"Hey, are you sure you don't want us to provide you with a ride?"
Atlas looked at Hawkeye, who coolly stepped onto the coffin ship, and warmly extended an invitation.
"No Need."
Hawkeye responded concisely. He sat directly on the seat on the boat, with his back against the cross mast, and closed his eyes to meditate. However, he didn't draw the Yoru from behind him to row the boat.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Hawkeye opened his keen eyes and gazed at Atlas with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing," Atlas waved his hand, discreetly concealing the camera phone Bug he had recently instructed Smoker to bring behind his back. "By the way, why aren't you rowing the boat?"
Hawkeye ignored the comment and closed his eyes once more. The ship drifted with the current until it was out of sight of the warship.
"Did this guy figure it out..."
Atlas muttered in confusion.
I initially thought about capturing some scandalous moments of Hawkeye. Perhaps, when he eventually becomes the world's greatest swordsman, I could make a fortune by selling it to the World Economic News.
Smoker, who was beside him, appeared to have caught wind of Atlas's whisper, and the corners of his mouth twitched subtly.
Atlas remains unchanged...
...
East Blue Logue town Marine Base.
It's been almost five years since Atlas departed. It's neither a long nor short period. After all, Atlas, who is now 22 years old, has spent half of his life in this small town. Time has moved on. (The protagonist time-traveled a decade ago)
The entirety of Logue town hasn't changed much. The same groups of people are still coming and going, and the architectural style remains unchanged.
It just appeared that there were some unfamiliar faces among the Marines at the base.
Marines are always on the frontline in the battle against pirates, and in war... there are no immortals!
Base colonel's office.
The owner here is still Colonel Randall, but despite being in his fifties, his temples are sprinkled with wrinkles, and his face remains as iron-blooded and determined as ever.
At this moment, Colonel Randall was puffing away smoke behind his office chair. A seemingly yellowed newspaper was taped to the smoke-filled office wall. Through the haze, one could vaguely identify the signed newspaper as the World Economic News.
Colonel Randall seems a bit leisurely at this time. Well, truth be told, he has been rather leisurely in the past few years. Mainly because for some unknown reason during this time, Vice Admiral Garp has been making frequent visits to East Blue. The exact reason is certainly something the branch colonel can find out.
Since Zephyr's family fell victim to a pirate assassination, the family information of key officers in the department has been kept strictly confidential. Some have even been directly relocated to Marineford for protection.
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~
However, Randall doesn't mind this leisurely atmosphere. After all, even if East Blue is considered the weakest sea, wouldn't it be better to have fewer Marines sacrificed?
Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang, interrupting Colonel Randall's thoughts. He picked up the phone. "Colonel Randall, our warship will arrive at the port of Loguetown in the near future. We hope that you, Colonel, will handle the necessary arrangements effectively."
"Yes!"
Randall chewed his cigar and said.
"Who is it?"
Randall pondered, could it be Vice Admiral Garp? But didn't he just visit not long ago?
Suddenly, Randall's peripheral vision caught sight of the newspaper on the wall, and an idea sprouted in his heart like a weed.
Could it be...
...
The warship has just exited the Calm Belt.
A vast amount of meat was arranged on the expansive deck, and its form appeared to be carved from the same creature.
"Do you think I was born unlucky?"
Atlas gazed at the Sea Beast's limbs sprawled across the deck, wearing an expression that was a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Ah? Why?"
Smoker's brain suddenly went blank, and he found it challenging to process Atlas's irrational words.
"Then, please explain it to me. I've crossed the Calm Belt twice, and both times I got attacked by Sea Beasts. Do you think I'm unlucky? By the way, is the seastone embedded under our warship impure? Ah?"
Atlas stretched out his right hand helplessly and formed a '2' sign.
"...No way, Dr. Vegapunk from the Marine Science Corps is quite reliable."
Smoker was momentarily speechless.
This does seem... a bit unfortunate, but he seems to have been present on both occasions, so who's the unlucky one?
Smoker fell into deep thought...
"Also, Vergo, well done! I'll give you a promotion and a salary increase when you get back."
Atlas turned his head and commended Vergo with an appreciative look on his face, mentioning that Vergo was the one who hunted these Sea Kings. As a boss, it's only fitting to reward one's subordinates appropriately, even if it's just through words.
Vergo appeared calm on the surface, but internally, he was incredibly pleased.
One step closer to gaining the trust of Marine senior management...
...
At the port of Logue town, the base's top officer, Colonel Randall, led a group of Marines and was waiting there.
Everyone appeared solemn and serious. Despite some speculations, Randall didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest.
What if I make the wrong guess? That's the Vice Admiral of Naval Headquarters, an absolute high-ranking official!
On the watchtower, the soldier seemed to suddenly spot something that surprised him. He then adjusted the telescope again, attempting to confirm whatever had caught his attention.
"Um?"
Atlas in the distance suddenly sensed a gaze fixed on him, and he looked towards the direction of that gaze with curiosity.
"Ah... Atlas..."
The scout was a bit excited. There was no way he could mistake that face. He had sailed with Atlas to combat pirates, and he had been boasting about it in the base for a long time.
"We need to report this to Colonel Randall immediately!"
Thump thump thump!
Hurrying down the watchtower, the scout, with a flushed face, shouted to Randall, "Colonel, Your Excellency, it's Atlas!"
"Who did you say it was?"
As if afraid he had heard wrong, Randall asked repeatedly.
"It's Atlas, it's Atlas!"
"What?"
The eyes of the Marines present were about to pop out. Most of them had interacted with Atlas, and even though they had heard the legend of this Marine monster, they did not expect that the prize winner coming to greet him this time was actually him.
'How old is he? He must be in his twenties, I suppose.'
'Is he trying to be this extraordinary? How can ordinary folks like us compete?'
But then he lifted his head with a sense of pride. After all, such a young Marine Vice Admiral emerged from their Logue town Marine Base. The pirates in East Blue might be the weakest, but we Marines are not!
"Let's call Vice Admiral!"
Randall laughed and cursed.
He gazed at the warship approaching slowly with an expression filled with pride and self-satisfaction...
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Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari