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

"I was wrong, I was wrong, please stop hitting me, I was really wrong! Please forgive me!"

"Don't run away?"

"I'm not running away anymore! Stop hitting me, or I'll kill you."

Carl grabbed Bucky by the neck and threw him to the ground. Bucky was covered in wounds and his face looked like a pig's.

Click~

"Go live out the rest of your life in Impel Down, Buggy. But don't worry, Doflamingo, Crocodile will keep you company."

The Clown King has fallen...

after an hour.

Where is Mihawk?

The ape pouted: "He ran away. It's not that I let him off easy. I was fighting him just fine when Sakazuki came, and Mihawk promptly ran away."

"Jump into the sea?"

The ape nodded: "That's right!"

"Alright, with Buggy and Crocodile around, we can get by. The Cross Guild is practically defunct now, let's go back!"

The next day.

"Operation Thunder! The Cross Guild goes bankrupt in the blink of an eye!"

"Cross Guild Master Buggy and his executive Crocodile have been arrested and are about to be sent to Impel Down! This is the power of the Navy!"

Newspapers and newspapers are reporting on the navy's actions yesterday, and the world has once again witnessed what naval efficiency and maritime dominance truly mean.

The Cross Guild had just put a bounty on the Navy for two days when their home was destroyed and they were arrested. This is what happens when you provoke the Navy.

Marineford, Naval Conference Room.

"Gentlemen, the Cross Guild has been wiped out, but the question is, with the fall of the Cross Guild, will a Hundred-Character Guild or a Thousand-Character Guild emerge?"

"Of course, you might say that as long as someone dares to show their face, the navy will crush them all, but the navy is not omnipotent, and we cannot always be on the defensive."

"Therefore, I propose that the Navy Headquarters take the lead in establishing an officially backed Cross Guild, which will recruit unemployed individuals and bounty hunters to complete a series of tasks that the Navy cannot handle, such as bounty hunting, cargo transport, and escort missions. I will name it the Adventurers' Guild."

After saying that, Karl returned to his seat, sat down, and put his arm around Ian beside him.

Kuzan lowered his head in thought, offering no comment, as did the other high-ranking naval officers.

A moment later, Sakazuki raised his head and looked at Karl: "Admiral Karl, won't the existence of the Adventurers' Guild squeeze the living space of the Navy branches? The bounty and cargo transport jobs you mentioned are important sources of income for the Navy branches besides the headquarters' funding. If these are distributed to the Adventurers' Guild, what will happen to the Navy branches all over the world?"

Faced with Sakazuki's dissenting opinion, Karl smiled slightly: "Admiral Akainu, this problem is actually very easy to solve."

"How to deal with it?"

This time, Carl didn't answer; instead, Kuzan acted as his mouth double.

"It's very simple: reduce the size and number of naval branches, and only establish naval branches on key islands and hubs in the four seas. This will not only alleviate financial pressure, but also allow the naval forces to be more concentrated."

Sakazuki jumped up, his face darkening as he growled, "Kuzan, I absolutely disagree with this. The Four Seas are the foundation of the Navy. Every one of you here, aren't you a Navy veteran who came from the Four Seas?"

"If the navy's organizational structure is reduced across the four seas, how will it recruit new soldiers? Will they be sent to naval headquarters by their own ships?"

Kuzan wasn't angry at Sakazuki's backtalk. His voice was calm and collected: "Admiral Akainu, don't be hasty. Wait until I finish speaking before you refute me."

After saying that, Kuzan patted the video Den Den Mushi on his left, and a picture was projected behind him, which was basically a PowerPoint presentation.

Kuzan stood up, turned around, and conjured a thin, long ice stick. Pointing at the projection, he said, "Everyone, please look. After the Marineford War, with the sponsorship of the Holy Light Group, the Navy significantly increased the bounties on pirates, thereby enhancing the willingness of bounty hunters and skilled individuals to fight pirates."

"So, how much impact will this move have on the naval branches across the four seas?"

The video Den Den Mushi then displays the next screen, which consists of two simple and easy-to-understand charts.

"This is the number of pirates captured by the four naval branches before the Marineford War. On average, 9878.5 pirates were captured each year, and the average bounty for a pirate was 387.547 Berries."

"These are statistics from two years after the Marineford War. In 1521 of the Sea Calendar, the number of pirates captured by the Four Seas Branch decreased by 67% year-on-year, while the bounty increased by 27% year-on-year. In 1522 of the Sea Calendar, the number of pirates captured by the Four Seas Branch decreased by 24% year-on-year, while the pirate bounty increased by 8% year-on-year."

"Through the data, we can clearly see the impact of increasing the bounty. The number of pirates captured by the Four Seas Navy Branch is now less than one-third of what it was before the bounty was increased."

Then, Kuzan looked at Sakazuki: "Admiral Akainu, what do you think this represents?"

Sakazuki remained silent for a long time, not saying a word. The data was right in his face; could he really lie through his teeth? Oppose for the sake of opposing?

Seeing that Sakazuki remained silent, Kuzan did not press the matter. Instead, he turned to the assembled navy personnel and declared firmly, "Gentlemen, this means that we don't need that many navy personnel right now. As the Fleet Admiral, I am very happy to see this happen."

"Because the fewer pirates there are, the fewer marines there will be!"

"Therefore, I personally strongly agree with Admiral Karl's plan to distribute most of the functions of the Four Seas Branch to the Adventurers' Guild, allowing the Adventurers' Guild to replace the numerous Navy branches, leaving only the most elite ones. This will not only reduce the pressure on the Navy, but also bring tangible benefits to the people."

"In fact, the title of adventurer will gradually replace that of pirate!"

"Let the Great Pirate Era that Roger started become the Age of Adventurers."

"The Navy ushered in... an era!!!"

Chapter 335 Adventurers' Guild Proposal Passed

These words shocked all the naval officers and soldiers present, except for Karl, of course.

The ultimate goal of the Adventurers' Guild is to make adventurers the mainstream and pirates the lowest class. In this way, not only will the number of pirates decrease, but guys like Luffy who become pirates just for the sake of becoming pirates will no longer join the ranks of pirates.

The establishment of the Adventurers' Guild is a good thing for the navy, bounty hunters, and civilians alike.

Ordinary people can post or accept quests at the Adventurers' Guild to solve problems or earn rewards to supplement their household income. Posting quests depends on one's financial resources, while accepting quests depends on one's strength.

Similarly, bounty hunters, after becoming adventurers, can take on all sorts of missions to earn rewards and satisfy their pursuit of money and fame.

What? You're saying the Adventurers' Guild doesn't have any reputation? You're kidding!

Pirates have Supernovas, Pirate Kings, and Four Emperors, so why can't adventurers have Adventure Kings? Actually, Adventure Kings are a bit too low-level. In Karl's opinion, there should be a straightforward ranking system.

From F to SSS, as long as you are willing to complete tasks and accumulate contributions!

Of course, the Adventurers' Guild takes a cut every time a mission is completed, since the Adventurers' Guild also needs to make a living.

......

Back to the main point, the naval officers and men were still in shock.

"Fleet Admiral Kuzan, I have a question. All the things you've mentioned could be accomplished simply by expanding the navy and eliminating all pirates. Why go through all this trouble?" The person who raised the question was Momousagi, and it must be said that her question hit the nail on the head.

"It's better to guide than to block. There will always be people who become pirates for various reasons, because it's the only path they have. The establishment of the Adventurers' Guild is to give them another way when they have nowhere else to turn, a bright path, instead of making them pirates!"

Hearing Kuzan's answer, Momousagi sighed. Yes, even if the Navy really does wipe out all pirates one day, don't forget, pirates aren't born that way...

"Marshal Kuzan, I have no more doubts. I support the establishment of the Adventurers' Guild. I believe its existence will definitely bring change to this world."

Momousagi was the first to take sides and express her stance, and soon others followed suit, but most of them were doves. The hawks remained silent with cold faces, waiting for Sakazuki to make his statement.

"Admiral Akainu, do you have any further questions?"

Sakazuki took a deep breath and stared intently at Kuzan: "I have only one question: what are you going to do with the naval branches and officers and soldiers that are to be cut?"

Kuzan's lips curled up slightly: "It's very simple. All naval branches and officers on the reduction list will undergo an assessment."

"Naval officers and soldiers who pass the assessment will be assigned to key towns or passes, and the outstanding ones will be sent to Naval Headquarters..."

"What about those who failed the assessment?"

"They will be discharged from the navy and automatically become staff members of the Adventurers' Guild and the first registered adventurers, becoming the cornerstone of the Adventurers' Guild."

"Moreover, this assessment is not limited to the four seas; the Navy Headquarters will also conduct an assessment. The Navy needs a top-down optimization campaign!"

Karl chuckled and rubbed his chin. Could this be considered contributing talent to society?

It's certain that many Navy personnel will complain about this wave of "massive layoffs," but it's a necessary measure.

Now, the low-level pirates are all taken over by bounty hunters, the mid-to-high-level pirates are all taken over by the Navy admirals, and the top-level pirates have been taken over by the Navy admirals. Three of them have been taken over, no, if you include Blackbeard and Buggy the Clown, it should be five. Not to mention those Supernovas who were taken over in Sabaody two years ago.

Therefore, the navy must streamline its personnel, reduce costs and increase efficiency, retain truly talented individuals, and eliminate those who are not performing well.

Sakazuki gave Kuzan a deep look: "Are you trying to split the Navy?"

"There's no question of a split. The Adventurers' Guild has always been under the Navy, hasn't it?"

Sakazuki remained silent for a long while before saying, "Alright, I hope you won't regret it..."

After saying that, Sakazuki turned to leave, but Kuzan immediately called out to him, "Wait a minute, Admiral Akainu."

"Anything else?"

Kuzan said with a smile, "As I just said, the Adventurers' Guild belongs to the Navy, so it naturally needs the Navy to lead it."

"What do you mean?"

"I hope you can become the first president of the Adventurers' Guild."

Sakazuki was stunned, looking at Karl in disbelief, then at Kuzan: "Me?"

"Not bad!"

Kuzan and Karl both agreed that Sakazuki was the best choice. The Adventurers' Guild was newly established and would inevitably encounter many difficulties. At this time, a decisive and strong leader was needed to lead the Adventurers' Guild through all the obstacles.

Sakazuki fell silent again, wondering what Kuzan meant. Was he trying to wean him off the Navy? That was pretty much it. Letting him lead a group of "outcast" Navy personnel to establish an Adventurers' Guild—what difference would that make between him and being "outcast"?

However, from another perspective, if the navy is divided in two, then the "Fleet Admiral's" power must also be divided in two. Rather than staying at Naval Headquarters and sulking with Kuzan, it's better to find another place to fully utilize his abilities...

"I promise you, Kuzan."