Chapter 46: 46. Fleet Admiral Akira Is My God!
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Time is like an hourglass, always slipping away.
Before you know it, the end of the month is here.
The sun streams through the windows, and the seagulls' cries echo endlessly outside.
Rouge opened her eyes, stood up cautiously, and was about to get out of bed and leave.
A large hand reached out, wrapped around her shoulder, and pressed her back under the blanket.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Rouge blinked her beautiful amber eyes, puzzled.
"Don't make breakfast today. Stay with me a little longer."
Akira stared at the ceiling above, his eyes distant, and spoke in a flat tone.
Rouge nodded, obediently curling up against his chest.
Two days ago, she and Gion had returned safely to headquarters.
Although nervous about deceiving the two pirates, the journey was uneventful.
After they handed over the enormous amount of berries to Akira, they resumed their usual lives.
Gion returned to her mansion.
And Rouge returned to Akira's residence.
The room was silent.
The noise in the square gradually increased.
"Are you worried?" Rouge suddenly asked.
Having been on missions with Gion, she knew Akira's situation well.
Today is the day soldiers worldwide are promised full pay.
If Akira truly earned one trillion berries in half a month, then the Marines' current crisis could be resolved directly.
But if it's not enough...
Akira raised his eyelids.
"If I said I just woke up early and was in a daze, would you believe me?"
"I'll believe whatever the Fleet Admiral says."
Do you think I can't hear what you really mean?
Akira sighed.
But when he turned his head to look at Rouge's beautiful face, he felt an unexpected urge.
"You're talking a little too much today. Seems like you need to be quieted."
His fingers gently traced along her soft lips.
Rouge: "..."
After an hour.
The door was pushed open.
Full of energy, Akira led Rouge out.
"Hey, little Robin, what are you doing here?"
Not far from the door, Robin was standing quietly.
Clearly, she had been waiting for them to wake up.
"Since you're both here, I'll skip breakfast," Akira said, greeting her as he walked toward the door.
Robin looked at Rouge, didn't say a word, and there was even a bit of hostility in her eyes.
Ever since Rouge returned, Robin had been sleeping alone again.
Even when she wanted to join them last night and promised not to kick the blanket, Akira had firmly refused.
Just kidding, Robin is still young—if she accidentally sees something, that would be too much to handle!
Despite being well-mannered and sound-minded, the thought still made Robin uncomfortable.
She felt that when a brother has someone special, he forgets about his sister.
Her bond with Akira seemed to be stolen by this strange woman.
Grown-up Rouge understood the little girl's thoughts. She knew Robin's importance to Akira and how much he cherished her.
She took two steps forward, wanting to break the ice and establish a good relationship with Robin.
But just as a smile appeared on her face, she seemed to remember something.
Rouge quickly stepped back, covered her mouth, and said apologetically, "Sweetie, go brush your teeth first, then I'll make you breakfast."
Robin watched Rouge rush off, tilting her head in confusion.
What was that smell just now?
Squeak.
The door was pushed open, and Akira, hands in his pockets, walked straight toward the office building in the center of Marineford.
"Good morning, Fleet Admiral!"
"Good morning, Sir!"
As he walked, the soldiers who saw him immediately stopped what they were doing, stood at attention, and saluted.
Some of the saluters were officers who had returned to headquarters.
Akira nodded in acknowledgment.
Today, Marineford seemed particularly bright.
Anyone without a hat to shield their eyes had to squint against the dazzling golden light.
Why? Because behind the Marine Headquarters stands a "Golden City" as tall as a mountain, gleaming and impossible to miss.
Since its appearance in Alabasta, this treasure trove was escorted to headquarters under the protection of Garp, Sakazuki, Kizaru, Kuzan, Zephyr, Tsuru, several Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, and nearly 10,000 soldiers.
Of course, the journey wasn't without challenges.
Countless pirates, both rookies and veterans from the New World who had lost to Roger, flocked to claim the gold, risking their lives in the process.
Fierce battles were inevitable.
But fortunately, the Marines were stronger.
No matter how many waves of pirates came, as long as they didn't form a grand alliance or join forces with Whitebeard, they couldn't take even a gram of gold.
Moreover, with Garp and the others having the Eternal Pose to Marineford, the pirates didn't have much time to gather more reinforcements.
Tread Tread!
The sound of leather shoes clicking against the floor echoed down the corridor.
"Yo, everyone's here!"
Akira walked into the staff department with his hands in his pockets, raising an eyebrow.
Inside, all the officers of Marineford were gathered.
Kong, Garp, Zephyr, Tsuru, Sakazuki, Kizaru, Kuzan, Momousagi, Rosinante...
But they all looked like they hadn't slept in days.
Their hair was disheveled, and their eyes were bloodshot.
The room fell silent.
Then, in unison, everyone turned to Akira.
"You managed to sleep?"
"How could you sleep at a time like this?"
Garp strode forward, grabbing Akira's shoulders with wide eyes.
Zephyr also approached, disregarding his own appearance, and shouted with spit flying and frustration evident: "Don't you know the staff department was up all night counting the berries we earned over the past half month?"
"We all stayed up all night."
"And you, you went back to enjoy yourself in the comfort of your home, not worrying about whether we'd earn the trillion berries at all?"
"Eh..." Akira rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed.
In fact, he had stayed up late last night as well, leaving only at two in the morning.
But seeing how busy the staff department was, and knowing he couldn't help at that moment, he decided there was no point in staying.
So, he grabbed his cloak and went back to enjoy his time with Rouge.
"So, is the result ready?" Akira quickly changed the subject.
Everyone nodded, though mechanically, their heads heavy with exhaustion.
"Did we hit the target?"
They nodded but then quickly shook their heads.
Akira frowned, his tone growing more serious: "What does that mean? Did we not reach it?"
Everyone shook their heads again, only to start nodding shortly after.
"Why are you nodding and shaking your heads? Are you messing with me?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Garp suddenly let out a nervous laugh and slapped Akira's shoulder heavily with his big hand, but he didn't say a word.
Just as Akira felt he was reaching his limit of patience, Garp and Zephyr exchanged glances, nodded, and then, in unison, they hoisted Akira up high, cheering:
"Your goal of earning trillions in half a month is, of course..."
"Success!"
"Not only that, but it far exceeds expectations!"
Roar!
Clap clap!!
Thunderous applause erupted from the staff department, and the cheers of the civil servants and officers echoed throughout Marineford.
At the same time, they brought out colored cannons that had been prepared earlier, firing them off in celebration.
Everyone looked at Akira, who was surrounded by the high-ranking officers, as if they were gazing at a god.
A god of wealth!
Meanwhile, at a Marine base in the South Blue, the soldiers had no intention of training. Their eyes kept drifting toward the gate, anticipation evident on their faces.
Though they remained silent, everyone knew that today was payday. Those who had been waiting the longest were the most anxious.
Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore, dropped the dumbbell he was holding, and waved his hand in frustration, "Forget training, I'm not in the mood to waste energy right now."
Seeing this, the others also stopped, finding random places to sit down.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on the closed door.
"Didn't the officer take some people out early this morning? Why isn't he back yet? It's already noon!"
"Who knows? The Marine Bank isn't even that far away!"
"Ugh, I can't take it anymore without my salary."
"Same here. Fleet Admiral Akira promised he'd send it on time. He wouldn't lie to us, would he?"
"My wife's been getting a bit irritable lately, constantly nagging me about money. I really hope Mr. Akira doesn't let us down."
The soldiers complained among themselves.
Even though the Marines provided free meals, you could only eat that tasteless food for so long before getting tired of it.
And berries were the most important thing—having them in hand gave people the motivation to work hard and a sense of security.
Suddenly, there was movement outside the gate.
"Still out of breath? Hurry up and get over here to help!"
"Moving so many berries is exhausting."
The soldiers were stunned.
Their pupils gradually widened, shining brightly.
They recognized the voice—it was their gruff officer, and if they weren't mistaken...
"The officer's back with our pay!"
Someone suddenly jumped up and shouted, then bolted toward the door.
"I'm going to help!"
"Me too!"
"Move aside, gramps, I've got the strength to carry it all!"
...
Once the soldiers snapped out of it, they scrambled over, some rolling and crawling in their haste.
The door was pushed open.
The sight that greeted them took their breath away.
Their officer stood at the front, and behind him were three mountains, each as tall as a person.
These mountains were made entirely of stacked bundles of berries—Mount Baileys.
"Why are you all just standing there? Weren't you just thinking about your pay?"
"The Fleet Admiral asked me to bring it to you, so why is everyone just standing there dumbfounded?"
"Listen up! Move this into the base, and I'll hand out your wages on behalf of Mr. Akira!"
The officer patted Mount Bailey and shouted loudly.
"Wooooo!"
The soldiers erupted in excitement, tossing their caps and uniforms into the sky. The loudest roar of their lives burst from their throats, echoing throughout the base and lingering in the air.
"Fleet Admiral Akira!"
Someone shouted, and soon, the entire base was chanting in unison.
"Fleet Admiral Akira!"
"Fleet Admiral Akira!"
---
In the Kingdom of Mannoroc, at a Marine base, the sound of hurried, excited footsteps echoed in the distance. A tall soldier, honored as a hero, appeared with a sack slung over his shoulder.
He quickly unlocked the door, slipped inside, and shut it firmly behind him.
"Wife, wife, the headquarters paid me my salary!" the tall soldier whispered like a thief as he snuck up behind his wife, who was washing clothes.
She paused, then immediately stood up, looking at him expectantly. "How much did they send?"
"I don't know exactly. But it's a lot, way more than what we estimated a few nights ago."
The tall soldier lifted the sack and shook it with the opening facing down.
Bang, bang, bang!
Bundles of berries tumbled to the ground.
The woman stared in disbelief, murmuring, "Why... why are there so many?"
"The officer said this is my full salary for the past three months. They even gave me an extra month's pay for staying at my post."
"And there's also a reward for being a heroic soldier, a performance bonus for fighting pirates, and special family support from the Ministry."
"It seems like that was given especially for you."
The tall soldier scratched his head, thinking hard. "There might be other subsidies too, but I forgot what they were called."
"I have some too?!" The woman picked up a few bundles of berries, her face full of disbelief.
"Yeah, because you married a heroic soldier, so you get some too." The tall soldier puffed out his chest with pride.
"Fleet Admiral Akira... you're so generous!"
The woman's attention was entirely on the berries, cradling them in her arms, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Honey, we're rich!"
"We have so much money, I can't even decide how to spend it!"
"First, we should buy a big house, and then we'll get you some nice clothes."
"The most important thing is we can eat good food instead of the same old meat every day."
"And with the leftovers, we should deposit them in the bank..."
As she excitedly planned how to spend the money, the tall soldier hesitated, licking his lips. Finally, he gathered the courage to speak. "Honey, I don't really care about new clothes. Could you reward me with something else?"
"What do you want?"
"I want…"
The tall soldier blushed and leaned close to her ear, whispering his request.
The woman's face turned bright red, steam practically rising from her head. She reached out, pinching the soft flesh on his waist and scolding him playfully, "You devil! Where did you learn such naughty things?"
"Ouch, it hurts... Wife, is that a yes?" The tall soldier winced but bravely pressed on.
She pursed her lips, finally nodding under his hopeful gaze.
"Alright, since you got paid so well today, I'll grant your wish!"
The tall soldier's face lit up with joy. He immediately pulled her into a tight hug and shouted, "Thank you, Fleet Admiral! Thank you, Fleet Admiral!"
"Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"Of course, but Fleet Admiral Akira comes first. Without him paying me, you wouldn't have agreed."
"You devil!"
---
Scenes like this played out at Marine bases across the Four Seas and the Grand Line. Every soldier who received their salary was flushed with excitement.
"The Fleet Admiral didn't lie to me—he really paid us everything he promised!"
"I won't let Fleet Admiral Akira down. I'll fight pirates even harder from now on."
"Long live Fleet Admiral Akira! Long live Fleet Admiral Akira!"
"I only recognize Akira-sama as the Fleet Admiral!"
"Fleet Admiral Akira is a god!"
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