章 74: 74. A Certificate Of Honor For Voluntary Donation!
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"Price war?"
Rosinante looked confused. "What is that?"
Not only him, but even the Marine Headquarters' smartest staff officer, Tsuru, looked at Akira suspiciously.
Akira lit a cigar and asked without answering, "How much does a newspaper sell for in the market now?"
"Each newspaper office has different pricing, but it's generally below 50 berries," Rosinante replied, knowing this well as the head of the news department.
Akira nodded, understanding the situation.
The price of goods in this era is not as high as it will be 20 years from now. Back then, a newspaper cost 100 berries. Now, it's 50 berries, and they're still making a profit.
"There are exclusive newspaper offices everywhere, right? If that's the case, then our Marine News Department will start expanding as well."
"Set up divisions in East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue."
"Our goal is to publish whatever content they publish."
Akira exhaled a long puff of thick smoke, speaking calmly.
Although Rosinante still didn't fully grasp his Fleet Admiral's plan, he subconsciously agreed. "Okay, how much did the newspaper sell for back then? Was it 40 berries? Or 30? The profit?"
He muttered to himself, "Actually, 25 berries would be fine, but that would just cover the material costs."
"No," Akira shook his head and raised a finger. "We'll sell it for just 1 berry."
"What?" Rosinante, Tsuru, and Rouge exclaimed in surprise.
1 berry? In this world, you can't buy much for that. Even Rouge, who wasn't familiar with the news department, knew that the production cost of a newspaper was far more than 1 berry.
Yet now, Akira, the Fleet Admiral of the Marine, wanted to sell all the newspapers at such a low price. How much would the Marine lose?
They couldn't figure it out.
"Fleet Admiral-sama, if we do this, we'll suffer heavy losses," Rosinante quickly tried to dissuade him.
"As long as we can dominate the market, we'll make money in the end," Akira replied, sitting up straight, deciding to explain in detail.
Otherwise, even if Rosinante agreed, his work attitude wouldn't be as rigorous, and he wouldn't be as motivated.
"Let me ask you this: if there were two newspapers with the same headlines, and even the contents were identical, one priced at just 1 berry and the other at 50 berries, which one would you choose?"
Rosinante, Tsuru, and Rouge looked at each other and responded in unison, "We'd choose the 1 berry one."
"Exactly," Akira smiled. "So you see, when everyone chooses us, how will other small newspapers make money?"
"But Fleet Admiral-sama, what if they also start selling for 1 berry?" Rosinante asked.
"Then we'll outlast them. With Marine Bank backing us, do you think we'll lose to these small newspapers?" Akira sneered, tapping his cigarette. "If they really want to compete on price, they'll go bankrupt."
"Although it's unlikely, I still want to ask: what if a clever person unites all the newspapers and sells them for 1 berry, determined to make us bleed?" Tsuru asked after thinking for a while.
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That's why I'm giving Rosinante 100 billion berries. If there is a union, we'll give our newspapers away for free."
"No matter how many copies they want to print, we'll match them."
"My stance is that all our news departments can lose money, but we must ensure that those small newspapers don't make a single berry of profit."
"Habits are powerful. Once people get used to subscribing to our newspaper, they'll gradually forget about the other small newspapers."
Hearing Akira's straightforward explanation, Rosinante finally understood what a price war truly meant.
In simple terms, it's a war of burning money.
By offering extremely low prices, the public will be lured into subscribing exclusively to the Marine's newspapers, abandoning those small newspapers that charge higher prices. The tabloids will no longer make money, forcing them to either restructure or go bankrupt.
The only concern now is...
"Fleet Admiral-sama, if we really monopolize all the news in the world, how do you plan to recover all the money we've lost? Will you raise the price immediately?" Rosinante asked.
Akira immediately dismissed the idea. "Of course, we can't raise the price immediately!"
"Trust and habit are powerful, but they're also fragile."
"If we crush the small newspapers and then immediately raise our prices, it's easy for the public to turn against Marine's newspapers. It could even revive the tabloids. So, after we monopolize the news market, we'll continue selling at 1 berry for one or two more years."
"Once everything has settled, we'll return to the normal price of 50 berries."
"In the future, if necessary, a slight increase in price would be enough. Honestly, it doesn't matter if we don't make a profit."
Once the news market is monopolized, the Marine will have significant bargaining power. Even if a newspaper costs 200 or 500 berries, the public will have no choice but to buy it. After all, there won't be any alternatives.
But Akira's goal isn't to make money—it's to control the public opinion of the entire world. Losing sight of the bigger picture for a quick profit would be foolish.
This is what sets Akira apart from the big corporations on Blue Star when they burned money.
As businessmen, they burned money to make more money in the future. But as the Fleet Admiral, Akira burns money to secure his position and influence.
"So that's how it is. I understand now, Fleet Admiral," Rosinante said, deeply impressed and finally grasping the full scope of the plan.
"Then I'll leave everything in your hands," Akira said.
"Yes, I'll do my best."
"Hmm...what's your current rank?"
"Lieutenant Commander."
"Lieutenant Commander? Well, starting today, you're promoted by two ranks. From now on, you'll be the Commodore of Headquarters, responsible for all matters of the news department and its branches."
Akira stood up, extending his right hand with a warm smile. "Do well, Rosinante. I look forward to the day you become Vice Admiral!"
Rosinante was taken aback. The responsibility placed on him was enormous, and a Commodore was just the beginning.
"I'm grateful, Fleet Admiral," Rosinante said, gasping slightly, realizing the magnitude of the opportunity before him.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, clasping Akira's hand tightly with both of his.
The report fell to the ground, forgotten.
"Fleet Admiral, rest assured, I will work hard to achieve the goals you've set," Rosinante assured with unwavering determination, his words echoing through the office.
As he left, his face still radiated with an almost unbelievable excitement.
"Tsuru, it's your turn," Akira said, settling back into his chair and turning his attention to the senior staff officer.
Tsuru glanced down the corridor where Rosinante had just exited, her lips pressing together as if she wanted to say something. But after a moment's hesitation, she held back her comment.
"This is the price list that the staff carefully discussed and finalized," Tsuru said, handing over a piece of paper. "See if there are any issues. If not, we can proceed with these prices."
Akira took the document and reviewed it intently.
The paper detailed various prices for replicas of Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia Devil Fruits, along with different price points for martial arts masters and swordsmen. The prices were mainly based on the lethality and practicality of the abilities. For instance, replicating a pirate with a bounty of 100 million berries, but with a Logia ability, would command a higher reward than a regular Zoan ability.
Akira had no objections to the pricing structure. The introduction of these replicas was meant to curb the era of great pirates, so it made sense to determine rewards based on the potential damage and threat levels.
After a thorough review, Akira handed the file back. "No problems, proceed as planned."
"Understood," Tsuru replied.
"By the way, have the civil servants been in contact with the generals and kingdoms about building factories today?" Akira asked.
"Yes, you can trust that they will complete any task you assign them perfectly," Tsuru assured him.
Akira chuckled, nodding in satisfaction. That was one of the advantages of being in the Marine. Once an order was given, there was an entire department of highly skilled professionals ensuring it was executed flawlessly. He didn't have to micromanage—just wait for the results.
He exhaled deeply and relaxed into his chair. "Anything else?"
"There's one more thing," Tsuru began. "We've been calling on strong individuals from all over the world to create replicas for the sake of justice. While we reward those who come for financial gain, there are some who aren't in it for the money—they're driven by a pursuit of their ideals."
Tsuru paused, her tone serious. "These people are truly admirable. We shouldn't take their dedication for granted. We need to do something to honor them, or we risk alienating them."
Akira frowned slightly, but he knew Tsuru was right. For such noble individuals, they had to be treated with respect. They could decline rewards, but that didn't mean the Marine should ignore their contributions. Over time, neglecting them could push them away.
"If we offer money, it could have the opposite effect. We need to offer something else," Akira mused.
"True, but what should we give them? A Marine position? If these strong individuals with a sense of justice wanted to join the Marine, they would have done so already," Tsuru replied, shaking her head in frustration. "It's a tough situation. Many of my team have racked their brains trying to come up with a solution."
"If they don't want money or power, then the only thing left is recognition," Akira said, his expression softening into a smile.
Such individuals, who possess great strength and integrity while shunning power and wealth, are the type of people every leader admires. Akira appreciated them immensely. After all, if they value recognition, then it's a small price to pay, and it won't impact the Marine negatively. Instead, it could garner a lot of goodwill and voluntary support.
"Fame?" Tsuru asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
"The 'List of Heroic Soldiers' I created a while ago—have you heard of it, Aunt Tsuru?" Akira responded.
"Of course. Do you mean you want to create something similar?" Tsuru's eyes sparkled with understanding, her face lighting up as she realized what Akira was getting at.
"Exactly. But we need to change the name and the approach. Let me think..." Akira propped his forehead with his right hand, staring at the table deep in thought.
After a few minutes, inspiration struck, and he suddenly looked up. "Aunt Tsuru, instead of a list, let's issue certificates."
"Certificates?" Tsuru asked.
"Yes, a Certificate of Honor for Voluntary Donation!" Akira took a deep breath and explained his plan. "We won't just issue certificates; we'll also establish an association to bring together these noble individuals."
"Our headquarters is in need of strong people. If some of these noble individuals can replicate the abilities of someone like Sakazuki, we'll gain immensely."
"And even if they can't, we can still rely on them to replicate other powerful Devil Fruit users."
"This association will be called the 'Strength Association'!" Akira paused, considering the name before deciding it was fitting. The name perfectly captured the essence of those who joined, as they would be contributing their physical strength for the greater good.
After pondering his words, Tsuru nodded firmly. "I understand what you mean, Akira. You can leave everything to me."
"Good, Aunt Tsuru. With you in charge, I have no worries," Akira said just as the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.
"Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~."
"It's me," Akira answered.
"Fleet Admiral-sama, a CPO agent has arrived at the port. He says he's here to see you," the voice on the other end reported.
Akira raised an eyebrow but remained calm. "Understood," he replied, hanging up the Den Den Mushi.
He stood up, turning to Tsuru. "If there are any other matters, we'll handle them when I return from the Holy Land."
Akira grabbed his cloak of justice, draping it over his shoulders as he headed for the door.
There was no need to guess—if the CPO, the elite guard of the Celestial Dragons, was here, it could only mean they were taking him to Mariejois. Akira had anticipated this ever since he revealed his ability to replicate Devil Fruits infinitely. It was only natural for the Five Elders to summon him for a "chat."
As he walked through the office building, he encountered several CPO agents.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, the Five Eld—" the CPO captain began, but Akira cut him off.
"I already know why you're here. Let's go," Akira said, hands in his pockets as he strode toward the port without sparing them a glance.
The CPO agents exchanged surprised looks. They hadn't even explained their purpose yet, and the Marine Fleet Admiral already knew?
The captain quickly regained his composure. Since Fleet Admiral Akira was cooperating, their mission was already half-complete.
"Why are you standing around? Keep up!" the CPO captain barked at his team, and they hurriedly followed Akira.
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