Chapter 66: New Mission

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office.

"You all did a great job on this mission; the capture plan was very successful, especially you, Karl. Vice Admiral Momonga and the others really like you, hahaha!"

Karl "shyly" scratched his head: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is too kind. It was mainly the credit of Admiral Kizaru, Admiral Aokiji, and the Vice Admirals; I only did some insignificant things."

Sengoku stroked his beard and said with a chuckle: "You are too humble. 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 it; here is the relevant intelligence."

Kizaru took the intelligence and flipped through it. The first thing that caught his eye was the bounty poster for the Butcher Pirates' captain, 【Butcher】 Oreg, with a bounty of 120 million Berries.

He continued reading; the vice-captain's bounty was 48 million Berries. Clearly, this was a pirate crew that had just broken into the New World, and their strength wasn't particularly formidable. Kizaru frowned slightly, sensing something was off.

According to common sense, this kind of mission should be handed to a Vice Admiral; having him take action was truly overkill.

But seeing Sengoku staring fixedly at Karl, Kizaru 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, this kind of merit wasn't as convincing as capturing pirates with his own hands.

For the Navy, defeating pirates is the best proof, and this mission was a chance for Karl to prove himself.

Once he successfully defeated the 【Butcher】 Pirates, Karl would soar into the sky and become a true Navy officer.

After realizing this, Kizaru couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Sengoku's high regard for Karl meant that the talent he had finally managed to get was about to fly solo.

Why was Kizaru so certain? Because the intelligence stated that the strongest of the 【Butcher】 Pirates, Oreg, hadn't even mastered Haki. How could he possibly beat Karl, who was proficient in the Six Powers and had mastered two types of Haki?

"Karl, go back and get some good rest; we set off tomorrow." After saying this, Kizaru 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 Kizaru already understood his meaning.

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

"Mm!"

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

"Kizaru, 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 intended to let Karl train under Kizaru for a while longer before letting him lead a team alone, 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. Staying with Kizaru was safe, but his growth would also be limited.

The pirates Kizaru dealt with on a daily basis 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 man." This was something Sengoku didn't want to see.

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

If not, then he would continue training under Kizaru; if he could, then he would let him "separate" first, giving him time to grow into a qualified high-end combatant.

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

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

The moment Kizaru handed the intelligence to Karl, he immediately understood the ins and outs, because he was too familiar with this move; Charles had done the same thing back then.

"Captain Oreg, 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 is a bit troublesome, but that's all. For Karl, who had mastered two types of Haki, handling him wasn't too difficult.

"Eh! Karl, you're back!"

Mo Nika, 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 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?"

Mo Nika rolled her eyes at Karl; she was just worried he wouldn't come back!

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

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

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

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

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