It’s My Duty, Sir!
4: Chapter 4: Just Overtime?
It’s My Duty, Sir!
“That was close.” Mingling with the crowd, Roy watched a furious squad of Marine patrol officers, tasked with maintaining order in Marineford, rush toward the site of the recent battle.
Roy thought to himself that he had dodged a bullet.
If they had caught him, the fine alone would have wiped out a month’s salary, and he would have been tossed into solitary confinement for at least two weeks.
“Not even being able to drink cola for half a month…
that’s way too terrifying.” As for Smoker, whom Hina had left behind, Roy had no interest in worrying about him.
Given how many premium cigars that smoke-head kept pinned to his coat every day, he probably wasn’t short on cash.
And as for the solitary confinement…
“It’s better if they lock him up for a while.
Otherwise, he’ll just come back and make trouble for me again.” “Justice…
No matter how grand they make it sound, it’s essentially just playing lapdog to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
Who actually cares about that?” Lost in thought, Roy crossed Oris Plaza and stepped into the Tenshu Pavilion, the towering main fortress of Marine Headquarters.
Indeed.
Roy didn’t hate Smoker, of course.
Even though his initial contact with Smoker had been solely to get close to his Devil Fruit ability.
But throughout their Marine training, he had genuinely come to accept him as a friend.
The story Smoker had mentioned—how they had once chased a pirate across an entire sea to retrieve the money a young girl had saved for her mother’s life-saving treatment—was absolutely true.
But as Roy had said, that had nothing to do with the “Justice” the Marines constantly preached and worshipped.
“The little girl’s father died early, her mother had been sick for years, and she herself was blind.
She survived on the charity of her village and the meager savings her mother made by painstakingly sewing small garments every day.
How could those pirate bastards have the heart to rob her?
Who could just stand by and watch that happen?” Roy didn’t consider himself a saint.
But as a transmigrator, he still possessed the baseline moral conscience he had developed before crossing over.
Yet there was no doubt that what he considered basic human decency was already a rare commodity in this world.
It was precisely because of that incident that Smoker had accepted him, viewed him as a friend ever since, and respected his brand of “justice.” But in truth, Roy’s attitude toward the Marines was exactly as he had just thought.
Having stayed in the Marines for so many years, he knew very well that the organization did not lack genuinely kind, righteous soldiers.
But that did not change one fundamental truth: the Marine organization itself was a branch of the World Government—and the supreme institution ruling the world happened to be the most corrupt part of it.
Roy had no intention of being a dog for the Celestial Dragons, so he naturally wouldn’t truly buy into the Marines’ so-called justice.
Of course, the same went for pirates.
Roy didn’t deny that there might be some heroic figures sailing the seas of this world.
But the reality was that the majority of pirates who set sail during this “Great Pirate Era” were nothing but pure scum.
Marines, pirates—Roy liked neither, nor did he intend to truly align with either camp.
His view of the Marines was very simple.
They were merely a company where he could shelter himself, hide in plain sight, and acquire Devil Fruit abilities.
And the Custody Force was the “key department” he had no intention of leaving as long as he remained with the Marines.
“But that guy Smoker did make one good point.
Freedom of movement really is important.” “I know the locations of many Devil Fruit users on this sea, but right now I’m restricted by Headquarters’ regulations, so I have no chance of getting their abilities.” At the thought of this, Roy showed a slightly troubled expression.
This issue, much like his desperate need for Berries, was something that could only be resolved by leaving the Marines or leaving the Custody Force.
But he couldn’t leave the Custody Force right now…
“What a pain…” Roy sighed.
“Hahaha!
You actually find something troublesome?
Now that is a rare sight!” At that moment, a hearty laugh reached Roy’s ears.
Before he realized it, Roy had walked up to an office.
The office door was tightly shut, and the laughter was echoing from inside.
“Old man, were you eavesdropping with Observation Haki again?” Roy said helplessly as he pushed the door open.
The office was simply furnished: a desk with black tea and skewers of dango, a chair, and a large pile of newspapers and bounty posters.
Sitting at the desk was a muscular old man cheerfully eating dango.
He wore a Marine coat draped over his shoulders and a simple shirt underneath.
The scars covering his body and the medals on his uniform spoke volumes about the deathmatches he had survived.
“Hahaha!
I’m so bored in this place that I’m practically growing mold!
If I didn’t rely on gossip to pass the time, I’d go crazy!” Hearing Roy’s words, he chuckled.
“Using Observation Haki to eavesdrop is strictly forbidden at Headquarters!” Roy rolled his eyes, though he knew the warning was useless against the old man.
The old man before him was his direct superior, Vice Admiral Bilos, who oversaw the Headquarters Custody Force.
This Vice Admiral wasn’t prominent in the original storyline Roy knew, but he was highly experienced.
He was a veteran who had joined the Marines in the same generation as Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Marine Hero Garp, surviving countless battles throughout his life.
Due to his declining combat strength in his old age, he had been reassigned to the Custody Force to ease into retirement.
And the old man’s habit of using Observation Haki to eavesdrop on gossip was an open secret.
“Well, tell me.
What’s bothering you so much?” The old man looked at Roy with curiosity.
Hearing this, Roy’s expression remained unchanged.
He obviously wouldn’t reveal his true thoughts, so he just brought up what had happened with Smoker.
“That guy is such a stubborn mule.
I clearly recommended Lieutenant Tashigi to him…” Roy grumbled.
“I see.” Vice Admiral Bilos didn’t suspect a thing.
He handed Roy a skewer of dango while chewing on one himself with a loud *munch, munch*.
“I think Smoker actually has a point.
You really are strong, kid.
Staying here is a waste of your talents.” “I have my own justice!” Roy said with a solemn face.
In the Marines, this phrase was the equivalent of a certain red-headed fox jinchuriki’s “This is my ninja way.” Once Roy said those words, Vice Admiral Bilos naturally stopped trying to persuade him.
“How did the mission go?” he asked casually.
“Same old, same old.
I’ve already had them sent to prison.” Roy pulled out his logbook and gave a brief report on the mission.
“Good.
I’ll submit your merits to the higher-ups,” Bilos nodded, but then pivoted, handing over a piece of intel.
“But speaking of which, I just received a temporary mission.
Are you interested?” “Huh?” Roy reflexively took the intel sheet, his brow furrowing.
“I just got back to Headquarters, old man.
My boys’ seats aren’t even warm yet!” “I know.
Every time you finish a mission, you throw a victory party and let your subordinates rest for a few days.
That’s why I’m asking you first,” Vice Admiral Bilos said casually.
“This matter involves a World Government affiliated nation, so there’s plenty of merit to be earned.
In two months, Headquarters’ All-Forces Tournament will begin.
If you can promote to a field-grade officer before then, you’ll be eligible to participate.” “The All-Forces Tournament?” Roy frowned.
The All-Forces Tournament was a major event held by the Marines once every few years.
Any active Marine officer of field-grade (Lieutenant Commander or higher) under the age of fifty could sign up to participate.
It was essentially the Marines’ “martial arts tournament.” Achieving a good ranking in it meant additional rank promotions.
The top three could even be directly promoted to Commodore, leaping straight into the rank of flag officer.
And even more famous than the All-Forces Tournament was the “World Military Draft,” though that had only occurred a few times since the Marines’ founding.
But again—Roy had no interest in these things.
Rank promotions were nice, but once promoted, he would likely be transferred away from the Custody Force, which would be terrible.
However, Vice Admiral Bilos’s next words gave him a jolt.
“Kid, after this All-Forces Tournament, I might be retiring.” The old man crunched down on another dango, but his words sounded like a thunderclap to Roy’s ears.
“Retiring?!” “Yeah.
My oldest grandson was just born.
I might as well retire and train him properly, so he can become an outstanding Marine in the future,” Vice Admiral Bilos said with a grin.
“And as for the Custody Force…
I’ve been here for so many years.
You’re the one with the most potential in this unit.” His meaning was clear.
He was retiring, and due to the unique nature of the Custody Force, most ambitious and powerful Marines were reluctant to come here.
“If you can get a good ranking in the All-Forces Tournament, I’ll petition Sengoku to let you stay and take over as the commander of the Custody Force.
What do you think?” “…” *What did he think?* *It was absolutely brilliant!* The excitement in Roy’s heart at this moment was beyond words.
Becoming the commander of the Custody Force would bring him immense benefits.
Even if the Custody Force itself wasn’t highly regarded within the Marines, it was still a critical component of their operations.
A commander of the Custody Force held a high degree of freedom and status.
Furthermore…
“The commander of the Custody Force is also responsible for escorting powerful criminals to Impel Down…
and even has the authority to enter Impel Down for inspections.” This was the key.
For Roy, that great underwater prison housing countless powerful criminals was an absolute treasure trove.
Thus…
“Old man, let me see that mission!” Roy said resolutely, his voice ringing clear.
“A mere overtime shift—for the sake of justice, it is my absolute duty, Sir!”