Chapter 16

"Hey, you seem to be in good spirits!"

"Yes, brother Karl, once I finish my internship, I'll become Tsuru's subordinate," Ain squinted and smiled happily. "I really like her!"

"Wonderful! But everything has its pros and cons!"

Ain was taken aback. She understood the pros, but what were the cons?

"Why, why?"

"Because it will be hard for you to meet a handsome Marine like me," Karl took a deep breath and looked at Ain with a charming smile.

"You! Karl, you're so full of yourself!"

Karl chuckled but didn't reply. He took the assignment for the pirate hunt from Ain and studied it with pleasure.

"Hunting the Blade Pirates, Captain Zaker, bounty of 24.5 million Berries, master swordsman, oh, how scary~"

Hey, why did he start talking like Kizaru even before becoming Kizaru's subordinate?

Ain, seemingly displeased with Karl's behavior, raised his fist and angrily remarked, "Zaker has committed numerous atrocities. Not only did he plunder Autumn Island, but he also killed more than 20 innocent civilians. I will never let him escape!"

"Hahaha, of course, under my leadership, we'll surely complete this internship perfectly, don't worry!"

Ain looked at Karl suspiciously, then his gaze became glazed over. "By the way, Karl, what are your abilities?" Can you tell me now?

— Well...

— It doesn't matter, Karl. Now that you're on the same ship, as comrades, it's better to inform them about your abilities in advance.

Zephyr suddenly appeared behind Karl and, not waiting for a response, turned again to the recruits: — Karl, your word. — After that, Zephyr smiled and stepped aside.

Looking at the curious and puzzled faces of the surrounding recruits, Karl took a deep breath and smiled: — I think you've all been curious about my abilities for the past two months, but for a number of reasons, I was uncomfortable revealing them to everyone.

— But the time has come to confess everything.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Karl extended his right hand and concentrated a golden bright orb that, even under the blazing sun, did not lose its radiance. — Everyone, these are my abilities. I've called them the power of the Holy Light. So far, they have only two effects: healing and enhancement.

Then Karl reached behind him for a gun, aimed it at Bin, who was eating a melon on the side, and fired!

— Bang~

— Aaaaah!

Blood bloomed on Bin's thigh. Bin stared at Karl in bewilderment, ow-ow-ow?

Then he let out a plaintive cry and, clutching his thigh, rolled around on the floor.

Zephyr frowned, but thinking it should be fine with Karl's abilities, said nothing and let him handle the situation.

— Attention everyone! Bin has been shot. If this had happened in battle, his combat capability would have significantly decreased, and it would take time to recover afterward.

— But… — Karl threw a bright orb from his hand at Bin, who immediately stopped screaming but looked bewildered.

Everyone else only saw the black bullet fall from Bin's leg and roll across the floor.

— What! What an incredible recovery ability! No, it must be Karl, the Holy Light!

The recruits surrounded Bin and tore his pants to inspect the injured area. Upon closer inspection, they confirmed that apart from the traces of blood just left there, there were no signs of damage.

— This is the healing effect of the Holy Light. Of course, the enhancement effect differs for each person, and everyone experiences it differently. Would you like to try it yourselves?

The recruits excitedly shouted to Karl: — Of course!

Karl beamed broadly, clasping his hands together and once again concentrated a golden, bright orb in his palms. The orb grew in size, and as his hands slowly opened, it became a golden sphere the size of a yoga ball.

— Redemption of the Holy Light!

— Bang ~

The golden, bright orb exploded, but it caused no harm. On the contrary, the aura of each recruit illuminated by the golden light became significantly stronger.

Karl was slightly out of breath. Enhancing so many people at once was a serious strain on physical strength, but fortunately, he had the restorative ability [Quiet as a Maiden], which allowed his expended physical strength to recover in about a quarter of an hour.

— I feel like I could kill a cow with a single punch right now!

— It's amazing! I accidentally twisted my ankle yesterday, and after Karl's holy light shone on it, it healed instantly! This is incredible!

Exclamations like these were countless as the recruits looked at Karl with fiery eyes.

Who wouldn't want to become stronger?

As long as Karl was around, they would always have strong medical aid and enhanced physical abilities. How could they not be delighted?

It was no wonder Karl took such good care of himself, remained silent about his abilities, was highly valued by Instructor Zephyr, and why the three Admirals argued over having Karl as their assistant!

If they were in his position, they would do the same!

Because Karl's abilities are so powerful! He's the comrade of their dreams!

— It seems everyone really likes my abilities! Then for this mission…

Bin, who had just been shot, immediately shouted excitedly: — Karl, leave it to us!

— Yes! With your holy light, we have nothing to fear. The Blade Pirates are no big deal!

Karl nodded contentedly. Very good, very good. Now he can finally fish in peace!

This guy Weevil has always been a ticking time bomb in his heart. The key issue is that he doesn't know when it will explode.

But looking at Zephyr , who is still as strong as a dragon and tiger, Karl temporarily set aside his worries. He and Zephyr will definitely kill together. He is in charge of destruction, and Zephyr of annihilation.

No one knows how much time has passed, but Karl and Zephyr have already moved to a quiet spot to sit, chat, and smoke cigars. The group of recruits was still endlessly engaged in paired skirmishes to see how much stronger they had become after their enhancements.

Zephyr didn't want to stop them. The time at sea was the most boring, so it was good to let them release energy.

"Karl, you did a great job just now. Honestly, with your power alone, you could handle the Blade Pirates, but it's exactly this situation that I need."

Karl smiled, shook his cigar, and said confidently, "I think so too. Aren't my abilities made for this?"

"Ha-ha-ha, exactly, the Navy is a fleet because we are a whole. The strength of one or a few is nothing."

"Only when the overall strength of the Navy increases can we better deter those brazen types."

Just as Karl wanted to say something, Zephyr's Den-Den Mushi rang.

"This is Zephyr, how may I help you?"

"Head instructor Zaf, according to the Navy's intelligence, the Musketeer Pirates with a total bounty of 30 million Belli have landed on Spring Island. Your training ship is the closest military vessel..."

"Don't worry, we will set out immediately!" Zephyr promptly hung up the receiver, stood up, and went to the bustling deck.

Three minutes later, the training ship began to accelerate