29. Five Elders: Alright, Let Marine Make A Trillion By Himself!

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The live Den Den Mushi was hung up, and since the Five Elders already knew about Akira's ability, they weren't interested in continuing to listen to the conversation in the restaurant.

They had great trust in Kong, and in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, there were indeed records about the ability of the Mythical Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon.

The basic information was exactly the same as what Akira had shown; nothing else stood out.

In a world where Haki is above all, as long as one's Haki is strong, even if the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon's ability could reproduce many strange fruits, it wouldn't have much impact on them.

Not to mention that the copied individuals are few, and they could be easily defeated with a few punches.

In comparison, people like Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp are much more threatening.

"I don't agree!"

Wearing a dark green suit, the bald Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury with a two-shaped mustache spoke first: "If you really want to agree to his demands, then the we may lose control of the Marines."

The other three Warrior Gods also agreed:

"I agree with Saint Warcury. Letting the Marines make money by themselves is like letting a hyena off its leash; it can find food on its own instead of wagging its tail for us."

"If this continues, we won't know if this dog will still obey our orders."

"Whoever controls the finances has the right to speak. We can agree to other conditions, let him do so boldly, but it is impossible for the Marines to be self-sufficient."

None of them were fools to be Five Elders.

For hundreds of years, the reason why the World Government has kept Marine Headquarters obedient is not just because of so-called justice.

The most important thing is who controls the fate of the Marines—their supply of berries.

But today, Akira, acting as the Fleet Admiral, proposed raising funds independently to pay the soldiers.

Why does he want to break free from our control? Is he planning to rebel?

To be honest, if this had happened before the "Great Pirate Era," anyone who dared to make such a request would definitely not be able to stay in the Marines.

Even now, knowing that Marine Headquarters was backed into a corner, the Five Elders wouldn't have held a meeting specifically for this matter otherwise.

"Saint Nusjuro, what do you say?"

The Warrior God of Justice looked at the Warrior God of Finance and asked.

The financial warrior had been silent until now, without expressing any views.

But when directly asked, he had no choice but to express his opinion.

"Four of the five of us disagree. According to the rule of the minority obeying the majority, my opinion doesn't carry much weight."

"However, I do want to remind everyone that if we reject his proposal, then one trillion berries will have to come from our side."

The four exchanged glances, and the Warrior God of Justice pressed further: "You're in charge of the finances. Can't you handle a mere one trillion berries?"

The Warrior Martial God nodded: "No, I can't. CP and all the departments under us need funds. Just recently, Vegapunk requested a large sum of money."

The other three immediately turned their attention to the one in charge of Science and Defense—Jaygarcia Saturn.

Wearing a black suit, the old man with white hair, a fluffy white beard, and a scar on his left cheek nodded, confirming it was true.

"It's really unfortunate to be asked for money at such a time."

"As the saying goes, increase revenue and reduce expenditure. But right now, there's no way to increase revenue, and it's more like we're releasing money like a flood, which is difficult to manage."

"Damn Roger, what a mess he left us with."

The Five Elders were troubled.

Although each of them had their own responsibilities, they were also somewhat aware of each other's situations.

For instance, regarding the Warrior God of Science and Defense, in the past two years, the most renowned scientist, Vegapunk, had just been brought on board.

Now, with the scientific research department fully mobilized and in dire need of funding, delays were unacceptable.

Moreover, compared to the other three areas—"Justice," "Environment," and "Agriculture"—the science and justice department was still a bottomless pit, a money-draining beast.

"Unless everyone in the Holy Land starts eating ordinary food like the commoners below."

"Everyone else would also have to cut back on their luxuries and endure for a few years."

After the Warrior God of Finance finished speaking, the room fell into a heavy silence.

Asking the Celestial Dragons to save money?

It would be easier to make a pig climb a tree.

And it wasn't just the other Celestial Dragons who would object—the five of them wouldn't accept it either.

"In this situation, can't we just print more berries to solve the problem?"

"..."

The Warrior God of Finance couldn't help but glance at the colleague who raised this question.

Ah, it was Shepard Ju Peter, the Warrior God of Agriculture.

Of course.

Among the five, he had the least understanding and concern for financial matters.

"First of all, printing berries without real backing will only make the world more unstable."

"Surely you haven't forgotten what happened the last time we had to print a large number of berries?"

"Everyone in the world became a billionaire, and the first version of berries ended up being nothing more than toilet paper and kindling."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other four instantly recalled a certain event, and a rare expression of fear crossed their usually stoic faces.

Seeing this, the Warrior God of Finance nodded in affirmation:

"Though the circumstances were different back then, it was the same reckless printing of currency that led to the collapse of both order and trust. If Master Im hadn't intervened personally, the World Government would have been reduced to a mere shell."

"Exactly. The master himself stated that the number of reprints must be strictly limited each year."

"And even if the master agreed, the printing machines, working around the clock, still couldn't produce trillions of berries in just half a month."

"So, this approach isn't feasible. We need to consider other options."

Silence engulfed the room as all Five Elders became lost in thought.

Their eyes narrowed slightly, each pondering deeply. It was unclear whether it was the mention of Im that quieted them or the haunting memory of the past currency collapse.

"If we don't agree to this request and refuse to fund the Marines, how do you think things will play out?"

Finally, the Warrior God of Environment, dressed in a dark blue suit with long, straight white hair, broke the silence.

"Justice is not just a word. When soldiers' bellies are empty, they won't hesitate to join the pirates."

"If it comes to that, the Marines might withdraw from the world stage altogether, and we would lose one of our strongest cards."

"It's all because of that agent Akira. In his desperation to rise to the top, he initiated a massive and reckless conscription, making impossible promises. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"You can't entirely blame him. To curb this era of lawlessness, the number of soldiers had to increase."

"I agree. Besides, someone who would do anything for power is easier to control, isn't it?"

"Saint Warcury is right. Having Akira as Fleet Admiral benefits us more than Sengoku."

"He doesn't seem foolish and knows how to play his cards. I've heard that Zephyr has chosen to back him over Sengoku."

"So, are you suggesting we support him?"

"But his proposal… sigh…"

The Five Elders continued to exchange opinions, weighing the pros and cons.

But no matter how much they debated, one undeniable truth remained:

—If they wanted the Marines to fully commit to curbing the pirates and restoring the world to its former order, they had to ensure that wages, subsidies, and pensions were paid on time.

But where would they get such an enormous amount of berries?

1. Cut back on expenses from all the nobles in the Holy Land Mariejois;

2. Continue taxing various territories across the seas.

3. Let the Marines raise funds themselves.

The first option is out of the question. Not only would the Celestial Dragons, accustomed to their luxurious lifestyles, be unwilling, but even the Five Elders themselves instinctively resist this choice.

It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but the reverse is almost impossible.

As the descendants of the Creator and the gods of the world, why should they sacrifice their quality of life for the commoners below?

The second option is also unrealistic. With pirates everywhere, the kingdoms and the people have no money left for the government to squeeze out.

You can't expect someone who barely has enough to survive to somehow find money to pay taxes, right?

If they were to push this, the number of pirates would likely double overnight.

The world's hatred of pirates would quickly shift to the World Government itself.

That would be disastrous.

So, that leaves only the third option.

Let the Marines raise the funds to pay their soldiers, but there are two serious concerns that need to be addressed.

First, the Marines need a vast amount of berries. To raise such funds quickly, they must be granted significant freedom and rights.

Second, there's no telling how long it will take to contain the Great Pirate Era and restore the world to a state where the World Government isn't strapped for cash.

Could the Marines end up raising funds for ten years or more without seeing any recovery?

If that happens, would the Marines still be under the World Government's control?

The third concern is that once the Marines taste this new freedom, they might realize they can enforce justice more effectively without the Five Elders' oversight, creating even bigger problems.

"So, it's fine to grant them autonomy, but we must impose another form of control."

"You mean?"

"Add a time limit—one year. After one year, no matter the circumstances, the business rights must be returned, and the Marines can no longer touch them."

"I'll add one more thing: Marine's fundraising activities should be under our direct supervision."

"We have to ensure that Akira remains as an acting Fleet Admiral. Whatever method is used, within one year, this era must be completely contained."

"And besides…"

Forty minutes later, the heated discussions finally began to wind down.