168. Warrior God Of Finance: Akira, Are You Angry?

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"Fleet Admiral Akira, please come with me."

"Well, lead the way."

Holy Land, Mariejois.

Akira returned to this place once again, but unlike before, this time it wasn't an official reception from Kong or the Five Elders.

It was a private summons from the Warrior God of Finance.

As he followed the guards toward the area where the Celestial Dragons clearly resided, Akira had a realization in his heart.

'It seems the Five Elders don't want to make a big scene.'

Logically, if they wanted to investigate Akira's actions against the Celestial Dragons, then the full council should have been convened by now.

He would have to go there and face questioning from all five of them together.

But now, it's the Warrior God of Finance handling the matter.

This indicates that they want to address the issue, but without drawing too much attention to it.

Akira couldn't help but smirk slightly.

In truth, it made sense. The Celestial Dragons weren't entirely blameless in the matter, and Akira was still a highly competent and low-maintenance Fleet Admiral of the Marines.

How could they truly pursue it?

How far could they go to satisfy both sides? They wouldn't want to lose a valuable subordinate, but they also didn't want to distance themselves from him.

Soon.

With the guards leading the way, Akira arrived at a lavish villa.

In the garden, the Warrior God of Finance was already there.

"Akira, you're here! Take a seat."

The Warrior God of Finance, who was sitting in a chair and casually cleaning his favorite sword, glanced at him and gestured to the seat next to him.

"Yes, Saint Nusjuro."

Akira didn't hesitate after hearing this and sat down in the offered seat, speaking in a respectful tone.

The Warrior God of Finance paused, shook his head, and replied with a meaningful tone:

"You're being too formal, Akira."

"You don't need to be so polite and distant with us, even if we haven't interacted much."

"But you are Fleet Admiral of the Marines, someone trusted by the World Government and all the Celestial Dragons."

"Our safety and reputation outside depend entirely on the Marines under your command, doing their utmost to protect us."

"You are no longer the ordinary Vice Admiral you were last year. Even we must now take your opinions and influence into account. You've risen beyond what you once were."

The Warrior God of Finance said this and glanced at him: "You can be bolder, and I would welcome that."

Here it comes.

Akira's eyes gleamed, and he casually adjusted his glasses.

What a master of subtlety. Every word avoided the main topic, yet every sentence hinted at it.

Though the Warrior God of Finance didn't directly mention the incident at Sabaody Archipelago, his roundabout words clearly carried weight.

It was all in reverse—saying the Celestial Dragons' safety depends on the Marines, suggesting that Akira could be bolder.

The subtext was far too obvious. Only someone truly oblivious wouldn't catch the meaning behind it.

"Saint Nusjuro, you make an excellent point. But even as the Marines, we're merely agents operating under the World Government."

"Without the support of the Five Elders, I would never have been able to take on the role of Fleet Admiral."

"Therefore, the Marines will always take it upon themselves to protect the Celestial Dragons, and I will forever remain loyal to you all."

Akira sat upright, maintaining a serious tone as he replied.

While he clearly understood the deeper meaning behind the Warrior God of Finance's words, he wasn't about to bring up the issue himself or walk into trouble willingly.

Thus, he continued to present the same loyal image he had shown before the Five Elders.

After all, aside from all the other forces at play, the Five Elders and Im were more than capable of quashing any opposition.

Akira wasn't foolish enough to provoke them before he was fully prepared.

As for the Warrior God of Finance's comment about not needing to worry about outside appearances—well, anyone who believed that was truly naïve.

Your superior is being polite, but if you get too comfortable, you'll end up paying the price.

The Warrior God of Finance didn't speak again, simply returning his focus to maintaining his beloved sword with utmost care.

Of course, Akira wasn't bothered by the silence.

He had no pressing matters to attend to, and it wasn't exactly a burden to spend time here while still on the clock.

The atmosphere fell into a quiet lull.

Other than the rustling of distant leaves and the soft sound of the blade being wiped, there was little else to be heard.

After what felt like a long time.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

The Warrior God of Finance carefully sheathed his sword, placed it gently at his waist, and asked.

"Not yet."

Akira shook his head. The timing of Kong's call earlier had been quite interesting.

It came just as he was about to leave for lunch.

Had the call been delayed by even a minute or two, Akira would've already been in the cafeteria.

The fact that it came neither too early nor too late was no coincidence, and Akira wasn't naive enough to think it was.

Given what he knew about Kong, who was all brawn and little brain, such precise timing wasn't his style.

Which meant this was likely orchestrated by the Five Elders.

It was a simple test, designed to see what Akira valued more—his lunch break or promptly meeting with his superiors.

Akira was certain that had he taken his time and finished lunch first, the reception he received upon arriving would've been far less welcoming.

The Five Elders wouldn't tolerate such disrespect from their subordinates.

'Just a minor test. It's the kind of thing leaders back on Blue Star would pull—tricks that wouldn't even make it to the big stage,' Akira thought to himself, his eyelids drooping slightly.

While Blue Star might not compare to the Pirate World in terms of strength, when it came to these petty power plays, not even ten Pirate Worlds could match up.

Small tests like this were a common tactic for even the lowest-ranking leaders back there.

Sure enough, the Warrior God of Finance's expression softened just a bit.

"Have the chefs bring out the meal," he instructed the butler who had been standing nearby the whole time.

The butler bowed respectfully and quickly left.

Before long, a lavish and aromatic lunch was spread out in the garden, the table overflowing with an extravagant array of dishes.

At the white round table, the two of them sat as the butler carefully poured red wine into their goblets.

After seeing the Warrior God of Finance pick up his chopsticks, Akira began to eat without hesitation.

Midway through the meal, the Warrior God of Finance suddenly spoke up: "Akira, are you upset that the CP0 has taken over the Marines' entire operation?"

"Eh..." Akira paused, his chopsticks frozen mid-air as he looked ahead.

But the Warrior God of Finance didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he was focused on cutting a piece of Sea King lung, speaking casually, almost as if it were a simple conversation.

"I've come to understand the situation. It was indeed that boy's mistake for publicly demanding you send your woman to him."

"The five of us have already dealt with him, but your response was... a bit excessive. There were better ways to handle it."

"You left immediately, and the boy couldn't do anything about it. The guards accompanying him didn't have the courage to intervene."

"But you used Haki, directly trampling on his dignity as a Celestial Dragon."

"Akira, as Fleet Admiral of the Marines..."

At this point, the Warrior God of Finance finally lifted his head.

His eyes, sharp like blades, locked onto Akira with an intensity that could cut through steel. 

At the same time, an overwhelming aura exploded from him, laced with razor-sharp sword energy, bearing down like a ferocious wolf.

A gust of wind tore through the dining table.

The butler, caught completely off guard, was swept away in the storm of power.

The grass, flowers, and trees in the surrounding garden bent sharply, bowing at a ninety-degree angle as if they were being crushed by the weight of a mountain.

Akira felt the pressure immediately and leaned back instinctively, his hair whipping around like seaweed caught in a violent current.

"You took advantage of the Celestial Dragons' ire to send a message to the Five Elders..."

"To express your dissatisfaction?"

The Warrior God of Finance's voice was cold and piercing, carrying an authority that sent chills down one's spine, like a voice echoing from the depths of hell.