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

"These new recruits are pretty good, don't you think, Professor Zephyr?"

Zephyr smiled and nodded: "Yes! The quality of this batch of recruits is very high. There are 16 ability users alone, and they all have great potential. They have a bright future!"

Karl chuckled. Actually, this was also related to the increase in bounties. Bounty hunters didn't care about the lives of pirates. They would never hesitate to kill a pirate with a bounty. Poisoning was just child's play.

This also means that even pirates with Devil Fruit powers can be caught off guard and die. When a pirate with a Devil Fruit power dies, the Devil Fruit will naturally be reborn, and others will have the opportunity to obtain the power.

Anyway, since the bounty has increased, the proportion of new naval recruits with Devil Fruits has been growing. Once they grow up, they will at least be at the colonel level, which means they are elite naval personnel.

"Professor Zefa, what are your plans after retirement?"

Zephyr laughed and said, "Of course I'm going to find a place to retire! Sigh, if Kuzan hadn't begged me, I would have retired long ago like Garp. Now, I'm already halfway through my life... Never mind, I won't say anymore. Anyway, after I finish teaching this batch, no one can persuade me anymore."

"Haha, don't worry! Professor Zephyr, isn't there still Lieutenant General Xiu Zuo? He will take over your position. By the way, aren't you planning to retire? I have a place to recommend, would you like to consider it?"

"Where?"

Carl pointed to the sky: "A floating island over 10,000 meters above sea level, my girlfriend's territory, quiet and beautiful... You'll definitely fall in love with that place when you go."

Zefa looked up at the sky and shook his head: "Sigh~ Never mind. I appreciate your kindness, but I've decided to return to my hometown!"

Karl was silent for a long while before saying, "That's fine too..."

"Report!!! General Karl!"

Carl turned his head and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"

"The Straw Hat Pirates have appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago, and a large number of bounty hunters are heading there to take their heads for the bounty. Marshal Kuzan has asked you to handle the situation to prevent any unrest."

"The Straw Hats?"

Karl was still somewhat unfamiliar with this name that had disappeared for nearly two years.

The summoner thought Karl hadn't heard him clearly, so he explained, "It's Straw Hat Luffy, the guy who broke into Impel Down."

"I understand. I'll go to Sabaody right away. Oh, and could you also ask Kuzan for leave for me? I need to go to Fishman Island."

"Huh? This..."

Karl stood up and patted the summoner on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Kuzan will agree. Just tell him."

"Oh, General Karl, I'm off!"

After the summoner left, Zephyr chuckled and said, "Straw Hat Luffy? That name sounds familiar! Is he Garp's grandson?"

"Yes! He and his crew disappeared for two years after the Marineford War, and now they've reappeared. We should go and see what's going on!"

"That's true, you should go quickly! The mission is important!"

Karl laughed as he gestured for Raven to transform, then leaped up and jumped onto Raven's back: "Teacher Zephyr, I'll definitely be there on the day the camp ends!"

"well..."

After watching Karl leave, Zephyr's smile vanished. Pointing at the group of curious onlookers below, he shouted, "What are you looking at? Karl went out to catch pirates. Do you want to go too? No, you can't, because you don't have the strength!"

"So, everyone, get serious about training and don't slack off!"

"Yes!"

......

A tavern in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"Hey, look! The Straw Hat crew has reappeared!"

"Honestly, they've been gone for two years. I thought they were long dead! After all, of the supernovas who landed on Sabaody Archipelago two years ago, besides X Drake and Bonney, there's only Straw Hat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro left."

"Who says otherwise! I didn't expect them to start recruiting as soon as they showed up. Are they trying to expand their veteran force and make a name for themselves in the New World?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, a bounty of over 7 million! That's tempting! It's just a pity that we can't handle pirates of this caliber!"

A rugged-looking man chuckled and said, "That's not necessarily true. Look, see this packet of poison? It can easily kill even Sea Kings. If we run into the Straw Hat crew, hehe, maybe we'll have a chance?"

"Really? That's great! Can I have some?"

"Thank you for the 10,000 Berries!"

???

At this moment, an orange-haired girl sitting at the bar pricked up her ears curiously. After all, this was news about them, and it was hard not to attract her attention.

bang~

At that moment, the tavern door suddenly opened, and a tall figure came into view.

"Hahaha! Boss, bring on the drinks! Oh, and the food too, bring as much as you can!"

Chapter 295 The Middle-Aged Straw Hat Crew

The man who was speaking was wearing a straw hat and was burly. He was accompanied by several strange-looking people.

"Hey! Could they be...?" a patron in the corner whispered to his companion.

"No doubt about it, it's them. That's definitely the Straw Hat crew. Straw hat, red shirt, slippers. Although they're a bit chubby, it's obvious that it's Straw Hat Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Really? It seems he's suffered a lot these past two years! About the same as my nephew who worked on construction sites for three years."

......

"Hey buddy, I heard the Straw Hat crew landed on this island. Do you know where they are?"

The young man who had been stopped by Karl recognized Karl's face, his pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "White, White Crow..."

"Shh~ Quiet down, I'm here to capture the Straw Hat crew, don't give me away!"

The young man covered his mouth and nodded excitedly. Then, he looked around furtively to make sure no one was watching before speaking.

"General White Raven, my wife is a big fan of yours. Could you please give me your autograph?"

"Uh, no problem."

After signing his name, Karl asked again, "Do you know where the Straw Hat crew is?"

"Yes, I just heard from someone that they went to that tavern over there. If you want to capture them, hurry up! Otherwise, they'll escape!"

"Rest assured, justice will prevail over evil."

Karl turned and left, heading straight for the tavern not far away.

"A bounty of 100 million Berries? Tch, don't you even read the flyers? Bounties below 150 million Berries are not accepted. It's amazing you guys even found this place with such a low bounty."

"Damn it! I just wanted to join you guys, what did I do wrong?"

"Get lost! I'm the son of the Revolutionary Army's Dragon! You piece of trash think you can join us? You're dreaming!"

The obese sniper king sneered, "That's right, we're not in the same league as you! Captain Luffy is a 720 million Berry bounty criminal, how could he possibly look down on trash like you?"

"Get out of here!"

With a gunshot, "Luffy" shot the pirate with a bounty of 100 million.

Other guests whispered among themselves, "That's ruthless!"

"Who told him to be so capable? But there's going to be a good show soon... Shh, I just saw someone poison his drink. It won't be long before he..." The middle-aged man made a throat-slitting gesture.

The others immediately understood, and amusement appeared on their faces; the real show was about to begin.

They were used to this kind of thing. For the bounty, those bounty hunters—no, people who wanted to get rich overnight—would do anything. Poisoning? That's just basic stuff.

"Frankie, how many people have gathered now?"

"About 100 people! Three pirate crews are begging to join us, saying they're trying to escape bounty hunters. As for the wanted criminals, there are 10 in total."

Luffy gave a wicked smile: "Not bad..."

"Boss, what are you standing there for? Can't you see we've finished our drinks? Bring us some more!"

"Hey, orange-haired woman who's been sitting there all this time, stop sitting here all alone! Come over here! I'm Straw Hat Luffy, you know!"

Nami didn't react; she couldn't even be bothered with these counterfeit products.

"Hey! Woman, didn't you hear me?"

Hey~

Nami sighed softly, "No need, I'm waiting for another man."

The bar owner whispered a reminder: "Hey, you'd better listen to him! He's a pirate with a 7 million bounty, your life is more important!"

Seeing his daughter's ungrateful behavior, Luffy was instantly enraged: "You damned woman, how dare you use such a flimsy excuse as waiting for someone else's man to reject me! I'm the Straw Hat..."

bang~

The tavern door was rudely pushed open, and Karl, dressed in a white suit, walked in: "I heard the Straw Hat crew is here?"

When Karl entered, the entire tavern fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were on Karl, speechless for a long time.

"That's...that's the naval hero, Admiral White Raven!"

"Why is he here?!"

Nami covered her mouth, clearly bewildered by Karl's arrival. Could he really be here to capture them?

Luffy turned pale with fright. What pirate in the world didn't know the power of the Marine hero Karl? Being confronted by this guy was truly the worst luck imaginable.

Seeing Nami sitting at the bar, Karl felt a pang of emotion. The little girl from back then had really grown up! Her Will of D was becoming increasingly powerful, almost catching up with Hancock's.