Knock... Knock...
The knocking was dull and hesitant.
"Enter."
Kong's signature booming voice came through, but it carried a hint of fatigue and irritation.
Tatsuki pushed the door open and entered.
The spacious office was filled with smoke.
Not only was Kong there, but Sengoku and Garp were also present. The three were frowning over a nautical chart, clearly discussing the worsening pirate situation in the New World.
Seeing Tatsuki enter, the three of them paused simultaneously.
Sengoku pushed up his reflective glasses, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to see through Tatsuki's soul. "You're back? Those five old... lords, they didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"
Garp stood up carelessly, scanning Tatsuki from head to toe. After confirming he wasn't missing any limbs, he snorted, "Hmph, I told you this kid was tough, he wouldn't die."
Kong sat in the main seat, his hands crossed under his chin. His deep eyes were locked onto Tatsuki, his voice steady as a mountain. "Tatsuki, the Gorosei bypassed the chain of command to summon you. What was it for?"
Tatsuki didn't answer immediately. He reached back, slowly closed the door, and even made a point of locking it.
This action made the expressions of the three men in the room grow even more solemn.
Tatsuki turned around and walked toward Kong's desk, one heavy step at a time. His head was bowed low, and his shoulders trembled slightly from some immense suppression.
Slap!
A check was slammed heavily onto the desk.
"Fleet Admiral! I've failed you!"
Tatsuki's shout, filled with thirty percent sob and seventy percent tragedy, nearly caused Garp, who was chewing senbei, to choke.
Sengoku and Kong were also stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Kong frowned as he looked at the thin slip of paper on the desk. In the next second, his pupils suddenly constricted.
"One... one billion berries?!"
Sengoku also sucked in a cold breath and looked up sharply at Tatsuki. "Where did this money come from?"
"It's the money the Gorosei gave me... to sell my soul."
Tatsuki snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot, with glistening tears trembling at the corners.
"What?!" Sengoku's expression changed drastically. "Explain yourself!"
Tatsuki grit his teeth, his voice hoarse. "I knew before I went that it was a trap. As soon as we met, the Gorosei pressured me with Conqueror's Haki and asked me what 'Justice' was."
"I understood then—if I acted like a true Marine, like a man of integrity... I would never have walked out of Mary Geoise today. I might have even implicated you, Fleet Admiral Kong, and Admiral Sengoku."
As Tatsuki spoke, he clenched his fists.
"So I... I..."
He closed his eyes, extreme pain and self-loathing appearing on his face.
"In a moment of desperation, I disguised myself as a greedy, lecherous, bottomless scoundrel who only cares about money."
"I told those five old guys: How much is justice worth? As long as they pay, I'll be their most loyal dog. I'm willing to sell my soul, willing to do any dirty work for Berries."
The office fell into a dead silence.
Only Tatsuki's grief-stricken voice echoed. "They believed it! Those high-and-mighty gods actually believed it!"
"They gave me this billion as a deposit and even promised that I would succeed you in the future."
Tatsuki pointed at the check on the desk, his body shaking violently. "The price is... for me to spy on you! To spy on Admiral Sengoku! To report Vice Admiral Garp's movements at any time! To be a nail driven into the heart of the Marines!"
"Bastards!!!"
Boom!
Kong was furious, slamming his palm down on the desk.
The desk was instantly covered in cracks, and the teacups were shattered by the vibration.
"This is too much! Simply too much!"
Kong's chest heaved. Although he had long known the Gorosei didn't trust the Marines, he hadn't expected them to go this far—directly bribing his subordinate to be a spy.
This wasn't just a slap in his face, it was trampling on the dignity of the Marines.
His dissatisfaction with the World Government reached its peak at this moment.
Tatsuki lowered his head in "shame," his voice trembling. "Fleet Admiral, the money is all here."
"I, Tatsuki, might usually be a bit of a bastard and like to take small advantages, but I am a Marine in life and will be a Marine's ghost in death."
"I cannot betray my superiors or my comrades."
"But if I didn't take the money and pretend to agree... I was afraid I would never have the chance to return to this sea of justice, never have the chance to serve you again."
Reaching the emotional climax, Tatsuki's voice choked several times, nearly failing him.
With this acting, even an Oscar winner would have to bow down to him.
Kong looked at the young Rear Admiral before him.
Nineteen years old, high-spirited, at an age where he should be enjoying glory.
Yet for the sake of the Marines' overall situation, to prevent the top brass from having an open falling out, he actually had to go alone to the center of world power, put on the mask of a greedy villain, and endure inner torment and self-reproach. He even went as far as to tarnish his own reputation.
What kind of grievance was this? What kind of loyalty?
This is the true soul of the Marines!
The fire of anger in Kong's eyes quietly dissipated, replaced by deep emotion and guilt.
He walked around the desk to Tatsuki and patted his shoulder heavily.
"Good boy... you've suffered." Kong's voice was hoarse, filled with pity.
Beside them, Sengoku took off his glasses, rubbed his aching eyes, and sighed, "Tatsuki, your wit and forbearance... I am ashamed to say I couldn't match them. You bore this infamy for the sake of the Marines."
"Kyahahaha! Good lad!" Garp rushed over, hooked his arm around Tatsuki's neck, rubbed his hair vigorously, and laughed loudly.
"What's there to be afraid of? As long as we know you're a good one, that's enough. Taking that stinking money from those old fossils—it'd be a waste not to."
"But..."
Tatsuki looked at Kong with a "dazed" expression, "Fleet Admiral, this money... it must be handed over. I don't want a single cent, I want it to be used for our fallen brothers."
"Nonsense!"
Kong's face hardened, but his tone was more kind than ever before.