Because They Weren't Marines!

On the God Slave.

Nojiko stared wide-eyed as the orange trees in Anna and Charloss's hands were grabbed by two ship ropes and carried to the aft deck.

Then she watched in stunned disbelief as several ship ropes used tools to build a small garden on the aft deck, planting the orange trees in soil that had just been dug up from a Nameless Island.

Those piles of soil had been dug up on the island by the ship ropes as well...

Everything about it made her feel as though she were dreaming, as if she had arrived in a magical kingdom.

"This is Young Master's ability."

"Come on, you need to wash up."

Anna and Charloss took Nojiko by the hand and headed toward the ship's bathing room.

"Wash up?"

Nojiko asked curiously.

It wasn't even nighttime yet. Why wash up?

"Hehe, you'll be serving Young Master tonight."

"Of course we need to get you nice and clean first."

Anna and Charloss chuckled as they pulled Nojiko along.

With Nojiko joining them, they would have it much easier at night.

"I..." Nojiko had not expected things to move so fast. Her face flushed, and she had no idea what to do.

Although she knew that following Lin Yu meant becoming his woman, wasn't this too fast?

Lin Yu did not interfere in Nojiko's affairs. Instead, he lay at the bow with his eyes closed, resting as he recalled the information he had just Scanned from Nojiko.

Name: Nojiko

Identity: Adopted daughter of a Marine

Specialty: None

Talent: None

Friendliness: 20

Combat Power: No star rating

Looking at Nojiko's panel of three nothings, Lin Yu sighed and began considering what position to assign her to, as well as whether he should have her eat a Devil Fruit now.

The Paramecia-type Box-Box Fruit did not offer much of a boost in combat power. Judging from its literal meaning, it would most likely grant its user an ability similar to a storage box, so it might not be suitable for Nojiko.

The Box-Box Fruit was actually best suited for Kaya and Makino.

One would be his future ship's doctor, while the other would be his future cook.

Whether medicine or food, both required large amounts of storage. Those two were the people he intended to feed the Box-Box Fruit to.

Nojiko, meanwhile, was truly just an ordinary person. No special talent, no special ability, no star rating.

She was practically a girl with three nothings.

If he recruited her now, Lin Yu would not gain any additional ability at all.

On the other hand, if he fed her a Devil Fruit first, then recruited her afterward, he might be able to obtain Nojiko's Devil Fruit ability.

With that thought, Lin Yu made up his mind. Until he found a Devil Fruit suitable for Nojiko, he would not recruit her for the time being.

Of course, he simply would not recruit her yet.

He would naturally still go through the proper steps of getting close to her.

Recruiting her first and then building a bond, or building a bond first and then recruiting her, made no real difference.

Either way, Lin Yu could obtain one of her abilities.

As he thought, Lin Yu began considering where he could find Devil Fruits, or pirates who possessed Devil Fruits.

That night, Lin Yu arrived at Nojiko's room under Anna and Charloss's guidance.

"Lin Yu..."

Seeing Lin Yu arrive, Nojiko knew what was about to happen. Her pretty face turned crimson, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

How considerate!

Seeing Nojiko dressed by Anna and Charloss in a set of "cool clothing," Lin Yu praised the two of them inwardly before closing the door.

What followed was time for him and Nojiko to be alone.

The next day, Nojiko woke up in bed and found that Lin Yu was gone.

Thinking about what had happened the night before, her face reddened. Then she gathered up the bedsheet and hid it away.

When she arrived on deck, she saw Lin Yu supervising Anna, Charloss, and Reiju as they trained.

"Do I have to join them too?"

Feeling Reiju and the others looking at her, Nojiko asked while looking at the three women dressed in tight crop tops and hot pants.

"Yes. If you want to become stronger, this is necessary."

"Okay."

After saying that, Nojiko changed into the same tight crop top and hot pants as Reiju and the others, fully displaying her graceful figure and long legs.

Seeing Nojiko change into training clothes, Lin Yu smiled.

"You'll start with the most basic training."

Nojiko's foundation was too poor. The training Reiju and the others underwent was not suitable for her.

"Mm." Nojiko nodded obediently.

East Blue.

Marine 16th Branch Base.

Inside the base, most of the Marines were drinking and gambling, making a racket without the slightest appearance of Marines.

Only a very small number still followed the duties of the Marines and trained diligently.

"Captain, are we really going to keep training?"

A newly enlisted youth looked enviously at the Marines holding a feast in the distance.

He wanted to go over there too, drink, eat meat, take a share of the money, and play with women.

In order to keep his crimes from being exposed, Mouse Lieutenant had already won over the vast majority of the Marine soldiers in the 16th Branch Base.

Only a tiny number of Marines, led by a Petty Officer, still held fast to their belief in the Marines.

As for these people, Mouse Lieutenant had directly arrested several of them and threatened the rest not to reveal anything, or he would kill their families.

Under such circumstances, the Marine soldiers who still upheld their beliefs could only turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to Mouse Lieutenant's actions.

"Why did you join the Marines in the first place?"

The Bearded Petty Officer standing before the youth looked at him and the few soldiers beside him.

"My father was killed by pirates, so I want to catch pirates." The youth lowered his head.

"Then do you think they can catch pirates?" The Bearded Petty Officer pointed at the Marine soldiers having fun in the distance.

Looking at those people, the youth seriously shook his head. "No!"

The Bearded Petty Officer looked at those people in the distance with disgust and said with absolute conviction, "Of course they can't, because they aren't Marines!"

"Well said!"

Lin Yu walked over from the side and gave the Bearded Petty Officer an approving look.

Behind Lin Yu, Reiju, Nojiko, Anna, and Charloss all followed at his side.

The purpose of their trip was to eliminate Mouse Lieutenant, who had colluded with Arlong, avenge Nojiko, and use this trash to train Anna and Charloss.

Only by enduring the trial of blood could the two of them grow quickly.

"Reiju, you handle that mouse. Take him alive."

"Anna, Charloss, you handle everyone else. Leave no one alive."

"Yes!" Reiju and the other two answered in unison, rushing toward the Marine Base in the distance and beginning the slaughter.

Of the three, Reiju was the most proficient. Anna and Charloss were somewhat clumsy, but with the enhancement of their Zoan-type Devil Fruits, they quickly became more skilled.

The base soldiers who had been drinking and making merry had long since neglected their training. Now, they could not even put up the most basic resistance and could only flee for their lives.

Thus, it was essentially a one-sided slaughter.

"You people..."

The young Marine cried out in shock at Reiju and the others' slaughter.

"Don't speak."

The Bearded Petty Officer stopped the recruit, because he had already recognized Lin Yu's identity.

God Slayer Lin Yu, who had killed a Celestial Dragon in the North Sea, had a Bounty of 1.5 Billion Berries. He was not someone people like them could stop.

Besides, just as he had said earlier, he did not consider those people in the base to be Marines at all. Naturally, he was indifferent to whether they lived or died.