Chapter 5

Zephyr, quickly making a decision, grabbed Karl and dragged him to the Marshal's office. Karl was baffled, and Kizaru, who was in the middle of devouring a melon, was even more puzzled.

"What happened?" asked Kizaru.

"Master Zephyr???" Karl mumbled.

Zephyr, looking at Kizaru with distaste, thought that Karl should stay away from such a type in the future.

"If that scoundrel Kizaru leads him astray, it will be a great loss for the Marines," he muttered under his breath.

"Karl, show General Kizaru your abilities, he needs to understand!" Zephyr commanded.

"Alas..." Karl sighed, reluctantly gathering the Sacred Light Bullet to shoot at Kizaru.

Three seconds later, Kizaru's expression changed. His mouth, resembling a small chrysanthemum, opened wide in surprise, and he stared at Karl, struck speechless.

"What!" he exclaimed after a long silence.

"Occupying the position of an admiral, Kizaru simply couldn't ignore how valuable Karl's abilities are for the Fleet!" Zephyr said spiritedly, as if reading Kizaru's thoughts. "After Karl's enhancement, his body became only 2 percent stronger, and he's a General!" And the newcomer, just having acquired his abilities, is already capable of increasing his strength by two percent. When Karl matures, he'll soar!

"I was just about to report on the mission to Sengoku, let's go together!" Kizaru announced, enthusiastically slapping his thigh.

"Hmm, your eyesight is sharp!" Zefa smirked.

And so Karl, accompanied by the Admiral and the chief naval instructor, left the training ground, leaving behind a crowd of shocked recruits.

Charles, who was responsible for training recruits, scratched his head, unable to comprehend what had happened.

"What are you staring at? What does it matter to you? Come on, get back to training!!!" he barked at his charges, hiding his bewilderment.

Five minutes later, in the Marshal's office.

"Knock-knock-knock!" After three polite knocks, Zephyr led Karl directly into the Marshal's office and excitedly exclaimed, "Sengoku, look who I found!"

Sengoku, who was about to respond to who had entered, looked at the door with displeasure, then turned his attention to the boy Zephyr was holding. He frowned and asked:

"Zephyr! Who is this boy?"

"Sengoku! "This is a recruit from the naval training camp. Never mind, I'm too lazy to waste time talking. Go ahead, Karl, show your abilities to Marshal Sengoku, and he'll understand everything!"

"Come on, show what you are capable of!" Zephyr encouraged him.

Karl, straightening his back without unnecessary modesty, said to Marshal Sengoku:

"Marshal Sengoku, my ability has a healing and strengthening effect. I won't harm you. No need to be nervous!"

He said this because he almost fell for Kizaru's trick, so now Karl needed to be more careful to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

A spark lit up in Sengoku's eyes, and he glanced stealthily at Zefa, as if he already understood why this old rascal hurriedly opened the door!

Sengoku's face immediately became more cordial, and he laughed, saying:

"Hahaha~ Interesting, go ahead, show me! I'm not that fragile!"

Well, since you say so, I'm at ease!

Karl stopped talking, concentrated the holy light in his palm, and directed it straight at Marshal Sengoku. The holy light immediately poured into Sengoku's body and began to take effect.

"This... such power!" Sengoku whispered, closing his eyes, feeling the life energy spreading throughout his body.

He immediately punched the window, and with a powerful blow, it shattered into pieces. Sengoku, opening his eyes, approached Karl excitedly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"Karl, Captain of the 108th branch of the North Sea, I've been serving in the Marines for ten years!"

"Good, good! Excellent! Wait a second, how old were you when you joined the Fleet?" Sengoku frowned, examining Karl. He couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, subtracting ten years... Even if the Marines was short on personnel, they wouldn't have taken a child into service, right?

At this moment, Zephyr awkwardly cleared his throat:

"Well, Sengoku, he's 24 this year. He turned out this way because he was affected by the ability of that little girl, Ain."

"Ah! I see!" Sengoku nodded. He had read about Ain, those who possessed the ability of "regression" also had quite unconventional abilities, but they were inherently not as powerful as Karl, who had healing and strengthening capabilities. Ain, no matter how strong, only possessed high-class combat power, but Karl was different.

"Once he grows, he might be able to transform high-class combat power into first-class. That's the value of Karl!" — Sengoku mused. — Especially in recent years, the number of talented individuals in the Fleet has decreased. Since the appearance of Smoker and Hina, we haven't had a new generation that inspires admiration.

— The pirates, however, are full of talents, and the most troublesome is the former crew member of the Pirate King, Red-Haired Shanks. He makes my head spin!

— Karl, you're still a private in the naval training camp, correct?

— Yes, I just arrived at Fleet Headquarters today.

— Sengoku nodded, then turned to Zefa and said, — Zephyr, I'm leaving Karl to you. You must ensure that he grows. You must ensure his safety!

— Hmph! You don't have to tell me that! Give me time, and I will surely train him into a leader of the new generation of the Mainrs! — Zephyr replied with full confidence in his abilities.

— His students are scattered across all positions in the Marines. The three admirals, the Fleet's most powerful fighters, were recruits in the training camp, not to mention pillars of the Marines like Gion and kake.

— I feel reassured hearing your declaration! Zephyr, take Karl back to the training ground! — Sengoku responded.

Then he whispered in Zephyr's ear, — Don't discuss his abilities yet, to avoid causing alarm. We'll discuss this after the training camp ends. By then, I'll have arranged everything!

Zephyr smirked and nodded. He urgently brought Karl to Sengoku to demonstrate his value, ensuring he wouldn't be stuck in a lesser department and could serve for the benefit of the Marines

"Karl, let's go!" said Zephyr, leading Karl along.

After saying goodbye to Marshal Sengoku and Kizaru, Karl followed Zephyr out of the marshal's office. Returning to the training grounds, Karl finally woke up to the reality of his situation. Isn't it a bit of luck?

You know, before his trip to Fleet Headquarters, the highest-ranking officer he had ever seen was his direct superior, Commodore Charles.

And on his very first day at Fleet Headquarters, he met the former Fleet Admiral, the current Fleet Admiral, and the head of the Fleet, Sengoku.

"This path... just keeps getting wider!" he involuntarily whispered to himself, noting how everything was changing.

"Wait," Karl remembered Zephyr's words back in the marshal's office and paused, mentally running through them. "According to Zephyr, he'll be watching over me? Then how can I slack off?"

"Fortunately, I completed the timed task," Karl noted with satisfaction. "After all, it's easy to slack off with [Weak and Fragile]." In that case, I don't believe Zephyr can make me get out of a hospital bed and train again.

"Karl, you are a smart man with great potential, but you must understand that the Devil Fruit is just a tool; you can't rely on it. A strong body is the foundation of strength!" Zephyr concluded, addressing Karl.

"Therefore, you must stay away from that scoundrel Kizaru and not let him entice you with his heretical ideas! Understood?" Zefa said sternly.