CP0 gave a general explanation of the situation, but they did not mention that one of their companions had died, nor did they say that the two of them had been beaten.
Although they were still on the line with the Five Elders, they were still here in person, and Kyle's behavior just now had somewhat frightened them; the distant Saturn Saint, who was far away, couldn't provide them with any sense of security.
Saturn Saint was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Hand the Den Den Mushi to Rear Admiral Kyle."
"Moshi Moshi, Saturn Saint, this is Marine Rear Admiral Kyle!"
"Rear Admiral Kyle, first of all, I want to thank you for your contributions to the stability and peace of the seas, for successively capturing major pirates like Moria, Wang Zhi, and Shiki, thus sparing the world's civilians from their persecution!"
"And now you have also captured the entire Red Hair Pirates crew; I am very satisfied with your performance! However, the government currently requires the Red Hair Pirates to cooperate in some matters, so we need you to hand over the Red Hair Pirates to us."
"Of course, the Marines will not forget your achievements, and the government will not forget them either. When you return, you will naturally be rewarded according to your merits!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the two CP0 behind him both showed a hint of shock in their eyes.
When had Saturn Saint ever been this polite? This wasn't how you talked before!
Far away in Mary Geoise, Saturn Saint himself didn't see any problem with his attitude.
If Kyle were just an ordinary Rear Admiral, then his attitude naturally wouldn't be like this.
He could have even had Sengoku chew him out and demote him just for daring to ignore the CP0 and demand to speak with him.
But Kyle was different.
First of all, identity-wise, he was Sengoku's grandson, and he also had a very close relationship with Garp and Zephyr.
Have Sengoku scold his grandson? That guy would be lucky not to curse him behind his back.
Another point was Kyle's personal strength. Although his rank was only Rear Admiral, his strength was firmly at Admiral level.
The most crucial point was that he was only ten years old; this was absolutely core.
Given his rate of growth, becoming the Marines' strongest combatant in the future was almost a sure thing. Facing such a current top-tier powerhouse and a future super-top-tier powerhouse, Saturn felt it was acceptable to be polite.
Mainly, he still wanted the other party to work for the World Government. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if he turned out like Garp, who didn't give a damn about them.
Kyle was also a bit surprised by Saturn's attitude.
After all, in the original story, right up until the Egghead arc, the Five Elders, except when facing Im, always gave the impression of being aloof, looking down on the world.
When Sakazuki said, "You're making me lose face," they directly replied, "What the hell is your face worth?"
But this was normal, because the Five Elders knew that no matter what their attitude was, Sakazuki wouldn't 'disobey'.
Never mind them, even Rob Lucci dared to show his teeth to Sakazuki.
If it were Kyle standing in front of him now, let's see if Rob Lucci would dare to even fart.
Facing this situation, Kyle spoke: "Saturn Saint, I understand. Since the government needs the Red Hair Pirates to cooperate, then naturally, I am willing to hand them over!"
"However, Saturn Saint, you don't know, but to capture the Red Hair Pirates this time, I nearly lost my life; I'm still severely injured!"
As he spoke, Kyle coughed a few times.
The CP0 and the many Marines beside him watched this scene in silence.
Mm-hmm! Severely injured!!
Whatever Rear Admiral Kyle says is what it is.
"If, after cooperating with the government, the Red Hair Pirates can be sent to Impel Down, that would be fine. But if not, what if—and I'm just saying what if, okay?"
"What if, by some carelessness, the Red Hair Pirates manage to escape? Then how much disaster would that bring to the seas again? This, this severe injury of mine would have been for nothing. Of course, it doesn't matter much to me, but the most important thing is those civilians; they would have to live under persecution again!"
"Moreover, it would deal a blow to the prestige of the Marines and the World Government, and that problem would be way too serious!"
"But if there could be some compensation given to our Marines, I believe our Marine comrades wouldn't have trouble understanding!"
Kyle changed his tone, speaking as if inadvertently.
Saturn: ....
Good grief, the dagger is revealed, right? You're 'openly and honestly' trying to make a deal, aren't you?
Saturn was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "What you said makes a lot of sense. We really must guard against this kind of situation happening. So, let's do this: the government will allocate an additional ten billion Berries to the Marines this year as military funds."
"What do you think?!"
Kyle's eyes lit up.
Ten billion Berries in military funds? When he got back, if his grandpa didn't kowtow to him a few times, it wouldn't be justified.
"I think that's very acceptable. That way, my Marine comrades probably won't have any objections! However..."
Sigh...
"I paid such a heavy price to capture the Red Hair Pirates; if they were to escape, I'm afraid I'd be left with a heavy heart, constantly brooding, which would lead to my strength stagnating, and I wouldn't be able to work effectively for the government anymore!"
"I hope you can understand, Saturn Saint. After all, a troubled heart is the hardest thing to cure!"
Saturn fell silent once more.
What the?! Weren't you just saying it didn't matter much to you? Now you have a heavy heart and you're constantly brooding?
"Then, how about the government gives you a separate compensation of five hundred million Berries?"
"Saturn Saint, I'm not really interested in things like Berries. Instead, I'm quite interested in some peculiar types of fruit! If there were fruit like that, I think I could overcome my inner demon and serve the government better!"
???
You're picking and choosing now, are you?
Saturn Saint fell silent yet again, thinking.
Kyle wasn't in a hurry either. He didn't continue speaking, just waited slowly. The initiative was on his side now.
Five hundred million Berries? Trying to fob off a beggar?
Shanks' bounty alone was more than five hundred million, damn it.
And he really wasn't interested in Berries, because he genuinely didn't need them. He himself didn't even know how many Berries he had now; he hadn't even exchanged that huge golden bell yet~
As for him serving the World Government?
Of course, that was just bullshitting!
As long as the thing wasn't in his hands yet, he naturally had to blow some smoke. Once the thing arrived, what did he say? He didn't remember saying anything like that, huh?
After another period of time, as if considering Kyle's last sentence about serving the government better, Saturn made a decision.
"In that case, how about I give you one Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?"
Mythical Zoan!!
Kyle's eyes lit up. While this wasn't ninety-nine percent guaranteed, it was indeed a rare find~
Even rarer than Logia!
And their strength was generally not weak. At least among the Mythical Zoans that had appeared so far, only Kurozumi Orochi's Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi, had performed poorly.
And that was most likely because Kurozumi Orochi himself was a letdown, not the fruit itself.
The Yamata no Orochi was a very ferocious giant serpent in legends. After the user transformed into the Yamata no Orochi, each head possessed an independent consciousness.
Theoretically, if developed well, it would be like having eight people attacking simultaneously. Based purely on the textual description, it was definitely a powerful fruit.
Although Saturn hadn't specified which Mythical Zoan it was now, just knowing it was a Mythical Zoan was enough; not knowing added a bit of mystery.
With that in mind, Kyle immediately broke into a smile.
"Saturn Saint, you're too kind. This way, I won't develop any psychological problems!"
"Binz, take a few men and bring the Red Hair Pirates members out."
...
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