now it seemed...

Since even that old man Garp had said so, perhaps it wasn't what they had imagined.

Although Garp had always been carefree, and ever since Pirate King Roger was executed, he had lacked motivation, always sneaking over to steal his snacks, as Garp's longtime partner, Sengoku knew that Garp would never lie to him about something like this.

After all, that guy was a pirate.

As the Marine Hero, Garp wouldn't go so far as to cooperate with a pirate, would he~

What would be the point?

Sengoku shook his head with a faint, wry smile, then continued staring at the wanted poster in his hand, muttering to himself with some headache. "Looks like the East Blue is about to produce another great pirate."

Last time, Ace had just slipped out, causing plenty of trouble in the Grand Line and the New World, and now the East Blue was spawning another great pirate.

Could it be that this weakest of seas was about to see something major happen again?

The only saving grace for now was probably that the Moke Pirates were still staying in the East Blue, not entering the Grand Line~

Thinking this, Sengoku fell into contemplation for a moment, then picked up a pen beside him, drew a line through the 3 on the wanted poster, and wrote a 5 next to it.

Then.

He looked up at the Marine beside him, his tone serious. "Notify the Approval Department that Marine Branch 16's military fund applications have no issues whatsoever. At the same time, increase their funds by another ten percent. But tell Branch 16's base commander..." His eyes narrowed slightly. "He must stop the Moke Pirates. Under no circumstances are they to enter the Grand Line."

"No problem." Xia Che looked at Nami, who was glaring at him angrily, and said with a headache. "I've already had Udo apply for military funds from higher up. It'll hold out for a while longer."

However.

"Military funds? Who knows how long it'll take for the Marines to approve that, and how much can that stuff even be? It can't even support the current training and equipment purchases for Branch 16, let alone all the other places that need money."

Faced with Xia Che's reassurance, it was completely useless. Nami crossed her arms and said, "I originally thought I could take advantage of Marine Headquarters, but instead, I have to subsidize them? This is such a loss~"

Then she glared at Xia Che again.

"You tricked me, saying you'd let me manage the money, and that this so-called Finance Minister would see a ton of cash."

"Well... it's not really a trick. Didn't you see a lot of money?"

"I did see a lot of money." Hearing Xia Che's words, Nami curled her lip in disdain, slammed the table hard, and looked at him sideways. "But I hadn't even warmed it up before it was all spent. You damn liar! I'm telling you, I quit. Do you know how much it hurts my heart to see so much money flowing out of my hands? And you spent my 50 million Berries too."

"..."

Faced with Nami's accusations, Xia Che gave an awkward, sheepish laugh.

Nami not only held the rank of Marine Petty Officer but was also the Finance Minister of Branch 16 and the Konomi Islands.

In financial matters, Nami was extremely sensitive and equally responsible, keeping a clear record of every single berry spent. So, as Finance Minister, Xia Che was quite satisfied with her.

As for the so-called fifty million...

That was what Nami had painstakingly saved up over years of thievery.

Of course~

He knew Nami wasn't really hung up on the fifty million; she was just venting.

Currently, Cocoyasi Village's main income came from canned oranges and orange marmalade. Thanks to his help and the unique recipe Bellemere had left behind, sales of these products were decent. But supporting all the construction and the Marines' development was indeed a stretch.

Still...

"Marine training and purchasing equipment really does cost a lot," Xia Che said, standing up and walking over to Nami with a sigh. "But there's no helping it—this is a necessary expense. Without strong power to protect everything, all our efforts so far will be wasted."

Strength was everything.

Then, looking Nami straight in the eyes, he met her gaze with a tone of gratitude and reassurance.

"You've worked hard these past few years. I'll find a way as soon as I can."

With that.

That tone.

That look.

It made Nami flinch, and the anger in her seemed to cool a bit. She turned her head away. "F-Fine! I was just complaining."

Then, in a helpless tone.

"You know funds aren't that plentiful, so why stir up so much trouble? Things like cutting down trees or building roads—unimportant stuff—can be paused. What's the rush?"

With that, she turned around.

"I'll talk to Nojiko and the others to see if we can boost production at the orange factory. Honestly~" she muttered as she walked out, pouting. "At this rate, even selling Cocoyasi's canned oranges all the way to the Grand Line won't be enough to cover your spending."

Only after her figure disappeared through the door did Xia Che let out a sigh of relief.

Then.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat back down in his seat.

Watching this, the elegantly seated Miss Robin rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Boss, you're such a heartless exploiter~, squeezing a young girl like that?"

"What do you mean 'exploiting'? What do you mean 'exploiting'?" Xia Che took a sip of the tea Robin had poured for him using her ability, looking perfectly at ease. "I'm unlocking her potential, not exploiting her. See? Nami's handling everything smoothly, isn't she?"

"Heartless boss. Do you think I'd believe that?"

"Of course. You're my most trusted secretary."

"Sorry, I don't~" Miss Robin gave a cold smile, then furrowed her brow. "But Miss Nami does have a point. Maybe some projects can be put on hold. We don't have enough funds to sustain them all right now."

"Don't worry, funding is a minor issue," Xia Che said, still sipping his hot tea leisurely. "It's just a rough patch. I'll have Moke hunt some pirates for extra cash. If that's not enough..."

His eyes flickered, as if a golden gleam flashed within them.

"I know where the Golden Land—Shandora—is. It's paved with gold. When we're short on cash, we'll just go dig some up."

At that.

"?!"

The legendary Golden Land?

Shandora?

If the legendary Golden Land really existed... could it hold records of that history?

Seeming to realize something, Robin's expression shifted. She stared at Xia Che, who was calmly sipping tea, and was about to ask when she noticed something else.

The tension on Robin's face vanished. She took a relaxed sip of her black tea and said slowly, "The Golden Land? You know where it is, Boss? If you're not worried, why not tell Miss Nami?"

"I..."

But before Xia Che could finish.

Just then.

"That's right, I'd like to ask the same thing." A meaningful, cold voice came from the doorway. "The Golden Land? Paved with gold?"

"???"

Startled, Xia Che's teacup trembled in his hand. He whipped his head around and sure enough, saw Nami, who should have left, standing there again.

He quickly put on an awkward smile and laughed it off. "I-I just remembered it now! I was about to tell you! Hahaha, sorry, sorry." Then he immediately changed the subject. "Oh, right, why are you back? Something up?"

"I came to ask about the swordsmanship instructor."

"Oh, that?" Seizing the topic, Xia Che averted his eyes and said cheerfully, "I've already arranged it. Should be here any time now..."

But before he could finish.

"None of that matters now. What's this about 'unlocking my potential'?" Nami clenched her fists, making them crack, and stared at Xia Che with a meaningful look. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears, and she shouted, "Do you have any idea how worried and scared I've been lately? First the Marine Inspection Team coming, then running out of money! Damn it, you had a solution and didn't tell me? How dare you treat me like this after all my hard work?"

"S-Sorry~"

"What's the point of apologizing now? I'm really mad."

"S-sorry!"

"Where's the Golden Land?"

"On Sky Island!"

"Sky Island? Is it really covered in gold there?"

"M-mostly, yeah. There's a ton of gold, and even a city built from it—though some idiot with a hole in his head has probably already dug up half of it by now."

"Who? I don't care—it's all mine!"

"..."

Sensing something off, Xia Che, who had been comforting Nami, looked up and immediately caught the sly glint in her eyes.

I think you're playing me!

Meanwhile.

While Xia Che was helplessly discussing with Robin and Nami when to go gold-digging.

At the pier of Marine Branch 16.

A young woman with a distinctive white sword at her waist nervously asked a Marine on the dock, "Excuse me, is this Marine Branch 16?"

"Y-yes, it is!" Seemingly startled by her appearance, the Marine stared blankly at her. "Petty Officer Tashigi, why are you back? Is there something else going on?"

"Tashigi? I'm not Tashigi." Hearing the Marine's words, the girl shook her head in confusion, but after confirming this was indeed Marine Branch 16, she seemed to relax. Then, with a serious expression, she said, "This Humble One is Guina, a junior disciple of Colonel Xia Che of Marine Branch 16. I've come specifically to find Senior Brother Xia Che."

With that.

"???"

Senior Brother Xia Che?

Guina?

The Marine still stared at her, dumbfounded and puzzled.

Petty Officer Tashigi, stop joking—is this another mission from headquarters?

Thanks to A Gentle Whisper for two monthly tickets; Nickname Already Exists for one monthly ticket; Book Friend 20200317235826218 for two monthly tickets.

Thanks to Book Friend 20200317235826218 for a 500 Qidian coin tip.

I see quite a few familiar faces~