Os's eyes bulged wide. He'd already thought Klein hanging up the Den Den Mushi was audacious beyond belief…
But this?
This guy was now spewing blatant nonsense with a straight face. None of the pirates were actually dead, yet he said… they'd all been killed?
"W-W-Wait, Sir Klein! T-They're clearly not dead! If you report false credit and get caught—y-you could be removed from your post!" Os was drenched in sweat.
What kind of superior had he run into??
His future… looked bleak.
So black it made him despair.
Klein chuckled. "Relax. I've made arrangements for those pirates. From now on, they're no different than dead."
Suddenly—
His ears twitched. "Someone's coming."
Klein turned toward the distance. A squad of Marines emerged from the woods. Leading them was a tall, handsome man with pale skin and somewhat androgynous features—Rear Admiral Ayer of the Sabaody base.
"Klein, I'm Rear Admiral Ayer of the Sabaody base," Ayer introduced himself while scanning Klein.
And when he saw the thousands of captured pirates, his pupils contracted.
What the hell.
How long had it even been? To have captured this many pirates in such a short time… terrifying.
So even though he shared the same rank with Klein, Ayer didn't dare act arrogant.
As he approached, Klein's sharp nose caught a strong scent of perfume. He glanced at the man's complexion.
'Oh ho, looks like this Rear Admiral's "Kun-kun" life is treating him well,' he mocked internally. 'Even with all the supplements in the pirate world, this guy still looks that drained. Must've skimped on his Tekkai training.'
His eyes lit up, and he greeted with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Rear Admiral Ayer. I'm Klein, just graduated from the Marine Academy… a Rear Admiral."
Then he turned to Os. "Cancel that report, Os."
After all, wasn't someone here who could take over?
Ayer's expression stiffened. Could this guy be an inspector or something?
He put on a casual face. "Klein, no problem letting us handle the rest."
Then, with exaggerated warmth, he said, "You must be exhausted—coming to Sabaody and catching so many pirates. Allow me to treat you."
"Mm, I am a bit tired," Klein nodded readily. "Also, please send some men to assist mine. We can't let these pirates escape."
Although the Marine Academy's meals were good and their chefs elite, it was still mass-produced food.
Now that he'd left school, it was time to start enjoying what this pirate world had to offer.
And pirates weren't just about fighting—they also meant women, food, wine, and scenery...
He'd suffered plenty before. Now that he was on the rise, he wasn't about to shortchange himself.
"Hahaha—" Rear Admiral Ayer laughed. "No problem at all. I've heard Klein is the Marine's greatest prodigy. Seems the rumors were true!"
"You've barely arrived, and already you've captured so many pirates. Amazing!"
"What happened today… might just make headlines across the seas."
Wasn't that just exposing how useless he was?
Klein had nabbed a thousand pirates in one day. He'd been stationed here for years and hadn't caught nearly that many!
He cursed internally but kept up the smile.
Klein just replied coolly, "It's all just empty praise. Strength is what really matters."
Then, glancing at Os, he added with a smirk, "This guy passes out whenever he sees a woman. Mind letting him see a bit of the world? If he can lose his virginity tonight, even better."
"You know how it is in the Marines—surrounded by stinky dudes all day. We don't get many chances to meet women."
SCHLICK—
Os's face turned beet red like pig liver. He looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself alive.
"Hahaha, that's a small matter," Ayer burst out laughing. "Leave his happiness to me. I'll make sure he leaves walking sideways tomorrow."
Money, women? Excellent.
He liked those too.
As long as the guy wasn't one of those incorruptible types, Ayer was confident he could handle him.
Os, meanwhile, was blushing so hard his brain went fuzzy. It was the first time he'd heard someone talk so brazenly about buying sex—right in front of a bunch of other Marines!
Klein grinned meaningfully. "Os, gotta toughen up that skin of yours."
Led by Ayer, the group soon arrived at an upscale restaurant on Sabaody Archipelago. The waitresses were beautiful women in uniform, baring white thighs and long legs as they served drinks.
Two beauties flanked Os, their presence making his face resemble a baboon's backside as he sat bolt upright, stiff as a statue.
He stared straight ahead at the utensils in front of him, too scared to look sideways. Even a casual glance would be met with a blinding wall of softness and curves.
"Come on, cutie, have a drink~"
"This dish is really tasty. Let me feed you~ C'mon, little Marine~"
"…"
Under this pincer attack, Os lasted two and a half seconds before plop—he fainted on the spot.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Young people, huh. Still need to train that alcohol tolerance. He hadn't even drunk yet and he was already knocked out.
Weak!
Still a long way to go if he wanted to fulfill his dad's dream of marrying a fertile wife.
Klein, meanwhile, had a girl in each arm, occasionally squeezing and teasing, making the women giggle and blush.
He had deliberately chosen the curvy ones with the best feel.
The two beauties fawned over him while clearly getting excited themselves. Their eyes were practically dripping with affection.
"My my~ Marine cutie's muscles are so firm~"
"Your abs feel like steel… just touching them makes me drool down below~"
"......"
Handsome, muscular, and a Rear Admiral—Klein was prime beef in a world like this.
Tonight? Freebies. No charge!
Good looks meant suffering, and Klein was both handsome and a high-ranking officer—a total heartthrob in the eyes of women.
After several rounds of wine and mutual flattery with Ayer, Klein finally got to the point:
"Rear Admiral Ayer, capturing these pirates is no small feat. Would you… be interested in taking the credit?"
"…" Ayer set down his wine cup. He hadn't expected Klein to offer the credit to him.
But… he'd had a "mutual understanding" with the pirates here for quite some time now. If word of that got out, it would ruin the delicate balance he'd built on Sabaody.
He thought for a moment. "Klein, quite a few people witnessed you defeating Powell, who's worth 65 million Berries. Marine HQ…"
"That's easy. Just write in the report that you seriously wounded him first. I just swooped in at the end," Klein offered smoothly.
After all, selling the credit to Ayer was way more profitable than simply reporting it for merit.
Besides...
He had other plans for those pirates.
Ayer frowned slightly, weighing the benefits. Tomorrow's newspaper would undoubtedly report on Klein's actions.
But there might still be room for damage control.
He switched topics. "Klein, what exactly brought you to the Sabaody Archipelago?"