Not Becoming a Great General to Make a Name for Myself!

The morning sun was rising, and the weather was fair and clear.

Conrad cut off his blood-red hair from the nape of his neck, holding it in his hand as he watched the sea breeze catch the strands and send them flying.

The hair at his scalp had already grown out a patch of black stubble; once it grew another two or three centimeters, he would shear off the rest of the blood-red locks.

The warship was sailing toward the island where Aokiji was stationed—Twin Snake Island.

At five in the morning, a Den Den Mushi call had brought the news: Aokiji had actually failed in his rescue mission.

When Conrad heard the news, he was quite astonished; he had not expected that a minor West Blue Mafia organization would possess a powerhouse capable of blocking Aokiji.

Whoosh!

Aokiji's warship was frozen to the shore by frost, and the sea within a radius of several hundred meters around Twin Snake Island had been transformed into an "Ice Age."

The navy ships had to dock far away and land by walking across the ice. Marado, the adjutant of the 80th Branch, was waiting by the warship.

Seeing Conrad and his group arrive, Marado first offered a military salute, then began to lead them forward while explaining the situation.

Along the way, ice spikes were visible everywhere, as were buildings collapsed into rubble, clearly the result of a terrifying battle involving superhuman power.

"The bodyguard guarding the casino is a blind man, a blind man in purple clothes holding a cane sword."

Marado said with a solemn expression, "That blind man just sat at the entrance of the casino without moving, and the squad of marines where the Prince and Drake were located all fell to the ground trembling, only to be dragged into the casino by the Mafia."

"Later, Vice Admiral Aokiji arrived to provide support and fought a fierce battle with the blind man, but he still couldn't break through into the casino."

Hearing the description of the man's appearance, Conrad raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does he hold the sword handle in a reverse grip and only draw the blade an inch?"

Marado was startled, recalled for a moment, and nodded vigorously; he had been on the rooftop using binoculars to keep watch at the time.

Conrad suddenly understood; he already knew the opponent's identity, which explained how he could hold off Aokiji.

Based on the physical features and the description of his abilities, there was no doubt: this was the Admiral selected during the World Military Draft held during Akainu's tenure as Fleet Admiral!

Issho, a user of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, codenamed Fujitora.

During their conversation, the marines had already arrived at the Twin Snake Island grand casino, the core asset of the Marlon Family.

By day it was solemn and classical, but at night, once all the lights were turned on, it became resplendent, bright enough to illuminate a third of the island.

Yet, even though it was clearly daylight now, the neon signs were still flickering, appearing very out of place.

Even more jarring was the fact that with the casino as the center, the buildings toward the entrance were ice sculptures, while those behind were shattered into ice shards.

Aokiji exhaled cold air, his feet rooted to an ice sculpture as he looked down at the purple-clad blind man with a square face and a buzz cut standing at the casino entrance.

The blind man kept his head lowered and his body hunched, looking quite constrained. Two hideous scars ran diagonally from his forehead, across his eyes, and down his cheeks.

"Please leave, sir. This Humble One has been guarding you for an entire night; continuing to fight will yield no results."

Aokiji remained silent. Although he had considered that the Mafia might not be easy to clear out, he had never imagined there would be an opponent he could not defeat.

"Return my subordinates."

"That is not within the scope of this Humble One's duties. This Humble One is only responsible for the security of the casino; everything else is of no concern."

The blind man kept his head lowered, his hand on the reverse-gripped sword handle, "Please discuss it with the boss."

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive; clearly, this same dialogue had taken place many times already.

An old man wearing sunglasses, a red rose pinned to his suit lapel, and silver hair combed with meticulous precision was sitting on a fur-covered chair behind the casino entrance, watching Aokiji coldly.

A group of imposing, burly Mafia members stood on both sides of the old man, guns in hand, signaling his status to everyone present.

The current boss of the Marlon Family—Anthony Marlon!

"Vice Admiral Aokiji, our Marlon Family has been rooted in the West Blue for sixty-three years. We have always operated our business diligently, prospered the economy, and paid our taxes on time."

"If you count the other four great families, it is no exaggeration to say that at least one-third of the kingdoms in the West Blue are able to pay their 'Heavenly Tribute' precisely because of the support of our industries!"

"You should know what the Heavenly Tribute means, shouldn't you? Today you come to tear down our foundation... have you asked Mary Geoise about it?"

Aokiji did not answer. Regardless of whether he had or not, he exhaled a cloud of cold air and said, "If you have any objections, you can report me to Marine Headquarters, or go to Mary Geoise; it makes no difference. My only demand now is that you return my subordinates."

Just as his voice fell, a clear, loud voice cut into the conversation.

"Otherwise, none of you will leave this island alive!"

Conrad stepped out from the crowd, pointing his gun at Anthony from a distance, "Aokiji Buster Force, Second Squad! Salute to Vice Admiral Aokiji!"

Swish!

Forty-one men stood at attention, stepping forward and raising their hands in a collective salute.

"Vice! Admiral!"

Aokiji was stunned, tilting his head in confusion; he had only been gone for a single night, and he wondered what had happened to this unit.

Conrad stepped forward alone, walking into the battlefield between the blind man and Aokiji, turned left, and saluted Aokiji once more.

"Reporting to the Vice Admiral! I have identified the identity of this mysterious blind man. He is Issho, the former captain of the Azure Kingdom's guard, a major war criminal from when the kingdom fell!"

"During his flight, he could not suppress his gambling addiction and incurred a massive debt, forcing him to serve as a bodyguard here to pay it off."

Aokiji hadn't even issued an order for an investigation, but he still gave a perfunctory "Hmm."

Conrad pivoted on his heel, turning around to point at Issho. "Do you have no shame?"

Issho lowered his head.

Conrad continued his reprimand, "Do you have any idea who you're backing? These are cold-blooded Mafia! You are aiding and abetting evil! How can you face your fallen country, or your own sense of justice?"

Issho bowed his head even lower, saying in a deep voice, "In this life, one thing is one thing. It is true they are Mafia, but since I incurred this gambling debt with my own hands, I must acknowledge it."

"Fine, Issho!" In front of everyone, Conrad walked straight toward Issho, showing no fear of the man's strength.

"Sir, do not come any closer, or I shall be forced to draw my blade." Issho's ears twitched as he listened to the footsteps.

The Marines grew tense; although they knew Conrad possessed extraordinary skills, a powerhouse capable of standing toe-to-toe with Aokiji was on a non-human level.

Conrad's eyes were filled with disappointment. "Have you become so unreasonable, so unable to distinguish right from wrong? They are clearly cheating you."

The blind man could not see the dice, but Conrad had seen in the manga that Issho had clearly won, yet his opponents in the casino claimed he had lost, swindling him out of his money.

"It is not the first time Issho has been deceived, but if I cannot distinguish the truth, then it is not a deception."

Issho spoke as if to himself, "Besides, in this world, there are swindlers everywhere. What difference does one more or one less deception make? I am upholding my own word."

Conrad roared, "Issho! You are a man meant for great things! Instead of becoming a Marine Admiral and making a name for yourself, you're holed up here as a petty bodyguard? Is this how you honor the skills you've worked so hard to master?!"

"Debts must be repaid." Issho gritted his teeth, insisting, "Sir, please leave."

Conrad had already reached him, yet Issho still did not draw his blade, his calloused hand gripping the hilt until his knuckles turned purple.

"Utterly senseless, you are only deceiving yourself." Conrad shook his head and sighed. "The money you owe! We, the Marines, will pay it for you! From this moment on, the Marines are your creditors!"

Issho suddenly looked up, his eyes opening to reveal two horizontal whites within his scars.

At the casino entrance, Anthony laughed, crossing his legs as he retorted, "Do you have any idea how much he owes?"

"Just say it!" Conrad said impatiently. "No matter the amount, I will redeem him!"

"Two billion Beli!" Anthony slapped his chair and stood up, pointing his cigar at Conrad's nose.

Conrad turned to point at Aokiji. "The Marines have plenty of money! Vice Admiral! Make the call!"

He remembered the original story describing how the World Government had spent a massive sum to redeem him.

"The Marines..." Aokiji's eyelids twitched as he shook his head. "They won't... and they certainly won't pay this amount."

Kujaku held her forehead; she had wondered why this kid was acting so generous, only to realize he was counting on the Marines to foot the bill.

Issho sighed. "Sir, please leave."

Anthony and the crowd of Mafia burst into laughter, mocking him mercilessly.

Yet, facing the scorn of a thousand, Conrad showed not a hint of cowardice, as if he had expected this all along.

He cast his gaze toward the casino and strode inside.

"If the Marines won't pay, then I will! From now on, I am your creditor! Follow me to the stage! To the gambling table!"