The Courteous Vice Admiral Lei Zuo

He actually sensed an enormous threat from a fifteen-year-old boy.

Who was this boy?

What was his background?

Was he from some special race, or was he a Devil Fruit user?

In that instant.

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo considered many possibilities, yet found no answer.

After thinking for a moment, he put on a gentle smile and asked respectfully, "Young man, I am Vice Admiral Lei Zuo, the person in charge of the G-4 Branch."

"May I ask your name?"

As he spoke.

Lei Zuo glared at the naval clerk beside him and reprimanded him in a low voice, "This young man solved the major problem that was the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates. Hurry up and brew our best tea for him!"

"And bring out the finest freshly made pastries from the kitchen."

"Do not neglect our honored guest!"

The surrounding Marines looked as though they had seen a ghost.

Was this really their rigid, stern Vice Admiral Lei Zuo?

But soon.

Some of the sharper Marines figured out what was happening.

The only reason the rigid and serious Vice Admiral Lei Zuo had become so tactful was that this boy had forced him to take the matter seriously!

"I'll make the tea!"

"I'll go urge the kitchen!"

"Let's go together."

"I'll boil the water."

All the Marines scattered.

Sitting in his chair.

Junichi glanced at Vice Admiral Lei Zuo and chuckled. "Observation Haki?"

"Haha, I only awakened it by luck. I can't use it in combat." Vice Admiral Lei Zuo replied with a smile.

Junichi nodded without saying anything.

Among those who awakened both types of Haki, ninety-nine percent remained at the beginner stage.

They found it difficult to improve for the rest of their lives.

Clearly, Vice Admiral Lei Zuo was one of them.

Although he had awakened Observation Haki, it could only enhance his senses and was difficult to use as a weapon in battle.

"My name is Junichi Uchiha."

Junichi spoke slowly and got down to business. "I dealt with the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates. They're all on the ship, not one missing."

"I came here to claim the bounty."

"And I'd like you to convert all the pirate crew's supplies into Beli for me."

Lei Zuo immediately nodded. "Naturally, that won't be a problem."

Before long.

Some Marines brought over tea and fine pastries.

Lei Zuo invited him to try them, chatted briefly about where the tea and pastries came from, then politely rose to his feet. "Excuse me, but I need to inspect and count the heads of the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates."

"Of course." Junichi nodded.

"Please wait a moment," Vice Admiral Lei Zuo said courteously before leaving the reception hall.

He secretly wiped away a cold sweat.

Sitting before Junichi just now had felt like sitting before a savage beast. He had been unable to settle at all.

Only after leaving the hall.

Did Vice Admiral Lei Zuo finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the prickling sensation on his back faded.

"Come. Take me to see the heads," he ordered.

"Yes, sir."

A subordinate led him to the docks.

At the docks.

Eighty-three headless corpses lay on the ground, filling the air with a thick stench of blood.

At the very front.

Were the bodies of Captain Cooper, First Mate Dustin, and the key officers such as the second and third mates.

Hiss!

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo could not help drawing a sharp breath.

Every member of the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates had identical wounds. All of them had been beheaded.

Moreover.

There were barely any signs of a fight on their bodies.

That meant they had been killed in a single strike.

"Vice Admiral, please look at this." A subordinate pointed at a cart nearby.

"Hm?"

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo looked over and saw the weapons of the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates laid out on the cart.

The most eye-catching item was a split shield.

"Dustin's alloy shield?" Vice Admiral Lei Zuo took one look and exclaimed, "It was cut in two with a single slash?"

He knew how special that shield was.

It could withstand cannon fire head-on without being damaged.

Even a swordsman capable of Cutting Steel would struggle to leave a mark on it.

"What an incredible slash!"

Lei Zuo moved closer to inspect it and was immediately stunned by the cut in the shield.

It was perfectly straight and smooth as a mirror.

One could imagine that, to the swordsman who had cleaved the shield apart, it had been as easy as cutting through tofu.

"Was that boy responsible?"

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo thought of Junichi Uchiha in the reception hall and could not help sucking in another breath.

This fifteen-year-old boy's swordsmanship was simply astonishing!

For a moment.

His assessment of Junichi rose another level.

"Vice Admiral, we couldn't find Cooper's sword, Demon Eye," the subordinate reported.

"Is that so?"

Lei Zuo was not surprised.

He already had a guess as to where Demon Eye had gone.

"Forget Demon Eye for now. Have you inventoried the valuables aboard the ship?" Vice Admiral Lei Zuo asked.

The subordinate immediately reported, "The preliminary estimate is thirty-seven million Beli. The final value may vary by around one million Beli."

Pirates were a bunch of paupers.

Whenever they got money, they spent it, rarely keeping much on hand.

The fact that more than thirty million could be found aboard the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates' ship was only because they had just completed a raid.

"Then round it up. Prepare forty million Beli in cash," Vice Admiral Lei Zuo ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinate gave the vice admiral a surprised look, but did not question him.

He trusted the vice admiral's judgment.

This boy who called himself Junichi Uchiha was worth currying favor with.

"I'll leave the rest to you." Vice Admiral Lei Zuo patted his subordinate on the shoulder and turned to return to the reception hall.

Behind him, the subordinate and the nearby soldiers raised their hands in salute.

In the reception hall.

After sampling the pastries and tea, Junichi took out the blade maintenance kit he had taken from Cooper.

He drew the cursed blade Demon Eye and slowly applied oil to it.

"My apologies, it took a little time..."

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo returned at that very moment.

When he saw Junichi maintaining Demon Eye, an ordinary sight, his pupils abruptly contracted.

As though he had witnessed something unbelievable.

"Vice Admiral Lei Zuo?" Junichi looked up in confusion when he suddenly fell silent.

"Hahaha, sorry. My mind wandered for a moment."

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo laughed awkwardly as cold sweat poured down his forehead, while his thoughts ran wild.

Is that even a cursed blade?

The Great Grade Blade Demon Eye was as docile as a house dog in the boy's hands.

There was none of its bloodthirsty, ferocious, or sinister aura.

The crimson floral patterns upon it instead looked like real flowers, brilliantly beautiful.

That only further proved how terrifying this boy was.

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo wiped away his sweat and sat down nervously, thinking, A master swordsman?

No, even a master swordsman could not tame a cursed blade of the Great Grade Blade rank.

Could he be a great swordsman?

At that thought, he looked at Junichi again.

Black hair, black eyes, youthful features—he looked only fifteen or sixteen.

Vice Admiral Lei Zuo began to hesitate.

In theory, only a great swordsman could tame a cursed blade of the Great Grade Blade rank.

But wasn't a fifteen-year-old great swordsman a little too absurd?

Was he the reincarnation of some ancient sword saint?

As his thoughts ran wild.

A subordinate jogged over carrying a case, first bowing in greeting. "Excuse me. We have finished tallying the valuables and converted them into Beli of equivalent value."

"They're in the case."

"Junichi, would you like to inspect them now?"

Hearing that, Junichi gently finished applying the last bit of blade oil.

He set down the sword and nodded with a smile. "Open it."

"Excuse me." Vice Admiral Lei Zuo's subordinate set the case on the table and opened it.

Through his Observation Haki.

Junichi had long known that it was filled with banknotes.