Chapter 144 Borsalino's Conditions! Bribery!

Chapter 144 Borsalino's Conditions! Bribery!

Chapter 144 Borsalino's Conditions! Bribery!
"Borsalino, you have done a great job. If you have any other requests, just let me know."

Saint Vochuli, who was in a good mood, smiled and said that in front of the pure gold that retains youth forever, Borsalino's previous "little" offense was completely forgivable.

The Five Elders now only wanted to get rid of Borsalino as quickly as possible, and then divide the pure gold into their pockets as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, when other Celestial Dragons hear the news and come to the door, the pure gold may be reduced in size. Although the effect of pure gold seems to have nothing to do with size, it would still be painful to see a smaller piece of pure gold.

"Any request is okay?"

Borsalino played with the letter of authorization in his hand and spoke with a half-smile.

Looking at the smile on Borsalino's face, Saint Vochuli felt his heart beating fast.

"It is definitely not possible to increase military spending. A 70% increase is already the limit. If it is more, the World Government will not be able to afford it."

Saint Vochuli reminded that the annual Heavenly Gold was already a heavy burden for the member states, and if they wanted more, they would have to find ways to make up for it for the member states.

It is a good idea to take action against non-member countries.

However, most of the non-member countries are poor, and it is unknown how much they can contribute.

"You all know that Gion and I are engaged. I have been racking my brains over what engagement gift to give Gion for a while now. Finally, I have come up with a good gift... How about a great sword?"

Borsalino said with a smile, and everyone's eyes followed Borsalino's line of sight and fell on the samurai sword in Nasujuro Sei's hand.

Compared to the naval expenditure that can bankrupt some small countries even if it increases by 1%, a knife, even a supremely sharp one, is really not a problem.

But the problem is that this supreme sword is the favorite of the Five Elder Stars. Seeing everyone's eyes fall on the first generation of Kitetsu, Nasujuro Sei almost couldn't help but curse.

For a swordsman, the knife in his hand is the most important thing besides his life.

Sometimes the knife is even more important than their lives!

A good sword, especially a supremely sharp sword, is a treasure that countless swordsmen dream of having.

Although Nasujuro Sei is one of the Five Elder Stars, he is also a swordsman. How could he be willing to give his sword to Borsalino as an engagement gift?

"Change your request. This knife is definitely not enough. How about a territory? I will give you an independent earldom in the Red Earth Continent or somewhere else."

Saint Wochuri, who was glared at fiercely by Saint Nasujuro, laughed dryly. He actually thought it was a good idea to use a supreme big sword to get rid of Borsalino, but he might get chopped if he said it out loud.

When Nasujuro Saint was young, he was also a ruthless character who would draw his sword at the slightest disagreement. So if Saint Vochuli were asked to give his beloved sword to Borsalino, he would not dare to say it out loud.

"Tsk, how stingy! If it really doesn't work, forget it. Just consider it as something you've already given me."

Borsalino's tone was a little bit disdainful. Hearing that the Five Elders who had just obtained pure gold were in a good mood, they couldn't help but want to curse. What did they mean by just treat it as if they had given it to them? They were the Five Elders who held the highest authority in the world. When did a mere naval marshal dare to ridicule them like this?

The key point is that Borsalino said forget it now, but based on the Five Elders' understanding of him, this "chip" that is not even a favor will definitely be played by him in various ways.

Maybe this will be the basis for the lion to make a big demand next time.

Even though they have now obtained the pure gold, theoretically they no longer need to be threatened by Borsalino, and the Five Elders do not want to have such a handle on them.

"Please propose a new one. Stop talking about those nonsense things and make a serious request!"

Saint Maz said in a deep voice, and even emphasized it specially in order to prevent Borsalino from continuing to make trouble.

"…Then what about Vegapunk? I know you guys have been planning to destroy the bridge after crossing it, but the Navy still needs Vegapunk's technology. Don't do anything to him without my permission!"

Borsalino stared at the Five Elders and said, even though Vegapunk is in the Navy's scientific corps, as long as the Five Elders want, they can make Vegapunk's brain, which is five hundred years ahead of human intelligence, disappear from this world at any time.

For many people, as long as they are strong, everything else doesn't matter. But Borsalino will not despise science and technology just because of his own strength.

Especially Vegapunk, who is good at black technology, is even more valuable than the Pirate Emperor in Borsalino's eyes.

"What do you want with Vegapunk?"

Saint Vochuli asked with a frown on his face.

Limiting naval technology is also an important part of preventing the navy from losing control.

Therefore, pacifists have started to equip themselves with laser cannons, while ordinary marines are still using muzzle-loading flintlock rifles. Some naval branches are not even fully equipped with flintlock rifles, and can only swing knives when encountering pirates.

The same goes for the navy's warships. Even some pirates have begun using steam turbines, while the navy's warships are still in the sailing age.

This is certainly due to insufficient military funds and the inability to carry out large-scale equipment replacement, but the more important reason is that they do not want the navy's military power to expand indefinitely.

For the World Government and the Five Elders, it is enough for the navy to maintain the stability of the ocean. Under this premise, the weaker the navy is, the better.

"Of course I want Vegapunk because I want him to improve the navy's technology. Do I expect him to help me defeat pirates?"

Borsalino pretended not to understand the concerns of the Five Elders and spoke loudly and confidently.

At a time like this, any cover-up would be regarded by the Five Elders as having ulterior motives.

On the contrary, the more casual Borsalino behaved, the more he could dispel the uneasiness of the Five Elders.

"Vegapunk's research is too dangerous to be handed over directly to the Navy, but the Navy can share some of the technical information that has leaked out of the Vegapunk laboratory."

Saint Nasujuro gave Saint Wochuri a look, indicating that as long as Vegapunk was still under their control, there was no need to worry that the navy would gradually lose control after obtaining new technology.

They can even indirectly influence the development direction of the navy through the technology provided by Vegapunk.

"Okay, but you can't do anything to Vegapunk before you get my permission."

Borsalino showed an unsatisfied expression and reluctantly agreed with Nasujuro Sei's words.

In fact, he didn't expect to gain control of Vegapunk immediately. As long as he had a reason, he would be able to get Vegapunk and his laboratory when the time was right.

The promotion ceremony process was simplified to the extreme, and the commendation ceremony and subsequent celebrations that should have taken place were all cancelled.

Borsalino made a special trip to Marijoa, stayed for less than an hour, and then left with the commission of the Admiral of the Navy.

From this, it is not difficult to see how much the Five Elders dislike this new Navy Admiral. If it were someone else, they would not know how frustrated and depressed they would be at this moment.

But Borsalino was not dissatisfied at all. He even wanted to be as far away from this so-called holy land as possible.

The Five Elders were also relieved that Borsalino was so 'easily' dismissed. Although increasing the navy's military budget by 70% was a bit higher than they had planned, they got the most important pure gold at almost no cost.

However, just when the Five Elders were secretly rejoicing and preparing to divide the spoils as quickly as possible, the two Celestial Dragons who had left at some point, called on dozens of their own clansmen and came to their door aggressively.

It is true that the Five Elders are the highest-level Celestial Dragons, but under the temptation of eternal youth, ordinary Celestial Dragons are not willing to give up easily.

Even before Borsalino left Marijoa, the Palace of Kings had turned into a 'vegetable market'.

The Celestial Dragons tried to use the gold from heaven as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Five Elders, but the Five Elders were unwilling to give away the pure gold they had obtained.

However, the Five Elders did not dare to reject these Celestial Dragons too simply and rudely, as the dozens of Celestial Dragons present were only members of two families.

Of the twenty kings who founded the World Government, except for the Nefertari family, the descendants of the remaining nineteen are all Celestial Dragons. In other words, there are seventeen more families like this!
It is not difficult to get rid of these people now, but the trouble lies in how to face the pressure from all the Celestial Dragons in the future.

"If we leave later, we can watch a good show now..."

Borsalino said with a smile to Marshal Kong who was still a little dazed.

Even the current Marshal Kong was once a top-level warrior who roamed the sea.

With their attainments in Observation Haki and what they usually see and hear, even from such a long distance, they can sense and guess what is happening in the Palace of Ten Thousand Kings.

"The Celestial Dragons are the descendants of the Creator and must not be desecrated..."

Marshal Kong, who was still distracted, instinctively refuted, but at this moment, he saw a small piece of pure gold emitting bright light appear in Borsalino's hand.

Compared with the pure gold delivered to the Five Elder Stars, the piece in front of him was undoubtedly much smaller, but its incomparably beautiful light was enough to prove that it was genuine.

"Gulp..."

Marshal Kong stared at the pure gold in Borsalino's hand in amazement. He swallowed his saliva involuntarily and almost subconsciously wanted to reach out and grab it.

But he quickly regained his senses and controlled his hand that was about to reach out.

"Oh, how strange! Who dropped a piece of pure gold here? I wonder which lucky person will pick it up..."

Borsalino said with a smile.

Whether it is the Five Elder Stars or the one in his hand now, they are all inferior products produced by the Dimension Chat Group.

Although it is mixed with real pure gold and has the effect of restoring youth within the shelf life, according to the results of Tony Stark's testing using the most advanced instruments, the service life of inferior pure gold will not exceed five years.

Moreover, its effectiveness will continue to decline over time. Theoretically, if it exceeds three years, there will be a risk of being detected as abnormal.

There are many similar 'pure gold' Borsalinos, just for times like this. "...You secretly hid one?"

Marshal Kong quickly looked around. At this moment, they were riding in a bubble pod in the middle area of ​​the Red Earth Continent. Theoretically, it was impossible for anyone to see what was happening inside the pod.

However, the transparent pod still made Marshal Kong feel insecure. Even though he could only see ant-sized humans when looking up and down, he was still worried that the pure gold in Borsalino's hand would be discovered.

"How can this be called a secret stash? It was originally my trophy, and it hasn't been discovered yet..."

In Marshal Kong's eyes, Borsalino's smile at this moment was even scarier than the devil.

To reach the level of Borsalino and Cyborg Sora, no one would be unable to figure it out, except for a freak like Garp who only relies on his muscles.

Even though Borsalino didn't say anything, the fact that he kept the pure gold and showed it to Cyborg Sora already showed his intentions.

No matter who they are, there is a price for being bribed, and now Borsalino has found the 'price' to bribe Cyborg Sora.

After seeing the pure gold, instead of rejecting it and reporting it immediately, he was even worried that it would be discovered by others.

Strictly speaking, this is already a betrayal, and a rather bad one at that.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

Marshal Kong seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant, and began to think about Borsalino's true purpose.

The position of the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces?
Marshal Makong immediately ruled out this possibility. The divine army and the land force were almost all in the hands of the Five Elders, and the navy always only obeyed the orders of the navy marshal.

To put it bluntly, he, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, is just a deity. He is worshipped in a high esteem but does not have much real power.

Doesn't he want a position because he's talented?
Even though he was defeated by Red Earl Redfield, Cyborg Sora was once a genuine top-level warrior. Even now, he can easily suppress a pirate with a bounty of 1 billion berries.

But the Marine Headquarters is full of strong men, and those who are stronger than the current Cyborg Air can be counted on one's hands...

Thinking of this, Cyborg Sora's mouth twitched involuntarily. If there was anything that Borsalino himself could not or dared not do, and there was no way to mobilize the navy's advanced combat forces openly, he would probably have to attack the Celestial Dragons or even the Five Elders.

Is it true that there is no one who would hold a grudge so long as to use a treasure like pure gold against his enemy even after decades?

"Tsk, I don't know what you're thinking, but I always feel offended..."

Facing Marshal Kong's eyes that looked as if he had seen a ghost, Borsalino held the pure gold in his hand a little unhappily.

Without the alluring glow of pure gold, Marshal Kong was finally able to calm down.

"I never thought you were so bold...Aren't you afraid that I won't be tempted by the pure gold and will go to the Five Elders to report you?"

Marshal Kong recalled the pure gold he had just seen and couldn't help but sigh.

That was pure gold! How could Borsalino dare to keep it for himself, and why did he dare to show it to him?
"Why should I be afraid? This is normal loss, isn't it?"

Borsalino sneered, and Marshal Kong couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

When Borsalino had not yet become a high-ranking naval official, the ammunition and supplies on the naval ships would be "consumed" every time they went out to sea.

But whenever someone questioned Borsalino, he would say that this was normal wear and tear. Over time, it became a joke among people who were familiar with Borsalino, similar to plucking feathers from a passing goose.

"As for going to the Five Elders to report it, will you go?"

Borsalino chuckled and threw the pure gold into Marshal Kong's hands, then spoke fearlessly.

Marshal Kong gave a bitter smile upon hearing this. If he reported it, the Five Elders would be overjoyed, accept the pure gold and give Marshal Kong many rewards.

But the rewards they give will never include pure gold!
Time is merciless and makes people grow old. Marshal Kong may not know this poem, but as he gets older, he can clearly feel that his body is aging.

The three-color domineering aura was getting weaker day by day, and the muscles were becoming weaker and weaker.

Even if he exercises hard, he can only delay this process for a short time, and sometimes he will even age faster due to excessive exercise.

Whitebeard, who is younger than him, looks that old, let alone Cyborg Kong, the former Navy Admiral.

It is precisely for this reason that Marshal Kong, who has been loyal to the Five Elders and the World Government all his life, appears so "vulnerable" in front of pure gold.

"I seem to understand why Derocas chose to rebel..."

Marshal Kong stared at the small piece of pure gold in his hand almost obsessively. Borsalino was not worried that Marshal Kong would take the thing and not do anything, because as long as the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons knew that Marshal Kong had pure gold in his hand, someone would naturally help Borsalino deal with him.

For the Five Elders who already have pure gold in their hands, it is hard to say which is more important, a small piece of pure gold or Marshal Kong.

However, a traitor who has pure gold but is unwilling to report it, no matter how strong he is or how many achievements he has made, is probably worthy of death in the eyes of the Five Elders.

"Huh, speaking of Delocas, I thought he was dead for all these years!"

Borsalino stared at Cyborg Sora with a bad look. Given Borsalino's character, he would not let it go just because his enemy joined CP0.

It was Marshal Kong who came forward at that time and used his own credibility to guarantee to Borsalino that Derocas would soon die while on duty.

Because it had been so long, Borsalino had forgotten about the incident, and even when Delocas reappeared, he was unable to recall it immediately.

But now the person involved accidentally said it himself, awakening Borsalino's dusty memories.

"I apologize. You know I can't disobey the orders of the Five Elders... Tell me, what do you want me to do? It's not like you want me to kill a celestial dragon, is it?"

Marshal Kong answered somewhat awkwardly, but facing Borsalino's almost mocking gaze, he suddenly thought that it was a bit too ironic to say such a thing after choosing pure gold.

Marshal Kong was speechless and could only speak up. The dignity of his old superior and half-teacher was completely shattered by Borsalino today.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll talk to you when I think about it."

Borsalino shrugged. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies and a die-hard fan of the Five Elders, the value of Cyborg Sora was unquestionable.

Being able to "buy" such a hidden chess piece with a piece of inferior pure gold is not a loss no matter how you calculate it.

But as for how to put Cyborg Sora to good use without wasting it, Borsalino couldn't think of a suitable use for it at the moment.

"You're willing to bribe me with pure gold before you've made up your mind?"

Marshal Kong looked at Borsalino in astonishment. Although the Five Elders had never seen the original appearance of pure gold with their own eyes, there were many people in Marinford who had seen pure gold at that time.

Marshal Kong thought that what Borsalino could withhold was already the limit of the pure gold in his hand. Any more would surely be noticed by the Five Elders.

It would be understandable if he was bribed with this piece of pure gold to assassinate the Five Elders. For a moment, Marshal Kong even considered where to escape more quickly after assassinating the Five Elders.

But Borsalino said that he hadn't thought about it yet. Marshal Kong almost thought he was dreaming when he heard this.

"What else? Do I look like I need pure gold?"

Borsalino pointed at his handsome face which even had a bit of childishness. The reputation of the Immortal General was well-deserved. Even the witch Stussy had expressed her envy and jealousy.

To be able to practice Life Return to the level of Borsalino, physical fitness, talent, understanding and even luck are all indispensable.

Looking at that face that looked younger than his grandchildren, even Marshal Kong had to admit that Borsalino's words were indeed very convincing.

"...Then consider it as I owe you a favor and a life. I won't ask about your plan. Just come to me when my old bones can be of use."

Marshal Kong said very straightforwardly that from the moment he accepted the pure gold, this life basically belonged to Borsalino.

As for the favor, it was because Borsalino was willing to give him the pure gold first. Otherwise, he could have used the pure gold as bait to drive Cyborg Sora to do things.

Given Cyborg Sora's personality, this favor is not much worse than that life.

"I deserve this life, so forget about the favor. After all, you taught me."

Borsalino waved his hands. He was not the kind of capitalist who would squeeze the blood out of people.

Marshal Kong heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. Although it sounds cruel to prefer one's life to a favor, it also means that as long as Marshal Kong helps Borsalino "sell his life once", he will not owe him anything.

Marshal Kong felt more at ease after hiding the pure gold in his pocket.

And he didn't know whether it was the effect of the pure gold or his psychological effect, but his aging body seemed to have suddenly become several years younger.

Even his heart beat a little stronger, and everything seemed to have returned to decades ago when he was still at his peak.

Feeling the gradually rising momentum of Marshal Kong, Borsalino couldn't help but nodded.

The few people in the chat group who had come into contact with pure gold before were still very young. The only older person, Master Zhang, was busy with the rebel army's affairs and rarely appeared in the group, so he was unable to experience the effects of pure gold directly.

Of course, if we talk about the real age, Borsalino is one of them.

For Borsalino, who has returned his life to the pinnacle of cultivation, his physical age and actual age are completely different things.

(End of this chapter)