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

"Thank you, Lord Karl!!!"

Karl waved his hand: "No need to thank me. After all, I am the regent of the Women's Kingdom. This is what I should do. As long as I live, everyone in the Women's Kingdom can be free from illness forever. However, I will have to trouble you from now on."

The female warriors in the audience exclaimed excitedly, "Don't worry, Lord Karl!!! We will definitely finish building Her Highness's palace as soon as possible!"

Karl smiled slightly, waved, and left.

"I'm back!"

No one responded. Ain was engrossed in a conversation with Hancock and completely ignored Karl's presence. Karl shook his head helplessly, but then smiled.

Ain and Hancock's relationship is much better now than before; all their hard work during this time has finally paid off.

Because Ian is also pregnant, the two of them are now expectant mothers, and they immediately have something in common to talk about.

"Cough cough!"

......

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Honey, you're back! You've worked so hard."

Carl waved his hand, sat down next to Hancock, and asked, "How are you, Ain? Are you feeling better now?"

Ain blinked her blue eyes and nodded slightly: "Much better. By the way, I want to eat Water Meat. Could you go to Water Seven and bring me some?"

Carl nodded and looked at Hancock beside him: "What about you? Is there anything you want to eat?"

Hancock pouted and thought for a moment: "Uh... I also want to eat watery meat, which will save you the trouble of running around."

Karl grinned: "Running more is fine. Besides Kizaru, who dares to say they're faster than me? You guys are important figures now, satisfying you is my top priority, and no one else can change that! I said it!"

"Bulu Bulu~"

The Den Den Mushi rang, and Carl's expression changed. Could he be getting slapped in the face so soon?

"Hey, Kuzan, you better be in trouble!"

"Yes, something has come up. You've been on leave for almost a month, it's time to get back to work!"

"What job? Didn't we agree to wait until...? Are you planning to take action against the Straw Hat crew?"

Karl was shocked. They were already preparing to attack Luffy. He had only been the Pirate King for a few days!

"Yes, the situation is turbulent right now, and many islands have been caught up in the war. How many more people will be left with nowhere to turn?"

"I don't want to see them become pirates, so the Pirate King, the number one pirate, must disappear as soon as possible, and the era of pirates must come to an end as soon as possible. I want to personally usher in the era of adventurers!"

"But isn't Sakazuki the president of the Adventurers' Guild?"

"Ahem, that's not important. What's important is that the Navy should do everything in its power to guide those who are driven to desperation by unforeseen circumstances onto the path of adventurers, rather than becoming pirates!"

Kuzan understood very well that the navy should not be involved in politics, but that did not mean it could not be fully involved. At least regarding the refugee issue, the Adventurers' Guild had already provided an answer.

He will be able to handle the situation calmly, whether the Revolutionary Army successfully overthrows the World Government or the World Government eliminates the Revolutionary Army.

"Okay, I understand. Time and place?"

"Tomorrow at 10:00 AM, Dieterre Island, coordinates are..."

After hanging up the phone, Carl gave Ain and Hancock an awkward smile, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Well, I have some things to take care of tomorrow, but don't worry, it'll be over soon, and I'll be back in no time."

Seeing Karl's expression, the two women smiled knowingly.

Hancock laughed first, "Darling, go ahead! We're not children anymore, we can take care of ourselves, right, little sister Ain?"

Ain nodded, a worried expression on her face: "Karl, are you going to capture the Straw Hat Pirates this time?"

Karl was silent for a while, then nodded: "Yes, this time, the Straw Hat crew is doomed, but they are not in mortal danger. If they know what's good for them, the Navy won't make things difficult for them. It all depends on what the Straw Hat kid decides to do."

"Yes, I believe you. No matter what the outcome, I hope you can let Nami go. She's a good girl; she just went down the wrong path."

Carl grinned: "I understand..."

Chapter 361 Naval Mobilization

Naval Headquarters, Marineford, Naval Conference Room.

After hanging up the phone, Kuzan went straight to the conference room.

The meeting room was filled with prominent figures in the navy.

Navy Admirals: Saakas, Borsalino, Fujitora.

General substitute: Gion, Kake.

Vice Admirals: Momonga, Firemountain, Onigumo, Penn, Doberman, Smoker, Tina...

Retired personnel: Former Vice Admiral and Naval Hero - Garp, former Fleet Admiral - Sengoku.

Apart from the Giant Vice Admiral, almost all of the Navy's high-end combat forces have arrived, which shows how much the Navy attaches importance to this operation.

"Gentlemen, since its inception, the Navy has been fighting against pirates. Now, we have finally ushered in the opportunity to completely eliminate pirates."

"The Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Red-Haired Pirates are all things of the past."

"The bounty has been increased, and the bounty hunters have helped the Navy eliminate those small-time pirates."

"The Adventurers' Guild provides another path for those who are forced to become pirates."

"However, pirates can never be completely eradicated, because there will never be a shortage of evil people in this world, and pirates can never be completely eliminated."

"However, we will absolutely not allow the next Pirate King to appear!"

The navy personnel present were slightly taken aback. Hadn't it already appeared?

Kuzan seemed to have guessed what they were thinking and said with a smile, "The Pirate King I'm talking about is the Pirate King who will usher in the Great Pirate Era."

oh! So that's it.

"Therefore, we must bring the Straw Hat Pirates, who have been making waves recently, to justice as a warning to others!"

Smoker nodded thoughtfully, then raised his hand with a serious expression.

"Lieutenant General Smoker, you speak."

"Fleet Admiral Kuzan, the World Government and the Navy are no longer a single entity, right?"

"That's right, now the World Government is the World Government, and the Navy is the Navy."

"If that's the case, then the Straw Hat crew doesn't seem to have committed any major crimes! Moreover, as far as I know, the Straw Hat crew doesn't seem to be pure pirates. No matter how famous they are, I've never heard of them attacking towns or plundering treasure, if we ignore their attack on Impel Down..."

Sakazuki snorted coldly, "Lieutenant General Smoker, are you saying we're going to let them go?"

Smoker shook his head: "No, what I mean is, the Navy might not need to exterminate them, but rather take another approach. Admiral Akainu, you are the president of the Adventurers' Guild, don't you think the Straw Hat crew is a lot like adventurers?"

“I…” Sakazuki was about to retort when he fell silent, lost in thought.

Putting aside any biased views about pirates, the Straw Hat crew is indeed not some truly heinous criminals, especially after the Navy and the World Government separated.

At this moment, Kuzan's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it and said with a serious expression.

"Smoker's words make sense, but the arrow is already on the bowstring and must be released. Whether or not to wipe out the Straw Hat crew depends on the choice of this Pirate King."

"If he's willing to cooperate with us, well, it's not like we can't work together."

"Does anyone have any other opinions? Let's say them now! Otherwise, it will be pointless to say them when we set off."

The hawkish generals all looked at Sakazuki, but he made no comment. They could only nod. Since the opinion leaders had no objections, what objections could they possibly have?

Sakazuki did have his opinions, but not about how to wipe out the Straw Hat crew.

Since becoming the president of the Adventurers' Guild, his perspective on things has changed.

He used to be just an employee, doing whatever the boss told him to do. Even if he could offer suggestions, they were basically ignored. Back then, he always thought the boss was an idiot. But only after becoming the boss himself could he understand the boss's predicament.

Sengoku: Huh?

After Kuzan's reminder, Sakazuki thought that if he could get the Straw Hat Pilgrim under his command, the Adventurers' Guild's reputation might be able to rise even higher.

He hadn't figured out exactly how to use him yet, but one thing was for sure: the Straw Hat Boy was more useful alive than dead.

Seeing that no one spoke, Kuzan nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, since no one has any objections, let's set off!"

"Peng Enzhongjiang, I'm counting on you."

T. Penn gave a solemn salute: "Yes, Marshal Kuzan."

Ten minutes later, an ordinary-looking warship took off from Crescent Bay harbor, carrying a ship full of high-end combat power capable of shaking the entire world.

"Damn Garp, you're going to deal with your grandson this time, why do you look so happy?"

Garp rolled his eyes and casually poked his nose: "You used to be a Marine Admiral, didn't you hear what Kuzan said? As long as that idiot Luffy backs down, everything will be fine."

"But will he really back down? Although I don't know much about him, he seems to have inherited the stubbornness of the Monkey family. You're his grandfather, you can't be unaware of this, can you?"

Garp fell silent for a long while before slowly saying, "If that's the case, then I will personally make him submit. Things have come to this point; there's no room for stubbornness anymore..."

At this moment, Garp's expression was calm, and the seriousness in his eyes made Sengoku take notice.

As Garp's friend of many years, he knew all too well that this time, the old man Garp was really serious.

"Yes, perhaps you should have done this a long time ago."

"Ugh......"