Hearing Carnes’ sudden remark, both Smoker and Tashigi were momentarily stunned.
Almost simultaneously, the same thought appeared in their minds.
“Give his regards?” “Could he…
be friends with Vice Admiral Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku?” However, the thought was discarded as quickly as it appeared.
Him?
Friends with Garp and Sengoku?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Leaving aside the fact that Carnes was a pirate— Just looking at him, with such a massive age difference, how could Garp and Sengoku possibly be friends with someone who looked like a kid?
It was completely absurd.
Carnes could more or less guess what they were thinking from the changes in their expressions.
But he had no intention of explaining.
He had remained hidden in peace and silence for far too long.
So long that even those old-timers from back then were probably beginning to forget him.
Having Smoker pass along a greeting to Garp and Sengoku was merely a whim.
A way to let those old men know that he was still around.
Whether the message ever reached them or not was irrelevant to Carnes.
Because he intended to inform them of his return in another way.
“Captain~!” At that moment, calls rang out from behind him.
Turning around, Carnes saw the Eternal Galebreaker slowly approaching.
Looking at the scene on the Marine warship’s deck, the crew members all wore disappointed expressions.
“I knew it.
If the Captain and Demiurge made a move, there’d be nothing left for us to do.” “Exactly.
Look at that.
They’re all on their knees already.” “Sigh…” “Sigh…” The crew let out one disappointed sigh after another, clearly frustrated that they hadn’t gotten the chance to join the fight.
Via, on the other hand, felt completely different.
Looking at the countless Marines kneeling across the deck of the warship, she felt as though her worldview had just been shattered.
Her pupils contracted uncontrollably.
“N-No way…” “They won?!” “Just the two of them?
Against an entire warship?
Hundreds of Marines?!” “Are those two even human?!” “There were so many Marines!
Even split evenly, each of them would have had to deal with hundreds of enemies!” “And they still won?” “This is completely beyond the limits of humanity!” Via stared at Carnes and Demiurge on the warship, her face filled with disbelief.
Even her eyes trembled violently from the overwhelming shock.
Meanwhile, aboard the Marine warship— Carnes looked at his twenty-something crew members sighing dramatically and couldn’t help laughing.
“What’s with all the sighing?
You look like you’ve just lost a battle.” One crew member replied with a wronged expression.
“Captain, we wanted to fight too.” As soon as one person spoke up, the others immediately joined in.
“Yeah, Captain!
We wanted a good fight too!” “You and Demiurge are so strong that once you step in, there’s nothing left for us.” “Exactly!” “That’s right!” Everyone nodded repeatedly.
Amused, Carnes glanced toward Demiurge.
Demiurge adjusted his glasses and replied calmly.
“I don’t particularly mind.
But Captain, it would be better if you didn’t personally handle every trivial matter.” “After all, insects like these aren’t worthy of your personal attention, nor are they deserving of the honor of being killed by your own hands.” “Sigh…” Carnes let out a helpless sigh before smiling at the crew.
“In that case, the next time something like this happens, I’ll leave it entirely to all of you.” “But if you can’t handle it, Demiurge and I will step in.” The moment they heard Carnes make arrangements for the future, the crew instantly became energized.
“Really?!” “That’s great!” “Don’t worry, Captain!
If something like this happens again, we’ll handle it perfectly!” “Hehehe…” Seeing their excited expressions, Carnes could only shake his head helplessly.
He and Demiurge then returned together to the Eternal Galebreaker.
As for Via, she stared at the crew with wide eyes, equal parts disbelief and fear.
“What the hell…?” “Are these people battle maniacs?” Meanwhile, just as Carnes was about to return to his room and rest, something suddenly occurred to him.
Immediately, he opened his status panel.
Just as he had expected, there had been no system notification regarding the increase.
“So combat can increase Influence Value as well?” “And judging from the amount gained, it seems far more rewarding than recruiting crew members.” “A battle this small actually gave me over a hundred Influence Value…” Carnes fell into thought.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Via standing nearby.
A new idea immediately surfaced in his mind.
A moment later— “Ahhh!” A startled scream echoed across the ship.
While Via was still secretly observing the surrounding crew members, Carnes suddenly grabbed her by the collar and lifted her into the air.
“C-Captain?!” “W-What’s going on?!” Via turned her head in panic, her voice trembling.
Carnes smiled.
“Nothing much.” “You never really wanted to stay on this ship, did you?” “I’m giving you your freedom back.” Via froze.
Before she could even process what he meant, Carnes suddenly shouted toward the Marine warship across from them: “This girl is yours.” The moment the words left his mouth, he tossed her over without waiting for her response.
Whoosh!
Carnes then reopened his status panel.
The result was exactly as expected.
“So it really decreased…” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AniForge_058 Enjoying the story?
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