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

Karl couldn't help but marvel at the technology that was 500 years ahead of the world. It was truly surreal; it felt like the technology tree in this world had been built haphazardly.

"Here's the blood sample you requested. Should that be enough?"

Kizaru placed the silver briefcase on the clean, cluttered lab table, opened it, and let Pythagoras see the blood sample inside.

"Wow! So many, that's enough! With these, the artificial Devil Fruit project will be ready soon! Hey! Who's this guy?"

Pythagoras then noticed Karl standing next to Kizaru, his eyes filled with an anthropomorphic look of surprise—it was hard to believe that a robot could make such an expression.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Karl from the Navy Headquarters, and also my adjutant. He greatly admires you!"

Pythagoras closed his briefcase, walked up to Karl, and looked him up and down: "Hello, I am Pythagoras, one of Vegapunk's incarnations."

"Nice to meet you."

"Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Karl's expression turned serious. Talking to smart people was so simple, so he simply said, "Dr. Pythagoras, I heard that you have developed a technology that allows 'things' to eat Devil Fruits, is that right?"

"That's good, this project is already quite mature. Would you like a weapon with abilities?"

Karl nodded: "That's right, Dr. Pythagoras, do you have time to do me this favor?"

Pythagoras glanced at Kizaru, a troubled look on his face. He scratched his head with his mechanical arm and said, "Hmm! This is really a difficult situation! I really want to help you with this, but I don't have any more Devil Fruits to make power weapons, so I'm sorry."

Karl was secretly delighted. There was hope! It was just a Devil Fruit! We had one!

"Ahem, Dr. Pythagoras, um, I have it."

Since the Raven Fruit was in the system space, Karl couldn't just take it out directly. After all, he had been searched, and he couldn't just forcibly pull it out of his anus!

And what if Kizaru misunderstands if I suddenly take it out?

Kizaru gave Karl a strange look. If he remembered correctly, Karl had bought his Holy Light Fruit from a fruit stand. How come he had another one now? When did Devil Fruits become so easy to obtain?

"You have it! What type is it? Zoan type? Paramecia type?" Pythagoras's expression was one of surprise and anticipation.

Karl scratched his head, feigning confusion: "It should be a Zoan type! I think it's the Bird-Bird Fruit, Raven Mode."

"Oh, I see! Hmm, let me think. I happen to have a replica of a famous sword made using ancient sword-making techniques. Once you send me the Devil Fruit, I can help you create a weapon with that ability."

Karl was astonished. Was Vegapunk, no, Pythagoras, really so easy to talk to and so helpful?

He had been thinking that he would have to make some kind of exchange before the other party would agree to help him get a weapon with his abilities, but he didn't expect the deal to be reached so easily. He only had to give up a Devil Fruit, and he didn't even have to worry about the knife himself.

"Oh, that's great! Thank you, Dr. Pythagoras. Is this too much trouble for you?"

Pythagoras shook his head: "No trouble at all. I've recently come up with some new ideas about the conditions for ability conversion, and this will be a good opportunity to test them out."

So that's how it is! This wave is called a two-way rush.

"In that case, I will deliver the Devil Fruit to you as soon as possible. By the way, which famous sword replica was it again?"

Pythagoras didn't say anything, but turned around and walked into a room, followed by the sound of something being rummaged through.

About three minutes later, Pythagoras came out, carrying a long staff that looked like a sword but was actually rotten.

"Here it is. Fifteen years ago, I was very interested in the cursed weapon, Onikiri. Out of curiosity, I made a replica of it according to the smelting process in the ancient book, but it doesn't seem to be much different from an ordinary sword."

"What do you think?"

Karl curiously took the rotten replica of the first generation Kitetsu from Pythagoras, gripped the hilt, and slowly drew it out.

A replica made 15 years ago, its scabbard and handle have long been rotten due to never being maintained, but the blade still shines with a cold gleam.

Judging from the material of the blade alone, this replica is far superior to the Karasuma we obtained before.

Kizaru, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, stroked his chin and said, "Hmm~ This sword looks pretty good! Although it's old, the material is surprisingly sturdy!"

Kizaru is an admiral, so his judgment is naturally quite good, which means that this replica is indeed something special.

Moreover, this is a replica created by the world's top scientist, so it should be almost indistinguishable from the genuine product.

"It's definitely a good knife! Let's use it!"

Pythagoras gave a human-like smile: "Well, you could say it's a way to make use of waste. Alright, if you have nothing else to do, you should go now! I still have many projects to research!"

Kizaru shrugged, turned and left. Karl reluctantly put down the replica of the first generation Kitetsu, said goodbye to Pythagoras, and left the laboratory.

On the way back, Kizaru said seemingly casually, "Don't you have anything to say to this old man?"

"Haha, you mean that Devil Fruit? The one you got during your apprenticeship?"

Kizaru nodded thoughtfully and didn't ask any more questions, after all, it was just an ordinary Zoan-type.

After returning to the warship, Karl went straight to his room, took out the Raven Fruit, put it in a box, and handed it to Kizaru.

"Admiral Kizaru, please pass this on to Pythagoras for me."

"Honestly, who's the adjutant here?"

Kizaru muttered something, but still slowly carried the box to the island and handed it to the guard, casually saying that this was the experimental material Vegapunk wanted. The guard solemnly accepted it.

Seeing this, Karl couldn't help but sigh, "Kizaru's influence is really effective!"

Chapter 39 New Mission

Marineford, Marshal's office.

"You did a great job on this mission, the capture plan was a complete success, especially you, Karl, Lieutenant General Mole and the others really like you, haha!"

Karl scratched his head shyly: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is too kind. It was mainly thanks to Kizaru, Admiral Aokiji, and the Vice Admirals. I only did some insignificant things."

Zhan Guo stroked his beard and said with a chuckle, "You're too modest. You know, Mole and Fire Mountain have nothing but praise for you! This time..."

Karl smiled without saying a word, merely smiling, nodding, and humming in response to Sengoku's praise, exuding a faint scent of green tea.

"By the way, Borsalino, the Butcher Pirates have been very active lately. Go and handle it. Here is some relevant information."

Kizaru took the intelligence report and flipped through it. What caught his eye was the bounty poster for Butcher Oligo, the captain of the Butcher Pirates, with a bounty of 120 million Berries.

Continuing to observe, the first mate's bounty is 4800 million Berries. Clearly, this is a group of pirates who have just entered the New World and are not particularly strong. Kizaru frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

Logically speaking, this kind of task should be assigned to a lieutenant general; it would be a waste of his talents to ask him to do it.

But seeing Sengoku staring intently at Karl, Kizaru seemed to understand something. He should have realized it sooner; this mission was clearly a test.

Although Karl demonstrated his abilities in the operation to capture Kaido, this achievement is not as convincing as personally capturing pirates.

For the Navy, defeating pirates is the best proof, and this mission is to give Karl a chance to prove himself.

Once he successfully defeats the Butcher Pirates, Karl will soar to new heights and become a true naval admiral.

After figuring it out, Kizaru couldn't help but sigh. Sengoku's high regard for Karl meant that the talent he had worked so hard to acquire was about to go solo.

Why is Kizaru so confident? Because the intelligence reports stated that Oligo, the strongest member of the Butcher Pirates, had not even mastered Haki. How could he possibly defeat Karl, who was proficient in the Six Powers and had mastered both types of Haki?

"Karl, go back and get some rest. We'll set off tomorrow." After saying that, Kizaru glanced helplessly at Sengoku, handed Karl the information on the Butcher Pirates, and crossed his legs without any expression of sadness or joy.

Sengoku nodded silently to himself; it seemed Kizaru had understood what he meant.

"Marshal of the Warring States, then I shall take my leave."

"Ok!"

Watching Karl's departing figure, a look of satisfaction appeared in Sengoku's eyes.

"Kizaru, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, there's a reason I'm doing this..."

He originally intended to let Karl train under Kizaru for a while before letting him lead a team on his own, but Tsuru's evaluation of Karl during the mission to capture Kaido made him change his mind.

Karl's potential is far greater than he imagined. It's safe to be with Kizaru, but his growth will be limited.

Kizaru usually deals with pirates far stronger than Karl, so Karl rarely gets a chance to fight. This would only waste his talent and turn him into a mere "tool," which is something Sengoku doesn't want to see.

So after careful consideration, he deliberately assigned this task to Kizaru to see if Karl actually had the ability.

If that doesn't work, then let him train with Kizaru for a while longer. If it does work, then let him become "independent" first and give him time to grow into a qualified high-end combatant.

Back at the naval family compound, Carl lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, contemplating life.

"Sigh~ Looks like I won't be able to enjoy slacking off with Yuanzi for much longer!"

The moment Kizaru handed the information to Karl, Karl immediately understood the intricacies of the situation, because he was all too familiar with this tactic; Charles had done the same thing back then.

"Captain Oligo, bounty 120 million Berries, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, cruel and tyrannical in nature, first mate..."

After reading the intelligence, Karl had only one thought: this guy was a bit troublesome, but that was all. With his mastery of both types of Haki, Karl wouldn't find it too difficult to handle him.

"Hey! Carl, you're back!"

When Monica came home from get off work and saw Karl, her eyes lit up. Like a swallow returning to its nest, she rushed into Karl's arms and greedily sucked on his lips.

"You miss me this much after I've only been gone a few days?"

Monica rolled her eyes at Karl. She was just worried you wouldn't be able to come back!

"Ugh, you're asking a question you already know the answer to..." Monica pouted sweetly and rested her head on Karl's chest.

"Hehehe, no rush, we have plenty of time tonight, let's go get something to eat first."

After shopping with Monica and having a sumptuous dinner, the two headed straight to their love nest to study the mysteries of life's continuation.

The next day, Kalbao bid farewell to the reluctant Monica and boarded the warship.

In the lounge, Kizaru said with feigned resentment, "Sigh~ Karl, you really are valued by Sengoku! This mission was specially prepared for you!"