Five days later, a Marine warship cut through the waves.
On the forecastle deck, Ain paced back and forth with a dark expression, looking as restless as an ant on a hot pan.
She repeatedly glanced between the report in her hand and the tightly shut cabin door.
If Koby and Helmeppo hadn’t been standing guard outside, she would have kicked the door open herself.
"Colonel Ain, there are only three minutes left until nine o’clock," Koby said helplessly. "Just wait a little longer. Admiral Lucas will come out soon. There’s really no need to panic."
"No need to panic?" Tina stopped in her tracks, her face icy. "How can we not panic?"
"Don’t forget, he’s representing Marine Headquarters as an Admiral."
"Why is every Admiral so unreliable in their own way?"
Koby and Helmeppo could only exchange helpless looks.
Achoo!
"Ain, were you talking behind my back?"
The cabin door opened as Lucas stepped out, rubbing his nose.
He glanced down at the pocket watch in his hand.
"Still two minutes before work starts."
"If I come out this early, I wonder if Fleet Admiral Sengoku will give me an attendance bonus."
"An attendance bonus?"
Even Ain’s normally expressionless face nearly cracked.
She had met shameless people before.
But someone this shameless was truly a first.
Remembering the urgent report in her hand, she quickly composed herself.
"Admiral Lucas, Colonel Tina has sent an emergency request for reinforcements."
"The personnel from Enies Lobby are attempting to forcibly take over the escort mission for Crocodile."
"Someone from Enies Lobby is trying to steal our mission?"
Lucas looked genuinely surprised.
Enies Lobby, Marine Headquarters, and Impel Down were the World Government’s three principal institutions.
They usually stayed out of each other’s affairs.
Yet now Enies Lobby had suddenly decided to interfere with his mission.
And this happened to be his very first assignment.
"Colonel Ain," Lucas said with a smile as he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, "weren’t we already escorting Crocodile to Impel Down for transfer—"
Before he could finish, Koby and Helmeppo instinctively filled in the rest of the sentence in their minds.
"Admiral Lucas... you’re not actually planning to hand the mission over to Enies Lobby, are you?"
Ain nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
Looking at Lucas’s utterly unconcerned expression—as though he were delighted to slack off legitimately—she couldn’t help gritting her teeth.
"It was already humiliating enough that the one who defeated a Warlord of the Sea was a pirate instead of the Marines."
"If Enies Lobby takes this escort mission away from us as well, Marine Headquarters will lose the last shred of its dignity."
"We’ll never be able to hold our heads high before the World Government again."
"Admiral Lucas, are you even listening to me?"
Watching Lucas continue staring at his pocket watch, waiting for the exact moment work officially began, Ain finally snapped.
"Most importantly..."
"If Enies Lobby takes over the mission without Fleet Admiral Sengoku’s authorization..."
"...your performance bonus will be gone too."
"My performance bonus?"
Lucas immediately raised an eyebrow.
That was half a Silver Treasure Chest.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have completed your first five consecutive check-in days as an Admiral. Reward obtained: Mutation Card.
"A Mutation Card?"
Lucas was slightly surprised.
Five days earlier, he’d wondered why becoming a Vice Admiral had immediately earned him a system reward...
Yet after becoming an Admiral, nothing had happened.
Only now—five days later—had the reward finally arrived.
Was there some sort of cooldown?
Or was it simply because an Admiral ranked higher?
Still, compared to ordinary Skills, the newly acquired Mutation Card interested him much more.
It wasn’t a permanent ability.
Instead, it resembled the Beginner Insight Talisman—a one-time-use item.
"System, what does the Mutation Card do?"
Ding!
Mutation Card: A single-use item. After activation, it causes a designated Skill or object to undergo mutation. The greater the desired mutation, the lower the probability of achieving it.
Reading the explanation displayed within his mind, Lucas frowned.
According to the system, it was rather like consuming a Devil Fruit...
Or a Monster Cell.
Until it was actually used, there was no way to know what kind of mutation would occur.
So it was essentially a one-time gamble based entirely on luck.
"Admiral Lucas!"
"Are you listening to me at all?"
Ain was trembling with frustration.
For the first time, she regretted volunteering for this voyage.
At that moment, a Marine lookout leaned out from the crow’s nest atop the mast.
"Colonel Ain!"
"We’ve spotted Colonel Tina’s ship!"
"An Enies Lobby vessel is pursuing them from behind!"
"Should we move in to provide support?"
Ain froze before immediately turning toward Lucas.
Although she was thoroughly exasperated by this incredibly lazy Admiral—and honestly wanted to strangle him—
His rank was still that of an Admiral.
The final decision was his.
"They’re here already?"
Lucas withdrew from his thoughts, uncorked his gourd, and took a swig of strong liquor.
"Then let’s go meet them."
"I’d rather not lose a 500,000-Berry performance bonus."
Ain stood there, completely petrified.
So Akainu had been right after all.
To Lucas...
The dignity of an Admiral...
The reputation of Marine Headquarters...
Neither mattered as much as a few hundred thousand Berries in performance pay.
Performance bonuses were more important than pride.
Several nautical miles away, another Marine warship sped across the sea.
Trailing only a few hundred meters behind it was a second warship flying the flag of Enies Lobby.
The distance between them continued to shrink.
"Colonel Tina," a Marine reported anxiously, "we’ve spotted the Headquarters warship that’s supposed to rendezvous with us."
"But we can’t tell which Vice Admiral has come to reinforce us."
Tina glanced at the Enies Lobby vessel rapidly gaining behind them, her expression darkening.
"We can’t keep letting them delay us."
"If they catch up and transfer Crocodile to their custody..."
"...the Marines will become a laughingstock."
"Smoker."
"Aren’t your injuries healed yet?"
"Hurry up and stop those people who don’t know their place."
Standing at the bow, Smoker remained wrapped in bandages.
He held a newspaper in one hand while calmly smoking two cigars.
He had naturally already heard about the unprecedented appointment of Marine Headquarters’ Fourth Admiral.
After everything that had happened recently...
Smoker understood the weight of military rank better than ever.
"So..."
"You Marines still refuse to hand him over to CP9?"
A smooth, almost feminine voice suddenly rang out across the deck.
"This is a rare opportunity for a great achievement."
"If you let me take responsibility for transporting Crocodile..."
"Once I’m promoted to CP0..."
"I’ll be sure to reward all of you handsomely."