One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

Smoker sighed: "Because I'm no longer the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption."

"What? There is such a thing?"

Smoker quickly said, "I resigned voluntarily, and I have also trained a successor. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will continue to operate normally."

"and you..."

Smoker looked at Carl with a complicated expression: "It's all because I saw your news. You're almost a naval hero, while I'm still the same. I think it's time for a change."

Indeed, after seeing the news of Carl's great achievements, Smoker approached Fleet Admiral Sengoku, resigned from his position as Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and returned to the navy as a Rear Admiral.

Carl smiled and said, "That's good. Anyway, with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) around, you don't have to worry about internal Navy issues."

"Yes!" Smoker thought to himself. Now, all he wanted was to step onto a warship and return to the essence of the navy.

Chapter 171 A barrage of news

Carl patted Smoker on the shoulder: "Have you decided where to go?"

"A new world?" He shook his head.

"Paradise?" He shook his head.

"They're not going to the four seas, are they?"

Smoker nodded: "That's right, and I'm planning to go to the East Sea, to Loguetown."

Roggetown, where dreams begin.

A hint of surprise flashed across Karl's face, but he quickly regained his composure. This was probably some kind of correction!

He himself made Smoker the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in the original world, but in the end, Smoker still had to go to guard Loguetown, and he even went there voluntarily.

"Smoker, the East China Sea is the weakest sea. Isn't it a waste of your talents to send a major general like you there?"

Smoker said calmly, "No, you're wrong, Karl. I've already researched it. The claim that the East Sea is the weakest sea is complete nonsense."

"Think about it, Gol D. Roger, Portgas D. Ace, Yasopp, Marine hero Garp, and revolutionary Dragon were all born in the East Blue. Were they weak?"

Karl nodded in deep agreement. The overall level of the East Blue was indeed not very good, but those who made a name for themselves were all big shots. Moreover, there were still two Yonko in the East Blue who had not yet left the beginner village.

The East China Sea can only be described in four words: terrifying.

"Therefore, the weakness of the East Blue is just a facade. I went to the East Blue to nip all the pirates in the bud who wanted to go to the Grand Line."

"Well then, good luck, and keep in touch when you have time."

Smoker smiled and said, "Of course, I won't disturb you two any longer. Goodbye!"

Ayn smiled shyly and waved goodbye to Smoker.

After Smoker left, Carl said with some emotion, "The times are about to go crazy."

"Huh? Rampage? Why do you say that?"

Karl said meaningfully, "It is 1517 now. In three years, you will understand."

Ain was completely confused by what Karl was saying and had no idea what he was trying to tell her. She could only gently pinch the soft flesh on Karl's waist.

"Hmph~ Stop playing mysterious, just tell me!"

Karl put his arm around Ian's slender waist and said helplessly, "I'm telling the truth. You'll find out when the time comes."

"Tch! I can't be bothered with you."

The following day, the news about Carl completely overshadowed the news of Mary Geoise's destruction. The overwhelming propaganda made Carl blush with embarrassment.

But that's not all. Sengoku is also constantly arguing with the Five Elders, determined to push Karl to the position of a naval hero.

The Five Elders, of course, disagreed. One Garp was already a headache for them, how could they possibly have another one?

Sengoku responded with one sentence: he instructed the newspapers to publicize that Karl's achievements had overshadowed the impact of the Mary Geoise attack, and that if Karl did not receive what he deserved, things would likely end badly.

"There's no need to talk about Sengoku anymore. Garp is enough as a naval hero."

"No, I think one naval hero is far from enough. How many years has Garp been a naval officer? To put it bluntly, he's already a legend of the last era."

"The Navy needs a new legend to inspire more people to join, and now is the perfect time."

"Don't forget, Karl single-handedly captured the criminals who destroyed Mary Geoise and restored the World Government's reputation. Doesn't he deserve a hero's medal?"

The Five Elders were stunned. The old man with a thick golden beard took a deep breath and said to Sengoku, "Sengoku, don't be anxious. Of course, we will not forget Karl's contribution, but this matter is of great importance."

"That's right, we need to think about it some more."

Sengoku slammed his fist on the table: "What are you still considering? Since you don't want to give it to him, then I will personally award Karl the Hero Medal. Anyway, this is an internal matter for the Navy, isn't it?"

"Warring States Period, is this how you talk to us?"

Zhan Guo calmly adjusted his glasses and remained silent.

Holding the bald man holding the first generation Kitetsu, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, we will consider this matter carefully. We will give you an answer tomorrow, or at the very least, the day after tomorrow. How about that?"

"It better be this way."

After saying this, Sengoku got up and left.

"This guy is getting more and more rude. Without our support, how long can he hold onto his marshal position?"

"Alright, let's stop talking about these meaningless things. I think Sengoku has wanted to retire for a long time, but he just hasn't found a suitable candidate yet."

"A candidate? Doesn't this guy think highly of this Navy guy named Karl? In that case, let's call him over and see if he's really the right candidate."

"Hehe, that's not bad. If this guy were like Sengoku and Garp, he could forget about becoming a naval hero."

"good."

The Grand Line, the New World.

"Why is it Karl again? It's always him, I'm getting tired of seeing him."

Laki closed the newspaper speechlessly, complained to Beckman beside him, and handed the newspaper to him.

“This guy is really hard to deal with. I can’t forget the time he tricked us in the Kingdom of Treasures.” Beckman flipped through the newspaper and continued, “Sure enough, all the reports are about Karl now, and the news about the destruction of Mary Geoise has completely disappeared.”

"You mean, the news was deliberately written this way to erase the impact of the Mary Geoise attack?"

Beckman nodded: "That should be the case, otherwise how could the news about Mary Geoise disappear without a trace after only one day?"

"But this Enel is too strange. He clearly has the power to destroy Mary Geoise, so how could he be killed by Karl so quickly?"

Lucky chuckled: "What's so strange about that? He's a Devil Fruit user, that's all. Alright, why worry about it? Come on, let's drink!"

Beckman shook his head helplessly, took the glass, and said they had just gone through a tough battle and needed to relax.

Little did they know, on the other side of the Redford, Shanks was looking at Carl's photo in the newspaper with a serious expression, his only remaining arm feeling slightly sore.

"The Navy has produced an extraordinary figure!"

Public opinion continued to escalate, with newspapers even openly declaring Karl a naval hero of the new era and advocating that the Navy should award him a hero's badge.

Strangely, not only did no one object, but many people actually supported it.

This brings us to Karl's harem, or rather, his fan club. After the recent barrage of news reports, Karl's fan base has exploded. Now, thanks to the added bonus of these heartthrobs, Karl has become a true stamina monster.

Sit-ups? Sorry, Karl doesn't even consider them anymore.

Malinvando.

"Karl, you're coming with me to Mary Geoise."

Chapter 172 The Five Elders

Mariejoia.

Just a few days ago it was a wasteland, but now reconstruction is underway and it is gradually returning to its former prosperous and luxurious state.

As for the Celestial Dragons, I didn't see any. I suppose they probably don't want to share the place with the construction workers.

Following Sengoku to the outside of a tall building, Sengoku looked at Karl and said, "This is it, let's go in!"

Karl smiled faintly and strode in.

Knock knock knock!

"Come in."

When Karl walked in, the first thing he saw was a huge round table. Five old men with different appearances sat evenly on one side of the table, staring at him indifferently.

From left to right, the first old man is burly, wearing a black suit, with white curly hair, a bushy white beard, a flat cap, a scar on his left cheek, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

The second old man was wearing a dark blue suit, had long, straight white hair, a long beard, and slanted eyes.

The third one looked younger, wearing a dark red suit without a bow tie, with blond hair and a blond beard, and a scar on his chest.

The fourth one was also an old man, with a receding hairline, wearing a dark green suit, with two large, eight-shaped mustaches, and a birthmark on his forehead.

The fifth old man looked quite formidable. He was bald, wore a white Taoist robe, and had glasses. He was the only one of the Five Elders who wasn't wearing a suit and had a beard.

He held an ancient-looking knife in his hand, which looked somewhat familiar. If Karl was not mistaken, it should be the prototype of Raven, the first generation of Kitetsu.

"Sengoku, you may step aside for now. We need to discuss the Hero Medal with Karl."

Sengoku nodded, gave Karl an encouraging look, and then left the room.