Pirate: I'm an admiral now, what's wrong with taking a little extra money?

Crack!

The Den Den Mushi's expression instantly turned serious, mimicking the imposing face of Marshal "Sora".

A majestic voice rang out: "This is the Marine Headquarters. This is Sora."

Kane took a deep breath.

When she spoke again, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"marshal……"

"Whoa—!!!!"

A deafening wail echoed through the Fleet Admiral's office at Naval Headquarters via a Den Den Mushi.

“G-5…G-5 Base…”

"It...it's gone—!!!"

Chapter 77 Marshal! G-5 is bankrupt! Send me money now!

Naval Headquarters, Marshal's Office.

Steel Bone Sky was holding a steaming cup of coffee, enjoying the moment of peace while Sengoku and Garp were not around.

However, this tranquility was broken by a sudden "brub brub" sound.

Kong put down his coffee cup, his expression turned serious, and he answered the phone.

next second.

"Whoa—!!!!"

A deafening wail nearly blew the roof off the office.

My ears were ringing, and I almost dropped the coffee cup in my hand.

The Den Den Mushi perfectly mimicked Kane's face, and two streams of clear tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Marshal... my Marshal..."

Kane's voice was hoarse, and every word was filled with heart-wrenching pain.

“G-5…our G-5 base…”

"It...it's gone—!!!"

"what?!"

Kong suddenly stood up from his seat, his huge body knocking over the chair, but he was completely unaware.

"Kane?! What happened to G-5 base?!"

"It was...it was destroyed! All twelve warships at the base are gone!" Kane's cries grew louder, heartbreaking to hear and bringing tears to the eyes of all who heard them.

The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi suddenly rose eight octaves, filled with shock and rage: "It's been destroyed?! Who did it?! Which bastard pirate in the New World has such audacity?! Roger? Or Whitebeard?!"

My heart skipped a beat.

If those two monsters were to make a move, Kane and his companions, despite their immense potential, would likely be in grave danger due to their youth.

"It's Lone Red! That madman Baron Redfield!"

Kane's voice trembled, filled with lingering fear and terror, "He suddenly attacked the base! That monster was terrifying! The four of us... the four of us risked our lives just to barely survive!"

The Red Earl, standing to the side, had begun to twitch his lips erratically and wildly.

He looked at the naval base commander in front of him, who had been boasting about robbing the whole world one second and was now crying like a child into a Den Den Mushi the next, and his worldview shattered.

Who attacked whom?

Who on earth chased me and hacked at me for two days and one night?!

On the other end of the phone, Kong's heart sank the moment he heard the name "Lone Red".

That lone wolf monster who single-handedly rivaled Roger and Whitebeard?

Steel Bones held the microphone in his hand, veins bulging.

"What's the casualty situation?! Are you four alright? That was the Red Earl, it's a miracle you survived!" Kong's tone was full of anxiety.

Bases can be rebuilt if they're gone, and warships can be rebuilt if they sink.

But if those four promising monsters were to perish at the hands of a legendary pirate, it would be the heaviest blow to the Navy's future!

"We're badly wounded...cough cough...and the base's gone..."

"But! Marshal!"

Kane's tone shifted, his voice becoming tragic and impassioned, "For justice! We did not back down! After paying a heavy price, we successfully repelled that monster! We upheld the dignity of the Navy!"

"They repelled them?"

Kong was stunned; he even doubted whether he had heard correctly.

The four of you chased away that aloof red-haired fellow?

The voice on the other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, then burst into heavy, relieved breathing.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Kong Yi said "good" three times in a row, his tone full of relief and heartfelt joy at surviving the ordeal.

"As expected of the Navy's future hope! It's good that everyone is alright! As long as you're all safe, everything else is negotiable!"

Upon hearing this, Kane's crying stopped abruptly.

That's exactly what he was waiting for.

"But Marshal..."

Kane interrupted Kong's praise, his voice instantly turning mournful and pitiful, "The person is alive... but is about to die..."

"Sakazuki's arm is broken... Borsalino's leg is broken... Kuzan, that big oaf, is still unconscious..."

Sakazuki watched expressionlessly as Borsalino leisurely clipped his nails and Kuzan stood there yawning.

The three fell into an eerie silence.

“We are now... standing on an ice floe…” Kane continued to play the victim, while casually gesturing to Gion.

Gion's pretty face flushed red, so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground, but she still cooperated by letting out a few trembling calls.

"It's so cold... Brother Kane... I'm so hungry... I want to go home..."

These few sobbing female voices became the last straw that broke Kong's psychological defenses.

My empty heart shattered in an instant.

That's horrible!

These kids fought a desperate battle against the legendary great pirates in the New World for the sake of justice, but now they can't even get a hot meal and are waiting to die in the freezing cold.

How noble! How tragic!

"Stop talking! Kane!" Kong's eyes welled up with tears. He waved his hand and roared with boundless pride, "Headquarters will never mistreat any hero! Tell me, what kind of support do you need? Whatever Headquarters has, I'll send it to you immediately!"

On the ice field.

The sorrowful expression on Kane's face vanished in an instant.

He raised an eyebrow at the dumbfounded Earl Red, a sly smile playing on his lips.

Then, speaking into the Den Den Mushi in an extremely sincere and troubled tone, he said:

"Marshal, actually, supplies are secondary. The main problem is... the original foundation of G-5 has been completely destroyed and cannot be rebuilt."

“I’ve discussed it with Sakazuki and the others.” Kane glanced at Sakazuki, whose fists were already hard, his eyes filled with threat. “We’ve decided to establish the new G-5 branch on a deserted island a hundred nautical miles from the original site into the New World.”

"A deserted island?" Kong paused for a moment, "Which island?"

"Punk Hazard".

Kane uttered the name, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"There is no magnetism there, the location is concealed, and the strategic depth is better, making it more suitable as a bridgehead for our navy in the New World!"

After a moment's thought, Kong nodded: "Since this is the result of your careful consideration, I approve it. Anyway, it's just a deserted island, and it doesn't involve any territorial disputes among the member states."

"But, Marshal..."

The time has come for the true intentions to be revealed.

Kane took a deep breath, his tone becoming somewhat awkward and embarrassed.

"Building a base from scratch on a deserted island, and being able to defend against monsters like the Red Earl... the expenses... might be a little bit huge."

"A little big?" Kong asked warily. "How many do you want?"

"As you know, we need to build city walls that can withstand the Red Earl's full-scale attack, purchase the most advanced surveillance equipment, build warm dormitories for the soldiers... Oh, and we also need to build a deep-water port so that headquarters can provide support at any time..."

Kane counted on his fingers, one item at a time, and finally tentatively announced the number.

"One hundred billion Berries... Do you think that's enough?"

"puff--!!!"

Steelbone Kong had just picked up his coffee to calm his nerves when he spat it out, splattering important documents all over the table.

The face that the Den Den Mushi imitated had eyes that were bigger than bells and a mouth that was open and couldn't be closed for a long time.

The roar of the air penetrated the office, making the windows of the entire building vibrate.

"One hundred billion?! Why don't you just rob someone?! Do you even know how much the Navy Headquarters' total annual budget is?! Are you trying to build the G-5 branch, or are you planning to build another Pangaea next to Mary Geoise?!"

"But Marshal, this is for the long-term development of justice!" Kane's tone was full of grievance.

"You bastard!" Sora completely lost his temper, pointing at the Den Den Mushi and cursing, "I think you're crazy for money! A billion at most! Not a single penny more!"

"A billion? Marshal, a billion won't even be enough to lay a proper foundation! Are you suggesting my soldiers live in tents?" Kane immediately began to play the victim. "At that point, forget about pirates, a gust of wind from the New World will blow our new base away!"

"Fifty billion! That's the bottom line!"

"Eight hundred billion! No less than that, for the sake of justice!"

"Kane, you bastard! Are you trying to bargain with me?!"