Open Bribery

The veins on Kong's forehead bulged at those words, and he let out a thunderous roar.

"Bastard! Why are you just like Garp? You want a rank but refuse to shoulder the responsibility of justice! Besides, what kind of brigadier general serves as someone else's adjutant?"

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

Mo Xingchen asked cautiously.

"Easy for you to say. Your deeds have already been published in the papers; the whole sea knows about them! Morgans is even preparing to come interview you for a feature. What are we supposed to say then? That you're still a Field Officer? Still Garp's adjutant? This was clearly a great opportunity to promote the Marines, but that birdman might spin it as the Marines suppressing newcomers from within!"

At that moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped in to smooth things over.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, Marine justice was never meant to be put on display. Besides, promoting him directly from captain to brigadier general is more than just a three-rank leap. Brigadier general is a threshold; strictly speaking, this is a leap across an entire class."

Vice Admiral Tsuru took a sip of hot tea and continued:

"If it were anyone else, I would oppose it even if it were only a three-rank leap, because it would inevitably give the pirates a target to use against the Marines' prestige.

"Fortunately, Xingchen is strong enough. At the same time, having him continue as Garp's adjutant can make people think he lacks ability and is merely a target of Marine publicity.

"When the right time comes, we can send Xingchen out. As long as we keep an eye on those old fellows, the other pirates will surely come looking for him themselves. Then, with proper arrangements, we can catch them all in one net!"

Listening to Sister Crane's fierce analysis and planning, Mo Xingchen could not help giving her a thumbs-up. She had helped him, given the higher-ups a way out, and even laid out the direction for the follow-up work! The older, the wiser indeed. People who played tactics really had black hearts. He was still too young!

Dragon: Kid, you still have plenty to learn!

Kong closed his eyes and pondered for half a minute. He felt that Little Tsuru made sense, and this could indeed be used later to set a trap and wipe out a wave of ambitious pirates. Thus, he said:

"Mm, then we'll do it that way! Xingchen, this time you'll be promoted to colonel. It will both boost morale and stir up those pirates' nerves! The day after tomorrow, Morgans will come to Headquarters to conduct an exclusive interview with you. Watch out for his verbal traps. Don't tarnish the Marines' reputation!"

"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"

After leaving the office, Mo Xingchen dashed downstairs, found William, who had been waiting for him, took the gifts bought at the Sabaody Archipelago from his arms, and rushed back upstairs with armfuls of packages to hand out presents to all the big shots.

He had bought Fleet Admiral Kong an exquisite tea set; for Admiral Sengoku and Garp, newly released senbei crackers; for Vice Admiral Tsuru, premium tea leaves; and even Borsalino received a box of high-grade cigars. Everyone else he recognized received a small, exquisite gift as well.

Such blatant bribery throughout the entire Marine Headquarters building was truly unprecedented.

Over the next two days, Mo Xingchen discovered that, in preparation for Morgans's interview, the soldiers who should have been training had begun a massive cleanup. The barracks in particular were spotless, and they had even been sprayed with perfume.

Tch, every world really did have its share of formalism. Mo Xingchen could already imagine the mixture of sweat, foot odor, and perfume after the interview, once the soldiers finished training... Bleurgh! Better not think too deeply about it. He could practically smell it already!

On the day of the interview, Mo Xingchen was wandering around the training grounds, watching the News Birds under Morgans's command snap photos everywhere. Some of them practically shoved their cameras into people's faces. Just then, Gion ran over to find him.

"Xingchen, Sister Tsuru asked me to call you upstairs. Your interview is about to begin."

"Mm, let's go then."

Seeing that the News Birds nearby were busy with other matters and not paying attention to them, Gion quietly whispered into Mo Xingchen's ear:

"Sister Tsuru told you to be careful. Upstairs just now, Fleet Admiral Kong was so angry he nearly went berserk!"

"Hahaha, journalists. I get it!"

Mo Xingchen looked utterly confident, while Gion remained somewhat doubtful. Even someone as seasoned as Fleet Admiral Kong had been driven over the edge by just a few words from Morgans. You were only a few years older than her—what kind of response could you possibly have?

Gion led Mo Xingchen toward a small conference room in the Headquarters building. Along the way, she continued relaying the precautions Sister Tsuru had asked her to pass on to him. At last, they reached the conference room. Mo Xingchen pushed open the door and saw Morgans, in his albatross form, rise from the sofa and take the initiative to greet him.

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

Mo Xingchen stepped forward, grabbed Morgans's wings with both hands, and shook them warmly.

"Sorry for the wait! President Morgans's great name has long thundered in my ears! It's an honor to meet you, an honor indeed!"

Gion stared blankly at Mo Xingchen. Just a second ago, outside the door, he had been listless. Now the warmth radiating from his face was so dazzling that his instant change left her eyes stinging. No wonder he was the formidable rival who had stolen Sister Tsuru's affection.

Morgans had not expected to be received with such enthusiasm one day. He put on a sincere smile.

"Ah... hahaha, Mr. Mo Xingchen, you're too polite. Your missions must usually be very exhausting, right? Let's sit and talk, sit and talk."

"Serving justice never tires me!"

Now it was Morgans's turn to be dumbfounded. He had merely been responding to Mo Xingchen's enthusiasm with a polite remark. He had never intended to dig any sort of pit!

For that reason, he showed a sincerity he had not displayed in many years, only to receive wariness in return. He looked toward Gion, thinking she must have briefed Mo Xingchen on something, but Gion's expression was even more vacant than his.

Helplessly... Morgans could only reorganize his wording and speak with Mo Xingchen using words that were as unlikely as possible to be misunderstood, twisted, or ambiguous. As a newsman, this was the first time he had ever felt so stifled.

Usually, only interviewees feared that their answers might contain a loophole. This was the first time Morgans had feared that his questions might contain one. It was an absolute humiliation!

As they chatted, Morgans felt it was time to delve into deeper topics. Thinking that the decoration ceremony would be held in a few days and that Mo Xingchen would then be promoted to colonel, he asked:

"Mr. Mo, you are so outstanding. According to incomplete statistics, during your last mission, you killed eight Great Pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, along with 124 other pirates. You also captured twenty-seven pirates with bounties above ten million. Don't you think it's a bit of a waste for you to serve as only a colonel?"

Mo Xingchen, who had gradually relaxed, instantly became alert upon hearing that question. He then answered in a stern and righteous tone:

"No rank will hinder me from carrying out justice! I will strictly obey any decision made by Headquarters. I shall examine myself thrice daily!"

Morgans slapped his forehead with one wing. Mo Xingchen had let down his guard, and he had relaxed as well. He had actually asked such a question! Seeing Morgans's frustrated expression, Mo Xingchen looked immensely pleased with himself.

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