Gion glanced at Tokikake.
He still had tissues stuffed in his nostrils.
Suppressing the urge to hit him again, she said calmly, "The documents don't mention Raleigh's current strength. Since he and Momonga were assigned to the East Blue, it's always been Momonga dealing with pirates. Raleigh... remains the same. He'll avoid action whenever possible."
Tokikake clicked his tongue. "I really don't get that guy. With a handsome face like mine, I'd be out there... Wait, no. But he won't even train."
He preened. "But it makes sense. Even though I couldn't beat him back then, I'm a hardworking genius—diligent and talented. I'm definitely going to beat him this time."
Tokikake still remembered it clearly.
When he first confessed to Gion, he'd asked Raleigh to get him a bouquet of roses.
Instead, Raleigh gave him a toilet plunger.
With his back to Raleigh, Tokikake didn't realize the switch.
In front of all their fellow cadets, he confessed his love to Gion while holding a toilet plunger.
He was nearly laughed to death!
Enraged, Tokikake challenged Raleigh to a duel, but Raleigh was too fast and ran off.
When Tokikake finally cornered him in a remote alley, he just got beaten up.
Of course, Tokikake never knew Raleigh's real plan was to make him look so foolish that Gion would be put off forever, hopefully ending the obsessive confessions.
Who knew Tokikake would remain so devoted...
...
On the marine warship, glasses clinked as large portions of seafood and meat were spread across the dining tables.
All the marines were happily enjoying the feast.
Raleigh and Momonga sat facing each other, slowly eating their dinner.
"Raleigh, what are your thoughts about the future?" Momonga asked, cutting a piece of steak and putting it in his mouth.
"Thoughts? Not really. You know me," Raleigh replied dismissively. "I don't want to go to the Grand Line. If nothing special comes up, I'll probably just stay in the Four Seas. The East Blue suits me just fine."
He truly meant it.
The Grand Line was teeming with pirates, and this was before Roger sparked the Great Pirate Era.
Raleigh, who only wanted to slack off, had no intention of working like a dog.
Besides, the Grand Line meant dealing with the Celestial Dragons.
He currently lacked the strength to flip that particular table, so it was best to avoid them.
Burururu... Burururu...
Raleigh pulled the Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
"Mhm... yes... received."
After he hung up, Momonga asked who it was.
"A call from Marine Headquarters. They said some uptight girl is bringing along that lovesick fool to see us. Something about special transfer orders. I'm not clear on the details."
"Gion and Tokikake?" Momonga said in surprise. "Shouldn't they still be training at Headquarters? Why would they come all the way out here?"
He knew them well; they were all classmates.
He also immediately recognized the nicknames Raleigh had given them.
Raleigh slowly swallowed a bite of foie gras, took a sip of red wine, and shrugged.
"Since they're coming, we'll deal with it. It's not like we've done anything against military discipline."
"Report, sir!" A communications officer stepped forward. "We've received a message from Branch 137. They say a group of pirates has drifted into this sea area and are requesting a joint capture operation."
"Oh? Which pirate crew?"
Incidents like this had happened many times before, so neither Raleigh nor Momonga was particularly concerned.
"Report, sir, Branch 137 isn't sure. It seems this crew retreated from the Grand Line. They aren't even flying a pirate flag."
"Raleigh, should we go?" Momonga's eyes lit up. "I feel like my strength has hit a bottleneck. I need stronger opponents."
Momonga was a bit of a battle maniac, spending every day either training or hunting pirates.
The East Blue didn't have many strong opponents.
Most pirates only showed their true colors after entering the Grand Line.
Currently, a pirate with a 30 million Berry bounty was a rarity, especially in their jurisdiction.
Well-informed pirates all knew that Commander Momonga of Branch 133 was a lunatic, so they generally stayed far away.
At first, Momonga had asked Raleigh to spar, but Raleigh was just too lazy.
He'd look serious, but he never went all out.
Momonga couldn't get the thrill of a real life-or-death struggle, making it far less effective than fighting actual pirates.
Now, a crew that had survived the Grand Line? This was a perfect opportunity.
Besides, even if he couldn't win, Raleigh would have his back.
Momonga knew his friend and superior was far stronger than a mere Captain.
Back at the academy, no one had ever pushed Raleigh to reveal his full strength.
With him as backup, Momonga could fight without reservation.
"Alright, Commander Momonga. Time for you to shine again." Raleigh had no objections.
If Momonga wanted to get stronger, Raleigh supported it.
After all, the more capable the subordinates, the less work the boss had to do.
With his system, he wasn't afraid of anyone surpassing him.
The stronger they got, the happier he was.
If he ever became Fleet Admiral, his first move would be to properly "manage" the Admirals.
How could he slack off happily without a few capable subordinates to handle everything?
"Do we know which direction they fled?" Raleigh asked.
"Reporting, sir. They're heading toward Kailinia Island."
Raleigh nodded and turned to Momonga.
"Order the warship to accelerate toward Kailinia Island. A pack of defeated dogs from the Grand Line... who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause."
"Have the crew put in some overtime," Raleigh said. "Let's aim to catch them tonight and eliminate them on the beaches."
Hearing this, Momonga's usually stern face broke into a rare smile.
"Understood, Captain Raleigh. I'll arrange everything."
After delegating all the tasks, Raleigh went to sleep.
'Overtime?' Not a chance.
He wasn't about to work overtime just to chase pirates.
....
At that moment, the Mist Wolf Pirates had no idea who was coming for them.
On a dilapidated pirate ship, the cabin was thick with the smell of alcohol and smoke.
A group of bandaged pirates was feasting.
A drunken, one-eyed man raised his glass to the captain at the head of the table.
"B-Boss! The East Blue is just like we remember. The Marines, the pirates... they're all weak!"
"With our strength, we can build up our forces and charge right back into the Grand Line!"
The pirate captain, "Mist Wolf" Coleridge Roy, had a gloomy expression as he downed a large gulp of rum.
"That damned bastard... I will have my revenge," he growled. "Let's raid Kailinia Island first. With their money, we'll recruit more men and storm back into the Grand Line. This time, I won't fail!"
"Men, drink up! Tomorrow marks a new beginning for the Mist Wolf Pirates!"
His words roused the drunken pirates.
They had encountered a terrifyingly strong enemy in the Grand Line and barely escaped with their lives.
But back in the East Blue, with the strength they'd honed, they felt unstoppable.