Sea Calendar 1520, East Blue, Marine 16th Branch.
Captain Nezumi was slamming his desk, roaring madly.
"Lieutenant Raymond! Look at this mess you've made! I sent you to escort supplies, and they vanished the moment you reached Cocoyasi Village! How do you do your job?!"
Across from him stood a slender man of about twenty-four. His pale face wore a lazy expression, and despite the crisp Marine uniform, his half-lidded brown eyes and slumped posture exuded a careless nonchalance.
"Reporting, Captain. Considering the sensitive nature of the supplies, I only took two soldiers into the village. We were ambushed as soon as we entered..."
"Are you telling me you don't even know who stole the supplies? What are you good for?!"
Raymond didn't reply, but his dead-fish eyes revealed a deep sense of helplessness.
It had been over eight years since he had crossed over into the world of One Piece.
In this world where everyone seemed to have eaten the "Sit-up Sit-up Fruit," a world where you could get injured, eat some food, take a nap, and be back in perfect health.
He had no special lineage, no Devil Fruit ability, no monstrous physical constitution, and certainly no influential father. Becoming a pirate would have only meant ending up as cannon fodder.
His only choice was to join the Marines, where he relied on his experience from a past life in a public service job to find a sliver of hope.
Unfortunately, after struggling in the Marine system for eight years, he had only managed to reach the rank of Lieutenant, and his strength was still at the level of a common grunt.
Yesterday, he had received orders from Captain Nezumi to sell a batch of ammunition at a high price to Arlong's crew, who were entrenched in Cocoyasi Village.
Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by Nami as soon as he went ashore. He and his men fell into a trap and were knocked unconscious, and the entire shipment of ammunition was stolen...
So, why?
Why, after eight years of arduous swordsmanship training, could I not even defeat Nami?
Why, after waking up early and working late every day, acting subserviently to my superiors, and bowing and scraping within a corrupt system, was my promotion speed so much slower than any random person with connections?
Without a special lineage, are you destined to be trampled under the feet of the protagonists? Without a background, are you doomed to be a foot soldier for life, just waiting for the day you're buried at sea?
Raymond was filled with indignation, yet he was completely helpless.
He stared at the pristine white ceiling above, the sound of laughter echoing from the adjacent branch office.
—These "favored sons of heaven" didn't need to train diligently with the sword every day, didn't need to patrol under the wind and sun at sea, and didn't even have to face bloodthirsty and cruel pirates. All they had to do was drink tea and chat in their offices, waiting for their seniority to kick in for a steady promotion!
"How ironic..." Raymond laughed self-deprecatingly.
A swordsman without talent could train to death and never cut steel. A soldier without a background could kneel until his knees were worn through and never get a fair chance.
But those born rich and noble, even if they were idiots, could rely on their lineage and background to become beings that ordinary people could only look up to for their entire lives!
As Raymond thought this, his vision blurred for a moment, and then a semi-transparent screen suddenly appeared before him.
[The Great Pirate Era is a surging tide, with heroes as numerous as fish in a river. After eight years of struggle, you have finally become one of the most formidable pirates in the East Blue!]
[Great Pirate System initiated. As long as you commit acts of piracy against the World Government system, you will receive corresponding rewards. These include, but are not limited to: conquering bases, sinking warships, assassinating key figures...]
[Crew Panel unlocked. Recruit your first pirate crewmate to unlock "Potential Breakthrough," shattering the limits of an ordinary person and obtaining your ticket to becoming one of the strong!]
[You have arrived at the core office of the Marine 16th Branch. After a fierce battle, you have conquered the Marine 16th Branch!]
[You have awakened Observation Haki (LV1)]
Seeing this, Raymond's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart began to race.
A Great Pirate System!? But I'm a Marine! Is this thing telling me to backstab the World Government?
What does it mean, "conquered" the Marine 16th Branch? Does it mean that as a "Great Pirate," I can get rewards just by checking in at a core World Government area?
And this [Crew Panel]... I'm a Marine, where am I supposed to find crewmates?
Raymond stared at the panel in his vision, his heart filled with shock and uncertainty.
No matter what the nature of this so-called Great Pirate System was, as long as it could change his current situation, he would dare to stab even Imu if he were standing in front of him!
After struggling in the world of One Piece for eight years and tasting all the world's coldness and injustice, his only desire now was to climb to the center of power and make all those privileged children, World Nobles, and geniuses of lineage who once looked down on him tremble and kneel before him!
And as for the price, forget backstabbing the World Government—he wouldn't care even if he had to sell his soul to a devil!
"Raymond! You dare to space out?!" At that moment, Captain Nezumi noticed that Raymond's mind wasn't on him at all. His roar grew louder, and spit flew from his mouth.
Just as the spittle was about to hit his face, Raymond suddenly felt the world slow down. The flying droplets became clear in his eyes, their trajectories distinct.
His body reacted almost instinctively. With a slight tilt of his head, the drops of spit flew past his ear. A perfect dodge!
Is this the feeling of Observation Haki? A glint of light flashed under Raymond's lowered eyelids.
Just then, a knock came at the door. A Marine officer with a grim face walked into the office. He first shot a contemptuous glance at Raymond before saluting Captain Nezumi:
"Reporting, Captain! Warship 16-PX04 is ready! We can depart at any time!"
"Very good. It seems Captain Belluth is prepared for this secret mission... Raymond, you will go with him. You must recover the supplies you lost today! Otherwise, you can get to work swabbing the decks on the warship!"
"I will complete the mission, Captain!" Raymond gave a deliberately respectful salute, but secretly, he rolled his eyes.
This Captain Belluth had enlisted two years after him. Last year, when they were annihilating a pirate crew with a bounty in the millions, they were both Ensigns.
As a result, Raymond, who had led the charge, suffered serious injuries, and had the second-highest merit, was only promoted to Lieutenant—and that was just because of his seniority.
Meanwhile, Belluth, who had only participated in the final cleanup, was directly promoted to Captain by his uncle who served at Marine Headquarters!
He had stolen the credit and still looked down on Raymond, often calling him a "mud-leg."
The so-called secret mission Nezumi spoke of was nothing more than going to Arlong Park to collect this period's protection money.
Although in the original story, Captain Nezumi would personally go to the park to collect the cash, in reality, captain-rank officers in the branch were figures of some standing. Dirty work like this, which couldn't see the light of day, was usually handed over to lieutenant-rank officers.
As soon as the two left the office, Belluth's expression changed. He pointed a finger at Raymond's nose and said viciously:
"Listen up, you piece of trash!" he hissed, his eyes flashing with a threatening light. "If you lose the supplies, you'll just be demoted. But if you dare pull any tricks later and interfere with my mission, dragging me down with you, I swear, I will end you!"
Raymond's pupils didn't waver. He even let out a yawn. "Captain Belluth, I haven't done anything... Seeing you in such a hurry, could it be that you're the one planning some trick and are afraid I'll see it?"
"I'm just giving you a warning!"
"Heh, if I were you, I'd use this time to go home more often. Worry about your wife. I hear she's been getting quite close with a certain officer at the branch recently?"
Raymond leaned lazily against the wall, a playful glint in his eyes.
"You... What nonsense are you spouting!" Belluth's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver. He stepped forward, pointed at Raymond's nose, and started cursing:
"You damn bastard, you should be thinking about your own situation! The Captain just said that if you don't find those supplies, you'll be swabbing decks tomorrow. When that happens, I'll have you transferred to my ship, and I'll be sure to take good care of you!"
"You don't need to worry about that, Captain!" Raymond chuckled lightly, his nonchalant attitude seeming to hold a hidden confidence.
Being ambushed by Nami was indeed unexpected.
But resolving this matter was actually very simple.
At this point in time, Nami had already reached a "cooperative relationship" with Arlong. As long as he described Nami's appearance, Captain Nezumi would naturally have a way to recover the ammunition.
He had originally planned to stick to the story of being ambushed, then wander around the village for a few hours to clock in his time before reporting back. This would minimize the blame for losing the supplies.
—It was thanks to my outstanding "investigative skills" that I found a clue about the enemy!
Even if I'm a bit rough around the edges, my abilities are strong!
But now, after obtaining the system, Raymond had changed his mind.
He stared at Belluth's arrogant back, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the hilt of his sword. A chilling curve slowly formed on his lips, and his usually half-closed, dead-fish eyes now glinted with the dangerous light of a predator.
"To hell with lineage! To hell with the privileged children of the elite! From this day forward, I will shatter the chasm that holds back ordinary people and thrust the sharpest blade at the World Government, at the entire world!"
"Are kings and nobles destined by birth!?"