Ain wrinkled her nose, pulling Creed toward the infirmary.
"T-Take off your shirt!" she said, her face slightly unnatural, eyes filled with shyness.
"Oh… okay."
Creed took off his shirt.
He wasn't like those muscle-bound men, nor did he have the so-called inverted triangle physique — just an ordinary, balanced musculature. Not too fat, not too thin.
His skin was fair, but slightly darker than a girl's.
Creed hadn't made a point of training his abs — after all, he was only fifteen. If he trained too hard, wouldn't that stunt his growth?!
Looking at Creed's bare upper body, Ain's face flushed crimson.
Her swan-like neck turned red, the blush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
"I-I'll put medicine on you."
Without daring to look directly at him, Ain picked up a bottle of medicinal liquor and began applying it carefully.
Her hands were gentle, tending to him bit by bit, afraid that pressing too hard might hurt him.
Outside…
Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on them both. They stood bathed in the light, the moment frozen like a beautiful painting.
…
Once the medicine was applied and the bandaging complete, Ain went to Creed's room to fetch him a fresh shirt.
After changing, Creed stepped out and returned to his office.
Though technically "working," no one came to bother him — most matters at the base were handled by Bunian, leaving him with little to do.
Before long, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Bunian entered, his gaze toward Creed carrying a hint of respect. "We found a considerable amount of gold, silver, and other valuables aboard the Giant Shield Pirates' ship — totaling three hundred million berries."
"Since you wiped them out, it's all yours."
He handed Creed a small chest filled with large-denomination berry notes.
It was an unspoken Navy rule: when pirates were eradicated, their bounties went toward military merit instead of directly to the one responsible — but their loot was divided according to contribution.
And since Creed had single-handedly destroyed the entire crew, the spoils were entirely his, with no need to turn anything over to the Sabaody Archipelago branch.
Creed nodded. He hadn't brought much money with him, and traveling at sea required funds.
"In addition to that, there's also this."
Bunian placed a strangely shaped fruit on the table.
Creed raised an eyebrow — it was a Devil Fruit.
"This is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, likely from the elephant family, though I'm not sure exactly which species."
A Zoan-type elephant fruit, huh…
"Alright, I'll take it. Thanks."
"You're welcome — it's only right."
…
Meanwhile…
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's office.
"That brat Kizaru should be heading back to Sabaody tomorrow," Garp said while munching on rice crackers.
"With Creed killing five Supernovas, Sabaody should be peaceful now."
"Of course it is — after all, when a group of Supernovas gets wiped out, what pirate would dare cause trouble? Creed is different from Kizaru, who just slacks off all day," Zephyr said. "Sigh… all my students are off training, and here I am with nothing to do."
"You could always return to the front lines."
"No thanks. I'm old — teaching is more relaxing."
Brrrr~
The Den Den Mushi rang.
Sengoku answered, then twitched at what he heard before hanging up.
"A port in Sabaody was destroyed."
Zephyr and Garp blinked — five Supernovas had just been killed yesterday, and there was trouble again today?
These pirates really didn't fear death.
Sengoku's mouth twitched, his expression deadpan as he looked at Garp. "A New World pirate with a five-hundred-million bounty — the Iron Arm Madman — was killed by your grandson."
Garp: "…"
Zephyr: "…"
…
The next day, the news swept across the world like a storm.
A five-hundred-million berry pirate from the New World had been slain — and by the Navy's strongest rookie.
This caused a considerable stir across the New World.
Creed was now on the radar of many — at just fifteen years old, he could kill a pirate worth 500 million.
Whitebeard's territory…
"Pop, here's the latest paper," Marco said, handing it to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard opened it.
"Gurararara! The Navy has produced another fine seedling."
He laughed heartily, then looked at Marco. "Marco, are you scared?"
Leaning against the mast, Marco replied, "With my Phoenix Fruit, I'll be no weaker than an admiral in the future. What's there to fear?"
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed again — his son naturally needed the confidence to face all challenges without fear.
…
Kaido's territory — Drought Jack's base.
"Boss, the Giant Shield Pirates were wiped out," a subordinate said, handing Jack a newspaper.
Jack glanced at it. "What about the Elephant-Elephant Fruit they were supposed to trade to us?"
"It's probably in Marine hands."
Crunch!
The newspaper crumbled to dust in Jack's massive hand.
He lifted his head, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes filled with violent rage as he growled under his breath.
"Creed… I'll remember you!"
…
Grand Line — a small town plagued by pirates.
Smoker, in his smoke form, moved like a phantom, cutting down pirates one after another.
Then his eyes fell on a newspaper lying on the ground.
His pupils shrank.
"Killed… five Supernovas… and a New World pirate worth five hundred million."
His face hardened. "Looks like… I'll have to push myself even harder."
He turned into a white cloud of smoke and shot forward, the town echoing with the screams of pirates.
————————
Morning.
"Huh? Commodore?" Creed stared at Bunian, confused.
"Yes — Fleet Admiral Sengoku called this morning to inform me. You've been promoted to Commodore."
Bunian couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion — he had fought most of his life to reach Commodore.
Yet Creed's starting point was already there. The gap was immense.
Still, there was no jealousy — in fact, with Creed's strength, if not for insufficient military merit, he could have been promoted straight to Rear Admiral or even Vice Admiral.
Taking the identification from Bunian, Creed was still a little dazed. He was a Commodore now.
Having an official rank wasn't bad.
"By the way, Admiral Kizaru returns today, right?"
"Yes — he'll be back today."
Creed nodded. That meant his task of guarding Sabaody in Kizaru's stead was done.
"There's a large auction in the commercial district today — you could check it out," Bunian suggested.
An auction, huh…
Creed stroked his chin. Sounded interesting.
"Want to go?" he asked Ain.
"N-no…" she said, shaking her head — but her curious eyes betrayed her.
Creed chuckled. "Then let's go. We've got three hundred million berries — maybe we can snag something good. Besides, the job's done for today."
"Alright!"
Ain's beautiful face lit up with excitement.
The two disguised themselves — Creed with a mask — and headed toward the commercial district of Sabaody Archipelago.
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]