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

Otherwise, why would he stay in this tiny, broken-down planet?

Im must still have a mission, or perhaps he still has some attachment to the world. Otherwise, if it were Karl, he would have already broken out of the little broken planet and opened up the interstellar battlefield.

Therefore, Im's strength is definitely not beyond the realm of living beings; he is very strong, but not so strong that it inspires despair.

Moreover, judging from Karl's memories of his previous life, Im's methods were nothing special. Destroying an island with one blow, well, impressive, but so what?

As long as Im remains within the realm of living beings, Karl has nothing to fear.

.......

“Karl has completely slipped out of our control, but we absolutely cannot let the Navy slip out of our control as well. I propose that we awaken Lord Im ahead of schedule.”

"agree!"

"Seconded!"

Chapter 289 Marshal Kuzan

Mariejoia.

The tall, dark figure slowly sat on the throne, his red pupils gazing indifferently at the five elders who were prostrate on the ground.

"I need a reason."

The curly-haired old man said in a deep voice, "Lord Im, we are very sorry to have disturbed your slumber, but we really have no other choice."

Im gave a soft "oh," rested his chin on his hand, and looked quite interested.

"Has some extraordinary person appeared again?"

"No, not pirates, but the Navy. There's a guy named Karl among the new generation of Navy. He's now a Vice Admiral and a Navy Hero, but his strength has long surpassed that of ordinary Navy personnel."

"That's right, Lord Im. His presence has boosted the Navy's prestige to unprecedented heights. Now, under his instigation, the Navy is showing signs of splitting from the World Government. This guy is not as simple as he seems!"

Im remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "The Navy... so what if it splits up without funding from the World Government? Sooner or later they'll come begging to you. As for waking me up?"

"However, that's the problem. He is a user of the Holy Light Fruit, and the products of his ability, Holy Light Shells and Holy Healing Shells, are very popular, forming a nearly trillion-dollar industry chain. This means that even without funding from the World Government, the money he earns is enough to support the Navy, and this is the Navy's biggest source of confidence in breaking away from the World Government."

Upon hearing this, Im fell silent, closing his eyes as if deep in thought.

Seeing that Lord Im remained silent, the Five Elders below could only stare blankly, kneeling on the ground awaiting Im's instructions.

“Karl, that’s interesting. I want to meet him. Bring him to me.”

"Yes...."

......

The next day.

bang~

"Karl, you need to go to Mary Geoise right away."

"Oh? I went there yesterday! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's about the selection of the next Fleet Admiral. They said they want you and Kuzan to go to Mary Geoise to deliver the appointment letter to Kuzan."

"Huh~"

Carl frowned. This was getting complicated; the Five Elders were probably really going to pull something big...

Is Im, the big boss of the One Piece world, finally coming?

"What's wrong, Carl? Is there a problem?"

Karl breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head: "No problem, Marshal Sengoku, where is Kuzan?"

"He's waiting for you at the port."

"Okay, then I'm leaving."

Crescent Bay Port.

"You've finally arrived!" Kuzan tried his best to look cool, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. He was about to become the Fleet Admiral, and he could finally realize his grand ambitions.

"Kuzan, I advise you not to be too happy yet. This trip to Mary Geoise will definitely not be that simple."

Kuzan's expression changed: "Why? Is the World Government up to some trick again?"

"That's... well, anyway, don't be too optimistic. But it's probably aimed at me. Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go to Mary Geoise first."

Kuzan scratched his head and followed Karl onto the ship.

Half an hour later, the two stood on the land of Mary Geoise, one on each side, looking ahead at the tallest building in Mary Geoise.

"let's go!"

Upon entering, they saw the Five Elders scattered around the central round table. Kuzan and Karl immediately focused their attention on the two of them as they entered.

"You are here."

Karl grinned and unceremoniously found a seat. Although it wasn't his first time here, Kuzan couldn't be as generous as Karl. He smiled and gestured to the Five Elders before sitting down.

“Kuzan, a few days ago, Sengoku stepped down, but when we asked who the next Fleet Admiral would be, he recommended you to us.”

“We didn’t give a direct answer at the time, but after several days of investigation and comprehensive consideration, we unanimously believe that you are the best choice for the position of Admiral. Congratulations, Kuzan!”

The one who spoke was the middle-aged man with golden hair. After he finished speaking, the old man with long white hair on the left picked up the marshal's appointment letter from the round table and handed it to Kuzan.

"Kuzan, from today onwards, you are the Fleet Admiral. I hope you will take it upon yourself to uphold justice and strike down the evil pirates on the high seas."

Kuzan's eyes flashed with surprise, and he accepted the marshal's appointment letter with a slight tremor in his arm.

"I will do it, please believe me!"

The white-haired old man smiled and nodded, then said to Kuzan, "Marshal Kuzan, I hope you remember this: Commander-in-Chief Steelbone is in the next room. He's been waiting for you for a long time. After all, it concerns the handover of the naval admiral position, and as Commander-in-Chief, he has to see you!"

Kuzan nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll go now."

After Kuzan left, the smiles on the Five Elders' faces gradually disappeared, and they looked at Karl with cold eyes: "Lieutenant General Karl, please come with us! An official wishes to see you."

Karl's lips curled into a slight smile: "Oh? I get a share too?"

The bald old man frowned and said, "You'd better show some respect, Lieutenant General Karl."

Karl's smile gradually faded, but he didn't say anything more. He simply held out his hand, gesturing for them to lead the way.

After walking through a long, dark corridor, we arrived at a huge door.

"Lord Im, Karl has been brought here."

"You guys go down!"

"Yes!"

The Five Elders turned to look at Karl, slowly opened the huge door, and gestured for Karl to go in.

Da Da Da~

The crisp sound of leather shoes on the floor echoed in the empty room, a testament to its sheer size.

Although the lighting wasn't great, Karl could still tell that the decor was extremely luxurious, like a medieval royal palace.

There was a thick red carpet in the middle, which felt soft underfoot and looked like it wasn't made of ordinary material.

Then, Karl raised his head and looked towards the end of the red carpet—the throne at the highest point.

On the high throne sat a man in black robes, looking down upon all living beings like a king, exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Is this a show of force?

Karl chuckled and strode forward. After a few steps, he shouted, "So you're Lord Im? Speak your mind! My time is precious."

"Hehehe~" Im let out a meaningful laugh.

"It's been a long time since anyone has spoken to me in this tone. You've got some nerve!"

"Who do you think you are?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Karl instantly felt Im's Conqueror's Haki, an aura that even Shanks could hardly match, and even Karl felt a little short of breath.

Is this the aura of a king who rules the entire world? It's truly terrifying!

Karl's lips curled up slightly, unleashing a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki without backing down.

The entire room trembled slightly under Karl's Conqueror's Haki.

Chapter 290 The New Commander Takes Office

"As expected of Lord Im, his Conqueror's Haki is truly powerful. But I have it too!"

Sensing Karl's Conqueror's Haki, Im abruptly stood up from his throne, his gaze turning somewhat wary.

This kind of domineering color is even more powerful than Joy Boy's back then, but that's not what surprised Im.

Im was surprised that such a spirit came from a naval officer.

"The Five Elders are right, you are indeed extraordinary."

Im's Conqueror's Haki gradually subsided.

Karl grinned. "If I had let them control me, I wouldn't be where I am today, Im."