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"Fleet Admiral Akira, please wait!"
Akira had just arrived at the port, and before he even stepped onto the warship, a voice called out from behind him.
He turned his head and looked back, puzzled.
It was Chief Staff Officer Tsuru approaching with several civil servants. It seemed she had just returned from elsewhere.
"Aunt Tsuru, what's the matter?" Akira asked.
"It's nothing serious. I just need to ask you something."
Tsuru came to stand in front of him and glanced at the warships prepared to set sail. She knew Akira was about to leave for something, so she didn't waste time on small talk.
She got straight to the point and asked, "We've handed over all the industries, including Marine Bank. What about the dividends you promised to the generals earlier?"
"That's a lot of money."
Hearing this, Akira let out a sigh of relief.
He thought there might be another major issue at sea delaying him, but he didn't expect it to be just a minor issue like this.
"I've already made an agreement with Graeme to handle it during the New Year."
"Huh?" Tsuru looked surprised, staring at Akira in disbelief.
Asking someone for money is like giving them the upper hand. Whether they pay or not depends on their goodwill.
Even if someone agrees to pay, if the amount falls short, how many years will it take to receive the full amount?
What else can the Marines do then?
It's like the uncle borrowing money, and the grandson asking for it back. This scenario is common, even in the pirate world.
The Marines could have kept control of the bank and handed it over to CP after distributing the dividends properly.
She couldn't believe someone as sharp as Akira didn't understand this.
She had assumed Akira had a flawless plan before, so she hadn't brought it up earlier.
But she didn't expect that the answer she got today would leave her feeling so uneasy.
"Don't worry, he'll pay it in full," Akira said, sensing Tsuru's concern and trying to reassure her.
Before he thought of taking control of the CP0 plan, he had genuinely intended to wait for the dividends before handing over Marine Bank.
However, after reconsidering, he lost interest in managing the bank any longer. It only distracted him, and besides, letting the Five Elders keep an eye on the Marines served his purpose just as well.
After all, Graeme, the living dead, would never betray him. When the end of the year came, CP would deliver the berries without him even needing to remind them.
"Well..."
Tsuru, always cautious and wise, still felt a bit uneasy. But Akira wasn't interested in dragging out the conversation.
He waved his hand, cutting her off. "Anything else? If not, I'm leaving."
"No more," Tsuru sighed softly. As the Fleet Admiral had spoken, she, as a subordinate, couldn't press further.
"By the way, where are you going?"
"Heading to Impel Down for some training. If anything comes up, just talk to my clone."
Akira walked up to the deck, signaling the soldiers to prepare for departure. At the same time, he added, "If there's a major incident that requires my decision, contact me directly."
"Understood!" Tsuru responded with a nod.
It was no secret that Akira was obsessed with strengthening himself.
Recently, he had been spending a lot of time at Impel Down, so Tsuru had gotten used to his absence.
At the port, everyone watched as the warship slowly sailed away, eventually vanishing on the horizon.
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At Impel Down, Akira, hands in his pockets, had just disembarked when he was met by the general who had been waiting for him outside for quite some time.
"This subordinate greet the Fleet Admiral," the general said, bowing.
"Anything unusual happen recently?" Akira asked with a light nod, continuing to walk forward without stopping.
The officer followed closely and quickly replied with respect, "No unexpected events, sir. The transfer of the Rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly. My subordinates expect to return to headquarters with the soldiers tomorrow."
"Transfer? Wasn't it supposed to be shut down?" Akira raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Initially, the headquarters did order a shutdown, but two days ago, someone from CP arrived, claiming they were acting under orders from the Five Elders to fully take over our operations."
The officer shared all the information without hesitation: "After I reported the situation to Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, she instructed us to fully cooperate."
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn't received word from Graeme about the Five Elders' new orders two days ago.
As for Tsuru's decision, it was understandable. Now that the Marines had been told to follow orders from above, they had to abandon their efforts to restore everything on their own.
So, within the organization of Impel Down, there was no need to concern themselves further with it.
Not to mention, if the Five Elders wanted to take control or use it for other purposes, that was their business.
'Looks like I'll have to handle this personally,' Akira thought with an inward sneer, quickly grasping the Five Elders' intentions.
They couldn't pass up using such a valuable resource. By ordering the Marines to shut down Rehabilitation operations, they aimed to monopolize the production of powerful weapons, making the Marines more reliant on them.
During the era of rampant piracy, the Marines had to maintain some autonomy. But now that the era of the great pirates was nearing its end, the Five Elders naturally wouldn't let go of Impel Down, a "free stamina factory."
The number of powerful prisoners held here was enormous, enough to meet the needs of various departments.
Failing to leverage such an advantage would be foolish.
'That's fine, it'll all be mine in the end,' Akira mused.
With a slight shake of his head, he decided not to dwell on the matter further.
Passing by numerous prisoners and soldiers, Akira made his way toward Eternal Hell.
It was worth noting that, compared to his last visit, there were more jailers visible along the path. However, when they spotted Akira from a distance, none dared approach him. Instead, they stood silently, watching him with wary eyes.
Thanks to his inhuman five senses, enhanced by Observation Haki, Akira could clearly sense their dissatisfaction and resistance toward him.
'Do they still hold a grudge from when I first took control?' Akira thought to himself. 'It's pointless to dwell on it now.'
Akira frowned slightly. Impel Down was a crucial place for him.
The prison housed many powerful pirates, perfect for sparring. Some were even Shichibukai-level opponents, and others, like Imperial Vice Captains and those on par with the Four Emperors, could also be found here.
It was clear he would be spending a significant amount of time here in the future.
Beyond that, this was also the best place for him to replenish his physical strength.
If all of Impel Down's jailers were hostile and suspicious of him, it could make his future plans more difficult to execute without being noticed.
Finally, he arrived at the Fifth Level—Ice Hell.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, I've brought the Munch-Munch Fruit user you requested," Magellan said, standing quietly at the entrance with a prisoner.