The moment Raymond leaped down from the fourth-floor window, he eagerly opened the system to check the notification that had just popped up.
[You have killed Marine Captain Morgan. You have obtained one of the Six Powers—Shave (LV1).]
"Shave? Not bad. It'll still be useful even in the New World!"
"Let's see how it works..."
He locked his gaze on the outer wall twenty meters away, and his legs suddenly began to stomp the ground alternately at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye—
"Shave!"
His figure vanished on the spot, but in the next second, he reappeared in the training grounds ten meters away.
"Not skilled enough. I still need to practice!" Raymond dusted himself off and was about to leave when he suddenly spotted a pink-haired kid hiding under a nearby tree.
"Isn't this Koby, the king of effort?"
Raymond narrowed his eyes, recognizing the pink-haired boy who would one day become a pillar of the Marines.
To be honest, he really disliked this kid.
With no background, no special bloodline, and no Devil Fruit ability, Koby could become a Marine Rear Admiral after just a few years of effort. Meanwhile, he himself had struggled for eight years and was still stuck at a branch.
The difference in talent was truly frustrating!
Before he crossed over, Raymond had even thought the One Piece series would release a spin-off with Koby as the protagonist, likely titled Marine King...
But no matter how frustrated he was, he had to admit that Koby's talent was definitely on a protagonist's level.
Since his talent is so great, I might as well put him to work for me. It'd be a waste to leave him for Garp!
"Hey! Pink-haired kid, you're with that straw-hatted pirate, aren't you?"
Koby trembled all over and stammered out a defense, "N-no, I'm not! I was captured by Miss Alvida to be a chore boy. It was Luffy who..."
"Cut the crap!" Raymond interrupted him directly.
"I saw you with my own eyes helping that moss-headed pirate... Do you know, that guy just killed Captain Morgan! As his accomplice, do you know what that means?"
Koby's pupils trembled violently. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he was so anxious that tears started to fall.
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding..."
"No need to explain!"
Raymond suddenly grabbed Koby by the collar, pulled him close, and said in a low voice, "Listen, kid. You have two choices right now."
"Either you'll be sent to the chopping block as a pirate's accomplice, or..." A dangerous curve formed on his lips. "You come with me!"
"I... I'll go with you right now!" Koby practically shouted, his voice tinged with tears.
He clung tightly to Raymond's sleeve as if it were his last lifeline.
"Good. Tell me your name!"
"Sir, I... my name is Koby!"
"Alright, Koby. Now I ask you, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me?"
Hearing this, Koby trembled, suddenly realizing something was wrong. He stammered, "I... I am willing to pledge my loyalty to the Marines..."
"Wrong!" Raymond's sword sheath suddenly pressed against Koby's chin, forcing him to look up. "It's loyalty to me—Lieutenant Raymond!"
Under the midday sun, Koby clearly saw the ambition burning in the man's eyes. It wasn't the look an ordinary Marine should have; it was the look of a dormant beast.
"I... I..." Koby's throat bobbed, and finally, under the pressure of the sheath, he squeezed out an answer. "I am willing to pledge my loyalty to Lord Raymond..."
[You have recruited Koby.]
[Crewmate Limit (2/4)]
[Raymond (104/110) Kuro (101/104) Koby (25/475)]
[Potential Points: 1]
[Current Koby loyalty is low (20). When loyalty reaches zero, this crewmate will be lost.]
Looking at Koby's stats on the panel, Raymond's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
A monster with a potential value of over four hundred! Just where was this kid's limit?
Admiral level? Yonko level? Or would Koby's strength still not reach his maximum potential even by the end of the main storyline?
It's truly infuriating!
At this thought, Raymond was so annoyed that he gave Koby a sharp rap on the head.
"Ouch!" Koby clutched his head, looking teary-eyed at his suddenly angry "master."
"Kid, work hard! If you perform well, I'll consider letting you join the Marines!"
"I... I can become a Marine?" Koby's eyes suddenly lit up, and he even forgot the painful lump on his head.
[Koby's loyalty has increased (90).]
[When a crewmate's loyalty is 80 or above, their acquisition rate of Potential Points and Skill Points during training will increase by 20%!]
Raymond looked at the system prompt and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected high loyalty to provide such a bonus!
He patted his powerful new tool-person with satisfaction:
"Let's go, kid. Time to get back to the warship and work!" Raymond grabbed Koby by the back of his collar and lifted him up like a kitten.
"Wait! I want to say goodbye to Luffy and the others..." Koby struggled, looking back.
"They're about to become wanted criminals. If you really want to be a Marine, you can't have any more ties with them!"
"...Alright."
...
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was enjoying some black tea when the Den Den Mushi beside him suddenly began to ring, "Purupurupuru."
Sengoku frowned, put down his teacup, and slowly answered the call. "Moshi moshi, this is Sengoku!"
"Fleet Admiral! There's been a major incident at the 153rd Branch in the East Blue!" The Den Den Mushi mimicked a panicked face.
"A pirate hunter named Roronoa Zoro has murdered Captain Morgan! The 153rd Branch is in complete chaos now!"
"What? Morgan was killed?" Sengoku's expression turned grim.
Among the four seas, the East Blue was known as the "Weakest Sea." It had been many years since a madman who dared to directly murder a Marine Captain had appeared.
"Why would a pirate hunter attack a Marine? Are you certain it was that pirate hunter who did it? Was there anything else unusual at the scene?"
The voice on the other end responded immediately, "Over a dozen Marine soldiers on site claim to have personally witnessed Roronoa Zoro kill Captain Morgan. As for other anomalies...
The soldiers of the 153rd Branch also reported that a warship from the 16th Branch arrived in Shells Town before Morgan's death and never reported its presence to the 153rd Branch..."
Sengoku was a bit impatient. "Just failing to report? What kind of anomaly is that?"
In Marine administration, while cross-branch operations weren't explicitly forbidden, it was common courtesy to report to the local branch when passing through their waters. It was an unwritten rule that most Marines followed, though a cautious few might choose to maintain silent sailing. There was nothing particularly strange about it.
The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But... following procedure, we questioned Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch. After hearing about Captain Morgan's death, he hemmed and hawed for a long time before saying he had no knowledge of that warship docking..."
"Oh?" Sengoku's eyes sharpened.
Failing to report was one thing, but for the direct commanding officer to be unaware was indeed somewhat unusual.
However, considering all the soldiers at the scene claimed to be eyewitnesses, even if the warship was anomalous, it was mostly cleared of suspicion...
Sengoku pondered for a moment. "Isn't Vice Admiral Garp on vacation in the East Blue? Have him go to the 153rd Branch to investigate this... Also, report the matter of the 16th Branch's warship to him and see what he decides."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"