Open Bribery

Kong's forehead bulged with veins at that, and he erupted like a lioness.

"Damn it! Why are you acting just like Garp—wanting a rank but shirking the burden of justice! And since when does a Commodore serve as someone's adjutant!"

"Then... how about lowering the rank a bit?"

Mo Xingchen said cautiously.

"Easy for you to say. Your deeds are already all over the newspapers, known across the seas! Morgans is coming to do a feature interview on you—what do we say then? That you're still a Field Officer? Still Garp's adjutant! This is a perfect chance to boost the Marines' image, and that bird might spin it as us stifling new talent!"

Just then, Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped in to smooth things over.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, Marine justice isn't meant for show. Besides, jumping from Captain to Commodore isn't just a triple promotion—Commodore is a threshold. Strictly speaking, it's a leap in class."

She took a sip of hot tea and continued.

"If it were anyone else, even a triple promotion, I'd step in to stop it. It would paint a target on our backs for pirates to tear down Marine prestige.

But luckily, Xingchen is strong enough. Keeping him as Garp's adjutant sends the message that he's not fully capable yet—that we're hyping him up.

When the time's right, we'll let him loose. As long as we keep an eye on the old-timers, the other pirates will come to him on their own. Then we set a trap and sweep them all up in one go!"

Mo Xingchen listened to Sister Crane's fierce analysis and strategy—it helped him, gave the boss an out, and mapped out the next steps. He couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. Old ginger really is spicier. Tacticians all have black hearts. He was still too green.

Dragon: Kid, you've still got a lot to learn.

Kong closed his eyes and pondered for half a minute. He figured Tsuru had a point, and they could use this to set a trap and wipe out some ambitious pirates. So he said:

"Fine. We'll do it that way. Xingchen, this time you're promoted to Captain. It'll boost morale and poke at those pirates' nerves! The day after tomorrow, Morgans will come to headquarters for your interview. Watch out for his verbal traps—don't let the Marines lose face!"

"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"

After leaving the office, Mo Xingchen dashed downstairs, found William waiting for him, took the gifts he'd bought on Sabaody Archipelago, and ran back up to hand them out to the big shots one by one.

For Fleet Admiral Kong, a fine tea set. For Admiral Sengoku and Garp, the new Senbei. For Vice Admiral Tsuru, top-grade tea leaves. Even Borsalino got a box of premium cigars. Everyone else he recognized got some small, nice trinkets.

This blatant bribery of the entire Marine Headquarters building was a first.

Over the next two days, Mo Xingchen noticed that to prep for Morgans' interview, the soldiers who should've been training were all cleaning up. The barracks especially were spotless, even sprayed with perfume.

Tch. Formalism exists in every world. Mo Xingchen shuddered at the thought—after the interview, when the soldiers trained again, sweat and foot stench mixed with perfume... Yue! Better not dwell on it. He could already smell it.

On interview day, Mo Xingchen was wandering the training ground, watching Morgans' News Birds snapping photos everywhere, some lenses practically shoved into people's faces. Then Gion ran over to find him.

"Xingchen, Sister Tsuru told me to call you up. They're about to start the interview."

"Alright, let's go."

Gion glanced around—the News Birds were busy elsewhere, not paying attention—and whispered in his ear:

"Sister Tsuru says to be careful. Upstairs just now, Fleet Admiral Kong was about to lose it."

"Haha, I know how newsmen work!"

Mo Xingchen was brimming with confidence. Gion wasn't so sure. Even the seasoned Fleet Admiral Kong had been rattled by Morgans in a few sentences. You're not much older than me—what can you do?

Gion led him to a small conference room in headquarters, passing on Sister Tsuru's warnings along the way. Finally at the door, Mo Xingchen pushed it open and saw Morgans in his albatross form rise from the sofa to greet him.

"Finally, Mo Xingchen Captain. Hello, I'm Morgans."

Mo Xingchen stepped forward, grabbed Morgans' wing with both hands, and shook it warmly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Your reputation precedes you, President Morgans! A pleasure to finally meet you!"

Gion stared blankly. The guy who'd been listless outside a second ago now had a face so bright with enthusiasm it was almost blinding. No wonder he'd stolen Sister Tsuru's favor—what a rival.

Morgans never expected such a warm reception. He put on a genuine smile.

"Ah... haha, Mr. Mo, you're too kind. Your missions must be tough. Let's sit and chat."

"Serving justice, I never tire!"

Now it was Morgans' turn to be stunned. He'd just been returning the enthusiasm, making small talk—no trap intended!

He flashed a sincerity he hadn't shown in years, only to be met with wariness. He glanced at Gion, thinking she'd warned him, but she looked even more dazed.

Helpless... Morgans had to rephrase, choosing words that couldn't be misunderstood, twisted, or ambiguous. As a journalist, this was the first time he'd felt so stifled.

Usually, it was the interviewee afraid of slipping up. Morgans had never feared his own questions had holes—this was absolute humiliation!

As they talked, Morgans felt it was time to dig deeper. The promotion ceremony was in a few days, and he knew Mo Xingchen would become a Captain. So he asked:

"Mr. Mo, you're outstanding. By rough count, in your last mission, you killed 8 Great Pirates with bounties over 100 million, 124 other pirates, and captured 27 with bounties over 10 million. Don't you think just being a Captain is a bit of a waste?"

Mo Xingchen, who'd been relaxing, snapped to alertness at the question. Then he answered sternly:

"No rank will ever hinder my pursuit of justice! I will strictly obey any decision from headquarters. I examine myself thrice daily!"

Morgans slapped a wing to his forehead. He'd let his guard down too. Asking that kind of question. Seeing Morgans' deflated look, Mo Xingchen beamed with smug satisfaction.

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