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At the same time,
When Flip returned home, he told his father, Wetton, about his encounter with the so-called "private Marine" earlier that day.
"Private Marine? What is that?"
After listening to Flip's story, Wetton looked puzzled.
He had been a pirate for decades and knew a lot about the Marines, but he had never heard of such an organization before.
"I don't know either, but... those people will probably be here soon! And they should still have a lot of gold on them..."
As he spoke, Flip's gaze greedily shifted to the gold on the table.
Wetton leaned on his crutches and smirked. "Very good. Gather our men and bring out the Flame Suit! Since these fat sheep have come knocking on our door, there's no reason not to feast."
Wetton didn't take this so-called "private Marine" seriously at all. If he had ever taken Marines seriously, he wouldn't have been a pirate in the first place.
While Wetton and his son prepared to deal with Ikki and his crew, Ikki, led by Lake, had already arrived at Wetton's manor.
The estate was massive—far larger than expected. As soon as they entered the grounds, they saw numerous servants working inside. The hall of the manor was even more extravagant, decorated with excessive luxury.
"Haha... the owner here has really bad taste," Nico Robin said with a playful smile.
Vivi nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Nami's eyes had turned into the shape of Berries.
She had just heard from Ikki that the Straw Hats would be posing as tax collectors to collect a "fee" from the estate. At first, she didn't take it seriously, but after seeing the grandeur of the manor, her interest was piqued.
"This is built on the backs of so many people... Taxes must be collected!" Nami declared righteously.
Ikki, walking behind the group, turned to Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. "You three stay outside the hall," he instructed.
He had a feeling that the old man Wetton would cause trouble, so he wanted them on standby to handle any potential issues.
Naturally, the three had no objections.
As soon as they stepped into the grand hall, Wetton, leaning on his crutches, and his son Flip appeared.
The moment Lake spotted them, he immediately ran over and grinned.
"Father, Grandfather... these pirates are here to pay taxes and apologize!"
"Speaking of which... pirates nowadays sure are polite," he mused. "They actually acknowledge their mistakes and come to apologize! Quite different from the pirates of the past—those brutes had no manners whatsoever. So... I suppose the new era isn't all bad..."
Before Lake could finish speaking, Flip quickly covered his mouth.
Wetton, standing to the side, looked at his grandson with an ugly expression.
Although Lake was spoiled and naive, he had no idea that his grandfather was once a notorious pirate.
Wetton had no intention of ever telling him.
Like in gangster movies, when an old crime boss nears the end of his road, all he thinks about is preventing his descendants from following the same dark path.
Wetton was no different. He wanted his grandson to take over as mayor, not as a pirate.
After years in office, he had come to realize a simple truth—being a mayor made money faster and more ruthlessly than being a pirate. Even better, with the right title, the Marines wouldn't come knocking at his door.
Without sparing his clueless grandson another glance, Wetton turned his attention to Ikki, who stood opposite him.
"You... you're the private Marine, right?"
Ikki nodded. "Yes, I am Deputy Director Ikki of the Private Marine Taxation Bureau!"
He then gestured to the people behind him. "And these are my colleagues."
"Taxation Bureau?"
Lake couldn't help but feel that the title sounded quite prestigious...
"Ahem..." Wetton coughed a few times before saying, "I don't recall being obligated to pay taxes to your so-called tax bureau!"
"Of course! Our Private Marine's duty is to maintain peace and stability on the sea. If you live on the sea, then naturally, you must pay taxes!"
Wetton: "..."
"You're just trying to rob me!"
Ikki shrugged.
"It's fine if you see it that way! Because, funny enough, my tax list looks quite similar to yours!"
"For example—poop tax, eating tax, walking tax..."
"And most importantly... pirate tax!"
"Now, there are some pirates who qualify for tax exemptions—kind-hearted ones, for instance. But people like you?"
Ikki clicked his tongue twice before smirking.
"You wouldn't be able to afford it even if you sold everything you own!"
Wetton's expression darkened. He knew now that this man wasn't here to collect taxes—he was here to cause trouble.
"Very good..."
Wetton sneered, then casually picked up a teacup from the table and threw it toward the ground without a word.
Seeing this, Lake—still oblivious to the situation—reacted quickly and caught the cup before it could shatter.
"Grandpa... why can't you even hold a cup steady?"
Wetton: "..."
Annoyed by his son ruining the moment, Flip stepped forward and smacked Lake on the back of the head.
"You idiot..."
After scolding him, Flip grabbed the teacup and forcefully slammed it onto the ground.
The moment the cup shattered, a grin spread across Wetton's face.
Outside the hall, he had more than a thousand musket-wielding soldiers and ten Electric Suit waiting in ambush.
That was more than enough to wipe out this so-called tax bureau.
Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps echoed from outside.
Hearing this, Wetton's grin widened.
But...
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
Yet, no one entered.
"Ahem..." Wetton coughed awkwardly before turning to his son.
"Flip, the soldiers you've been training are pathetic! Increase their training when this is over!"
"Yes, Father..."
Flip responded without hesitation, though he was equally confused.
It had been over a minute, yet not a single soldier had entered...
"I mean, come on—how hard is it to throw a cup properly?"
Ikki smirked.
"Hmph!" Wetton scoffed. "Perhaps my men simply didn't hear it."
With that, he picked up another teacup.
But before he could throw it, Ikki suddenly rushed over and snatched it from his hand.
"You don't even know how to throw a cup as a signal!" Ikki laughed. "Let me show you how it's done!"
He casually dropped the cup in his hand, letting it shatter on the floor.
Then, he shouted—
"Come out! My three invincible brothers!"
At the sound of the breaking cup, the manor's wooden doors were suddenly smashed open!
Ace, Sabo, and Luffy strode in confidently.
Behind them were dozens of soldiers sprawled unconscious on the ground—alongside the wreckage of a dozen destroyed robots.
"You see? This is how you throw a cup properly!"
Wetton, still leaning on his crutches, stumbled back in shock before collapsing onto the floor.
His horrified gaze locked onto the wreckage outside the door.
"W-What... what's going on!?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ikki grinned. "Your entire army was wiped out by our tax bureau... in less than three minutes!"
"So now, let me ask you..."
"Will you pay your taxes? Or pay your taxes? Or pay your taxes?"