"After we return, we'll have a good meal and then relax at the base!" Raleigh announced loudly.
The soldiers behind him were ecstatic.
"Long live Captain Raleigh!"
"We love Captain Raleigh the most!"
Among them, Hans and Beck were the most enthusiastic.
Just as everyone was celebrating, Raleigh suddenly stopped.
He turned to look behind him.
Though they didn't understand why, the soldiers followed his lead and turned as well.
At the distant end of the road, a thin figure was running with all its might, his frail chest heaving.
"Huff... huff..."
Finally, the boy reached Raleigh.
With a thud, he unhesitatingly knelt on the ground and slammed his head hard against the dirt.
When he raised it again, his forehead was already bloody and scraped raw.
"Please... please take me in, Raleigh-sama."
Though his head was bleeding, the boy's eyes showed no pain.
Instead, they were filled with profound hatred and a determination to become stronger.
Looking at the resolute boy, Raleigh's frivolous expression vanished.
His voice was low.
"Give me... a reason!"
The boy straightened his back, resisting the powerful aura rolling off Raleigh.
Though his body trembled, his gaze remained unchanged.
"I want to kill all the pirates in the world! I want to make this world a better place, so children won't lose their parents anymore."
The boy once again pressed his head to the ground, remaining bowed.
Tap, tap, tap...
Footsteps sounded, but they were moving away from him.
As the footsteps faded, the boy's disappointment grew.
Just as his heart filled with panic, a cold voice came.
"Follow me."
Raleigh was, in fact, conflicted.
Taking on a disciple meant work.
It meant teaching, and it gave him another reason to get involved instead of slacking off.
For a while, he had been testing the boy, but he had also been questioning himself.
He was finally starting to figure it out.
Slacking off was just his method for getting stronger, not a shackle.
He had... bigger plans.
Plans that required more people than just himself.
People would die, more would join. It was just a fact.
If they could actually change this corrupt world, then the sacrifices would be worth it.
This, he decided, was the true beginning.
.....
Sea Calendar 1494, on Kailinia Island.
"Captain Raleigh, we've found a Devil Fruit!"
Just as Raleigh and the others returned to the warship, the head chef hurried to the dining hall and found Raleigh, who was drinking coffee.
"What Devil Fruit?" Raleigh was confused.
He hadn't assigned anyone to look for one.
The head chef handed it over.
Raleigh took the fruit and examined it carefully.
It was aqua-blue, bearing the mysterious swirling patterns of a Devil Fruit
Its plump, rounded shape came from a melon.
Raleigh stroked his chin. "It can't be this much of a coincidence."
The more he looked, the more it resembled the Mist-Mist Fruit eaten by the pirate captain he had just defeated.
To be safe, he decided to call the intelligence officer at the East Blue branch.
"Hello, this is Christian Raleigh, commander of Branch 133. We've discovered a Devil Fruit with distinctive aqua-blue features..."
"Received, Captain Raleigh. Based on your description, it's almost certain this fruit is the Logia-type Mist-Mist Fruit."
"Alright, good..."
Raleigh hung up, quite pleased.
A Logia Fruit, and not a useless one.
In the East Blue, even a basic Zoan or Paramecia could fetch 100-200 million Berries. This Logia, in the right hands, was worth at least 500-1Billion million.
However, Raleigh had no use for it.
With his Slacker System, he could get better options.
In his mind, unless it was a top-tier fruit like the Rumble-Rumble, Growth-Growth, or a Mythical Zoan, he'd rather not have one at all.
He needed to find a way to deal with it.
After mentally running through a few names, his gaze shifted toward the infirmary.
That was where his ace fighter, Commander Momonga, was recovering.
"Come here." Raleigh called over the head chef. "Later, cut this up and mix it with other fruits for Momonga. Make sure he doesn't notice, understand?"
"Don't worry, Captain. I've been in the Marines for years. This little task won't stump me."
Waving his hand, Raleigh dismissed the chef.
Then, he called over a marine.
"Hans, bring that young man over to eat with me."
Soon, the scrawny youth arrived.
He had been treated, and his head was now wrapped in bandages, making him look somewhat comical.
"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Raleigh handed him a clean set of utensils.
"Summerfield Miles."
"Alright, Miles. I want to ask you, why us? Logically, Branch 137 is closer to your town. Why didn't you go there?"
Raleigh was curious.
The jurisdiction in these seas was a mess.
Islands were scattered everywhere.
Branch 137 was relatively close to Kailinia Island, yet the island fell under Branch 133's defense zone.
This arrangement stemmed from differences in strength—Branch 133 was stronger, so Headquarters naturally allocated it a larger operational area.
Miles looked at the delicious food on the table, swallowed hard, and then said.
"Sir, it's a matter of strength. I've seen the commander of Branch 137 chasing pirates—his abilities are far inferior to yours."
"That Logia Devil Fruit user... he couldn't have been handled by an ordinary branch, but you defeated him in a single move. My goal is to eliminate all pirates, so naturally, I'll follow whoever is stronger."
Raleigh noted the boy's hunger.
"Your personality is quite different from mine, so I'm not the most suitable person to teach you. But your temperament fits the Marines, so I'll take you on."
"Let me be clear, though—I won't be giving you much instruction. There's someone else who shares... similar ideals... to you. If you become strong enough one day, I'll write you a recommendation letter so you can try learning from him."