“Alright, I’m tired of bickering with you.”
Carlo finally lost his patience.
He stood up, looked at Kong, and spoke straight to the point:
“If you want me to go undercover in the Rocks Pirates, fine.
But where are the benefits?”
“Benefits?” Kong froze, answering instinctively, “You’ll get double battle merits.
Since being an undercover agent is so dangerous, we know that, so you can raise your rank quickly…”
“All empty promises!”
“That stuff like battle merits…
where *can’t* I get that?”
“Then what…
do you want?” Kong hesitated.
“I want tangible things!”
“Wealth!”
“Status!”
“Power!”
“I want it all!”
Carlo reached out his right hand and clenched it against the empty air.
His disposition suddenly became far more domineering.
His eyes turned sharp and razor-like, brimming with aggression.
Kong looked down at the cigar in his hand.
“Wealth…
are you short on money?”
“Who complains about having too much money?!” In front of Kong’s pained gaze, Carlo spat out the half-smoked cigar in his mouth and popped a new one in.
Kong asked tentatively, “How much money do you want then?”
Carlo held up one finger.
“One hundred million Berries?” Kong raised an eyebrow.
Carlo stayed silent.
“One billion?
Isn’t that too much?” Kong frowned.
Carlo relit the cigar in his mouth, blew out a puff of smoke, grinned, and wagged his finger.
“No.
Ten billion.”
“WHAT???”
Kong leaped up as if his tail were on fire.
He looked at Carlo like he was looking at a lunatic.
A screech like a rooster crowing came out of his throat.
“Are you crazy?
Ten billion?!”
“Do you even know how much money that is?!”
“A fully armed heavy battleship only costs one hundred million Berries!
Ten billion Berries is enough for me to arm an army of a hundred thousand men, or build several more Marine bases in the Grand Line!”
“There’s no way I can agree to that!
The World Government will never agree either!”
Carlo bared his gleaming white teeth, grinning like a greedy bad wolf.
“I don’t care.
If you want the horse to run, you gotta feed the horse first.”
“Since you want me to risk my life in such a dangerous place, you naturally have to pay enough benefits.”
“Ten billion.
Not one Berry less.
Otherwise, send someone else.”
Kong felt suffocated and said in annoyance, “But you’re a Marine!
As a soldier, you ought to obey orders from your superiors…”
Carlo’s smile cooled.
“Superiors?
Do you mean the Marines, or the World Government?
If it were just an order from the Marines, maybe I really would go.
But the World Government…
do they deserve my life?
My justice isn’t like my deadbeat old man’s—loyally acting as their dog, only to have his Admiral title stripped away after he died.”
“Hey!
Carlo!
Mind your tongue!” Kong’s face changed, and he instinctively glanced at the cracked door.
“Mind my tongue, my ass!
I’m not the only one who thinks this way—Garp thinks like this too!
If the Marines didn’t still have a scrap of conscience and justice, we’d have left long ago!
What the hell do the World Government’s orders count for!”
Kong: “…”
A bitter smile.
A bitter smile!
Still a bitter smile!
On Kong’s face right now, there was no expression left except a bitter smile.
He sighed heavily.
“Fine.
I will report your demands to the Five Elders.
Any other requests…
spit them all out.”
“Besides wealth, I want status!”
“Not some military rank!
I want full autonomy over a Marine military base in the New World!”
“I want to be the base commander and completely control its operations!
Anyone, including the Marine high command and the World Government, can offer suggestions, but no one has the right to directly interfere with the base’s operations!”
“Lastly, and most importantly: power!”
“I want a powerful Logia Devil Fruit, or a Mythical Zoan Fruit!”
“Top tier!
Don’t try to fool me with trash like smoke or gas!”
“Without enough power, there’s no way I can protect myself in a place like the Rocks Pirates!”
“Also, even after I go undercover, the Marines and the World Government cannot contact me on their own initiative.
Otherwise, it’s extremely likely to get me killed!”
“That’s all for now.”
“Old man Kong, you can’t make the call anyway.
Go talk to the Five Elders directly.
If they agree, I’ll go.
If they don’t, or if they’re so pissed off they want to punish me, then bring it on!”
Carlo laid out his conditions one by one.
Kong listened to them one by one.
At first, his mouth was agape and his face filled with distress.
By the end, he was completely numb.
When he had heard everything, he nodded stiffly, pulled out a silver Den Den Mushi, and walked out.
“Wait a moment.
I’ll go ask…”
Not five seconds after Kong walked out.
Carlo, who had sat back down on the sofa, heard exasperated roaring, arguments, and Kong’s low, humble explanations echoing from the Den Den Mushi down the hallway.
He listened intently with great interest.
Meanwhile, he crossed his legs, leaned back on the sofa, smoked Douglas cigars worth one hundred thousand Berries apiece, and sipped Sabaody’s specialty bubble wine, enjoying himself immensely.
The commotion outside lasted a full half hour before gradually dying down.
Then Carlo saw Kong walk in while wiping away cold sweat.
That exhausted look made him look more worn out than if he had fought a fierce battle for three days and three nights.
Carlo couldn’t help teasing, “Uncle Kong, you look a bit drained.
I have a bottle of Elbaf divine oil here—do you want it?
Drink it and you’ll be as hard as a Giant.”
“Cut the crap!
Isn’t this all because of you!” Kong glared at the smirking Carlo testily.
He walked over, grabbed the bubble wine from Carlo’s hand, downed it in one gulp, and tossed the bottle aside.
“Your conditions…
the higher-ups basically agreed.”
“Basically?” Carlo raised an eyebrow.
“The ten billion Berries and top-tier Devil Fruit you asked for—the Five Elders agreed to give them to you.”
“The New World Marine base you asked for can also be given to you, even with the autonomy you want.”
“However…”
Kong sighed, looking at Carlo with a complex gaze.
“However, this Marine base—including the soldiers, everything inside, and even the island it sits on—will not be provided by the World Government.
The Five Elders said that if you truly have the ability, go conquer a domain in the New World yourself and build the fortress you want.
Otherwise…”
“So they don’t believe in my ability.” The corner of Carlo’s mouth curled up slightly.
“Building a Marine base from scratch in a chaotic place like the New World—how easy do you think that is?”
“Even our Marines have only just built our first base, G-1, and it’s constantly at risk of being overrun by pirates in the New World.”
“Not to mention you’re just one person, and under the cover of an undercover agent…”
Kong shook his head.
Clearly, he did not hold high hopes for Carlo.
But there was no other way.
This was already the biggest compromise the Five Elders could make.
You have to realize…
Over the Den Den Mushi just now, the Five Elders were so furious they told him to arrest Carlo on the spot and throw him into Impel Down.
If not for the Rocks Pirates expanding too quickly and bringing an ever-growing threat to the World Government…
If not for the World Government desperately needing to break the stalemate and shatter the Rocks Pirates’ reign as overlords of the New World…
How could those misers in the Five Elders ever hand over such a massive fortune to a mere HQ Major like Carlo?
Having secured his benefits, Carlo’s mood brightened, and a smile appeared on his face.
“So when do I get the money and the fruit?”
Kong looked a bit envious.
“The money will be deposited into your World Government bank account.”
“In installments.
You asked for too much—the higher-ups can’t give it all to you at once, and you need to exchange intelligence for it.”
“As for the Devil Fruit, it should be delivered in a couple of days.
Just wait here in Sabaody.
I’ll have Marine Base 66 prepare a coated ship for your trip to the New World.”
He then asked curiously, “How do you plan to infiltrate the Rocks Pirates?”
Carlo leaned back against the sofa.
“None of your business.
I have my own ways.
Alright, hurry back to HQ.
I know you’re a busy Admiral, Uncle Kong.”
“Hmph, keep it to yourself then.”
Kong turned around glumly, preparing to leave.
As he reached the doorway, he paused as if remembering something and turned back around.
Carlo thought he was worried about his safety and wanted to offer a few words of caution.
As a result…
“Er…
right, Carlo, that Elbaf divine oil you mentioned…”
“Does it really work?”
Carlo: “…”