For the next days, Luffy barely managed to rest at all.

It wasn't just because Marine Headquarters had organized a rare large-scale banquet in anticipation of his promotion. More significantly, he had accumulated so many friends and mentors throughout his career that he was thoroughly exhausted from visiting and maintaining connections with them daily.

"Okay, okay, no need to see me off," Luffy insisted with a polite smile to his latest visitor. "My quarters are only a few steps away. Please, go back to yours."

The aging officer—whose personal rank wasn't particularly high, but whose family had produced six rear adimiral over four generations—clasped Luffy's hand warmly.

"Very well, I won't insist," he replied with a knowing smile. "Take care, and I'll be sure to invite you for drinks with some of my colleagues when the opportunity arises."

"I'll certainly look forward to it," Luffy responded, maintaining his respectful demeanor. "Until next time."

After bidding farewell, Luffy walked a reasonable distance before allowing himself to exhale a long, weary sigh of relief.

"Phew! That should be the last one in the officers' villa district," he muttered to himself, mentally counting the day's social obligations. "Twenty-seven visits today alone."

He couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and exhaustion. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku had to respect this particular veteran's influence, and somehow Luffy had gained his favor.

"I know so many important people now," he mused with a chuckle. "At least I won't have any trouble securing those advanced transponder snails for our secure communications network."

He carefully tucked away the thick stack of contact information he'd accumulated—names, Den Den Mushi numbers, and personal notes about powerful government officials and influential figures throughout the World Government's territories.

With his social duties finally complete, Luffy felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. He headed homeward, whistling cheerfully.

The moment he stepped through his front door, Yamato's familiar boisterous voice reached his ears.

"Help! I'm going to die! Kalifa, stop attacking that player and save me first!!"

Kalifa's voice followed immediately, sounding tense and focused as though she were in the midst of an actual battle rather than a game.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted back, clearly distracted. "Crawl into that corner and hide for a few seconds while I finish off this bastard!"

Her words were punctuated by furious curses and the frantic clicking of keyboard and mouse buttons.

Luffy recognized the commotion immediately. They were playing the new multiplayer competitive battle royale game recently released by Olive Company called "Survivor." It had earned its name from the gameplay mechanic where defeated players would lie incapacitated on the ground, requiring teammates to revive them.

Despite being released only two days ago, the game had clearly captured the full attention of his household, judging by the emotional investment of the women—not just Yamato and Kalifa, but apparently their two other who had been eliminated early in the match.

"Dammit!" Kalifa shouted in frustration. "I've never been able to beat Gaia! That player has to be cheating!"

Yamato's voice rose in pitch. "I told you to save me first! Then we could have taken her down together, two against one!"

"Do any of you actually understand how to play as a team?" Olivia chimed in, her tone dripping with disappointment. "Why would four people jump to four completely different locations on the map? Have you never heard of unity and cooperation?"

Nami scoffed audibly. "Says the rookie who gets eliminated the moment her feet touch the ground! There's no point coordinating with you! You might as well follow my strategy—grab a rifle and a combat knife, hide in the bushes, and channel your inner sniper. You'll definitely survive longer than your current record of thirty seconds!"

As their bickering escalated from playful teasing to genuine frustration, Luffy noticed another gaming station across the room where Ain and Hina were quietly leading their own team through what appeared to be a flawlessly executed operation.

Luffy felt his patience wearing thin. After days of diplomatic exhaustion, the last thing he needed was to listen to novice players arguing over basic tactics. Part of him wanted to take control and personally demonstrate how the game should be played.

"Just play, play, play!" he finally erupted, stepping in front of the large screen where the quarreling group sat. "Have any of you completed today's training regimen? Or are you just going to play games all day? Do you want to face consequences for neglecting your duties?"

He turned specifically toward Olivia, his expression stern as he continued his reprimand:

"While all the senior Marine officers are gathered at Headquarters, why are you holed up in your room instead of networking with them? Don't you want to advance your career? If you don't progress, how will we maintain our position in the future?"

Olivia pouted in dissatisfaction, muttering under her breath, "My subordinates have already handled all the official business. Why do I need to engage in political maneuvering?"

"Oh? You dare talk back? That's borderline insubordination," Luffy retorted, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You think you're in the right? Let's see how stubborn you remain after discipline."

As he spoke, Luffy began unfastening his belt in a threatening manner, as though preparing to administer immediate punishment.

Seeing this, Olivia instantly surrendered, dropping her keyboard and mouse with a yelp before ducking behind Yamato for protection.

Luffy gave a satisfied snort before shifting his disapproving gaze to Yamato, who—rather than appearing intimidated—looked almost eager, her eyes widening with anticipation.

Noticing this, Luffy promptly rebuckled his belt and changed tactics.

"What are you looking at?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "You've misbehaved and still expect a reward? Keep dreaming! Get out of here and practice your combat techniques. When you can perform Thunder Bagua with Conqueror's Haki ten thousand times consecutively, then I'll consider giving you a treat."

Upon hearing this impossible demand, Yamato's expression shifted to dismay, her eyes bulging in disbelief.

'Is he a demon?' she thought to herself. 'How could anyone accomplish such a ridiculous task? Does this mean he never plans to reward me again?'

Her thoughts turned to Kaido, her late father. 'Even that demon wasn't this strict with training requirements!'

But Luffy appeared oblivious to her pleading eyes as he turned his attention to Kalifa, Nami, and Gion, delivering similar reprimands until he felt his authority had been sufficiently reestablished.

"Since you all seem to have nothing better to do than play games all day without leaving the house, I'll assign you some actual tasks," he announced, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Luffy began calling names, assigning responsibilities with the authority of a natural leader.

"Ain, Hina, Nami, and Kalifa—you'll be recruiting talented Marines from Headquarters under the authority of the G-66 Branch. Regardless of age or current rank, if they possess abilities and skills that would benefit us, approach them for recruitment."

He gestured emphatically as he continued, "Don't hold back—if someone shows interest, whether they're a new recruit or even a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral stationed at Headquarters, I promise to secure their transfer from Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally!"

The women nodded obediently, clearly taking their assignment seriously after witnessing Luffy's earlier display of authority.

Luffy then turned toward the others. "Kujaku, escort Mansherry and Zephyr to the medical facility. After that, take charge of Yamato and Viola's training regimen. You have full discretion over their exercises—just keep them productive and away from distractions."

Kujaku, seated on the sofa, blinked her large eyes innocently. Unlike the others, she hadn't even had the opportunity to join the game, yet Luffy had assigned her tasks all the same.

Ignoring her pleading expression, Luffy pointed directly at Olivia. "Via!"

"Y-yes?!" she responded, startled by his sharp tone.

Olivia, still recovering from her earlier scolding, tensed visibly when her name was called again. Fortunately, Luffy had raised his voice merely to command attention, not to continue his reprimand.

"Don't just sit there—visit your former department and recruit some scientists. You know better than anyone what kind of talents we need and who might be available, so I won't micromanage. The same conditions apply—once you identify potential recruits, I'll handle the administrative details."

Olivia nodded repeatedly, raising four fingers of her right hand in a solemn pledge that she would work diligently to secure valuable personnel from the Science Division.

Finally, Luffy's gaze settled on Vice Admiral Gion, who was casually lounging on the sofa, watching the proceedings with amusement. She wore a form-fitting pink silk nightgown that left little to the imagination.

"Vice Admiral Gion," Luffy addressed her with calculated formality, "surely you don't think you're exempt from responsibility while you're here?"

When addressed, Gion tilted her head quizzically, as though three large question marks had appeared above it.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" she protested with feigned innocence. "I finally managed to visit you today, and you're already giving me orders?"

Luffy responded with a knowing chuckle. "Not orders, of course. After all, I'm not even an admiral yet—how could I presume to command an Admiral candidate like yourself?"

His expression turned sly as he continued, "I merely thought you should know that before I departed, Boa Hancock promised me she would master Conqueror's Haki infusion by the time I returned. If she wasn't exaggerating, it might significantly affect the power balance within our organization."

Hearing this, Gion sat bolt upright, her relaxed demeanor instantly vanishing.

"What?! That narcissistic woman actually claimed that?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Who gave her the confidence to master such an advanced technique in such a short time? Impossible—absolutely impossible! I refuse to believe it!"

Gion shook her head vehemently in denial while Luffy maintained his enigmatic smile, offering no further explanation.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Gion finally broke the standoff.

"Damn that snake princess! She thinks she's so special just because she was born with Conqueror's Haki," she muttered, rising to her feet. "I need to find that Vampire Fruit right away. When I return, I'll show her who's truly worthy of respect!"

With that declaration, she stood up and prepared to rush out immediately.

"Stop right there!" Luffy commanded, halting her in her tracks. "Come back here."

He gestured toward her inappropriate attire with an exasperated expression, then gently pushed her toward the bedroom.

"You're really brave enough to go out dressed like that? Go change into something suitable first!"

Only then did Gion recognize the problem. With a flush of embarrassment, she gathered her discarded uniform and hurried into Luffy's bedroom to change.

Once everyone had composed themselves, Luffy addressed the assembled women, waving his hand dismissively.

"Alright, let's get moving. Remember to keep an eye on our teammate—Cook, Zoro, and the others. Don't let them wander off unsupervised."

"Understood!" they responded in unison, their earlier resistance completely forgotten.

As the group began to disperse, Yamato looked at Luffy, who appeared to be preparing to leave as well.

"Hey, Luffy," she called out curiously, "if we're all going to be busy with assignments, what about you? Are you doing more social calls?"

Luffy, already at the entrance and slipping on his leather shoes, answered casually without looking up:

"Oh, I forgot to mention—I need to travel to Mariejois later today. I likely won't be back in time for dinner."

The women responded with a collective gasp of surprise.

"Ehhhhh?!"