Af leter shaking off Sengoku, Lind used his powerful telekinesis to catch up with Whitebeard inss than half an hour.
When Whitebeard saw the Navy warship flying through the sky, with Lind proudly standing at the bow, he nearly lost his composure.
"This time... we went too far. Sengoku's reputation is in shambles!"
"Gurararara! Brother Lind, that was beautifully done! Let's have a proper drink to celebrate!"
The moment Lind set foot back on the ship, he was greeted by Whitebeard's booming laughter, and he laughed along with him.
"Hahaha, it's all thanks to your strength, Brother Newgate. I wouldn't be able to take Sengoku one-on-one yet!"
"And honestly, we owe it to Sengoku's contribution too... I think it's only fair we throw a party!"
"Gurararara, couldn't agree more! Boys, let's give our thanks to Vice Admiral Sengoku—time to party!"
The celebration erupted instantly, and with it, the day passed in a joyful blur.
The Next Morning
As Lind stood on the deck enjoying the sea breeze, Whitebeard's excited voice rang out.
"Gurararara, Brother Lind, we've got a call from the Navy!"
Whitebeard strode over with a Den Den Mushi in hand, his face glowing with excitement.
"That quick? Guess the Navy's efficiency isn't too bad. Is it Sengoku, or Kong?"
"Gurararara! Sengoku probably can't even show his face right now. He's still drifting out at sea—probably hitching a ride on Zephyr's warship just to chase us down!"
"The call's from Kong himself. Looks like the Navy's getting anxious!"
Whitebeard's laugh echoed again.
"Hahaha! Admiral Kong, hello there! I'm Lind, 7th Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates. A pleasure to speak with you!"
Lind gave a polite greeting to the stern-faced Den Den Mushi in Whitebeard's hand.
"Gurararara! Kong, what do you think of our 7th Division Commander, huh? Isn't he a remarkable young talent? Your Navy doesn't have anyone like him!"
"Lind, is it... I'll remember your name. Since you've chosen the path of a pirate, I hope you won't come to regret it."
Though Kong admired Lind's talent, his position in the Rocks Pirates made recruitment impossible. All he could feel was regret.
"Whitebeard, let's talk about the Marines you captured."
Whitebeard glanced at Lind, who casually raised ten fingers in response. Whitebeard's pupils widened slightly, but he remained composed as he replied:
"Gurararara! Kong, these are Sengoku's hand-picked elites. We're not greedy—just 1 billion Berries will do!"
As soon as Whitebeard said the number, the Den Den Mushi twisted into a furious expression.
"One billion Berries?! You think I'm worth that much?!"
"No way! For the people and the ship—30 million at most!"
Lind smirked just from the Mushi's angry face.
"Gurararara! Admiral Kong, as a top commander, you should keep your composure—even if the Red Line crumbled behind you."
"Your Navy is wealthy—1 billion Berries is nothing. It's not even as high as my bounty!"
"Hahaha! And let's not forget, these were Sengoku's trusted lieutenants. Without them, the Navy's presence in the New World will seriously weaken."
"If some rogue pirate breaks containment, the resulting losses could easily exceed 1 billion."
Linde's "logical" reasoning served as the perfect backup.
Since it was all bonus money anyway, they decided to aim high and pressure the Navy into a fair pay out.
"No way! 50 million tops! Our budget is limited—Sengoku will have to make do!"
"Gurararara! 800 million, Kong! We're being very generous here."
"That's right. Eight hundred million—you pick the location. Anywhere but Marine ford and we'll even deliver them ourselves."
Back and forth the negotiation went. Finally, the Navy agreed to pay 180 million Berries to retrieve the Marines and their ship.
As for the pickup, Whitebeard and Linde just had to wait in place—Zephyr and Sengoku would soon catch up to retrieve them.
"Gurararara! Kong, pleasure doing business. If we ever get another opportunity like this, we'll be sure to call you again!"
Whitebeard joked with a big grin, but Kong simply hung up.
Soon after, Sengoku appeared again, this time accompanied by a young man with purple hair—Zephyr.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, we meet again! Your men have been treated well on my ship."
"Oh, and—you brought the money, right?"
"Hmph! Newgate, Linde—you two pulled it off this time."
Compared to the future Fleet Admiral, this Sengoku was still too green. Even from a distance, Lind could practically see him grinding his teeth.
"Tch, no need for small talk. We brought the money. One hand for cash, one hand for men."
Zephyr stepped forward and slapped a hand on Sengoku's shoulder, taking over the negotiation.
Thankfully, Zephyr had just been delivering funding to Navy bases in the New World—otherwise, they wouldn't have had the money ready so quickly.
"Gurararara! Very well, let's trade—cash for captives."
No pleasantries were exchanged this time. As soon as the Berries changed hands, Whitebeard and Lind released the prisoners and returned the ship, then sailed back toward Hive Island.
Seven days later, the pirate ship arrived at Hive Island once more.
In just one week, Lind's name had shaken the entire sea.
As the new officer of the Rocks Pirates' 7th Division, he had become the most talked-about pirate in the world in record time.
Not even twenty years old, he had only debuted for less than a month—and now carried a bounty exceeding 600 million Berries.
By the time Whitebeard's ship returned, the Hive Island harbour was packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of the rising legend.
Many newcomers even hoped to join his crew and become founding members.
Even Rocks himself came to greet them, along with several of the free officers.
After all, this was the first time the Rocks Pirates had scored such a decisive and clean victory—completely humiliating the Navy's second-in-command, the so-called "Tactician" Sengoku.
(According to my setting, during this period, Kong is the only active Admiral—so Sengoku, even as a Vice Admiral, is effectively the Navy's No. 2.)
"Fuhahaha! Shiki, with Lind's fame now, I don't think he'll be able to remain your vice commander."
"Zehahahaha! Boss, Linde's my good brother! I'm proud of him—I'm not losing out."
"But Boss, this means you owe me a vice commander. Next time you find a suitable candidate, keep me in mind, alright?"
"Fuhahaha! I'll leave that to Lind. I trust he'll find you a worthy partner!"
"Mamamamama! Can't let Shiki take all the good ones. I don't have a vice commander either—when's my turn?"
"That new Oni kid looks promising! With some training, he'll be strong. He already calls me 'sis'—don't you dare steal him from me!"
"Newgate and Lind are approaching—let's save this for later. Today's spotlight isn't on us!"
Sure enough, Whitebeard's ship docked, and Whitebeard and Lind walked side by side toward the welcoming committee.
"Gurararara! Everyone—it's been a while!"