Chapter 40: New Mission

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office.

"You did a very thorough job on this mission; the capture plan was very successful. Especially you, Karl, Vice Admiral Momonga and the others Move Move Like you a lot, haha!"

Karl "shyly" scratched his head: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you flatter me. It was mainly the credit of Admiral Huang Yuan, Admiral Aokiji, and the Vice Admirals. I only did some insignificant things."

Sengoku stroked his beard and said with a chuckle: "You are too modest. You should know that Momonga, Onigumo, and the others have nothing but praise for you! This time..."

Karl smiled without speaking. Facing Sengoku's praise, he only smiled, nodded, and said "mm," his whole body exuding a faint "green tea" vibe.

"By the way, Borsalino, the Butcher Pirates have been very active lately. Go handle them; here is the relevant intelligence."

Huang Yuan took the intelligence and flipped through it. The first thing that caught his eye was the bounty poster for the Butcher Pirates' captain, [Butcher] Olige, with a bounty of 120 million Berries.

He continued reading; the vice-captain had a bounty of 48 million Berries. Clearly, this was a group of pirates that had just broken into the New World; their strength wasn't particularly formidable. Huang Yuan frowned slightly, sensing something was off.

According to common practice, such a mission could be handled by a Vice Admiral; having him take action was truly overkill.

But seeing Sengoku staring intently at Karl, Huang Yuan seemed to understand something. He should have thought of it earlier; this mission was clearly a test.

Although Karl had displayed his abilities during the operation to capture Kaido, that kind of merit wasn't as convincing as personally capturing pirates.

For the Marines, defeating pirates was the best proof, and this mission was an opportunity to give Karl a chance to prove himself.

Once he successfully defeated the [Butcher] Pirates, Karl would soar into the sky and become a true Marine officer.

After figuring this out, Huang Yuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Sengoku's high regard for Karl meant that the talent he had worked so hard to get was about to fly solo.

Why was Huang Yuan so certain? Because the intelligence stated that the strongest of the [Butcher] Pirates, Olige, hadn't even mastered Haki. How could he possibly beat Karl, who was proficient in the Six Powers and mastered two types of Haki?

"Karl, go back and get some good rest. We set off tomorrow." After saying this, Huang Yuan looked at Sengoku helplessly, handed the Butcher Pirates' intelligence to Karl, and crossed his legs, neither sad nor happy.

Sengoku nodded silently in his heart; it seemed Huang Yuan already understood his meaning.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I shall take my leave."

"Hmm!"

Watching Karl's departing back, a look of gratification appeared in Sengoku's eyes.

"Huang Yuan, I know you're in a hurry, but don't be in a hurry yet. I have my reasons for doing this..."

Originally, he had indeed planned to let Karl train under Huang Yuan for a while longer before letting him lead a team independently, but Tsuru's evaluation of Karl during the Kaido capture mission had changed his mind.

Karl's potential was far higher than he had imagined. Following Huang Yuan was safe, but his growth would be restricted.

The pirates Huang Yuan dealt with daily were far stronger than Karl; Karl rarely got a chance to act, which would only waste his talent and turn him into a mere "tool." This was something Sengoku did not want to see.

So after careful consideration, he deliberately arranged this mission for Huang Yuan to see if Karl truly had the capability.

If not, he would continue to train under Huang Yuan. If he could, he would let him "go independent" first, giving him time to grow into a qualified high-end combatant.

After returning to the Marine family quarters, Karl lay directly on the bed, staring at the ceiling and contemplating life.

"Sigh~ It seems I won't be able to happily slack off with 'Monkey' for much longer!"

The moment Huang Yuan handed the intelligence to Karl, he immediately understood the ins and outs, because he was very familiar with this tactic; Charles had done the same thing back in the day.

"Captain Olige, bounty 120 million Berries, skilled in martial arts, cruel and tyrannical personality, vice-captain..."

After reading the intelligence, Karl only had one thought: this guy was a bit troublesome, but that was all. Karl, who had mastered two types of Haki, wouldn't find it too difficult to handle him.

"Huh! Karl, you're back!"

Monica, who had just finished work, walked into the room and her eyes lit up when she saw Karl. She threw herself into Karl's arms Move Move Like a swallow returning to its nest, greedily sucking on Karl's lips.

"I've only been gone for a few days, and you missed me this much?"

Monica rolled her eyes at Karl; it wasn't Move Move Like she was worried he wouldn't come back!

"Hateful, you're asking when you already know..." Monica pouted coquettishly and leaned her head against Karl's chest.

"Hehehe, no rush, the night is still long, let's go get something to eat first."

After accompanying Monica shopping and having a sumptuous dinner, the two headed straight for their love nest to study the mysteries of life inheritance.

The next day, Karl bid farewell to the reluctant Monica and boarded the warship.

In the lounge, Huang Yuan feigned resentment and said: "Sigh~ Karl, you really are highly valued by Sengoku! This mission was prepared specifically for you!" ===== CHAPTER 68 =====

Karl smiled slightly, took a sip of coffee, and then said slowly: "It can't be helped; gold will always shine. Actually, this is a good thing."

Huang Yuan pouted: "Oh? What's your take on it?"

"Admiral Huang Yuan, the powerful mobility of the Glint-Glint Fruit dictates that you will often handle emergency missions, rather than capturing pirates normally Move Move Like Admirals Akainu and Aokiji."

"As your adjutant, I actually rarely get the chance to train."

Hearing this, Huang Yuan nodded. What Karl said was indeed the truth; he had been doing the same for many years.

"So I guess Fleet Admiral Sengoku's intention is to let me become independent. In name, I am still your adjutant, but I will handle some non-emergency missions in your stead. When there are important missions, we will still act together."

Clap, clap, clap!

Huang Yuan couldn't help but applaud. What Sengoku had told him privately yesterday was more or less the same, but hearing it from Karl's mouth felt naturally different.

"I didn't expect you to see through it so thoroughly. Sengoku indeed meant exactly that." After saying this, Huang Yuan handed Karl a newspaper.

Seeing the headline, Karl was stunned. He hurriedly read the content and took a deep breath.

This was a newspaper exclusively for the Marines, mainly detailing the entire process of the G-2 base defeating Kaido, and it heavily emphasized the contribution Karl made in this battle.

"Now you know how much Sengoku values you, kid! You're famous in the Marines now!"

At the same time, Akainu, who was executing a mission in the West Blue, also saw this newspaper. His expression didn't change, but there was a hint of regret in his heart.

North Blue, 108th Branch.

Charles looked at the report in the newspaper, his mouth curling up, and he laughed happily.

"This kid... he's soared into the sky! But, he was promoted by me personally, hahaha!" ===== CHAPTER 69 =====