New Mission

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.

"You guys did a really solid job on this mission, and the capture plan was a massive success. Especially you, Carl—Vice Admiral Momonga and the others were singing your praises. Hahaha!"

Carl gave a "bashful" scratch of his head. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is flattering me too much. The credit mostly goes to Admirals Kizaru, Aokiji, and the vice admirals. I really only did some trivial things."

Sengoku stroked his beard and chuckled. "You're being too modest. You should know that Momonga and Onigumo haven't stopped praising you! This time..."

Carl smiled and said nothing. Facing Sengoku's praise, he simply offered a mild smile, nodded, and murmured a polite assent, his entire demeanor radiating a faint green-tea innocence.

"Oh right, Borsalino, the Butcher Pirates have been very active lately. Go handle them; here is the relevant intelligence."

Kizaru took the intelligence report and flipped through it. The first thing that caught his eye was the bounty poster for Oleg, captain of the Butcher Pirates, with a bounty of 120 million Beli.

He kept reading. The first mate had a bounty of 48 million Beli. Clearly, this was a pirate crew that had just broken into the New World, and their strength wasn't particularly formidable. Kizaru frowned slightly, sensing something amiss.

Under normal circumstances, a task like this could simply be handed to a vice admiral. Having him step in was definitely overkill.

Yet seeing Sengoku gaze intently at Carl, Kizaru seemed to understand something. He really should have seen it coming; this mission was obviously a test.

Even though Carl had displayed his abilities during the operation to capture Kaido, that kind of credit lacked persuasive power compared to capturing pirates with his own hands.

For the Marines, defeating pirates was the ultimate proof, and this mission was giving Carl a chance to prove himself.

Once he successfully defeated the Butcher Pirates, Carl would soar into the clouds and become a true Marine officer.

After figuring it out, Kizaru couldn't help letting out a sigh in his heart. Sengoku placing such high value on Carl meant that the talent he had worked so hard to rope in was about to fly solo.

Why was Kizaru so sure? Because the intelligence stated that Oleg, the strongest member of the Butcher Pirates, hadn't even mastered Haki. How could he possibly beat Carl, who was proficient in Rokushiki and wielded Two-Color Haki?

"Carl, go back and get some good rest. We set sail tomorrow." With that, Kizaru gave Sengoku a helpless look, handed the Butcher Pirates intelligence to Carl, and crossed his legs with an expressionless face.

Sengoku nodded inwardly. It seemed Kizaru already understood his intent.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'll take my leave."

"Hm!"

Watching Carl's retreating figure, a trace of gratification surfaced in Sengoku's eyes.

"Kizaru, I know you're in a rush, but don't rush just yet. I have my reasons for doing this..."

Originally, he had indeed planned to let Carl train peacefully under Kizaru for a while before letting him lead a team independently. However, Tsuru's evaluation of Carl during the Kaido capture mission had changed his mind.

Carl's potential was far higher than he had imagined. Staying with Kizaru was safe, but his growth would also be restricted.

The strength of the pirates Kizaru dealt with on a daily basis far exceeded Carl's level, leaving Carl with very few opportunities to make a move. That would only waste his talent and reduce him to a mere "tool," which Sengoku was unwilling to see.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he still deliberately arranged this mission for Kizaru—he wanted to see whether Carl truly possessed this capability.

If not, he would keep training with Kizaru for a bit longer; if he could, then he would let him "break away" and give him time to grow into a qualified high-tier combat powerhouse.

After returning to the Marine Family Quarters, Carl threw himself straight onto the bed and stared at the ceiling to contemplate the meaning of life.

Sigh~ Looks like I won't be able to happily slack off with Saru for much longer!

The moment Kizaru handed him the intelligence, Carl had instantly figured out all the twists and turns hidden within it. After all, he was far too familiar with this trick; Charles had done the exact same thing back then.

"Captain Oleg, bounty of 120 million Beli, skilled in physical martial arts, cruel and tyrannical personality, first mate..."

After finishing the intelligence, Carl had only one thought: this guy was a bit tricky, but nothing more. Handling him with Two-Color Haki wouldn't be all that difficult.

"Oh! Carl, you're back!"

Monica, returning from work, walked into the room and her eyes lit up the moment she saw Carl. She threw herself into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest, greedily sucking on Carl's lips.

"I've only been gone a few days, and you missed me this much already?"

Monica gave Carl a reproachful glance. As if I wasn't worried you wouldn't make it back!

"Hate you, you're just asking when you already know..." Monica pouted coquettishly, resting her head against Carl's chest.

"Hehehe, no rush. The night is still long, let's go grab something to eat first."

After accompanying Monica on a shopping trip and treating her to a lavish dinner, the two headed straight for their love nest to explore the profound mysteries of the inheritance of life.

The next day, Carl bade farewell to a reluctant Monica and boarded the warship.

Inside the lounge, Kizaru put on a grievance-stricken expression and said, "Sigh~ Carl, Sengoku really values you! This mission was custom-made just for you!"

Carl smiled faintly, picked up his coffee cup to take a sip, and then slowly spoke. "Can't be helped. Gold will always shine, and honestly, this is a good thing."

Kizaru puckered his lips slightly. "Oh? What's your take on it?"

"Admiral Kizaru, the powerful mobility of the Pika Pika no Mi dictates that you will frequently handle emergency missions, rather than capturing pirates in the routine manner of Admirals Akainu and Aokiji."

"As your adjutant, I actually rarely get the chance to get any real training in."

Hearing this, Kizaru nodded. What Carl said was indeed the truth; he had operated the exact same way for all these years.

"So I'm guessing the Fleet Admiral's intent is to let me become independent. In name, I am still your adjutant, but I will take your place handling certain non-emergency missions. When major missions arise, we will still operate together."

Clap, clap, clap!

Kizaru couldn't help breaking into applause. What Sengoku had told him privately yesterday was pretty much the same idea, but hearing it put into words by Carl naturally felt different.

"I didn't expect you to see through it so thoroughly. Sengoku really does mean it that way." With that, Kizaru handed Carl a newspaper.

Seeing the headline, Carl froze, quickly read through the contents, and drew a deep breath.

This was a newspaper exclusively for internal Marine use, which mainly covered the entire process of the G-2 base defeating Kaido while heavily playing up the contributions Carl had made in that battle.

"Now you brat know just how highly Sengoku thinks of you! You've made a real name for yourself in the Marines!"

Meanwhile, Akainu, executing a mission in West Blue, also saw this newspaper. His expression didn't change at all, but a trace of regret lingered in his heart.

Branch 108 of North Blue.

Charles looked at the report in the newspaper, the corners of his mouth splitting into a wide grin as he let out a happy laugh.

"This kid... has really soared into the clouds! Still, he was hand-picked and promoted by me, hahaha!"