“No matter if it’s me or you, we should take this as our duty!” Instantly, the crowd below became excited, their emotions surging as they shouted in unison.
“Uphold justice! Uphold justice!”
“Uphold justice!”
At this moment, Ain and Barton looked at Rokujin with a trace of admiration in their eyes. It seemed they had never seen this side of Rokujin before.
Rokujin nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, next I will arrange a six-month intensive training. I hope our East Blue base Marines can improve their strength quickly.”
“Become the strongest Marine force among the four seas!”
“Yes, Rear Admiral!” the Marines shouted in unison.
“Dismissed!” Rokujin waved.
“Yes, Rear Admiral!” The Marines then left in an orderly fashion. Morgan led Rokujin and his companions to their respective offices. Rokujin’s office was the largest in the center, while Barton and Ain’s were on either side.
However, Rokujin first called Ain, Barton, and Morgan to his office.
“Morgan, after you leave, organize the patrol areas under the jurisdiction of our East Blue base, as well as information on pirates frequently appearing nearby, and report back to me.”
“Yes, Rear Admiral!” Morgan nodded in response. The young Rear Admiral seemed ready to get down to business immediately.
Then, Rokujin looked at Ain and Barton and instructed, “You two are in charge of the six-month intensive training. Make sure to improve the overall strength of our Marines!”
“Yes, Rear Admiral!” Ain and Barton said in unison.
“Alright, you’re dismissed.”
“Yes!”
After everyone left, Rokujin was alone in his office. He turned to look out the window, muttering, “Well, I don’t feel like going back to East Blue. Luffy is probably out at sea by now, and it won’t be long before he might come to this Marine base.”
Of course, this was only a possibility. With Morgan being different now, his son naturally wouldn’t dare to act arrogantly so that he wouldn’t provoke Zoro. Everything would depend on the circumstances.
In the evening, Morgan delivered the patrol areas and information on pirates frequently appearing in the region to Rokujin. Looking through the information, Rokujin saw that the first pirate listed was Krieg, though his picture was grayed out as Rokujin had killed him.
East Blue still had many pirates, including some familiar ones like Buggy’s and Alvida’s pirate crew. Many pirate crews had already fallen to Rokujin.
After browsing for a while, Rokujin took off his Marine uniform, changed into casual clothes, and decided to stroll around the town.
Shells Town.
Walking through the town’s streets, Rokujin observed the passing residents and felt the good atmosphere. It showed that Morgan hadn’t mistreated the townspeople.
Soon, he found a restaurant and, upon entering, noticed a familiar figure. That green hair was eye-catching, and the person had three swords at his waist. It was Roronoa Zoro.
Character: Roronoa Zoro
Position: Bounty Hunter
Level: D+
Skills: Swordsmanship (D+)
Bounty: None
At that moment, the system notification sounded.
【Ding, congratulations to the host for triggering the task: Defeat Zoro and make him aim to defeat the host as his goal. System reward: Energy Points +5!】
This task seemed simple but was tricky. Should he just go up and defeat him? That would be too boring and wouldn’t achieve the task’s later requirement. He needed to find the right opportunity!
Seeing Zoro in Shells Town without Luffy’s presence meant that Luffy was unlikely to appear. The two might meet elsewhere. Was there something causing Zoro to avoid him intentionally?
As Rokujin pondered, an idea suddenly flashed, and he smiled knowingly. ‘I’ve got it!’
After finishing his meal, Rokujin left the restaurant. As he left, Zoro glanced at his back, frowning, and muttered, “Who is that man? Why does he give me the same feeling as my master?”
…
A few days later, the intensive training at the Marine base officially began. Ain and Barton led most of the Marines in non-stop training. Having been tormented by Zephyr themselves, they were now enjoying putting others through the same paces. The Marines at the base were worn out from their rigorous training.
Rokujin and Morgan stood aside, observing the training. “Ensign Morgan, the physical fitness of your Marines is still lacking. They need more regular training.”
“You’re right. We have a lot of responsibilities, so training has been neglected!” Morgan nodded quickly.
“Haha!” Rokujin chuckled and didn’t say more. Naturally, Marines from other places weren’t as physically strong as those from Marine Headquarters, who were selected from across the seas.
Suddenly, a man with blond hair and a distinctive iron jaw entered Rokujin’s view. Beside him was a man with pink hair and glasses. It was Helmeppo and Coby! They had still joined the Marines but missed the chance to become Garp’s disciples.
At that moment, the system notification sounded.
【Ding, congratulations to the host for triggering a phased task, Task (1): Become the teacher of Coby and Helmeppo. System reward: Energy Points +5!】
After contemplating, Rokujin pointed at Helmeppo and asked, “Ensign Morgan, that blond fellow over there, he must be your son, right?”
“Yes, that’s my son. He has aspired to be a righteous Marine since he was a child!” Morgan replied with a smile.
“Oh? He seems quite diligent, and the pink-haired boy beside him also has some potential,” Rokujin said earnestly. He wasn’t just saying that to be nice; both Helmeppo and Coby were later recognized by Garp and even learned some of the Marine Six Powers. They even awakened Observation Haki. Their talents were undeniable.
Hearing this, Morgan’s eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed, “Rear Admiral, do you mean?”
“Since I’m here and there’s not much to do, I can teach them a thing or two,” Rokujin said.
Upon hearing this, Morgan immediately bowed his head in gratitude, “Then I thank you on behalf of Helmeppo!”
“Mm,” Rokujin nodded slightly and left the training grounds.
…
In the evening, the intensive training ended, and most of the Marines had left the training grounds. However, there were still two figures running laps with weighted vests around the track. They were Coby and Helmeppo. The two were training but also seemed to be in a sort of friendly competition.
At this moment, Rokujin was already observing everything from a nearby building. He smiled faintly, “Coby’s dream is to become a Marine.”
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