Chapter 502: The Actor Who Wants to Retire

"Unfortunately, this is an order from the Five Elders of the World Government; I am powerless to help."

Borsalino thought of this and sighed again.

Ever since he learned of the nature and data of this so-called "strategic weapon,"

he had sighed more times than in all the previous decades combined.

Although he was the supreme commander of this Marine Science Unit,

and a Marine Admiral representing the highest combat power of the Navy, what did that even count for?

Rocks, the super-pirate who almost unified the seas decades ago and whose crew now included

all the Four Emperors except for Red-Haired, still fell at the hands of the World Government.

"Admiral Kizaru, please continue to maintain the laser's power output."

Seeing that Borsalino was somewhat distracted, to the point where the power of his ability was becoming unstable,

Vegapunk, whose research was being severely disrupted, frowned and reminded him.

"Ara ara, it seems I didn't rest well last night, leaving me a bit short on energy~"

Borsalino casually found an excuse, laughed it off,

and continued to maintain the laser emission, skipping over the matter.

He was just a poor, weak, and helpless Marine Admiral, after all.

Saving the world or whatever should be left to those with ideals.

He only wanted to work steadily until retirement, then take his pension and enjoy his golden years.

In his view, that former Marine soldier, the son of Vice Admiral Garp,

who established the Revolutionary Army, wanted to overthrow the World Government, and was wanted by them

as the "World's Worst Criminal," Monkey D. Dragon, was a very suitable candidate for that.

"Ara ara, I just wonder how Vice Admiral Garp will choose when the time comes?"

He then seemed to think of something interesting, the corners of his mouth curling up.

Vice Admiral Garp remained a Vice Admiral because he only wanted to be a relatively free Vice Admiral,

not because he only had the strength of a Vice Admiral. This old Marine

had earned the title of "Hero of the Marines" with nothing but his own iron fists.

Whether it was the great pirate Rocks, who wanted to replace the World Government and become the "King of the World,"

or Gol D. Roger, the only person in hundreds of years to reach the legendary final island of Laugh Tale

and become the Pirate King, Vice Admiral Garp had made indelible, monumental contributions

in the operations to defeat and arrest them.

Such great merit, while from the Marine's perspective was about maintaining order in the seas

and preventing the world from falling into chaos, from the World Government's perspective,

made Vice Admiral Garp a loyal subject who upheld their rule.

It was truly ironic that such a loyal subject had raised a great rebel determined to overthrow the World Government.

It was just a question of what he would choose when Dragon stirred up the waves of revolution

and the World Government ordered Vice Admiral Garp to suppress the rebellion;

would he destroy his own kin for the sake of justice, personally defeating or even killing his own son for the sake of order in the seas;

or would he turn his iron fists around and fight side-by-side with his son to overthrow the World Government?

Or perhaps he would remain neutral, helping neither side, and let the World Government and the Revolutionary Army go to war?

"What a difficult choice, Vice Admiral Garp."

The smile at the corner of Kizaru's mouth vanished in a flash.

It was none of his business.

Given the current balance of power between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government,

the Revolutionary Army would clearly need to continue to lie low and develop for the next dozen years or so.

By the time the Revolutionary Army grew strong enough to launch a world revolution, he would already be retired.

What did the war between the World Government and the Revolutionary Army have to do with a retired former Marine Admiral?

"As for Lord Lord Heixing, I wonder what role this rising star of the seas

will play in such a magnificent era?"

The image of that young man with the sunny, cheerful smile suddenly surfaced in Borsalino's mind.

In another dozen years, Lord Lord Heixing Zhang Jie would only be in his thirties or forties,

the prime of his life, with his energy and strength at their absolute peak.

Plus, he is now a top-tier powerhouse who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with old fellows like them.

his strength in a dozen years would likely trend toward contending for the seas.

Neither the World Government nor the Revolutionary Army would ignore such a powerhouse.

"Admiral Kizaru, please maintain a steady laser power output."

Dr. Vegapunk looked at the data curve on the display screen, which was jumping up and down like an EKG,

completely unstable, and his brows were practically knotted together.

What was the basic requirement for conducting experiments and research?

It was to eliminate interference and leave only the project being studied as a variable.

With the unstable laser Borsalino was releasing now, even he, a great scientist, found it difficult to analyze.

Besides, how could a Marine Admiral be so emotionally unstable?

He hadn't noticed this problem when they interacted before!

"Ara ara, I really am getting on in years, finding it hard to even maintain a steady laser power output.

Perhaps I should submit a report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and ask him to agree to my early retirement?"

Kizaru's other hand stroked his chin, his lazy face showing a look of seriousness,

as if he were genuinely considering the possibility of this idea.

Of course, he didn't forget to divert a portion of his energy to maintain the stability of the laser.

……

On the Sky Island, Zhang Jie, having spent the day improving the Black God, drifted off to sleep in his bedroom.

With his realm and strength, sleep was no longer a necessity, merely an occasional adjustment;

after all, complete deep sleep was truly the best way to restore energy.

Tonight, he wasn't resting, but entering the deepest,

most secret place he could never tell a second person about—the Shared Space.

"Pirate, you've arrived."

As soon as Pirate Zhang Jie entered the Shared Space, he saw Heavenly Dragon Zhang Jie greeting him.

"Mm."

Pirate Zhang Jie nodded slightly, then walked over to the seat specially designed for his physique and sat down.

The Shared Space was as empty and boundless as ever, as eternal and unchanging as the starry sky.

The other Zhang Jies—Heavenly Dependent and Consumption—were already watching him with smiles on their faces from their respective seats.

However, the Shared Space's regular, Water Shui Hu Zhang Jie, had not yet arrived.

Pirate Zhang Jie wasn't particularly worried about this; given Water Shui Hu Zhang Jie's strength,

as long as he wasn't tired of living and seeking his own death in the Water Margin world, he basically wouldn't die.

After all, the Water Margin world he was in was a world leaning toward film and television,

not the super-magic, super-Xuanhuan world of the original novel where land immortals who could summon wind and rain existed,

where even the legendary Heavenly Court was faintly visible, and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden descended to earth

to enlighten the Timely Rain Song Heizi and give him the Heavenly Book.

"How is everyone doing lately?" Pirate Zhang Jie asked.

Coming to the Shared Space, one of the most important things was to exchange their experiences.

This not only enriched the Zhang Jies' experience and broadened their horizons, but was also proof that the Zhang Jies were always one person.

For those colleagues who couldn't even share memories but still flew the flag of "transmigration," Zhang Jie expressed his inability to understand.

Weren't they afraid that someone among them would deliberately hide things, perhaps even raising a version of themselves similar to the Immortal Venerable from *The Insect Record*? ===== CHAPTER 503 =====