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

"The Navy will prevail!!!"

"Justice will prevail!"

"Justice will prevail!!!"

The resounding slogans echoed throughout the naval headquarters and were broadcast live across the sea. Just watching this scene was enough to stir one's heart.

"Gentlemen, today is a day to remember for the Navy, because another hero has been born in our ranks! Please tell me his name!!!"

"Karl!!!"

"That's right! A month ago, the audacious and vicious criminal Enel, who claimed to be a god, destroyed Mary Geoise, committing an unforgivable crime that caused extremely serious consequences..."

Then, Sengoku began to list Enel's crimes, such as daring to destroy Mary Geoise today and daring to destroy Marineford tomorrow, etc. In short, he described Enel as a heinous, cruel and tyrannical villain, after all, this would make Karl's achievements seem greater!

Actually, Karl didn't think it was necessary to emphasize it much, since talking about Enel was like talking about him, since he was the one who orchestrated this whole thing.

"However, justice will surely prevail over evil."

"Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate Karl of the Marine Headquarters fought a three-day, three-night battle against Enel, whose bounty was 48 billion, on Long Chain Island. Thus, the criminal Enel met his end on Long Chain Island!!!"

.....

"Therefore, we are holding this grand awarding ceremony today specifically for Vice Admiral Karl. From this day forward, Vice Admiral Karl will become a new naval hero, a beacon of justice across the vast ocean!!!"

"Now, please welcome our naval hero, Karl!!!"

"Ooooooooo!!!" "Slap slap slap slap!"

Amidst enthusiastic applause and shouts, Karl, dressed in a black suit and wearing a cloak of justice, appeared on the platform, standing beside Sengoku, smiling and waving to his colleagues and the crowd.

"Aaaaaah! Lieutenant General Karl is out!!!"

"So handsome!!! I can't take it anymore!!!"

"Naval Hero Karl!!!"

"Karl, congratulations. Do you have anything to say?" Sengoku then handed the Den Den Mushi to Karl and stood aside, smiling at Karl.

Karl took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Colleagues, fellow citizens, I feel honored and proud to stand here today, because it means that from this moment on, I have officially become a member of the Navy's heroes."

"This is an honor, and also a responsibility."

"From the day I put on the white uniform, filled with beautiful dreams, a pursuit of justice, and the expectations of everyone, and became a member of the Navy, I deeply realized that the triumph of justice is not just a slogan..."

......

"Even now, I am happy that I chose the right path, because it is a glorious one!"

"Looking to the future, I am proud of the breadth of the path I have chosen, because it is a path I can continuously strive for!"

.....

"Therefore, becoming a naval hero is not the end; it's just the beginning!!!"

Chapter 186 Awarding Ceremony (Part 2)

The audience erupted in applause when the speech ended.

Carl stood quietly on the platform, his face as gentle as a spring breeze, looking straight ahead. After the applause subsided, Sengoku snatched the megaphone Den Den Mushi from Carl's hand.

Karl: ....

"Let us once again congratulate Lieutenant General Karl!"

Clap clap clap~ The applause rang out again, then stopped again.

"Now, please welcome the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Kong Wei Karl, to confer his rank!"

dong dong dong~

With a series of heavy footsteps, Kong, who had not appeared in public for a long time, slowly walked up to the high platform and stood to Karl's right, presenting two cheese sandwiches together with Sengoku.

"My God! It's former Fleet Admiral Kong Steel Bone!"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ Another remarkable person!"

After Kong took the stage, Sengoku handed him the Den Den Mushi. Kong coughed lightly and then said, "The Navy has produced another hero. As the Commander-in-Chief, I am very pleased. This shows that the Navy has a worthy successor..."

...

"Hereby, in the presence of all witnesses, I hereby award Lieutenant General Karl the Medal of Honor!!!"

After speaking, Steel Bone Kong took out a spotless white box and opened it in front of everyone. Inside was an exquisite medal. Perhaps its material was not particularly precious, but it carried the highest honor.

Steelbone took out the medal and hung it on Karl's left breast, then put his arm around Karl's shoulder, looked straight ahead, and roared.

"Fellow naval colleagues, let us pay tribute to our new naval hero, Karl!!!"

shuh~

All the seated naval officers stood up, looked at Karl on the platform, and saluted.

The three generals sitting on the other side also slowly stood up, looking at Karl with serious expressions and paying their respects.

At this moment, both the people watching on-site and those watching via live stream were somewhat excited, but the pirates had mixed feelings.

The ocean ultimately belongs to the navy!

The navy is terrifying. Two naval heroes, three admirals, and countless officers are all fighting for a common goal.

And what about them?

Anyone can be their enemy, and even partners in the same boat cannot be completely trusted.

As for a common goal? Heh, it seems there really is one: does finding Roger's treasure count?

Maybe...

Donghai, Rogge Town.

Smoker grinned as he looked at Carl wearing the hero's medal on the screen.

Carl, I'll work hard to catch up with you! Just you wait!

Beihai 108 branch.

Carl's former superior, Rear Admiral Charles (formerly a commodore), was overjoyed. Pointing at Carl on the screen, he excitedly told the naval soldiers beside him, "See that? Carl is a marine I trained! He came from Branch 108!"

"Really, sir? What kind of person was Lieutenant General Karl before? Tell us about him!"

"Hahaha~ When I first noticed him, he was just a lowly soldier..."

With the live stream cut off, Karl's awarding ceremony officially came to an end.

"Ding~ Congratulations to the host for unlocking the special title - Naval Hero. Daily rewards have been increased to 1 Advanced Attribute Enhancement Card per day, plus 5 random rewards. The probability of obtaining rare rewards has also been increased."

"Ding~ Obtained special skill [Messenger of Justice]: When fighting against enemies of the evil faction, all attributes increase by 1% every 60 minutes (maximum 50%) and the effect of Conqueror's Haki is increased by 100%."

Carlton gasped in surprise; there was an unexpected bonus?

He didn't really feel the increase in daily rewards, since with his strength rising, the improvement from high-level attribute enhancement cards was negligible for him; he could only accumulate it over time.

But the [Justice Messenger] is different; it's a truly devastating weapon.

With his current strength, it would be difficult to determine a winner in a battle of the same level in less than a day or two. He could basically get the full buff, a 50% increase in all attributes! Tsk tsk tsk.

In that case, who can outlast him, who gets stronger the more he fights?

Let alone Kaido, even Whitebeard would have to get slapped twice before leaving!

Upon thinking of this, Karl couldn't help but smile broadly, but remembering that there were still people around, he quickly composed himself and pretended to be very serious.

A reporter pressed the shutter button on a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric telephone), and a world-famous painting was created.

In the image, Karl gazes ahead, arms crossed, bathed in sunlight. His hero medal shines brightly in the sunlight, and his cloak of justice flutters in the sea breeze.

The next day, the photo appeared in the newspaper, officially announcing to the world that a new naval hero had been born.

"Karl, wake up!"

"Ugh, why are you getting up? Don't you know I have a week off?"

Ain pushed away the hand that was playing around with her chest and said irritably, "You're resting, but I'm not. Sigh~ I really wish we could go back to the way things were!"

Carl sat up in bed and smiled at Ian: "Oh? You miss the days when you were my little adjutant?"

"Yeah! It's better than this! We haven't gone on a date together in ages."

Karl gently brushed Ain's long, wavy blue hair and said, "In that case, I'll talk to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and have her transfer you back to Marine Headquarters. Hmm, to help Teacher Zephyr train new recruits. What do you think?"

Ain's eyes lit up, but she quickly shook her head: "Let's forget it. Anyway, we can't work together, so we might as well keep things as they are."

"Oh... I see. Then be careful. I'll... I'll take a nap."

Ain shook her head helplessly, gently got out of bed, picked up her clothes from the floor, and left the room.

......

When the sun was high in the sky, Carl stretched and got out of bed, then heard a knock on the door.

"Oh, Gion-nee, is there something you need?"

Gion smiled and said, "Yes! I heard from Ain that you've been resting these past few days, is that right?"

"Yeah! But I got busy afterwards, after all, I just became a naval hero, you know..."