One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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"Real estate???"

"What is that?" 

Tsuru was full of doubt, trying to understand with over 50 years of experience. But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't grasp the meaning of the word Akira mentioned.

A house! She understood that—a place for people to live. The ground? She also understood that—the earth beneath her feet. But industry? If she was correct, it referred to businesses or trade. Yet, when put together, these words confused her even more.

"To put it simply, we, the Marines, will build some high-end villas for sale and protect the people living in them," Akira explained.

"So, you're planning to make a lot of money from this?"

"That's right!"

"Impossible." 

Without a second thought, she threw cold water on the idea: "Fleet Admiral Akira, it's not that I want to discourage you, but houses simply won't sell."

Akira flicked the ashes off his cigarette and smiled. He understood her skepticism. If he were in her position, he'd also think selling houses in this world was unreliable and unprofitable.

After all, this is the Pirate World.

Though the world's population is vast, people are scattered across various islands and kingdoms. And with pirates, wars, and ambitious leaders causing chaos, many people die every day.

Plenty of unclaimed land is available, where anyone can build a house without interference from any housing or construction authority. If you find yourself on an uninhabited island, as long as the natives don't chase you away, you could build a wooden house on a hill and live there for generations.

In this context, it's understandable why Tsuru thinks selling houses wouldn't make money.

But...

Pirates are also the key to the problem!

For 800 years, and even in this recent era of rampant piracy, ordinary civilians, including nobles and kings, lack one crucial thing.

That is... a sense of security!

That's why Akira was so confident. 

So what if kings and nobles live in grand palaces and have numerous guards? Many franchised and non-franchised nations have fallen to pirates. You can always find such news in the papers.

Even on Blue Star, where there's no constant threat of war or danger to life, the real estate business is booming.

In this pirate world, the kings and nobles, who control 80% of the world's wealth, would undoubtedly spend a lot of berries to buy the safe residences that the Marines built and guaranteed to protect.

After Akira shared his thoughts with Tsuru, he immediately silenced her.

Tsuru bowed her head, deep in thought.

"So, I want to create the safest place to live in the world, comparable to the Holy Land Mariejois."

"In this era of great pirates, all kings and nobles can live, vacation, spend, and entertain there with complete peace of mind."

"Let them buy the most precious and scarce commodity here from the Marines: a sense of security."

"As long as they're willing to spend money."

Akira crushed the cigar, propped his chin with both hands, and spoke with burning determination in his eyes.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he remembered something crucial, and his eyes lit up.

"By the way, we could also include security services, property management fees, cleaning fees, and so on. These people are the wealthiest; they can definitely afford it."

"And it doesn't have to be just a place to live; we can also open some entertainment venues."

"Like a casino, for example..."

The more Akira thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn't help but stand up, pacing around the room.

He pinched his chin, muttering to himself in a low voice.

The Pirate World is a fascinating place, where most of the elites are, in his view, people with a shockingly low average IQ.

To Akira, these people were like children carrying gold across the street, just waiting to be taken advantage of.

Initially, his plan was simply to build some of the safest places in the world. But as the plan developed and improved, he couldn't help but think of the money-making strategies used by real estate companies back on Blue Star.

The key is... it's possible!

This could generate enormous wealth.

After all, even ventures like "I, Roger, need money" and "Money for a Child" turned into lucrative businesses.

The grand idea of "opening the door to industry and collecting management fees" alone wouldn't bring in that kind of money.

But by setting up money-making spots like casinos, and running various profit-driven operations, he was confident that he would make a fortune.

In the original story, the Golden City in Tesoro's domain controlled 20% of the world's berries. Akira felt that if he really put all these ideas together, his success would not be any less than Tesoro's.

'It's true, when it comes to making money legally, rationally, and without a conscience, no one beats the entrepreneurs from Blue Star,' Akira thought, amazed at his own idea.

Tsuru stared at Akira, who was pacing around with an expression of excitement and inspiration. 

This was the first time she had seen him so visibly caught up in an idea.

But seeing him so full of confidence, even though she still had doubts about selling houses, she felt slightly relieved.

Even though Akira often proposed plans that seemed ridiculous at first...

They had always turned out to be surprisingly effective.

At that moment, Tsuru recalled Akira's earlier suggestion to recruit a wife, which he had brought up a few months ago in a meeting. 

That idea, too, had seemed foolish and pointless at first. Yet, it had proven to be incredibly successful.

'Maybe this is the same,' Tsuru thought to herself.

Just then, Akira snapped out of his reverie, and without a word to Tsuru, quickly sat down, grabbed a pen, and began writing furiously on a piece of white paper.

Tsuru, understanding the situation, tactfully remained silent, standing quietly where she was.

She had experienced similar moments of inspiration before and knew that interrupting now could cause him to lose his train of thought.

The Fleet Admiral's office fell silent, with only the sound of the pen scratching across the paper.

After a long time, Akira finally put down his pen.

He read over the densely filled sheet of paper from beginning to end, and a satisfied smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Aunt Tsuru, let me explain why I want to build Akatsuki, it's like this—"

"No need, Fleet Admiral Akira. If you have something you need done, just give the order directly. There's no need for an explanation."

Tsuru didn't wait for Akira to finish and gently interrupted him. Her expression softened, and she nodded with a smile, "I trust all of your plans."

"Uh... okay..." Akira was slightly taken aback.

But seeing that Chief Staff Officer Tsuru wasn't trying to deceive him, nor did she seem skeptical, he decided to keep quiet. Tsuru, in her fifties, wasn't one to agree half-heartedly. When she decided to support something, she did it wholeheartedly.

If that was the case, there was no need to keep talking. Until the results were in, anything more would just be empty boasting.

"Once I finish organizing all the plans today, I'll arrange everything accordingly," Akira said, folding the papers neatly.

"Alright, since you're planning to build this, uh... real estate, it will need to be in a kingdom or town. Have you figured out where?" Tsuru asked, helping to cover any gaps he might have missed. "Buying land will require a lot of berries."

A villa takes up a lot of space, and considering Akira's plans to build many, ordinary islands and towns wouldn't suffice. It would have to be in a kingdom. The land in kingdoms belongs to the king and nobles, unlike in smaller towns and islands. To build a villa in a kingdom, you'd have to buy the land from them first, which would be quite expensive.

At this stage, the Marines were using funds everywhere, and withdrawing such a large amount of money from the bank could be risky.

Akira tapped the table with his fingers, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Since the main selling point of Akatsuki is safety, it must be built in the most dangerous place."

"Where?" Tsuru asked.

"In the second half of the Grand Line," Akira replied in a deep voice.

If there was any place in the world where the Marines' reach was limited, it was definitely the second half of the Grand Line. Before Roger's execution, the Marine headquarters had already been prepared to abandon that area if necessary. After the Great Pirate Era began, the situation only worsened. With limited personnel, the Marines had essentially abandoned it, save for the G-5 fortress standing as the last line of defense.

"Where??? I don't really recommend that. It would definitely drain a lot of Marine resources," Tsuru shook her head, concerned.

But Akira had a different view. Leaning back in his chair, he lit a cigar and spoke leisurely:

"To be honest, my vision for Akatsuki is to have it in kingdoms all over the world, attracting the wealthiest people to live there.

"So, for the first impression, it's absolutely necessary to show these rich folks that Akatsuki has the strength to protect their safety."

"The second half of the Grand Line is widely recognized as the most dangerous sea area, which perfectly highlights the safety of Akatsuki ," Akira said, noticing Tsuru slightly furrowed brow. He continued, "Actually, placing Akatsuki in the second half of the Grand Line is also beneficial for the Marines."

"How so?" Tsuru asked, her interest piqued the moment Marine's benefit was mentioned.

"It's like we're extending Marine's reach in a very visible way. After securing the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, we can use this as a springboard to resupply and establish a base deeper in the New World."

"And it's also a subtle message to the people living in the second half, who are constantly under threat from pirates," Akira added, his tone serious. "It lets them know that Marine hasn't completely abandoned them and could come to their rescue at any time."

"Even the name Akatsuki means 'a new beginning'."

Tsuru nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. If you have a plan, you can issue the orders whenever you're ready."

"Well, I'll refine the plan and brief you tomorrow," Akira replied as he organized the papers on his desk.

"Alright, I'll be going then," Tsuru said, turning to leave.

"Okay!"

"Oh, wait..."

Just as Tsuru was about to exit the office, she paused, turned back, and asked curiously, "I forgot to ask, Fleet Admiral Akira, how much do you plan to sell each villa for?"

"Between five billion and ten billion berries!" Akira responded confidently.

"..."

Tsuru left the room, her expression one of disbelief. She had been convinced before, but Akira's pricing made her suddenly uncertain again.

But Akira was resolute—his decision was firm and unyielding.

After watching Tsuru disappear from sight, Akira pulled out the paper he had been working on. His eyes sparkled with determination as he continued to refine his plans.

Time passed slowly, and as the sun dipped toward the west, the sky was painted with a beautiful sunset.

"Report!"

A voice came from the door.

"Sakazuki, come in directly," Akira said, looking up as Sakazuki entered. He frowned slightly before asking, "What's the matter?"

"Fleet Admiral, I'm preparing to depart soon for the mission you assigned to me," Sakazuki reported, standing straight with a serious expression, eager for the upcoming departure. "I wanted to ask if you've chosen the director for the Impel Down branch of the Rehabilitation factory. If you have, I can take them with me to get familiarized with the next steps."

Akira frowned. The details of today's meeting had involved Sakazuki, so Akira had called him back to Marine Headquarters to prepare. But in the rush, he had overlooked the matter of appointing the Impel Down factory director.

The biggest problem was that there were no available strong candidates at Headquarters. Borsalino and Kuzan were also out on missions. Sengoku was fully committed to his new role as the head of the Bureau, and it was clear he would be swamped with reports every day. Tatsumi and Issho were busy assisting with various tasks, and Garp was being sent to the New World to protect Akatsuki, given his strength and prestige.

The Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals were all out on missions to generate funds. Even if someone were assigned, they likely wouldn't have the authority to handle the role effectively.

There was no one at Marine Headquarters who could replace Sakazuki, who was about to leave for his mission, as the director of the Impel Down branch.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Akira asked.

Sakazuki tilted his head in thought, but after a moment, he remained silent, clearly not able to think of a suitable candidate either.

Akira sighed and smiled helplessly. He pulled out a cigar from the drawer, leaned back, and asked, "How's your relationship with Magellan?"

Sakazuki lit the cigar and replied, "It's good; we're friends."

"Perfect. Then go and persuade him to take your place temporarily," Akira suggested.

"Yeah, that seems to be the best option," Sakazuki agreed after a moment of thought. He had gotten to know Magellan well during their time together and understood his temperament and character. Overall, Magellan was easier to work with than the previous director and had a strong sense of justice.

Letting Magellan take over the role of factory director seemed like a solid choice, and Sakazuki felt reassured by the idea.