One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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"Fleet Admiral-sama, I was just downstairs and overheard that the General Staff not only summoned the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals from headquarters but also ordered them to stop all money-making activities. Is that true?"

"Yes, but why do you ask?"

"Fleet Admiral Akira, you can't stop this now. Wouldn't we be wasting a lot of berries?"

"Why? It's been good to keep this going for a year, hasn't it?"

The officers chimed in one after another, their voices filled with eagerness.

It was clear they were greatly dissatisfied with the Marine no longer being involved in business.

Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku seemed very disapproving.

He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Fleet Admiral Akira, we really can't stop this."

"Although the officers are running businesses abroad, it's not like they're getting rich overnight, but the key is stability."

"In fact, the amount of berries earned this year is quite significant, and it's good for the world too, isn't it?"

"It allows goods to flow faster and more safely across the world, and it also helps protect the island nations along the trade routes. There are many benefits."

Sengoku spoke at length.

His entire argument was against halting the officers' involvement in business.

As The Resourceful General, he wasn't just any commander. He could see the many advantages of the Marine running their own operations, and he could give plenty of reasons to back his case.

The other officers, equally invested, nodded in agreement.

Akira simply watched them quietly.

In his heart, he knew the real reason most officers were so concerned and anxious was because of the dividends.

The dividend Akira set is divided proportionally based on the profit the Marine earns in a year.

People like Fleet Admiral Sengoku may care about the Marine's autonomy, but other officers don't share that high level of awareness. They only care about one thing—if the commercial rights are taken away, the Marine's profits will drop significantly.

At that point, when the earnings are distributed according to rank, their share will shrink drastically.

Honestly, seeing their reactions, Akira felt a bit pleased inside. It's good to see a response—after all, a rebellion starts with just a little dissatisfaction.

"Take a look at this document first."

Akira returned to his seat and sat down, handing over the draft document issued by the Five Elders.

Sengoku took it with suspicion and began reading carefully.

The three Admirals and other officers leaned in, peeking at it tentatively. Seeing that Sengoku didn't object right away, they all began reading as well.

Huh... huh...

As Sengoku read on, his hands started to tremble.

The pupils of the three Admirals also widened in shock.

Finally, boom!

Sengoku slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "The era of the Great Pirates has just ended, and now they want to discard us like useless tools?"

He was clearly furious. In his anger, words slipped out that he normally wouldn't say.

The other officers erupted in rage, their voices filling the room.

"They're even stopping the rehabilitation—why? These are places where we can produce powerful replicas! This benefits the world without any harm!"

"Marine Bank has to be handed over? Or worse, handed to the CP? Does that mean all our work this year was for nothing?"

"Akatsuki is such a profitable project! We Marines came up with it ourselves! How can they just sweep it away with a single document?"

"This is so unfair! The Five Elders are completely unfair!"

"Unbelievable! When the Great Pirate Era left us broke, we had to fend for ourselves. Now that we've ended it and made profits, they swoop in to take everything? Shameless!"

"What are we to the World Government now? Their slaves?"

"Unbelievable!"

The tension in the office was thick.

Everyone's faces were flushed with anger, their frustration boiling over.

Not to mention Kuzan and Borsalino, even Sakazuki was so furious that lava began to drip from his hand.

From the Marine's perspective, the Five Elders' document was indeed outrageous.

It's not just a small issue of dignity. If they were merely reclaiming the Marine Bank, that would be one thing. Canceling the officers' involvement in maintaining the trade routes and refocusing on the core mission of catching pirates also made some sense.

But handing over both Rehabilitation and Akatsuki, the officers, was entirely unreasonable.

It essentially aimed to strip the Marine of all autonomy, returning them to the days when they had no power and were forced to bow to the World Government's whims.

How could the officers accept this?

Before Roger launched the Great Pirate Era, the World Government even struggled to pay Marine soldiers' salaries. Now that the Marines could generate their own revenue, why should they surrender control of their livelihoods?

This injustice was obvious to everyone, which is why the reaction was so intense. Some of the more hot-tempered officers even aimed their anger at the Five Elders themselves.

Boom!

But at that moment...

An icy, overwhelming killing intent surged through the corridor.

The terrifying aura was focused directly on the officer who had disrespected the Five Elders.

The tension in the office instantly dropped to silence.

Everyone turned to look.

It was Graeme, the CP0 captain, striding in with dozens of CP agents at his back. His face was obscured by a mask, but there was no mistaking it—he was furious.

"Do you dare repeat what you just said?" Graeme demanded, stepping right up to the offending officer, his voice dripping with murderous intent.

Under the pressure of an Admiral-level figure, the targeted general turned pale, his lips quivering but unable to form words.

Talking poorly about the Five Elders behind their backs was one thing. If it stayed among colleagues, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But no one expected the CP0, the personal bodyguard unit of the Five Elders, to be right there and hear everything firsthand. Now, this had become a serious matter.

Graeme's killing intent intensified, his presence growing so fierce that even the air seemed to stir violently.

The officers targeted by Graeme struggled to breathe, their legs trembling under the weight of the pressure. They were on the verge of collapsing to their knees when—

"Enough."

Akira's voice rang out, calm yet authoritative, and with it, his aura burst forth, dispersing Graeme's oppressive energy.

"The officers were merely speaking out of frustration. There's no need to take it so seriously," Akira said coolly.

Graeme frowned. "But they insulted the Five Elders openly. It's true."

"This was a private conversation, not a formal setting."

Akira removed his glasses, pulled a clean white cloth from his pocket, and began wiping them slowly. As the Fleet Admiral of the Marine, it was his duty to stand by his subordinates in moments like these. Failing to do so would severely damage his own prestige.

And to him, this wasn't a matter worth blowing out of proportion.

The actions of the Five Elders are bound to make people complain, especially when they overreach like this. If they truly believed they had the kind of charisma to gain unconditional support, there would be no need for the CP to monitor the world.

Akira knew that even if the Five Elders were made aware of the grumbling, they wouldn't be too concerned about the opinions of ordinary officers. What truly mattered to them were the thoughts of the Fleet Admiral and key figures within the Marine.

The officers who had been targeted felt a surge of relief and gratitude seeing their leader stand firm and protect them. Their initial anxiety faded, and they puffed out their chests, staring down Graeme with newfound confidence.

"I'll report this to the Five Elders," Graeme said coldly. His eyes flashed with anger, but recognizing that this was the Marine headquarters—and that he'd be staying here for a while—he took a deep breath to suppress his frustration.

After all, the Fleet Admiral had made it clear he intended to shield the officer. If Graeme pressed the issue, things could escalate unpredictably. If it turned into a full-blown conflict, the Five Elders might not appreciate his aggressive stance.

'Forget it,' Graeme thought to himself. 'This is a matter for the Fleet Admiral to handle. Best to leave it to him.'

"Do as you wish," Akira responded, his voice calm but sharp. He looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Still, I have to thank you for your sudden arrival—it reminded me that the Marine has some improvements to make."

'Knock knock knock!'

Akira tapped the table with the back of his finger and issued an order: "From today onwards, no matter who they are, if they're not from the Marine, they are to wait downstairs. No one comes up without my explicit permission."

Marine and CP have always been separate entities, and Graeme had crossed a line by barging in unannounced during what was a private Marine meeting. Worse, he overheard conversations that were never meant to leave the room. This was the perfect opportunity for Akira to rein in the CP's arrogance and assert Marine's independence.

Reasonable and well-justified.

After all, the CP had become far too overconfident, treating Marine spaces as their own.

"Yes, sir!" The officers responded loudly and with enthusiasm.

Graeme and the CP agents were left speechless, realizing that they'd been subtly put in their place.