Knock knock knock—
Knock knock knock—
The knocking on the door was followed by a furious shout from inside the room:
"What the hell are you knocking for?! I'm in the middle of something! Come back later if you want to live!!!"
From inside came the unmistakable sound of women gasping and moaning. Judging by the voices, it wasn't just one woman, either.
Outside, Captain Bill knocked again and said, "Rear Admiral Ayer, it's me. I have extremely urgent intelligence to report!"
"It can't wait even a second!"
"Son of a—!" Rear Admiral Ayer roared from inside, followed by the sound of rustling. "If this intel turns out to be pointless, you're finished!"
"I hate being interrupted when I'm having fun!"
Grumbling and cursing, the man stomped toward the door and opened it. Standing there was a strikingly handsome man in a half-buttoned shirt, lipstick marks still smeared across his chest, neck, and even his face.
Captain Bill immediately dipped his head slightly and reported respectfully, "Rear Admiral Ayer, a man named Klein just arrived in Sabaody. He's a Rear Admiral and has already captured the Supernova known as 'Born Strong'Powell."
"They say the entire capture took only a few minutes. Powell didn't even have a chance to fight back!"
"Hm?" Surprise surfaced on Ayer's rakish face, and deep in his eyes, there was a flicker of genuine shock. "A Supernova... even I wouldn't feel confident trying to bring in one of those guys."
"A Rear Admiral, huh? HQ didn't send word about this. I'll get dressed. In the meantime, dig up everything you can about him. We're paying him a visit."
"And make sure the men stay sharp."
"Yes, sir!" Captain Bill rushed off to carry out the orders.
Rear Admiral Ayer turned back into the room, his face darkening. On the luxurious bed, five or six naked women lay sprawled, their skin glowing in the low light.
They threw sultry glances his way, striking provocative poses and pouting suggestively.
"Rear Admiral Ayer, we're not done yet... Come back to bed~"
"I'm feeling so itchy... I need your special attention, Rear Admiral~"
"My heart hurts, sir. Won't you press here? Rub it for me~"
"..."
Faced with this carnal paradise, Ayer was clearly tempted, his body flushed. But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold back.
"Wrap it up. The fun's over for today. I'll call you next time."
Still, he couldn't resist copping a quick feel or two before pulling away.
He quickly began cleaning himself up, wiping off the lipstick.
Just as he finished dressing and stepped out—
Another subordinate came rushing up, breathless.
"Rear Admiral Ayer! The Den Den Mushi... it's... it's blown up!!"
"The operators can't keep up with the calls anymore!!"
"What?" Ayer's expression tightened. "Explain."
The man wiped the sweat off his brow. "They're all calls thanking the Marines—thanking us for capturing the pirates. There are just too many!"
"..."
Rear Admiral Ayer instantly realized something was wrong.
He'd always maintained a policy of avoiding direct conflict with pirates, preferring to hold back and keep things quiet.
Fewer dead subordinates meant fewer complications for his career.
As long as things didn't get loud, he'd turn a blind eye.
But now...
He immediately thought back to what Captain Bill had just reported—Rear Admiral Klein.
Gritting his teeth, he cursed, "Bastard! All that unspoken understanding I've worked so hard to build is ruined!"
"Now every pirate scumbag in the area is gonna blame me!"
"Coming to Sabaody without even saying hello to the local host? Absolutely disgraceful!"
Tap tap tap—
Rapid footsteps approached. Captain Bill returned, face grim.
"Rear Admiral Ayer. We've dug up some info on Klein..."
"Talk."
"Klein enrolled in the Marine Academy just last year. He's already being hailed as the greatest prodigy in the academy's history. Also..."
"Roughly a week ago, he... he defeated Vice Admiral Kong in a spar, becoming the first cadet in academy history to graduate early."
Hearing that, Ayer's whole body jolted. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Defeated Vice Admiral Kong?"
"Greatest prodigy in history!?"
"..."
A string of titles left him visibly shaken. His face darkened even further.
This guy's trouble.
"We'll meet him. See what he's doing in Sabaody."
But Captain Bill added cautiously, "Sir, according to our intel, Klein is... very fond of money. An extreme money-lover."
That got Ayer's attention. His eyes lit up, and a grin appeared.
"Loves money? That makes things much easier."
Elsewhere
Watching Klein capture pirate after pirate in a frenzy, Os was going numb.
"Sir Klein, the handcuffs... we've run out!!"
Boom—
Another pirate got slammed to the ground by Klein's one-handed grip. Out cold.
"Photo!"
Snap—
Os snapped a picture of the pirate with the Den Den Mushi, still unsure what Klein was even trying to do.
Sure, capturing pirates was normal. But why beat them senseless first?
Brring brring brring—
The Den Den Mushi rang. Os broke out in a cold sweat.
"Sir Klein, it's... it's Fleet Admiral Oharden again. Fourth call."
"Give it here."
"Moshi moshi. This is Klein."
As soon as he said his name, the Den Den Mushi's face—white brows, white beard—jumped ten centimeters in the air, perfectly mimicking Marshal Oharden's rage:
"Bastard!!! You still remember how to answer a call from your superior!?"
"I told you to report to the New World GL-14 base! Why the hell are you in Sabaody!?"
"..."
Klein casually plugged his ear with a finger and waited for the outburst to pass. Once the Den Den Mushi calmed down, he said lazily:
"Hey hey, Fleet Admiral Oharden, weather's been rough lately. Gotta find an island to avoid the storms, right?"
"Relax. I'll head to the New World after a little stroll."
Click.
He hung up.
In the Marine HQ, Fleet Admiral Oharden let out a roar that shook the walls:
"KLEIN, YOU BASTARD!!!"
"Always doing things your own damn way!!!"
Fuming, he slammed a palm down on his desk with a thud, already thinking of sending someone to drag Klein back.
"Rampaging Bear? On assignment in the New World..."
"Kong? Just got beaten by that punk... Damn it! Is there no one in this massive Marine force who can handle that lunatic!?"
Back in Sabaody
Os stared, stunned, and stammered, "You... you just hung up on the Fleet Admiral... You sure that's okay?"
He really did it!
Os's heart could barely take it. He felt like his soul was about to fly out of his body.
"Relax," Klein said with a grin. "It's not like we're slacking. Look—we've already captured over a thousand pirates."
Behind him, more than a thousand pirates were lined up, guarded by heavily armed Marines.
"..."
Os couldn't even respond.
Normally, it'd take a Marine a whole year to round up this many pirates. But Klein...
Klein had done it during one casual stroll through Sabaody.
Among them was even Powell, a Supernova with a 65 million bounty.
It was insane!!
It was like a butcher walking into a livestock farm—he picked one and bam, slaughtered.
Os had never seen a Marine this vicious in catching pirates.
Klein looked at the huge line of prisoners and grinned.
"Perfect. Os, go ahead and report to Marine HQ that all these pirates have been executed."
"NANI?!" Os cried out in disbelief.
"They're just unconscious! None of them are actually dead!!"