One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

"Let's begin,"

Xayuki decided not to dwell on whether the face hidden beneath Imu's veil was male or female. He spoke decisively, "Since this is a negotiation, everyone here should demonstrate their sincerity. As the rulers of this world, isn't it appropriate for you to make the first gesture?"

"Let's start with the issue of Marine funding. Previously, the funds were distributed by the Holy Land's financial department. Starting this year, the annual budget allocated to the Marines by the Holy Land will be increased tenfold!"

The moment Xayuki finished speaking, Izambaro, the God of Finance, shot to his feet, visibly enraged. "What?! Tenfold? Do you even know how much the Marines' budget is annually?"

"Izambaro—"

Before anyone else could react, Sakazuki was the first to stand up. No longer holding back, he shed all traces of restraint and roared, "Until Fleet Admiral Xayuki has finished speaking, you'd better shut your mouth!"

"Otherwise—"

"I'll kill you without hesitation!"

"Sakazuki, you're being insolent!" Saturn turned his gaze toward Sakazuki, his voice heavy with authority. "Sit down!"

"And who do you think you are?" Sakazuki ripped off his military cap and leaned aggressively toward Saturn, his killing intent palpable. "Of all the Five Elders, you're the most detestable! If you dare boss me around again, I'll take you down as well!"

Feeling the intensity of Sakazuki's murderous aura, Borsalino and Kuzan, seated beside him, exchanged a rare glance. Their eyes betrayed a shared sense of confusion.

What's gotten into Sakazuki?

Why is he so furious?!

Even Xayuki hadn't expected Sakazuki to lash out so abruptly, threatening to kill whoever crossed him. First it was Garling, then Izambaro, and now Saturn—Sakazuki seemed ready to bite anyone who came near him.

Saturn was visibly enraged, the muscles on his plump face twitching uncontrollably as he struggled to suppress his fury.

Izambaro, too, was incensed by Sakazuki's insult, gripping the hilt of his katana tightly. Meanwhile, Topman Warcury and the other two Elders, provoked by Sakazuki's rabid demeanor, also rose to their feet in anger.

"What's wrong? Don't feel like negotiating anymore?"

As soon as the Five Elders stood up, Xayuki's eyes flashed coldly. He slammed his palm onto the table and declared, "Then let's settle this with a fight first! Seven versus seven—it's perfectly fair!"

To everyone's surprise, Xayuki also stood up at this moment. Across the table, the muscles beneath Imu's veil twitched slightly, though she remained seated. Instead, she lightly tapped the table with her fingers.

The crisp sound of her tapping instantly froze the movements of the Five Elders. Within moments, they all sat back down in their chairs, forcibly suppressing their anger.

Once the Five Elders were seated, Imu turned her gaze back to Xayuki and spoke calmly, "Continue. From now on, no one will dare interrupt."

Seeing this, Xayuki decided to let the matter rest. He gestured for Sakazuki to sit down, then leaned forward with both hands on the table, towering over Imu as he spoke.

"As for the Marine funding issue, there's another way to handle it. From now on, instead of receiving allocations from the Holy Land, the Marines will send delegations alongside the Celestial Dragon Envoys to collect the Heavenly Tribute from the allied nations. Half of the collected tribute will go to the Marines."

The moment Xayuki finished speaking, Izambaro couldn't help but raise his head again.

Hand over half of the Heavenly Tribute to the Marines? You might as well rob us!

Just as Izambaro raised his head, Imu shot him a sharp look, causing him to quickly shrink back and remain silent.

"No problem!"

After silencing Izambaro with her gaze, Imu nodded decisively and said, "From now on, half of the Heavenly Tribute will go to the Marines. However, in return, the Marines must continue to fulfill their duty of protecting the allied nations."

"Naturally," Xayuki nodded in agreement before continuing, "Next, let's discuss the issue of Marine jurisdiction."

"There are two options. First, the Marines remain under the World Government and continue to follow the directives of the Chamber of Authority, but the Five Elders' seats in the Chamber must adopt a rotating system. Every six months, two of the five seats must be occupied by representatives from Marine Headquarters."

"Second, the Marines become independent from the World Government, transitioning from a subordinate relationship to one of equal partnership. This would not affect the funding arrangement mentioned earlier."

"No matter which option is chosen, I must emphasize one point: the Celestial Dragons' privileges will no longer hold any sway over the Marines. The requirement for Marine Admirals to respond unconditionally to threats or harm against Celestial Dragons will cease to exist."

"The Marines exist solely to maintain order and uphold Justice. If Celestial Dragons commit atrocities anywhere outside the Holy Land, they too will face the Marines' justice!"

"Of course, I'm willing to make a concession on this point. The punishment or execution of Celestial Dragons will be handed over to the God's Knights, but a Marine Headquarters officer must be present during the proceedings."

Upon hearing this, Imu narrowed her eyes slightly.

It was clear that Xayuki was attempting to divide the World Government's authority.

By proposing a rotating system for the Five Elders' seats, with two representatives from Marine Headquarters, Xayuki was essentially ensuring that the Marines, while still under the Chamber of Authority, would gain greater influence. The Marine representatives would have the power to issue orders to other departments within the World Government.

As for the second option, it hardly needed to be proposed. Under Xayuki's leadership, the Marines had already gained enough momentum to pressure the World Government. Whether they officially became independent or not was no longer relevant.

However, Imu had her own plans.

Despite Xayuki's clear intentions, the current situation and certain uncontrollable factors in the future led Imu to respond decisively, "The rotating system is an excellent proposal. Perhaps it will serve as a breakthrough for a brighter future between the World Government and the Marines. As for the enforcement and punishment of Celestial Dragons outside the Holy Land, the Marines will have the authority to act, while the God's Knights will handle sentencing—this is acceptable."

Before Imu's words had fully settled, the Five Elders simultaneously raised their heads and protested in unison, "Absolutely not, Lady Imu!"

In stark contrast to the Five Elders' reaction, the three admirals, Gion, Sengoku, and Zephyr were shocked by Imu's straightforward agreement.

Xayuki's proposals were entirely in favor of the Marines. As seasoned veterans, they could easily see that Xayuki intended to use this negotiation to elevate Marine officers to positions within the Chamber of Authority, thereby dividing the World Government's power.

When Xayuki first proposed the rotating system, they had all silently sweated, certain that Imu would reject it outright.

Yet once again, the outcome defied their expectations. Not only did Imu agree to the rotating system for the Five Elders' seats, but she also granted the Marines the authority to enforce laws against the Celestial Dragons.

Whether or not the Five Elders' seats rotated was ultimately irrelevant. What truly mattered was that, from this moment on, the Marines would no longer have to endure the humiliation of pandering to the World Nobles.

For a brief moment, the three admirals and Gion nearly couldn't contain their urge to shout the word "loyalty."

After 800 years of serving the World Government with unwavering dedication, the Marines had finally earned the respect they deserved and ushered in a long-awaited moment of glory.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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