At the G-5 base docks, a scene unlike anything in G-5's history was unfolding, at once the most complaint-filled, and yet the most blissfully overwhelming spectacle ever seen.
Hundreds of Marines, from field-grade officers down to fresh recruits, were all shirtless, forming an endless human chain. Every single one of them wore a wildly twisted expression, half like they were about to cry, half like they were laughing themselves mad.
"One, two, heave! Damn it! Why is this thing so heavy?!"
"Careful, you bastard! That crate is gold ingots! Gold ingots! If you drop it, can you afford to pay for it?!"
"Shut up! I'd rather wrestle a giant Sea King! My waist… my waist is about to snap! This is pure torture wrapped in happiness…"
"Mom… I've never seen this much money piled together in my life… I feel like my entire year's salary wouldn't even buy one corner of this box…"
Golden light flashed. Sweat poured down.
The six massive warships seemed like bottomless pits, no matter how much gold was carried off, the holds still looked like endless seas of shimmering gold.
Ain stood on a raised platform at the dock, holding a special ledger, doing her best to remain composed as she meticulously directed and recorded everything.
Yet the hand gripping her pen was trembling ever so slightly, completely beyond her control.
She had managed logistics for major battles, allocated enough weaponry to equip entire divisions, but never, in her life, had she imagined that one day she would be inventorying… gold measured in shiploads.
And all of this was simply because her superior wanted a cup of coffee from Apatia Island.
"…Crate number three thousand eight hundred twenty… gold ingots, stored."
"…Four hundred and tenth… pure gold statue, pending transfer."
"…Next"
"REAR ADMIRAL AIN!!!"
A terrified yet oddly excited shout, unique to the loud-voiced Marines of G-5's C-part, rang out.
"Y-you need to see this! There's… there's a 'spoils of war' here! And it looks like it's still alive!"
Ain frowned and immediately led people over.
At the center of the fifth ship's deck, amid piles of golden cups and goblets, a figure was bound so tightly he couldn't move an inch, trussed up like a festival roast.
The man's attire was bizarre, especially his exaggeratedly long earlobes, and the four drums on his back, battered and broken but still recognizable.
"This is…"
Ain's pupils shrank sharply.
She had never been to Skypiea, but she had heard the legends of the so-called 'God of the Sky.'
"Rehn and the others…"
Her mind was flooded with both absurdity and shock at the same time.
"They didn't just loot the Golden City, they casually… kidnapped the other side's god too?!"
Once again, she was stunned by the sheer execution power of this group.
She had seen Enel's name before in the Marine Headquarters' classified archives.
A Logia-type user of the Goro Goro no Mi.
The former god of Skypiea.
…..
At the same time, inside the G-5 base, Admiral's office.
The air was filled with an unprecedentedly fresh and mellow aroma.
With flawless technique, Sanji brewed the first cup of Mist Peak Coffee and respectfully placed it before Renzo.
Renzo lifted the white porcelain cup, gently inhaled the cloud-like fragrance, then took a small sip.
"…Mm."
Just a single syllable.
Yet that one sound caused completely opposite reactions from Rehn and Sanji.
Sanji visibly relaxed, pride and satisfaction flickering across his face.
The finest ingredients demanded the finest skill, and Renzo's approval was the highest praise a chef could receive.
Rehn, on the other hand, instantly entered a state of fanatic ecstasy, as if that single "mm" were the strongest stimulant in the world.
His fat quivered all over as he launched into his signature, machine-gun-style report:
"Lord Renzo! You should've seen it! This trip was nothing short of an efficiency miracle!!"
Rehn gesticulated wildly, saliva flying.
"As soon as we arrived on Apatia Island, we found some blind gangster types causing trouble! But we strictly followed your 'maximum efficiency' principle, Sanji solved everything with a single move, we secured the coffee beans and sea salt!"
"Then, here's the key part! On our way back, we got swept up by the Knock-Up Stream and launched straight into Skypiea!"
"That guy who called himself 'God', Enel! He was insanely strong, Lord Renzo!"
For emphasis, Rehn deliberately raised his voice.
"He's a Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user! Real lightning! Not that small-scale static nonsense!"
"He can elementalize into tens of millions of volts of lightning! He's so fast the naked eye can't track him! And he has this ability called 'Mantra', basically Observation Haki, that covered the entire Skypiea! The moment we landed, he detected us!"
Rehn wiped sweat from his forehead, clearly still shaken by the memory.
"And he keeps dropping 'Divine Punishment' from the sky! Just, whoosh!, a lightning pillar thicker than a barrel slams down! It's a natural disaster! Completely unreasonable!"
Sanji lit a cigarette beside him, exhaled a slow ring of smoke, and cut in calmly:
"He's just a frog at the bottom of a well. He bullied that little place with his Devil Fruit and Observation Haki. All power, zero combat fundamentals or fighting spirit."
Rehn nodded furiously. "Exactly! Sanji is right! But in front of Sanji's Diable Jambe, lightning was nothing but an illusion! That golden flame kicking that 'god' right in the face, oh! That scene was peak efficiency!"
"And we also brought back Skypiea-exclusive Cloud Shells, Sky Fish, and all kinds of rare ingredients! Mr. Sanji said they'll definitely enrich your menu!"
"Oh, right! That 'god,' Enel, we tied him up good and brought him back too! Dangerous elements like that are best left to you for disposal, maximum efficiency!"
"And the Golden City! Miss Nami's navigation skills and… uh… financial planning abilities are extremely efficient! We were hailed as saviors and given a portion of the Golden City. Those six ships at the dock are really just the tip of the iceberg!!"
Monet and Ain, who had just rushed back from the docks to report, both stared at the scene in surprise.
Admiral Renzo… hadn't fallen asleep?
Normally, with Rehn's kind of high-decibel, high-frequency noise bombardment, he'd be sent flying out of the office by a "Lazy Man's Kick" within thirty seconds.
But today, Renzo simply leaned back on CC 1, eyes closed, one hand holding his coffee, the fingers of the other gently tapping the armrest, as if he were actually listening with interest.
The reason was simple.
Renzo was in an exceptionally good mood.
The report might have been noisy, but every single word was useful information.
Only after Rehn finished in one breath, chugged a glass of water, and prepared to begin a 'review on how to more efficiently transport the remaining portion in the Golden City,' did Renzo slowly open his eyes.
On his face was an almost… benevolent satisfaction.
"Three spoils," Renzo said calmly.
His voice wasn't loud, but Rehn snapped to attention instantly, and Sanji stubbed out his cigarette.
"First," Renzo took another sip of coffee, "the coffee and sea salt I wanted. The flavor is spot-on. You put real care into it."
"Second," he glanced toward the still-raucous dock outside the window, "enough wealth to shut up the G-5 base, and even the Marine Headquarters' logistics department. From now on… no one should dare skim my afternoon tea budget."
"Third," the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, "a living, top-tier Logia user. A 'god'? Tens of millions of volts?"
Renzo's gaze passed over Rehn, then settled on Sanji.
He nodded again, unable to help himself.
"I only told you to buy some coffee beans as local specialties."
"And you brought me back entire souvenirs."
Leaning back lazily, Renzo delivered the highest praise in the most casual tone imaginable:
"Rehn. Sanji."
"Here!!" Rehn was so moved that he was on the verge of tears.
"You two…"
"…are truly exceptionally capable."
Boom!
A massive wave of happiness shot straight through Rehn's skull. His eyes rolled back as he nearly fainted from bliss.
"Wooooah! Lord Renzo! I'll devote everything to you! Efficiency! Efficiency above all!!"
Sanji's reaction was far calmer. He simply lit another cigarette, wore a confident smile, and gave a slight bow.
"Just doing my job, Admiral. That said, Skypiea's ingredients are quite special, please look forward to tonight's dinner."
"Very good."
Renzo closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Ain, store the gold and make the accounts look clean. Monet, look into the Goro Goro has any… labor-saving applications."
"Rehn, lock him up in... deepest Seastone cell. Starve him for two days... let him 'cool off'."
"Hopefully... he'll be sensible."
"Sanji."
"Yes!"
"Dinner. I'm hungry."
"Understood! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"