Kuro, of course, didn't admit it—especially not the part where he delivered the blow.
"Tch, whatever. As long as it helped."
At the very least, that strike must've been the decisive one. Smoker didn't care what kind of ideals Kuro believed in, but he had definitely helped.
Just then, a Marine came running over with a Den Den Mushi. "Captain Smoker, a call from HQ!"
"This is Smoker," he said, taking the Den Den Mushi.
"Smoker? Regarding the arrest of Crocodile, the higher-ups have decided to award you and Tashigi medals. Both of you will be promoted."
"A medal?"
Smoker frowned at the Den Den Mushi. "Did you even read my report? We're not the ones who defeated Crocodile."
"It's no use. When the government makes a decision, you'd best go along with it," Hina said from the side, trying to calm him down.
"When will you be available to attend the ceremony?" the voice on the Den Den Mushi continued.
"Hey, do me a favor and tell those old geezers—"
Veins bulged on Smoker's forehead.
"Smoker!" Hina shouted.
"They can go to hell!"
Smoker suddenly slammed the receiver down and hung up.
Hina sighed. "It's pointless. When the government decides something, there's no refusing it—at least not if you're still a Marine."
"My actions reflect the justice I believe in, clear as a mirror," Smoker said. "This kind of thing isn't justice!"
Pirates defeating another pirate they couldn't legally pursue due to circumstances… it left a bitter taste in Smoker's mouth.
Especially since Luffy had saved his life.
What was justice, really? He didn't know. But if something sat right in his heart—that was justice.
Kuro wasn't wrong when he said that.
As for Kuro, he didn't care about any of this. The fact his name wasn't mentioned in the call made him sigh in relief. No mention meant no promotion—and no attention.
"I'm heading back to HQ to explain this personally," Smoker said, preparing to disembark.
Hina silently watched him.
As his friend, she knew Smoker too well. He was a stubborn one who always went his own way. That's why he ended up stationed in the East Blue in the first place.
"Kuro, we're going."
Kuro shrugged, nodded at Hina, and made his way off the ship. As he passed by Helmeppo, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Keep it up. I've got high hopes for you. You used to be my goal."
"?"
Helmeppo blinked in confusion. What did he mean by that?
He'd never understand how much Kuro used to envy his life.
After getting off Hina's ship, Kuro and the others boarded Smoker's ship and headed to Marine Headquarters.
.
..
...
A few days later.
Smoker hung up a call with Hina, staring silently at the two newly issued bounty posters on his desk.
"A hundred million, huh…"
Lida leaned in to look. "And that green-haired guy has sixty million. Aren't those the two who beat up Klahadore?"
Whoosh!
As soon as she said that, Klahadore appeared and glanced at the posters.
"Straw Hat… one hundred million? Roronoa Zoro… sixty million."
Both of them had crossed paths with Klahadore before.
"One hundred million, sixty million…" Kuro murmured.
In the East Blue, those numbers would make them absolute legends.
"Is it because they defeated Crocodile? Even though the government covered it up, the bounties shot up—it's a huge jump."
"Exactly," Smoker nodded. "As long as I'm still a Marine, there's a limit to how much I can act on my own. That's why we need power. Kuro, interested in joining me?"
He looked over at Kuro, who was lounging on the deck, half-asleep and enjoying the sea breeze.
Kuro shook his head at the offer.
Join you?
Just going to Alabasta had been a huge headache—he wasn't going any farther. Heading to the New World? No thanks.
"I already went to Alabasta with you. Now it's your turn to keep your promise—get me somewhere absolutely safe. I need to settle down. I mean, uh, I think my strength isn't enough yet, so I want to improve in peace."
"Don't worry. It'll be absolutely safe. But first, go train at HQ," Smoker said, with a slightly cryptic tone.
Kuro didn't notice anything odd. He was just thrilled. Smoker wouldn't lie—so that place had to be both safe and stable.
Waving a hand casually, Kuro added, "It doesn't need to be too safe. That place you used to be stationed—Loguetown—it seemed fine to me. Sure, there were pirates, but I don't mind."
"I'll do my best. It'll be really safe—don't worry," Smoker promised firmly.
Nearby, Klahadore pushed up his glasses. Something felt… off. But he couldn't put his finger on it.
Still, a safe and secure place, with few pirates… that sounded ideal. At the very least, Klahadore could finally enjoy a peaceful life.
He couldn't help but imagine that kind of future.
Wait a second—
Absolutely safe.
Stable.
And no pirates nearby.
Klahadore's brows furrowed. He looked at Smoker, then at Kuro daydreaming happily about his future, and his face twisted into a very strange expression.
…Better not say anything.
He had a bad feeling he'd get dragged into something if he did.
(***)
Marine Headquarters was located near the Holy Land Mary Geoise, forming a triangle with Enies Lobby and Impel Down. It sat in a special whirlpool sea—without the Gates of Justice open, any pirate entering would be trapped in endless currents.
After a long voyage, Kuro and the others finally arrived at Marine HQ.
The island it was located on: Marineford.
Aside from the HQ, most buildings on Marineford were homes for Marine families.
As they disembarked, Kuro glanced around and sighed. "So this is HQ. No matter how much I dodge, I still ended up here."
"So this is HQ!" Lida said excitedly. "There must be so much good food here! I bet the mess hall tastes amazing!"
"HQ…" Klahadore pushed up his glasses, smiling wryly. "Who would've thought? I used to be a pirate, and now I'm not only a Marine—I'm at HQ."
"Anyway, just blend in. Don't stand out. Absolutely do not show your full strength. Otherwise, forget going back to the East Blue—finding a safe spot in the Grand Line will be impossible."
Kuro gave the other two some final advice.
"We get it."
On that, they all agreed.
Lida just wanted to eat safely. And when it came to staying out of trouble—no, playing it safe—she had her own methods.
Klahadore? Say no more. Hiding his strength? He once laid low for years in a tiny village. Here at HQ, showing just enough strength to look like a regular Marine—too easy.
If they just trained normally and Smoker put in a good word, Kuro could go back with a headquarters title.
Perfect.
As for Smoker—
Admiral's Office.
Smoker pushed open the door and said straight-up, "Kuzan, I've got someone I need to talk to you about."
(***)
"Luciru Kuro, 24 years old, Warrant Officer of Branch 153."
At the reception, the Marine officer in charge of training glanced at Kuro. Hm. Nothing special.
"What are you good at?"
"I'm decent at some hand-to-hand combat," Kuro replied.
"Hand-to-hand?"
The officer looked at the sword at Kuro's waist.
"Oh, this? It's a family heirloom. Compared to hand-to-hand, my swordsmanship is just so-so."
Kuro pinched his thumb and index finger together, leaving only a tiny gap.
"Hmm, the file checks out. Looks like you're the one. Since you're here for training at HQ, as long as you don't mess up, once it's over, you'll officially transfer to HQ and become part of the main Marine force.
But remember, being a Warrant Officer isn't anything special. There are plenty of people here who outrank you and are stronger than you. So train hard, and don't disgrace the Marines."
"Understood." Kuro saluted.
"Next."
The officer waved his hand for the next person.
Lida stepped forward.
"A kid?"
The officer blinked and looked at the file in his hand.
It clearly listed a teenage girl, 18 years old. Even though she looked like a kid—with similar features, hair, and a cute face—she definitely didn't look 18.
"I'm Florida Lida. I'm a Devil Fruit user. This is my default form. I grow bigger when fighting."
Lida transformed into her teenage form and explained to the officer.
"A Devil Fruit user?!"
The officer instantly became alert. That wasn't in the file. This was a hidden gem.
Devil Fruit users were high-level combat power.
It couldn't be helped though—Kuro wanted Lida to stay low-profile, but if she stayed in her teenage form all the time, she wouldn't survive two months of training.
She'd get too hungry.
And if training included swimming, she'd be exposed sooner or later.
So it was better to admit she was a Devil Fruit user from the start. That might even get her some perks. As long as she didn't stand out too much, there wouldn't be a problem.
Earning merits wasn't the goal. Even if someone took interest in her, she was under Kuro's direct command and had no intention of being reassigned—so separation wasn't a concern.
Better to reveal a bit of her strength now. With her Devil Fruit and a decent training performance, she could earn a modest promotion. That would be enough.
This was Klahadore's plan.
He'd been researching the Marine structure lately.
If they just quietly trained, chances were they'd be assigned to some officer's unit after training—and end up fighting freakish pirates on the Grand Line.
So instead, it was better to show some excellence. But not too much—just enough to get noticed without becoming high-profile. HQ had plenty of monsters, so a little above-average performance wouldn't raise eyebrows.
Kuro was a Warrant Officer. If he performed well, he might get promoted. Then, once he transferred to HQ, combined with Smoker's promised arrangements—even if he couldn't return to East Blue, he could be stationed somewhere safe and command his own ship.
Then the world was his oyster.
Kuro nodded in admiration as he listened to the plan.
Klahadore really was a great recruit.
Much better than Kuro's original "just blend in, don't stand out or fall behind" strategy.
Live hidden in the crowd—get!
"What's its main effect?" the officer asked with anticipation.
Lida thought for a moment and touched the officer. Instantly, he felt his strength slowly draining away.
"It drains strength?!"
The officer was initially delighted—but then froze, his excitement fading.
The draining was… way too slow.
He was a HQ Major. His hand-to-hand skill was average for the Marines. Even at his level, he only felt his stamina slowly leaking. That made the power seem kind of lame.
Gurgle—
Lida's little face scrunched in strain, clearly using a lot of effort. And soon, her stomach started growling.
"That's all I can do."
Lida wiped her sweat. "I get hungry really fast."
As she spoke, her body shrank back into child form.
"That's it, huh…"
The officer sighed with a hint of pity and consoled her: "It's okay. You're still young. With more training, you'll shine."
After all, she was a Devil Fruit user. Even if her power wasn't outstanding, with enough training, she'd eventually surpass average Marines.
"Got it, thank you. Oh, can I eat now? I'm starving," Lida asked.
"Hang in there. Go report in first, then you can eat."
The officer had her wait to the side. Lida walked over to Kuro, winked, and gave a smug look.
Kuro nodded and sneakily gave her a thumbs up.
That demonstration of ability was obviously an act. Showing just enough of her power without going all out kept attention low.
Later, she could "gradually improve" during training.
This way, she'd be seen as a stable, modestly growing Devil Fruit user—nothing too eye-catching.
Absolutely perfect.
Also—this was Klahadore's suggestion too.
"Klahadore?"
The officer looked at the last person entering. These three seemed to be together. At first, he didn't think much, but this name—and coming from East Blue…
A Marine from East Blue named Klahadore…
The officer suddenly stood up excitedly, grabbing Kuro's hand in delight: "So it is you, Mr. Klahadore! I heard you clashed with Hawkeye in East Blue, and he said you had the potential to challenge him! I never thought I'd meet you here!"
"…Huh?"
Klahadore's body froze. He instinctively turned to glance at Kuro—but before he could, he felt a dangerous glare.
How could he forget this part?!
Kuro stared at the frozen Klahadore, so mad he nearly twisted the guy's head off.
This genius tactician, with all his acting and subtle strategy—how could the mastermind mess up so badly?!
"This guy… So unreliable! With this stunt, how are we supposed to keep a low profile at HQ?!"
Kuro grumbled under his breath.
Lida shot him a look of disgust. "You do realize whose fault this all is, right?"
"What do you mean? Are you saying it's m—"
Kuro cut himself off mid-sentence, scratched his head, and smiled awkwardly at Lida.
"Oh. Right. It was me. Never mind then."
He'd gotten too carried away dreaming about a peaceful future and completely forgot that Klahadore's reputation blew their cover—because of him.
(*****)
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