“Don’t worry.
It won’t be that bad.”
Karl didn’t even look up as he continued speaking.
“If you show a good attitude and sincerely admit your mistakes, the Marines might even recruit you.”
“Being a Marine is a lot better than being a thief.”
Then he tapped the clipboard in Nami’s arms.
“As for your final assignment, I need you to sell all this for a good price.”
He pointed at the appraisal sheet.
“We’ll use your estimated values as the baseline.
For every extra ten thousand Berriesyou get above that price, I’ll give you two thousand.”
“Cash.”
Karl deliberately emphasized the last word.
“How much you earn depends entirely on your own ability.”
“Five thousand!”
Nami immediately countered.
“No chance.
I could grab a random person off the docks and pay less than that.”
“Then three thousand!”
“Deal.”
Karl agreed instantly.
Then he shoved the clipboard back into her arms and walked away, leaving Nami standing there in the sea breeze.
She suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that she’d asked for too little.
“Hm?
Koby?
Why are you cleaning too?”
While inspecting the ship, Karl spotted a familiar pink-haired figure.
“I…
I just wanted to help.”
“You don’t need to do this.”
Koby blinked.
“But—”
“No buts.”
Karl interrupted him.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to become a Marine?”
He pointed at the rag in Koby’s hand.
“If you’ve got time to scrub decks, you’d be better off practicing with a sword or learning how to shoot.”
“Surely you don’t plan to join the Marines just to spend your life cleaning decks as a chore boy.”
“Even if I end up as a chore boy, I still want to become a Marine.”
“My point is that you should aim to become a great Marine.”
Karl patted him on the shoulder.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to become a Marine Admiral someday?”
“Marine Admirals don’t get promoted because they clean windows well.”
“Uh…”
Koby awkwardly hid the rag behind his back.
“As long as you understand what I mean.”
Karl smiled.
“Since Luffy acknowledged you, you should accomplish something worthy of that trust.”
“Once we reach the island, you can go directly to the Marine branch and enlist.”
“I’ll tell these pirates to testify that you were forced into everything.”
“I’ve heard there are plenty of Marines with pirate backgrounds anyway, so your past shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
“And when we collect the bounty, we’ll make sure they know you helped.”
“I doubt the Marines would refuse someone like that.”
Karl paused before adding:
“But once you join, everything after that will depend on you, Koby.”
“Karl…!”
Even his form of address changed.
“Karl, sir!”
“Don’t call me that.”
Karl waved dismissively.
“I’m not much older than you.”
Then his expression grew serious.
“If you really want to thank me, then one day…”
He looked toward the horizon.
“Make sure Luffy and I hear your name echoing across the seas.”
“After all…”
“Our goals aren’t so different.”
“Yes, sir!”
Two hours later.
From the deck, Karl could already see the island in the distance.
The ship-wide cleaning had finally come to an end.
Everyone had worked surprisingly hard.
The pirate ship now looked almost brand new.
If nobody mentioned it, most people would never guess it was secondhand.
The pirates themselves stood neatly assembled on the deck.
Their formation was so orderly that one might mistake them for soldiers.
At the moment, Karl was holding a roster and distributing rewards based on merit.
Since he’d already decided to sell the ship and purchase a new one, all valuables aboard would eventually be converted into Berries
As for the leftover food that wasn’t worth selling, Karl simply rewarded it to the pirates.
People in this world had enormous appetites.
Luffy was the most obvious example.
And under Alvida’s command, these pirates had often been exploited and underfed.
Now that Karl was allowing them to eat freely, they were overjoyed.
Everyone devoured what would likely be their final breakfast aboard the ship.
“One more thing!”
Karl shouted.
“Don’t throw trash everywhere!
Clean up after yourselves when you’re done eating!”
Afterward, he had Koby bring over a large box.
Upon opening it, everyone found dozens of crude necklaces inside.
Calling them necklaces was generous.
They were really just chains with numbered metal tags attached.
“I prepared farewell gifts for all of you.”
Karl grinned.
“Everyone gets one.”
“When your number is called, come collect it.”
The pirates stared in confusion.
Karl continued:
“I’m giving these to you so you won’t forget your time aboard this ship.”
“Behave yourselves in prison.”
“Work hard.”
“Earn a reduced sentence.”
“And when you get out, become decent people.”
“Number One!”
“Number Two!”
…
“Number Forty-Five!”
Koby stepped forward.
“Koby, this one’s yours.”
Karl handed him a tag.
“I hope you become a great Marine someday.”
“Thank you, Karl!” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Koby accepted it with visible gratitude.
Then another voice suddenly interrupted.
“Hey, Karl, what about mine?”
Karl’s face darkened.
“Luffy, why are you joining in?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t I just say these are farewell gifts?”
Karl pointed at him.
“We’re not separating, so why would you get one?”
“Oh.”
Luffy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“That makes sense.”
A moment later, however, he immediately changed his mind.
“I don’t care.
I want one too.”
Karl stared at him, speechless.
“I want one.”
“No.”
“I want one.”
“No.”
“I WANT ONE.”
Karl sighed deeply.
“Fine.
I’ll make one for you later.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Then let’s Shorty swear.”
Karl stared at him, speechless.
You’re a man who’s going to become the Pirate King!
Can you stop acting like a five-year-old for once?!
Luffy extended his little finger.
“If we Shorty swear, you have to keep your promise.”
“I literally boarded your ship and bet my future on you.”
Karl nearly shouted.
“Why would I lie about something this trivial?”
Amid laughter, teasing, and Karl’s endless exasperation, the pirate ship finally reached shore.
The island before them housed a Marine base.
Well…
Calling it a “base” was somewhat generous.
It was really just a small Marine branch.
Even the highest-ranking officer stationed there held only the rank of Colonel.
Within the Marines, ranks were divided into numerous levels, ranging from Fleet Admiral and Admiral all the way down to enlisted soldiers and recruits.
At first glance, Colonel seemed like an impressive position.
However, Marine ranks were further divided between Headquarters and branch bases.
Marine Headquarters referred to the Marines stationed on the Grand Line.
Branches referred to the forces stationed throughout the four seas.
Because branch bases operated in comparatively peaceful regions far from the center of Marine power, there was a common saying that branch officers ranked roughly three grades below their Headquarters counterparts in terms of influence and combat capability.
The concept was easy enough to understand.
A mayor of a major capital city and a mayor of a small rural town might technically share the same title.
But no one would mistake their actual authority as being equal.
The same logic applied here.
Which meant that Captain Morgan of Marine Branch 153 wasn’t nearly as important as his rank initially suggested.
In practical terms, his authority and influence were rather limited.