East Blue
Shells Town
This was a town within the World Government-affiliated Leon Kingdom, where the Marine 153rd Branch was stationed.
Because a certain Marine vice admiral who loved nothing more than fighting often returned home to visit family, the pirates throughout East Blue were far fewer and weaker than those in other regions.
As a result, coastal Shells Town was quiet and peaceful. It had been more than half a year since anyone had last seen a pirate.
The people lived and worked in peace, enjoying happy and prosperous lives.
"Ding ding ding ding—"
As the crisp ship's bell rang out, a three-masted sailing ship slowly entered the harbor. The gangplank was lowered, and passengers began to disembark.
John, his hair dyed white, walked among the crowd. He surveyed the bustling town through his sunglasses, a strange smile curling at his lips.
This was where the future "Axe Emperor," Morgan, would reign supreme.
That was right—the guy who had knocked Garp flat with a single axe strike!
This was also where Luffy would first meet Zoro, and where "Deserter King" Koby would begin his journey of joining the Marines through Luffy's connections.
It was a place where countless destinies converged, where all sorts of "kings" and "emperors" would rise to prominence.
"Such a blessed place. Hopefully, it'll improve my luck too."
John was filled with anticipation for this specially chosen destination.
Marine 153rd Branch
Compared to most Marine branches, the 153rd Branch was far more rudimentary. It was merely a building standing on a hillside at the edge of town.
There were low walls, an open training ground, and a four- or five-story office building.
If not for the seagull flag hanging there, no one would have thought it was a military base. They would have taken it for some clothing factory's headquarters.
Gavin Reed was a captain at the 153rd Branch, mainly responsible for recruiting new soldiers. Because of that, he had made a fortune.
As usual, Reed spent the morning wasting time in his office. With both hands in his pockets, he swaggered out of the building, preparing to head into town for a nice free meal.
"Another wonderful day without pirates. Feels great!"
Reed stepped onto the training ground and basked in the sunlight pouring down from the sky. It felt warm, comfortable, and utterly pleasant.
Just as he was marveling at the beauty of life, he caught sight of a white-haired figure opening the base's sliding iron gate and striding right in.
The man held his head high and puffed out his chest with such confidence that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he owned the place.
Reed frowned, roughly guessing the man's purpose, and immediately strode over.
"Stop! What are you here for?!"
Hearing the shout, John stopped and looked over, lingering for a moment on the epaulets of justice on the man's coat.
Recognizing him as a captain, John directly stated his purpose.
"I'm here to join the Marines, eradicate evil, and uphold justice!"
"Oh."
Reed nodded blandly and looked John up and down.
The material looked quite good. He should be pretty wealthy.
"Come with me."
With that, Reed turned and headed toward the base building.
As for eating? How could eating possibly be more important than making money?!
Inside the office
John sat in a chair before the desk, but his attention was on the tea table and sofa to his right.
The tea table was exquisitely crafted and coated with premium tung oil. An ashtray on top held several cigars that had been extinguished halfway through.
Judging by the rich fragrance lingering in the office, those cigars were probably quite expensive.
There was also a genuine leather sofa beside the table, while a glass-fronted liquor cabinet stood in the corner. Through the glass, he could see red wine worth tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand Beli.
Everything about the room was severely out of place with this shabby base building.
"Where are you from?"
Reed sat behind the desk, holding a registration form as he asked in a perfunctory manner.
John's eyes flickered as he gave the explanation he had prepared long ago.
"I'm from the Feros Kingdom."
The Feros Kingdom was a non-affiliated nation neighboring the Leon Kingdom. Since relations between the two countries were poor and non-affiliated nations were not bound by the World Government,
neither the Marines nor the World Government had any way to investigate his fake identity.
"The Feros Kingdom..."
Reed nodded, a hint of delight appearing at the corner of his mouth before he quickly suppressed it.
Then he shook his head at John regretfully.
"I'm truly sorry, but the Marines do not accept people from non-affiliated nations."
"Hm? Why?"
John raised his brows in surprise.
He had expected all sorts of questioning, but he had never imagined he would be rejected simply because he came from a non-affiliated nation.
And in his memory, when the World Government had wanted to recruit Kaido into the Marines, Kaido's country had not belonged to the affiliated nations either.
Was it because Kaido had already made a name for himself back then, making him a special case?
Reed leaned back against his chair, crossed his arms, and gave his answer.
"Because non-affiliated nations are all potential threats to the World Government. We do not share the same stance."
"So, it's difficult for me to guarantee that you aren't a spy sent by the Feros Kingdom to steal Marine and World Government secrets."
After hearing the explanation, John understood.
That was indeed the case. If a resident of God Valley joined the Marines and rose to a certain position,
then when the Marines set off in full force for God Valley, that resident would surely either guess what was happening or receive definite information directly.
He could then warn the people of God Valley and let the island's residents flee in advance.
In that case, the World Government's efforts would all come to nothing.
There was a reason the Marines refused people from non-affiliated nations!
However...
John took out a stack of Beli from his windbreaker pocket, placed it on the desk, and smiled at Reed.
"Sir, then where should I be from?"
It was highly unreasonable for the other man to explain everything so enthusiastically. Coupled with all the items in his office that far exceeded his salary,
wasn't he just asking for money?
Seeing how quick John was to catch on, Reed nodded in satisfaction, then let his gaze drift toward the ceiling.
"You look a little familiar. I think I've seen you in the town here before."
John immediately understood and followed along.
"Sir, I'm from Shells Town in the Leon Kingdom."
"Mm! Very good!"
Reed put the Beli into his desk drawer, then began filling out the birthplace section of the registration form.
"Then, John, what are you good at? Or more precisely, do you want to become a helmsman on a warship, or some kind of deckhand?"
"What position do you think suits me, sir?"
John took out another stack of Beli and slapped it onto the desk.
He could not be bothered with pointless talk anymore. If money could solve it, then he would solve it with money all the way.
Reed looked up. He first glanced at the Beli, then sized John up again.
"I can see that you come from a good background. You should have learned to read from a young age and studied some navigation knowledge, right?"
He placed particular emphasis on the word "some," afraid John might not understand that only a superficial grasp was needed.
"I understand navigation." John nodded knowingly.
"Very good! Then start out as a navigator on a warship. It's very easy to earn merit in that position."
When he said "earn merit," Reed deliberately tilted his chin toward the stack of Beli on the desk.
Before you continue