On the warship, Sakazuki sat silently on the sofa while Kuzan leaned lazily against the doorframe.

Sengoku wore a smile—one of pure, unrestrained joy.

His gaze shifted between Jake and Monet, his eyes brimming with affection.

Noticing this, Kuzan teased him, "Now, now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sure we just got 200 million berries in compensation, but you don't have to be this happy. If that amount brings you such delight, I'll bring you a couple of hundred-million-berry pirate heads next time."

Sengoku merely rolled his eyes at Kuzan's remark.

"You brat don't understand a thing. What Jake has brought us can't even be compared to 200 million berries! Do you think I called you all here just to escort Jake home?"

Kuzan's interest was piqued.

"Arara~ I knew it. The Fleet Admiral must be hiding something from us. Otherwise, why summon us in such a hurry? From the sound of it, Jake's return has brought us something huge? Care to share what it is?"

Even the usually stoic Sakazuki looked up at this, his eyes settling on Jake—the kid his subordinate had picked up.

A faint smile crept onto his face.

So far, Jake was the most outstanding junior Marine he'd ever seen, bar none!

Seeing both Kuzan and Sakazuki now fully attentive, Sengoku's grin widened.

Sorrow, when shared, is halved.

But joy—when shared—might vanish entirely... or multiply several times over!

"Ahem, Jake, why don't you tell these two yourself? After all, you're the one who found it."

Jake didn't refuse Sengoku's request.

Meeting the expectant gazes of Aokiji and Akainu, he smiled and said.

"I've found the legendary lost City of Gold, Shandora and brought back its gold. Though not all of it—the rest can be retrieved later. The amount I brought back... is enough to fill three of Marine Headquarters' largest warships!"

When Jake reached this point in his speech, both the usually lazy Kuzan and the stern-faced Sakazuki involuntarily stood up.

Their already small eyes widened to the size of light bulbs.

Aokiji didn't even notice the eyemask he had been fiddling with fall from his hand, while that bastard Sakazuki subconsciously turned into magma again, burning several holes in the floor.

Watching this scene, Sengoku felt an indescribable satisfaction.

This was exactly the kind of utterly shocked reaction he had hoped to see!

"Jake my boy, you must be joking. Do you know how much gold the Marine Headquarters' largest warship can carry at once? Do you know how many Berries that much gold could be exchanged for? Do you realize what that kind of wealth means?" Aokiji said.

Akainu also spoke up at this moment.

"Your return is a good thing, and bringing gifts for the Marines is also a good thing. But lying goes against the nature of a soldier!"

Jake knew the two of them still didn't fully believe his claims, so he simply smiled and pulled out a photo snail from his pocket—one he had brought down from Sky Island.

Even Sengoku had never seen one before.

Curious about the object Jake had produced, Sengoku asked.

"What is this? You didn't mention it in the Den Den Mushi call."

"This is a specialty shell from Sky Island called a photo snail. It functions similarly to a camera. I figured everyone might have trouble believing I could bring back so much gold, but the truth is, there really is this much. Here, take a look."

As he spoke, Jake retrieved the photo from the snail and handed it to the group.

When they saw the mountain of gold captured in the image, everyone froze on the spot.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had long been plagued by budget constraints, felt his eyes grow moist.

His mouth hung open as he stared at the gold in the photo, his entire body trembling.

"Jake, is—is this photo real?!"

Hearing Sengoku's trembling voice, Jake replied with a smile.

"It's all real. Just take a look at this gold—how many years of the Marines' budget do you think it could cover?"

"Five years—no, no! Ten! At the very least, it would keep the Marines financially secure for a decade! Hahahaha! Captain Jake—no, no, Admiral Jake! With the sheer amount of gold you've earned, promoting you to admiral still feels like we're shortchanging you!"

Listening to Sengoku's words, Jake could only sigh helplessly.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, that's a bit of an exaggeration."

But before Sengoku could respond, Aokiji's voice cut in, his tone also laced with a humour.

"Exaggeration? No, not at all! Jake, do you realize the gold you've brought back could actually fill five warships? Just the gold from those five ships alone would more than justify making you an admiral!"

Even Sakazuki uncharacteristically spoke up at this moment.

"Kuzan and Fleet Admiral Sengoku are right, Jake. The value of this gold alone is comparable to that of an admiral. If you wish to use this gold to become an admiral, I fully support it. Even if you were to replace me, I would approve."

Facing the three men who were practically singing his praises to the heavens, even Jake's thick skin couldn't prevent a slight flush of embarrassment.

At this moment, Sengoku wiped away a tear and patted Jake's shoulder, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Jake, you don't understand how crucial this gold you've brought is for the Marines. How many lives it can save, how many irreversible tragedies it can prevent!"

These words carried the weight of all the despair and tragedies Sengoku had witnessed since becoming Marine Fleet Admiral.

But now, he finally had confidence he could prevent them.

To this, Jake simply smiled and replied.

"Don't worry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. One day, we'll possess power strong enough to protect every person in this world. But until then, we must ensure this money is used for justice—not personal greed."

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