The battle against pirates was a long and arduous struggle
Both sides had to compete not only in top-tier combat power but also in future personnel reserves.
Of course, pirates had no concept of nurturing future prospects.
However, peace is rarely allowed to last for capable men.
Buru buru—Buru buru—
The noisy, rhythmic ringing of a Den Den Mushi snapped Raleigh out of his deep thoughts.
He frowned, opening one eye.
He glared irritably at Bessermer Reginald, who was holding the crying snail with a nervous expression.
"Raleigh-sama," Reginald whispered, looking like he wanted to run away. "It's a call from... Headquarters."
Noting Raleigh's dark expression, Reginald didn't dare to say more.
He carefully placed the Den Den Mushi on the small table next to the sun lounger and quickly made himself scarce, disappearing below deck.
Raleigh stared at the snail.
Katcha.
He picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" Raleigh said, his voice flat and unwelcoming. "This is Christian Raleigh."
"Yohohoho~"
A slow, drawling voice drifted from the receiver.
It was a voice that sounded like it was half-asleep yet mocking at the same time.
"Did we interrupt Raleigh-sama lovely vacation?"
Immediately, the Den Den Mushi's face transformed. Its eyes drooped lazily, and its lips puckered into a weird, lecherous expression.
It perfectly mimicked the face of Borsalino.
Hearing that voice and seeing that face, Raleigh's heart sank.
When his older brother Borsalino initiated a call, it was never good news.
His last call had dragged Raleigh from the comforts of the East Blue all the way to this freezing North Blue.
Just as Raleigh had finally managed to sort out the mess here, Borsalino was calling again.
"If there's nothing important, I'm hanging up," Raleigh replied with clear irritation. "I'm quite busy here. The sun isn't going to enjoy itself."
"Mah mah~," Borsalino drawled. "What a cold-hearted man you are, Raleigh. We haven't seen each other for so long—don't you miss your big brother at all?"
"We have nothing to discuss, Borsalino," Raleigh snapped. "You're not Gion. Why would I miss a wrinkly old man like you?"
"So harsh~," Borsalino chuckled.
Hearing Borsalino's idle chatter, Raleigh immediately understood Headquarters' intentions.
They weren't calling to say hello.
They clearly believed the North Blue situation had been stabilized under his management.
They figured that any succeeding commander, as long as they weren't utterly incompetent, could maintain order just by following the rulebook Raleigh had written.
Which meant Raleigh was free to be used elsewhere.
"Listen, little brother," Borsalino said, his voice shifting to a tone of feigned seriousness, though a hint of schadenfreude tinged his words.
"Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku both highly value your abilities. They talk about you every day! They believe you'll become one of the future Marine Admirals. In fact, they are already discussing who should succeed you as the North Blue commander."
Raleigh sat up, knocking over his bowl of grapes.
"Hah! I refuse!" Raleigh shouted into the receiver. "Absolutely not!"
"Oh?"
"What does Headquarters think I am?" Raleigh ranted. "Do they treat people like pack mules? Even a workhorse on a farm gets better treatment than this!"
Raleigh counted on his fingers angrily.
"First, they drag me across the seas to this chaotic North Blue. Fine, I accepted that."
"Then, after I defeated Byrnndi World, Admiral Sengoku said he needed your help and transferred you away, leaving me to clean up the mess alone! I didn't complain then either."
Raleigh took a breath. "Now, I've worked so hard. I finally brought the North Blue under control. The crime rate is down, the Mafia is behaving, and the economy is up. And before I even get to enjoy the fruits of my labor, they want to send me to the Grand Line to fight monsters? It's too tough! I'm not going!"
Raleigh grumbled about the ruthless officers at Marineford while popping a fresh grape into his mouth to calm down.
He had a good setup here.
He had Gion, Cleveland, Miles, and Reginald.
With them around, Raleigh barely had to lift a finger. Why would he trade paradise for the hell of the New World?
'As long as I don't go back for the debriefing,' Raleigh thought, 'they can't promote me.'
"Mah mah~," Borsalino laughed on the other end. "Hehe, Raleigh, You will definitely come to Headquarters for the annual debriefing this year. I trust Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku on this. They have ways to make you come."
Borsalino's voice was dripping with amusement.
The guy seemed to have developed some twisted pleasure—he was suffering under Sengoku's iron fist at Headquarters, so he needed to see Raleigh suffer too to balance the universe.
"See you soon~"
Click!
Raleigh expressionlessly ended the call before Borsalino could say another word.
He slammed the receiver down.
"Reginald!" Raleigh shouted.
Bessermer Reginald poked his head out from the cabin. "Yes, sir?"
"From now on," Raleigh instructed, rubbing his temples, "if it's Borsalino calling, you handle it. Tell him I'm sick. Tell him I'm dead. I don't care. Just don't transfer the call to me. I've been annoyed by him lately."
"Uhh... yes, sir!"
After the call ended, Raleigh lay back on the sun lounger.
The beautiful weather suddenly felt gloomy.
He felt somewhat melancholy.
He knew that with his capabilities and track record, he could never stay in the Four Seas forever.
The Great Pirate Era was coming, and the Marines needed their strongest fighters on the Grand Line.
But in his plans, he needed at least two to three more years in the North Blue.
He wanted to fully consolidate his territory. He wanted to ingrain his new rules deep into the hearts of the North Blue's people so that they wouldn't revert to chaos once he left.
"If I leave now," Raleigh muttered, "and if the new officer Headquarters sends is an idiot who doesn't see eye-to-eye with me... all my efforts will be wasted."
He thought about his subordinates.
"Sigh... Momonga and Cleveland are excellent, but they are both too low-ranking. They are only Captains. They won't qualify for the position of a Superintendent or Base Commander of an entire Sea."
"Worried about what will happen to the North Blue after you leave?"
A gentle, soothing female voice sounded beside him.
Raleigh adjusted the reclining sun chair, half-lying as he looked up.
Gion was standing there, smiling softly.
She sat down next to him on the deck without hesitation, holding two fresh coconuts with straws in her hands.
"Yeah," Raleigh admitted, taking a sip of the coconut water. "I've poured my heart into the North Blue. I don't want it to crumble."
Raleigh sighed. "It reminds me of Sakazuki. He poured his heart into the North Blue too. Neither of us wants to see our work here ruined by the next guy."
"Actually," Raleigh chuckled darkly, "Sakazuki holds quite a grudge against Borsalino. Mainly because when Borsalino took over from him, he almost completely overturned all of Sakazuki's decrees because he was too lazy to enforce them. If I hadn't stepped in, the chaos would have been unimaginable."
Gion listened quietly, then smiled confidently.
"You don't need to worry too much, Raleigh," she said.
"Think about the current state of Marine Headquarters. They don't have many particularly strong Vice Admiral candidates available right now. Most of the capable Vice Admirals... actually belong to our faction."
"Our faction?" Raleigh raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Gion explained. "If you're still concerned, I can write a letter. I can ask Sister Tsuru and Sengoku-san to mediate."
Gion's eyes sparkled with intelligence. "We can have someone from our specific faction assigned here to succeed you."
Raleigh blinked.
Gion's words suddenly cleared the fog in his mind.
"That's right!" Raleigh realized.
While Raleigh's own connections at Headquarters were limited, Gion's network was incredibly powerful.
Gion was treated like a little sister by Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Great Staff Officer.
She was also favored by Admiral Sengoku and Garp.
The "Sengoku-Tsuru-Garp" faction was the strongest pillar in the Marines.
Beneath their radiance, there were many Vice Admirals who followed their lead.
Gion's logic was simple but brilliant.
Since the position of North Blue Superintendent had to be filled by a Vice Admiral, it would be better to have Sengoku directly assign one of his own trusted subordinates—someone who would listen to Gion and Raleigh's advice.
'This aligns perfectly,' Raleigh thought.
This move would not only protect the North Blue but also strengthen their faction's influence.
Sengoku was next in line to contend for the position of Fleet Admiral.
At this critical moment, having the support of the Four Seas Superintendents was crucial for his election.
Although everyone knew Sengoku was the favorite to replace Kong, Tsuru was cautious.
She was actively working to secure every vote.
If Raleigh handed the North Blue to a Sengoku loyalist, it secured the region for their faction.
"You're too good to me, Gion," Raleigh said excitedly.
He couldn't contain himself.
He reached out and pulled Gion, who was sitting beside him, into his arms.
"Ah!"
Gion gasped as she fell against his chest, her face flushing red.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, though she didn't push him away.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator