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

Carl smiled slightly, took a sip of his coffee, and then slowly said, "There's nothing I can do. Gold will always shine. Actually, this is a good thing."

Kizaru pouted slightly: "Oh? What's your opinion?"

"Admiral Kizaru, the powerful mobility of the Glint-Glint Fruit means you'll often be handling emergency missions, rather than the normal task of capturing pirates like Admirals Akainu and Aokiji."

"As an adjutant, I actually rarely had the opportunity to get training."

Hearing this, Kizaru nodded. What Karl said was indeed the truth; he had lived the same way for many years.

"So I guess Marshal Zhan Guo's intention is to make me independent. In name, I am still your adjutant, but I will handle some non-urgent tasks on your behalf. When there are important tasks, we will still act together."

clap clap clap!

Kizaru couldn't help but clap his hands. Sengoku had told him something similar in private yesterday, but it felt different coming from Karl.

"I didn't expect you to see things so clearly. That's definitely what the Sengoku period meant." After saying that, Kizaru handed Karl a newspaper.

Upon seeing the title, Carl paused, then quickly read the content, taking a deep breath.

This is a newspaper exclusively for the Navy, mainly about the entire process of G-2 Base's victory over Kaido, and it emphasizes Karl's contribution in this battle.

"Now you know how much Sengoku values ​​you! You're quite famous in the navy!"

Meanwhile, Akainu, who was on a mission in the West Blue, also saw the newspaper. His expression remained unchanged, but he felt a little regretful.

Beihai 108 branch.

Charles grinned as he read the newspaper article.

"This kid... he's really soared to great heights! But he's someone I personally mentored, hahaha!"

Chapter 40 The Witch Pirates

New world.

Karl is researching information about the Butcher Pirates.

According to the Navy's intelligence department, the Butcher Pirates landed on Raijin Island five days ago, but did not take any action. After replenishing their supplies, they quickly left and then disappeared without a trace.

The intelligence department speculated that their next stop would be either Avelles Island or Teren Island along the flight path, but Carl had already visited both islands and had not found any trace of them.

There's nothing Karl can do in this situation; he can only wait for their news or try his luck.

As for Kizaru, he received a phone call a day ago and then left without saying anything, leaving the Butcher Pirates to be dealt with by him alone.

Well, it wasn't just one person. There were some unremarkable naval soldiers on the warship. They were okay for helping out, but expecting them to help Karl catch pirates was a bit much.

"Report, sir! Pirate ships have appeared ahead!"

Karl jumped to his feet: "Is it the Butcher Pirates?"

"No, no, it's the Witch Pirates!"

Carl's face immediately fell; his excitement had been short-lived. He knew his luck wouldn't be that good. But as a competent naval officer, Carl quickly composed himself and asked, "Who is this guy?"

"The captain of the Witch Pirates is the Ice Witch Whitey Bay, with a bounty of 280 million Berries. Yes, she's one of the alliance pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Karl jumped up, stepped out of the warship, and picked up his binoculars to look at the pirate ship in the distance.

It was a pirate ship with a steel hull, decorated with snowflake patterns at the bow and stern, and skulls printed on the mast and the sail at the front, making it look more like an icebreaker.

Karl's gaze was serious. The Ice Witch wasn't a problem for him; the real trouble was the white beard behind her.

Everyone knows that Whitebeard is extremely protective of his own people. If anyone dares to lay a hand on his men, they should be prepared to face Whitebeard's wrath.

Meanwhile, the 43 allied pirate crews under Whitebeard's command also ran rampant in the New World, and even the Navy had to give way to them.

Whiteybe, the Ice Witch, is exactly the kind of person with a notorious reputation.

"Major Karl, what should we do?"

Looking at the terrified soldiers, Karl sighed inwardly. This was only his own affiliated pirate crew, and they were already so frightened that they were completely at a loss. If they encountered Whitebeard's Moby Dick, they would probably wet their pants.

Of course, if Kizaru were there, these Marine soldiers wouldn't be so scared; frankly, they don't really trust Karl's strength.

What good are the newspapers' effusive praise of Karl when he has no real achievements to speak of?

Karl took a deep breath, thinking that this was a chance to prove himself. If he couldn't find the Butcher Pirates, he would try the Witch Pirates.

Whitey Bay, the Ice Witch, is a veteran member of the Whitebeard Pirates. She was almost driven to the brink of defeat by the Pacifistas during the Marineford War, which shows how weak she is.

Although the bounty is as high as 280 million Berries, Karl thinks it's a bit inflated. Defeating her isn't the problem; the only concern is what to do after defeating her.

With this in mind, Karl began to issue orders methodically to stabilize morale and carefully observe the movements of the pirate ships.

"You, immediately inform Admiral Kizaru, everyone else prepare for battle. Once the Witch Pirates approach, immediately launch an artillery barrage!"

"Yes!!!"

Ice Witch Ship.

"Big Sister, look! There's a warship over there!"

Whitebeard picked up his binoculars and, upon seeing that the person in charge on the warship was actually a young man, revealed a confident smile.

Because the warship had no special markings and the commander was someone she didn't recognize, she thought it was just an ordinary warship.

If it were just a dog-headed warship, she'd turn tail and run without a second thought, but now...

"Men, speed up! I'm eager to see if the navy's warships can withstand the Witch's ramming!"

"Ooooooo!!!" "Kill all the Marines!!"

The Ice Witch immediately changed course and accelerated toward the warship. The pirates on board were filled with fervor and occasionally let out excited shouts.

On the warship, Karl shook his head helplessly as he watched the pirate ship charging straight at him, and casually took the Den Den Mushi that a marine handed him.

"Moshi moshi~ Karl, if you can, just ignore them, or it'll give you a real headache!"

"I'm sorry, Admiral Kizaru, it's too late to retreat now. They're heading straight for us!"

"Oh dear~ that's terrible! In that case, you'll have to deal with it yourself! I'll be there in about an hour, so hang in there!"

"Hahaha, I'll try my best."

After hanging up the phone, Karl's eyes sharpened, and he turned to the navy personnel beside him, saying, "Remember, whatever you do, don't let the pirate ship run into us. I'll be right back!"

"Major Karl, what... what do you want to do?"

"Do what the Navy is supposed to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, Karl's figure disappeared from the deck. The marines looked up and saw that Karl had already taken to the sky using Moonwalk and was crossing the sea.

"Boss, a navy officer looks like he's flying towards us!"

"what!"

Whitebeard quickly looked up at the sky, where a man in a white uniform and a cloak of justice was standing on air, about to land on their ship.

"Hmph! He's courting death! Shoot him! Kill him for me!"

Whitey Bay gently raised his arm, and the pirates on the deck immediately raised their rifles and aimed at Karl in the air.

"emission!"

Bang bang bang~ Rifles fired in unison, dozens of black bullets shot towards Karl in the air.

But Karl had already turned his head to avoid the bullets that would hit him, and then continued to charge toward the pirate ship.

"Oh no, boss! He dodged them all, he's coming!"

Carl gracefully landed on the bow of the ship, looking at the Ice Witch Whiteybe, who was wearing a captain's hat. She was a pretty woman with a good figure, but beneath her beautiful appearance lay a cold and ruthless heart.

Countless marines and civilians died at her hands, and because of Whitebeard, the marines rarely bothered her.

Karl slowly pulled out the repaired Karasuma, pointed it at the motley crew of pirates, and said, "Are you ready to die?"

"Scumbags!"

The pirates, who had been on high alert, exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing Karl's words, before bursting into a cacophony of laughter.

"Hahaha, pretty boy, who do you think you are! How dare you be so arrogant all by yourself?"

"Hey! This kid's pretty clean-cut. How about we grab him and send him to the boss's bed tonight?"

"Hahaha, that makes sense!"

Karl would like to say something like, "Does being handsome mean you deserve to die?"

But he only grumbled in his mind; he couldn't be bothered to waste words with these dying men. Finishing the fight as soon as possible and taking a break was the right thing to do.

"Whoosh~" A flash of sword light appeared.

The tall pirate in front of Karl clutched his neck in disbelief and crashed heavily to the ground with a loud bang.

"Jel!!!"

"Go! Kill him! Avenge Jell!!!"

A group of pirates swarmed in, but Karl was not afraid at all; in fact, he was even somewhat expectant.

Captain Whiteybe, with a smile on his face, lay comfortably on his fur chair, quietly waiting for this arrogant navy man to fall into a pool of blood.

However, things didn't turn out the way she expected...