Capítulo 73: 73. I Will Give You 100 Billion To Burn, And The Request Is To Destroy All Newspapers
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"The era of great pirates is expected to end!"
"Fleet Admiral Akira's ability can replicate the strength of powerful individuals in large quantities!"
This incident sent shockwaves across the world.
Everyone who watched the live broadcast rushed to share the news with others.
The news department, which had been preparing for seven days, sprang into action. Newspapers were printed at full capacity and distributed worldwide.
"Seven days without sleep—this plan should be the most complete. Let's begin."
In the staff department, Tsuru gently stroked a thick document on the table and spoke softly.
After speaking, she picked up the Chief Staff Officer's badge and stamped the document with it.
"Take this to the colleagues in the staff department and make sure they follow the instructions."
"Yes!"
The assistant next to her, Robin, nodded firmly and quickly ran out with the documents in hand.
Akira also finished the live interview.
"Gion, come here!"
Akira looked over and waved. When Gion approached, he pointed to Yuki beside him.
"I need to go back to the office to review documents now, so you can spend the day shopping with Yuki."
Gion's eyes widened.
She thought something important was coming her way!
But this was the result?
"Thanks a lot."
Seeing the clear resistance on Gion's face, Akira didn't give her a chance to refuse. He patted her on the shoulder and immediately headed toward the office building.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, don't forget what you promised me."
Yuki had already recovered from the shock of seeing the three Marine Admirals and shouted towards Akira's retreating back.
"Don't worry, I'll come find you."
Akira smiled back and nodded.
He had received a big favor today, so it was only fair to keep his promise for dinner.
Soon, he reached Sengoku and the other Admirals, leaving with them in tow.
"To be honest, Akira, I was really shocked when the deception of the world was revealed just now."
Garp suddenly spoke up.
The Admirals behind him also nodded.
It could be said that no one wasn't frightened earlier.
Though fraud isn't a major crime compared to piracy, it still depends on who commits it.
Can ordinary people be compared to Marines?
The Marine stands for justice, and such absolute justice cannot tolerate any corruption.
But they didn't blame Akira.
Mainly because of the age of the great pirates.
Without Akira's actions, the Marines would be rendered useless in this era.
How can one speak of justice without the necessary resources?
It's because of deceiving the world that the Marines can protect more people.
"Luckily, Akira explained it."
Sengoku let out a long breath and said contentedly, "For now, there shouldn't be any issues, as long as we don't do something like this again."
He then turned to look at Akira.
"I definitely won't do it again. That kind of thing has a bad reputation, and how much money can it really make?"
Akira laughed, knowing that Sengoku was worried he might get a taste for quick, dishonest profits. But it was clearly an overreaction.
Holding trillions of berries in Marine Bank, with such a huge starting capital, even casual investments in businesses would certainly yield more profits than fraud.
Of course, unless you can deceive big pirates like Kaido and Big Mom again.
After all, they are incredibly wealthy.
Robbery is indeed a costless and profitable business.
"Not only that, but we must also uphold justice and strongly condemn those scammers who operate in the shadows."
Akira spoke with a righteous tone, his expression serious:
"Eventually, we should sell 'The Encyclopedia of Deception' worldwide, so that no one else can carry out fraud behind our backs, and the public won't be easily deceived in the future."
The Admirals: "..."
You've had your fill, and now you're smashing the bowl?
It's really...
Sengoku, Garp, the three Admirals, and many other generals had complex expressions.
This Marine Fleet Admiral of ours is vastly different from Kong and any other Fleet Admiral in history.
The difference lies in the uncertainty about the future under his leadership.
It's hard to imagine what will become of the mighty Marine under his command.
"Do you ever regret establishing that fraud department?"
Garp, ever the big-hearted one, wasn't bothered by Akira's actions and instead grinned.
"No, on the contrary, I'm glad the plan was executed."
Akira adjusted his glasses with his palm, shook his head, and responded with a light smile.
There might be many regrets in the future, but leading the staff to carry out telecom fraud worldwide isn't one of them.
At that time, he had great confidence in Marine Bank.
But without the ability to predict the future, no one knew what the final outcome would be.
After all, the era of great pirates had been raging for months—how much money did people have left?
No one knew if pirates and criminals would store their wealth in the bank.
One trillion berries—what does that even look like?
To be honest, Akira had never seen so much money and wasn't sure if establishing a bank for the first time in 800 years would attract that amount of deposits.
Even if one trillion berries were deposited, it wouldn't be enough.
People deposit their money in Marine Bank to ensure the safety of their property, but they will need to withdraw it eventually.
And if all the savings are used to cover Marine's trillion-berry deficit, it would undoubtedly affect people's everyday lives.
Once they discover they can't withdraw cash as advertised, Marine Bank would collapse instantly, like a flash in the pan.
So, to play it safe, having those scam plans in place was necessary.
The final result was gratifying: the headquarters only needed to withdraw hundreds of billions of berries from the bank to cover expenses without affecting public access.
They didn't even have to think of ways to make money to subsidize it.
Moreover, the staff primarily targeted pirates and criminals, so the number of affected people was relatively small.
Soon, the group reached the office building.
"Everyone, keep copying! Justice is counting on you."
Akira led them back to the office, giving a thumbs-up before leaving, offering encouragement.
All the officers responded:
"Fleet Admiral, you've worked hard."
As Akira walked back to his office, Rouge greeted him immediately.
After taking the cloak of justice from Akira, she pointed to the steaming food on the table.
"I ordered the kitchen to bring high-calorie food to replenish your strength."
"Well done."
Akira nodded in satisfaction.
After all, he had just copied Sakazuki in public and was truly hungry.
He had originally planned to ask the soldiers to deliver food, but Rouge had arranged it in advance without needing a reminder.
Sure enough, women are attentive.
Akira's praise brought a smile to Rouge's face.
After hanging up the cloak, she returned to her seat.
Just as Akira sat down, footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru walked in with Rosinante, the head of the news department.
"Fleet Admiral Akira!"
"Fleet Admiral!"
After Tsuru and Rosinante entered, they immediately saluted.
Akira nodded, unsurprised.
Today, the plan would be fully implemented, and there were bound to be many things requiring instructions and arrangements.
"Which of you will go first?"
Akira asked as he swallowed a big chicken leg, grabbing a white towel from the side of the table to slowly wipe the oil off his hand.
"Rosinante, you go first," he said.
"Got it!" Rosinante didn't hesitate.
When reporting to the Fleet Admiral, it's best to handle the more formal and urgent matters first, giving the others time to discuss and make decisions. Luckily, he didn't have much on his plate and wasn't in a rush.
"Fleet Admiral, the news department has implemented your report on how to tactfully explain Marine's recent embarrassing situations…"
"We've also published the call for strong individuals from around the world to contribute voluntarily or for payment to help Marine replicate the strength of the Emperor-level pirates."
"All of these have been printed and are being distributed one by one."
Rosinante handed over a stack of newspapers in his hand.
[Shocking! Husband goes out late every night, but when he returns, he looks exhausted. His wife discovers he's been...]
[Terrifying! There are identical people in this world. How is this possible?]
[Can't stay calm! A man forced the essence out of his body and immediately got the woman he wanted!]
[…]
Tsuru glanced sideways out of curiosity. When the headlines on the front page came into view, the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
At this moment, she had the urge to look away. But Akira read it with great interest, nodding occasionally in approval.
"Very good, the news department is thriving under your leadership," Akira said. "Scaring people stiff and making them restless—those are used without even needing to be taught."
"Rosinante, you have a real talent for this."
"Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."
Akira put down the newspaper and clasped his hands under his chin, his eyes full of undisguised admiration.
Rosinante trembled slightly and saluted, loudly responding, "I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Although he tried to control his tone, his reddened ears betrayed the excitement in his heart.
The smile on Akira's face grew even brighter. Tsuru smiled and shook her head. Rosinante is still too green, she thought. It seems Sengoku didn't inform him that the boss's compliments are often just fluff. But she didn't point this out—after all, a young person's drive is a valuable asset for justice.
"Alright, go ahead and print and distribute it."
"Yes!" Rosinante picked up the newspapers and, as usual, asked before leaving, "Do you have any other orders?"
"Hmm... yes."
Akira's eyes flickered slightly, and he closed them for a moment, organizing his thoughts. His right hand's fingers tapped the table in a steady rhythm.
The Fleet Admiral's office fell silent. Neither Tsuru, Rosinante, nor Rouge dared to speak. After spending so much time with Akira, they knew this was his unique way of thinking.
Ten minutes later, Akira opened his eyes and looked at Rosinante.
"Two things."
"First, I need your news department to come up with some catchy slogans and publish them in the newspapers. These should make people feel motivated and willing to contribute their strength to Marine's cause."
Rosinante frowned slightly, deep in thought. This was the first time he had received such a request, and he had no ideas yet. He also wasn't sure what effect Akira wanted. If he spent a lot of effort coming up with slogans only for them to be rejected, it would be a waste of time.
"Please guide me," Rosinante said, bowing to Akira just as he had when asking for tips on creating shocking news.
Akira let out a long breath, already prepared for this.
In the closed world of the Grand Line, people's thinking couldn't compare to those on Blue Star.
"For example," Akira began:
"Donate your regenerative strength to save lives threatened by pirates."
"Because of your selfless devotion, I can see the sun the next day. Thank you, my hero!"
"The meaning of replicating for Marine is: saving others while sanctifying yourself."
"I am proud to have contributed to Marine."
After Akira rattled off ten slogans in quick succession, he paused. Rosinante, who had a knack for grasping concepts quickly, clearly understood, though there was still a trace of doubt on his face.
"Is there something you're still unclear about?" Akira asked.
"Uh, I understand the slogans. I'm just curious—this time, you're not looking for a shocking slogan?" Rosinante asked earnestly. "I feel like it would be more impactful if we added some shock or scare factor!"
Akira:
Rosinante, you're killing me here.
A slogan's purpose is to be catchy and evoke empathy. If you add the kind of over-the-top shock that you use to scare people, it loses its effectiveness.
Pfft.
Tsuru couldn't help but laugh, and even Rouge, the secretary, had her head down, body trembling with suppressed laughter.
Akira rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Shock tactics aren't a cure-all. Don't throw them in everywhere, you fool."
"Oh, understood," Rosinante said, scratching his head and moving on tactfully. "So, what's the second matter?"
"It's simple. It's about this ' World Economy Newspaper.'"
"The headquarters is short on manpower, and it's not cost-effective to assign a Vice Admiral to handle this newspaper, so I'm leaving it to you."
"I just want two results."
Akira raised two fingers, shaking them slightly as he continued, "First, capture or eliminate Morgans, the president of this newspaper. Second, make sure the entire world subscribes only to our Marine Headquarters newspaper."
"Do you have confidence?"
Controlling public opinion is crucial. Holding that power means having the ability to shape the world's narrative.
Take, for example, the recent past. Before Kong stepped down, he could announce to the world that he single-handedly defeated Patrick Redfield. If Morgans' newspaper had the same reach as it would in the future, that story might have gained uncontrollable fame.
So, could Kong have dared to fabricate such a tale?
Akira imagined a day in the future when he could spread his hand and claim to have single-handedly taken down Whitebeard.
Oh, that's so fake.
It doesn't even fit his persona or current image.
But claiming an easy victory over the Whitebeard Pirates? Now, that's something the world might believe.
Believe it or not, if all the newspapers say so, what choice do people have?
In short, monopolizing public opinion comes with countless advantages.
Therefore, Morgans, the guy who will eventually build the world's leading newspaper in more than 20 years, needs to be suppressed while he's still on the rise.
Rosinante looked troubled.
Akira frowned. "What? Is there a problem?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral. Capturing Morgans is possible, even though we don't know his real appearance or location," Rosinante admitted openly. "The hardest part is the second task."
"In addition to our Marine news, there are many newspapers worldwide."
"Not to mention, there are exclusive newspaper offices in each of the four seas—East Blue, North Blue, South Blue, and West Blue."
"World Economy News Paper is simply the fastest-growing among these many newspapers."
"With so many options available to the public, how can I make them subscribe only to the Marine Headquarters paper?"
"This seems impossible."
It was clear what Rosinante meant: Akira's second objective was unrealistic.
After hearing Rosinante out, Tsuru nodded in agreement.
But Akira just laughed.
He leaned back in his chair, propped his cheek with his right hand, and an enigmatic smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"The masses may have many choices, but we can take those choices away."
"These newspapers exist only because they're still profitable."
"Rosinante, I'm giving you 100 billion berries to wage a price war against them."
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