Smoker completely dismissed the notion that Garen had willingly fallen from grace and become a bandit, because this place simply had nothing to do with the word "pirate."
On the contrary, the place was so overflowing with positive energy that no one could imagine it had been a pirate stronghold not long ago.
Garen's officers, in particular, made Smoker feel rather unaccustomed:
They had none of the crude mannerisms of seafaring men. Every one of them was polite and greeted people with a smile, making Smoker and the Marines feel as though they had wandered into some upscale restaurant with excellent service.
Those former laborers and former pirates had not naturally possessed such manners. It was all because of Garen's demands.
The standards for evaluating the officers' ideology were also entirely tied to Garen's ideas of good and evil.
With such an evaluation system hanging over their heads, the newly promoted officers developed toward Garen's ideal image of model civil servants at an almost magical speed.
Moreover, because of Garen's strength and prestige, these subordinates could not help developing sincere admiration and reverence for him.
After all, these officers had been tested by Garen's Greatsword. They shared similar views of good and evil with him and were comrades in the truest sense.
Led by several junior officers, Smoker and his group began heading toward Garen's office building, formerly Krieg's residence.
Along the way, Smoker saw an even stranger sight:
At the construction sites, large warehouses, and other facilities along the road, groups of gloomy-looking men wearing shackles on their feet were doing hard labor.
As they toiled with their heads down, people beside them watched and threatened them with blades and guns. They looked no different from slaves.
Such a cruel scene made the kind-hearted Tashigi feel rather uncomfortable.
"Who