Discussing with Father

After Ener finished handling everything, he sat in the major's office of the Marine 153rd Branch—no... the East Blue Inspectors Headquarters.

He could not help stretching lazily.

Sometimes, trivial matters were far more exhausting than a good fight.

At that moment, Lina stood behind Ener, kneading his shoulders with one hand while massaging his back with the other.

It had to be said that having a beauty willingly and unconditionally serve you was truly one of life's greatest pleasures.

Sure enough, as Lina massaged him, Ener began to feel stirred.

He reached back, pulled her into his arms, and gently kneaded her.

Lina's body trembled, and her face reddened slightly. Not only did she not resist, she even cooperatively spread her legs a little.

"Buru buru..."

Just as the two were getting into the mood, the Den Den Mushi on Ener rang.

Ener froze for a moment, then the corner of his mouth twitched several times.

Only two people could call the Den Den Mushi on him: Smoker, and his nominal father.

Whenever either of them called, there was usually something going on. And it was always important—nothing that could be delayed.

"Couldn't have come at a worse time." He reluctantly withdrew his hand.

"Pfft..."

Lina felt a momentary emptiness, but immediately laughed softly. "Master, you can have me whenever you want. You mustn't delay important business."

Hearing that, Ener also chuckled. "True..."

"Smack..."

Still, he took the opportunity to give her another pat as a reward.

It drew a soft moan from Lina.

Then he answered the Den Den Mushi, and Burns's voice immediately came from the other end.

"You brat, you're making bigger and bigger trouble!"

There was some excitement in his voice, along with a trace of helplessness.

Ener raised an eyebrow slightly at that. "Did something happen, Father?"

"The East Blue Inspectors jointly lodged a complaint against you with the Holy Land! Because of that, I agreed that East Blue would have to pay three billion Beli every year!"

Ener was stunned. "How much?"

Burns said, "Three billion!"

Ener rubbed his forehead. "Father, aren't you asking for a bit too much?"

Burns said, "The people backing the other Inspectors took the matter to the Celestial Dragons. Of course, I also have a Celestial Dragon behind me. Considering the Beli I pay him every year, as well as the profits you'll soon bring in, he helped mediate. In the end, as long as your East Blue pays one billion Beli every year, this matter will be settled."

Ener was somewhat surprised. "Then why did it become three billion?"

Burns said, "Because I voluntarily added another one and a half billion in exchange for your right to completely control all East Blue Inspectors. In other words, you can kill any of those East Blue Inspectors whenever you want, without having to fear anything anymore... Hahaha!"

By the end, Burns could not help bursting into loud laughter.

Only after laughing for quite some time did he stop. With a smug tone, he said, "Those bastards tried to cause me trouble, so I pulled the rug out from under them. They must have suffered huge losses this time, huh!"

Ener understood who Burns meant: the people who worked for the other Celestial Dragons.

People much like Burns himself.

But Ener frowned. Anyone who could make a name for themselves under the Celestial Dragons was certainly not easy to deal with.

That was right. Burns had pulled off a beautiful move by pulling the rug out from under them.

But... they could not possibly swallow such a loss in silence. They would definitely trip him up somehow...

So he asked probing, "Is there something else you haven't told me?"

"Hm?"

The smug look on Burns's face froze. Then his expression turned serious. "But the prerequisite is that this year's payment must also be made. That was proposed to the Celestial Dragons by those bastards!"

By the end, Burns was gritting his teeth.

It had to be said, Burns had pulled the rug out from under others, and they had done the same to him.

In the end, he sighed. "First, I got you a Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: White Tiger. Later, to support you in building up your forces in East Blue, I paid a huge price for one Zoan and one Paramecia. Although neither is particularly famous... I've already poured all the savings I've accumulated over several decades into this.

So I'm afraid you'll have to handle these three billion Beli yourself. Are you confident?"

By the end, even he sounded uncertain.

If it were the second year, after Ener had integrated all the East Blue Inspectors and held real power in his hands—truly becoming the second most powerful person in East Blue—then three billion would not be difficult.

But this year, there were less than two months before the payment was due.

Where was he supposed to get three billion?

Yet at that moment, Ener's furrowed brow relaxed, and there was even a hint of surprise on his face. "You got your hands on two Devil Fruits already?"

The corners of his mouth rose slightly. This was good news.

The Zoan could be given to Gin. That way, Gin's strength would receive an enormous boost in a short period of time.

Not bad, not bad.

As for the Paramecia, he could consider saving it for Daniel.

After all, Daniel was the person Ener had in mind to succeed him as Chief Inspector of East Blue in the future. He needed at least two or three thousand in strength to intimidate others.

And Ener could not remain in East Blue forever.

But even if he left East Blue, it still had to remain under his control... it was a constant source of wealth.

Leaving Gin and Lina behind would be somewhat wasteful. After all, there were no decent strong people in East Blue.

As for the three billion... it was nothing much to Ener.

"Don't worry, Father. I have a way to get these three billion. You don't need to worry... but I need you to do me another favor."

Burns said, "Tell me. As long as it's something your father can handle, I'll definitely take care of it."

Ener said, "I want Gin to take the position of Deputy Chief Inspector. When I'm away, he'll be fully responsible for all affairs in East Blue."

"When you're away? Fully responsible for all affairs in East Blue?" Burns immediately caught the key point.

Ener said, "Three billion is a huge sum. I have to deliver it personally. Especially the first payment—there absolutely can't be any mistakes. While I'm delivering the Beli, East Blue naturally needs someone to handle everything for me. Otherwise, problems could easily arise."

Burns said, "Fine, I'll handle that... but how are you going to get these three billion?"

Ener could not help smiling. "As long as Father spreads word that my ship is carrying three billion. But don't mention the Celestial Dragons—just mention the three billion."

Could Burns, who had made a name for himself around the Celestial Dragons, possibly be stupid?

He immediately understood Ener's intentions. His eyes narrowed, and his expression became extremely solemn. "You're planning to lure a large number of pirates into robbing you?"

"To me, pirates are walking Beli. Not only does every one of them carry quite a bit of Beli and treasure, but they themselves also have high bounties.

Three billion?

Is that difficult?"

Burns frowned, concern flashing across his face. He knew full well that three billion was an enormous temptation to most pirates.

He could even foresee what kind of situation Ener would face if he really did this.