One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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After sending everyone out, Marineford became quiet.

The number of warships and soldiers had decreased significantly.

The officer's office building also felt a bit deserted compared to before.

"By now, the Five Elders should have received the news."

Akira stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sea with his eyes slightly squinted, murmuring, "There's no response."

When he decided to have the Marines suppress the rebellion in the Bertomy Passion Kingdom, he was prepared to be summoned to Mariejois for questioning by the Five Elders.

But surprisingly, several days had passed, and there was no reaction from them.

It was as if they had silently approved of his actions.

"Well, that's convenient. Saves me a lot of talking."

The corners of Akira's mouth curled slightly. He took off his glasses, pulled out a clean white handkerchief from his suit, and slowly wiped the lenses.

"To cover up one big thing, you distract attention with something even bigger."

"It seems like they haven't noticed."

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~

At that moment.

The Den Den Mushi on the table behind him suddenly rang out urgently.

Akira put his glasses back on, returned to his seat, and sat down.

"Moshi moshi, Akira here."

"Fleet Admiral Akira, it's me."

Tsuru's voice came from the Den Den Mushi: "We've successfully suppressed the rebellion in the Bertomy Passion Kingdom, and Miss Cameron has been placed on the throne."

Akira's eyes flashed.

Although it had only been a few days since they set out.

But this isn't Blue Star; it's a world of pirates where strength rules all.

With Garp, who stands at the pinnacle of the ocean's combat power and wields Conqueror's Haki, leading the charge, no number of rebels or their leader could resist.

Coupled with the Marines' status as enforcers of justice, it was clear which side the people would choose.

"Very well, begin implementing the plan, and make sure to leave the best address for Akatsuki."

"Prioritize repairing the roads, houses, and the overall morale of the people."

Akira gripped the Den Den Mushi in front of him and ordered in a deep voice.

If they're going to sell high-end homes, both the location and the quality need to be top-notch.

Otherwise, how can they attract the kings and nobles who are rich and foolish?

"No problem, but it's not just about time; it also requires a lot of materials."

"This place has just come out of a war, and there's a lot of damage. The people don't have any money either."

"Fleet Admiral Akira, do you have any post-war plans?"

Tsuru's meaning was clear.

The Bertomy Passion Kingdom could be restored to its former state, but it would require money and materials. Without these, it wouldn't be possible.

This is only natural. A kingdom isn't like a house where you can simply clean up the mess. After being ravaged by both pirates and rebels, it needs a massive amount of supplies and funds to rebuild.

"If the headquarters provides full support, how long will it take to give me a satisfactory result?"

Akira tapped the table with his fingers, his eyes glinting slightly.

What he lacked most right now was time.

If possible, the sooner the better, even if it meant spending more.

Tsuru understood what Akira was implying, and she took a moment to think it over.

Soon, her voice came through again: "Give me two months. Not only can we restore the Bertomy Passion Kingdom to its former glory, but we can also help the people regain their hope."

To be honest, two months to rebuild a devastated kingdom was already a tight timeline.

But to Akira, it still seemed too slow.

"One month!"

Akira took a deep breath, raised his index finger, and said in a firm tone, "I'll give you one month. Is that enough?"

"Impossible. Even if we don't consider everything else, constructing Akatsuki according to your vision will take time."

"Forget about Akatsuki for now. Use my Transforming Leaf to create a model house for display. Once the customers pay a deposit, we can start the actual construction."

"A model house? What's a model house? And if you're planning to sell the houses, shouldn't they be built first? How can people pay without seeing the finished product?"

Tsuru's face was full of doubt as she fired off one question after another.

"Uh..."

Akira was momentarily lost for words.

The concept of a model house is meant to showcase what the final product will look like, a common practice in real estate to collect deposits before starting construction.

Basically, it's about using customers' money to build their houses and then selling them at a high price.

What Akira lacked most right now was berries, and this method would provide a quick influx.

Back on Blue Star, this wouldn't need any explanation.

But in the world of pirates, where people had never even heard of real estate, let alone a model house, it was a foreign concept.

'How do I even explain this?'

Akira pursed his lips, trying to find the right words.

Now that Tsuru was in charge of everything outside, it was crucial for her to fully understand Akira's plans. If she didn't, unexpected issues could arise later.

She knew Akira was deep in thought, so she remained silent, waiting.

"Aunt Tsuru, let me explain what's on my mind. Maybe it'll make more sense if I lay it all out."

"Alright, go ahead."

"Here's the thing. Our main mission as Marines is to curb the era of great pirates. But right now, we're short on both money and time. We can't afford to build the houses first and then sell them. So, my idea is to first sell the concept of 'safety.' We get the kings and nobles to pay upfront, promising them real safety afterward. Then we can start the actual building process slowly."

"???"

The Den Den Mushi tilted its head and blinked, looking at Akira as if he were speaking in riddles.

Time passed slowly.

Akira finally stopped, looking at the Den Den Mushi expectantly. "Aunt Tsuru, did that make sense to you?"

After talking for so long, he had expected Tsuru to interrupt with questions. But to his surprise, she remained silent until the very end.

In his school days, the only person who would listen this attentively without interrupting was the top student, who easily understood everything the teacher said. But Akira had overlooked one thing: sometimes, people stay quiet because they don't understand at all.

"I don't understand," Tsuru replied flatly. Her tone was calm, with no hint of embarrassment, and her expression didn't change.

Akira: ...

There was a sudden silence between them.

After this awkward atmosphere lingered for about five minutes, Tsuru finally broke it.

"Fleet Admiral Akira, why don't you come here and guide me yourself?"

"As Fleet Admiral, I prefer not to leave the headquarters unless it's for something major," Akira replied. "The Fleet Admiral is the anchor of the entire Marine force, much like an emperor in ancient times. Normally, they stay at the headquarters to issue orders and oversee Marineford. Unless there's an extremely serious situation, one that threatens the very existence of the Marines, the Fleet Admiral shouldn't personally leave the base."

Of course, this didn't mean that being Fleet Admiral was like being imprisoned at the headquarters with no personal freedom. If Akira wanted to leave, he could. No one had the authority to stop him. However, he had become accustomed to staying in the Fleet Admiral's office, organizing various tasks for his subordinates, and working on completing his ultimate objectives.

Moreover, if Akira left without authorization, coordinating with officers or issuing orders would be far more troublesome than doing so from the headquarters.

In the past, he had spent six years at sea, leading a ship and fighting for military exploits. He had long grown weary of the monotonous life at sea and had no desire to continue it unless absolutely necessary.

However... 

Given the current situation, if he couldn't effectively communicate with Tsuru, he might actually have to head to the second half of the Grand Line himself.

'It's fine. With my current strength, no one can hurt me there anyway,' Akira thought, holding his glasses in the palm of his hand.

"How is my clone performing at the headquarters?" Tsuru suddenly asked, shifting the conversation to something seemingly unrelated.

"Well, it's doing pretty well. There's not much difference from the real... wait, what?" Akira started to reply with a smile, but then froze mid-sentence.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up with realization.

"Hehehe..." Tsuru chuckled, seeing the change in his expression. "It seems you've figured it out. I only thought of it just now as a flash of inspiration."

Akira took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I've created so many clones, and I didn't even consider this possibility."

"People often overlook things when they're too close to the situation. It's normal. I'll be waiting for you in the Bertomy Passion Kingdom."

"Right! But where exactly is the Bertomy Passion Kingdom? I need a rough location."

Although Bartholomew Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit can send people anywhere in the world, there's a catch: he needs to have been there before or know the exact location. Otherwise, there's a risk of being sent to a random, deserted sea.

"Dressrosa, does that ring a bell?"

"Oh, that place~~~"

"Yes, the Bertomy Passion Kingdom isn't far from there. I can have Garp wait at the port with the warship."

"Alright then, I'll head over soon."

"Okay."

Click.

Akira hung up the Den Den Mushi, and a Transforming Leaf appeared in the palm of his left hand.

"There's no need to replicate my current self. With clones of Garp and other powerful individuals, I won't need to intervene directly. Plus, I don't want to reveal my full strength just yet. If that's the case..."

He picked up a pen, recalling all his memories of his previous self, and carefully wrote the name "Akira" on the Transforming Leaf.

The leaf floated forward, releasing a puff of smoke.

Under Akira's watchful eyes, a clone emerged, wearing a Vice Admiral's justice cloak.

"The me before I activated the system is the most suitable."

"In any case, the strategy remains the same."