One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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"Fleet Admiral-sama, good morning!"

"Okay!"

"Fleet Admiral Akira, my subordinates send their greetings to you."

"Well, carry on!"

"Fleet Admiral-sama, you have worked hard."

"Okay!"

After Akira walked out of the cafeteria, he didn't bother going back to the mansion to have a meal with Rouge and the others.

Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to head towards the office building, ready to start the day's work.

Marineford was already bustling by that time—everyone was up and about.

Many soldiers had begun their training under the leadership of their commanders.

Officers who rose early walked towards the cafeteria with their families.

The entire fortress was filled with an atmosphere of peace and comfort.

The killing intent that once permeated the air had gradually faded away without anyone realizing it.

After the headquarters exposed the falsehoods of the Great Pirate Era to the entire world yesterday, anyone with sense knew that the age of pirates was coming to an end.

As for Akira, the man who brought this evil era to its close, everyone—from high-ranking officers to common soldiers—held him in the highest regard, even with fanatic admiration.

So whenever people saw Akira, regardless of what they were doing, they would stop and loudly greet him from the bottom of their hearts.

Akira could only respond with a smile and a nod.

Basically, his head never stopped moving the entire way.

It wasn't until he reached the top floor of the office building that he finally got a chance to loosen his neck.

But!

Along the corridor, the CP0 captain Graeme and several other CP0 members, standing against the wall, came into view.

"Fleet Admiral Akira, good morning."

Seeing Akira approach, Graeme straightened up immediately.

Though his face was hidden behind the mask, the curve of his eyes made it clear.

He was smiling!

Akira licked his lips, subconsciously raising his hand to adjust his glasses slightly.

'So impatient?'

He couldn't help but complain inwardly.

You have to understand, today was a bit special. Akira arrived several hours earlier than the normal start of work.

Yet, despite that, Graeme had shown up at Marineford even earlier.

It seemed that even if Akira had come in the afternoon, Graeme would've still been waiting patiently.

To be honest, the urgency wasn't hidden at all.

"Good morning. Why don't you go in and sit down?" Akira thought to himself while reacting quickly, striding forward with a smile.

"After all, this is the Fleet Admiral's office. It wouldn't be appropriate to enter without you here," Graeme shrugged, pointing at the orderly stationed by the door. "Plus, your soldiers are quite dedicated."

The Fleet Admiral's office wasn't like any regular general's office. There weren't many secret documents inside, but still enough to warrant caution.

To prevent theft, several guards were stationed in shifts, basically covering the area 24 hours a day. Other than the Fleet Admiral or his secretary, even an Admiral had to wait outside under the watchful eyes of the guards.

As for CP0, they weren't part of the Marine system. Even if Graeme held a rank equal to Akira's, the guards would still deny him entry.

Likewise, if Akira went to the Holy Land to see Graeme, CP0 wouldn't let him into the captain's office. He'd be taken to a special reception room instead.

"Understood," Akira nodded lightly, walking straight into his office. When passing the garrison soldiers, he patted one of them on the shoulder and gave a slight smile to show his appreciation.

The two soldiers were visibly excited, straightening their posture even further.

Graeme and the other CP0 members followed Akira in, closing the door behind them.

"So, what orders do the Five Elders have?" Akira sat down in his chair, folding his hands under his chin, getting straight to the point.

Graeme pulled out a document from his pocket, placing it on the desk and pushing it toward Akira.

Seeing that Akira had already started reading, Graeme began to speak.

"This is the latest order from the Five Elders. Effective immediately, the Marines must halt all commercial revenue-generating activities."

"And the Marine Bank, Rehabilitation, Akatsuki, the Four Seas Mafia operations, and..."

"Everything will be handed over. CP0 will take full control from here."

"Fleet Admiral Akira, if there are no issues on your end, we can begin the handover now."

Silence filled the room.

Akira didn't respond right away, his eyes carefully scanning the document, reading each word meticulously.

Seeing this, Graeme wasn't in a hurry. Before leaving for Marineford today, Kong had spoken with him personally, advising that no matter what emergency arose, he should stay calm and, if necessary, call him immediately. Kong promised to come from the Holy Land right away.

Graeme understood the reason.

Over the past year, the Marines had expanded their operations significantly to generate revenue. Now, with the era of great pirates coming to an end, the higher-ups were abruptly pulling back those efforts. It felt like being cast aside after serving their purpose, and naturally, this didn't sit well with many.

Even if Fleet Admiral Akira had no objections and cooperated fully, how would the other officers feel?

For now, Graeme just needed to wait—there was no rush.

The CP0 members behind him, not daring to express any opinions, stood quietly in the corner, patient and silent.

Time passed like grains in an hourglass, slowly ticking by.

Finally!

Akira finished reading the document.

"Sigh..."

Leaning back in his chair, he pulled out a cigar from his pocket and took a deep puff.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, he exhaled a thick plume of smoke, as if trying to rid himself of all the frustration built up inside.

The smoke billowed up, obscuring his face entirely.

"Fleet Admiral Akira, what do you think?" Graeme asked.

"..." Akira remained silent, still puffing away at his cigar.

Graeme frowned slightly, sensing tension in the air.

The CP0 members glanced at each other, confused. In the past, they might've stepped in to smooth things over for their captain, but after the Marine's declaration of war on Impel Down, they understood that this Fleet Admiral would show no hesitation when it came to standing his ground, even if they were both under the World Government's command.

The situation could escalate easily—best to remain silent until Graeme gave further instructions.

Soon enough, the cigar was finished.

Akira stubbed it out forcefully in the ashtray and picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~!"

"This is the General Staff."

"It's me, Akira."

Akira picked up the document draft, glancing at the directives at the top, and spoke in a low, firm voice: "Tell all officers at sea to cease all money-making activities immediately."

"Whether it's business taxation or buying and selling at a profit, it's over."

"And have all headquarters officers return immediately—except for Garp."

The Den Den Mushi's expression became momentarily blank.

After Akira finished speaking, the receiver quickly snapped back to attention, but without saying a word, hung up the call abruptly.

Akira was unfazed, but Graeme and the CP0 members were stunned.

"What just happened?" one of the CP0 members whispered, shocked. 

A subordinate just openly hung up on the Fleet Admiral?

How bold could you be?

Tread, tread.

But before anyone could react further, hurried footsteps approached from outside the door.

Despite the office's soundproofing, everyone with sharp senses could clearly hear the commotion.

Immediately after, the sound of rapid knocking—bang, bang, bang—echoed from the door.

"Come in!" Akira said in a deep voice.

"Fleet Admiral-sama, there's a problem! Your Den Den Mushi has been stolen!"

"A fraudster just called, impersonating your voice, and ordered the officers to stop all money-making activities."

"Not only that, but they also commanded everyone to return to headquarters."

"We need to deal with this immediately, or else the scammer could easily deceive others."

The civil servant from the staff department looked as if they were on the verge of collapsing, their face full of horror.

Akira: "..."

Graeme: "..."

CP0 members: "..."

---

Ten minutes later.

The civil servant left, holding a stamped document. Though disbelief was still etched on their face, the document was indeed signed and confirmed by Fleet Admiral Akira himself.

"You even know about the Mafia and some industries I barely remember," Akira said, squinting slightly as he turned to Graeme. "Your CP0's intelligence network is really something."

In the draft document from the Five Elders, it wasn't just large operations like Rehabilitation and Akatsuki that needed to be halted. Even some projects that Akira had started and then forgotten were meticulously listed.

Additionally, private properties arranged by some officers outside Marine activities were also included in the document.

Akira had to admit—CP0's intelligence-gathering capabilities were impressive.

Graeme simply nodded and said, "Thank you, Fleet Admiral Akira. Let's proceed with the handover."

Akira tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically, contemplating for a moment before shaking his head.

"Everything else is fine, but the Marine Bank..." he paused, a serious expression crossing his face. 

"No money!"