The Miserable Life of Working Overtime

"Colonel Jin An, are you getting ready to leave work?"

Kuzan glanced at the sky outside the window. The sun was still hanging high overhead.

Jin An felt a little awkward. He had been caught red-handed trying to sneak off. "Kuzan, I still have clothes drying at home. I need to go collect them, or it'd be such a shame if the wind blew them away."

"That's quite the excuse..." Kuzan did not know how to criticize his superior.

"But I already had Shanks bring them in for you."

Kuzan pushed up the glasses on his nose. Fortunately, he had come prepared.

"I have other matters to attend to as well..." Jin An tried to make one last struggle.

Kuzan helplessly covered his forehead. Having a superior like this was truly the worst luck imaginable. "Colonel, have you finished processing your documents?"

"Al... almost..." Jin An recalled the towering pile of documents on his desk, and his scalp went numb.

A vein popped on Kuzan's forehead as his tone turned stern. "Then you can't leave. You may only go once you've finished them."

He truly hated seeing someone waste their potential. Jin An was only in his twenties and had such a bright future ahead of him, so why did he live every day like someone about to retire, constantly neglecting his duties?

"Actually, someone just came to report something to me... I was planning to deal with that matter." Jin An had a sudden flash of inspiration and came up with an excuse.

"I already know about that matter. The people assigned there were on their way long ago," Kuzan mercilessly stated the truth.

Jin An muttered weakly, "I'm the commanding officer..."

Kuzan simply stated the facts. "The people at the base barely see you a few times a month..."

Jin An was completely at Kuzan's mercy. How could he, the highest-ranking person in charge, be treated like this...

In truth, Kuzan was practically the second-in-command beneath Jin An at the base. He handled matters fairly and impartially, and no one could find fault with either his ability or strength.

But Kuzan himself had never wanted things to be this way. Jin An had forced it all upon him.

"If your younger brother and sister found out..." Kuzan opened with an instant kill.

Jin An raised both hands in surrender. "Got it!"

When Jin An returned to his office, he could not summon the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

"Kuzan... I'll put this in my little notebook for now. One day... hehehe." Jin An gave a sinister laugh.

In another office, Kuzan suddenly felt a chill run through his body and shuddered.

"Jin An is badmouthing me again."

He had long grown used to this strange bodily reaction. Ever since coming under Jin An's command, he had shivered once every day.

"Buru buru... buru buru..."

Jin An had only just finished processing the documents and had not even had time to celebrate when the Den Den Mushi he carried began to ring.

Jin An took the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and connected the call.

"Hello, this is Jin An."

The moment the call connected, Karp's booming voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "Hahahaha! Guess who I am."

"Vice Admiral Karp, did you call to settle the bill for all the food you took earlier?" Jin An asked directly.

"Ha... huh?" Karp could no longer laugh. "Nonsense! Those were clearly gifts you gave me. You told me to 'take whatever I wanted.'"

"Take whatever you wanted, then empty out my entire warehouse?" Jin An said with a smile. "All right, enough of that. What did Vice Admiral Karp call me for?"

"Listen to you. Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Karp sounded rather indignant.

Jin An rolled his eyes. How could you not be that kind of person...?

"Why aren't you saying anything? You don't really think I'm that kind of person, do you?" Karp blew out his beard and glared. "Forget it, I won't argue with you. Let's talk business first."

"What is it? Just say it." Just as he thought, Karp had indeed called because he needed something...

"Ahem..." Karp cleared his throat. "Dragon has already set out for South Blue. I hope you can keep a closer eye on him when he gets there."

Jin An found it a little strange. There was no need to make a special call just to tell him that.

Sure enough, Karp continued, "Two other people are going with him to find you."

"No problem. It's only two more people. Who are these two?" Jin An did not mind. They were all coming to work for him, so naturally, the more the better.

"Zephyr's wife and son," Karp answered.

Jin An was dumbfounded. "Wait, I can understand you sending your son to me to look after, but what is Zephyr thinking? His wife isn't coming here to enlist, is she? And Zephyr agreed to this?"

"Ahem, ahem..."

Seemingly sensing Zephyr's unfriendly gaze, Karp knew his old friend was in a bad mood and could not help coughing twice.

"What's wrong, Vice Admiral Karp? Are you sick?" Jin An feigned concern. "No wonder you don't have time to teach your child."

Although he had gained free labor, Jin An did not want his South Blue to become a daycare center. Otherwise, would people not start calling him the "Daycare Major General"?

Karp said irritably, "Watch your mouth, brat. Zephyr's wife and son are going to South Blue for a vacation."

Jin An could not understand it. What was there to do in South Blue...

Other than pirates, there were only more pirates. Staying beside an admiral meant they could see any scenery they wanted, and their safety would be guaranteed as well. Why would they voluntarily come to this godforsaken place called South Blue?

Wait! Zephyr already had a child? Then next year, his wife and child...

"You just need to keep an eye on Dragon. Zephyr will make his own arrangements," Karp said in a deep voice.

Jin An was close to breaking down inside. Those were an admiral's family members. If anything happened to them on his territory, he did not even dare imagine the scene.

Jin An tried to struggle one more time. "Is it still too late to refuse?"

"It's too late. Dragon and the others already set out this morning," Karp said, shaking his head.

Aaaaah! Jin An's mind was a complete mess. He understood very well what Zephyr had contributed to the Marines, and he did not want Zephyr's later years to be so miserable.

But he did not know whether Zephyr's family leaving Zephyr's sight would cause the pirates to act ahead of time.

Nor did he know whether he had the ability to prevent Zephyr's family from dying.

Jin An did not believe pirates who dared kill an admiral's family would be nobodies. If Zephyr could not stop it, could he possibly manage it...

"Hello? Jin An, are you still listening? Huh? Did something go wrong? Why hasn't anyone said anything for so long..." Karp called out for quite a while without receiving a response, and thought there might be something wrong with the Den Den Mushi.