Half a month later, at 5:30 in the morning, the training ground of Branch 186 was already alive with movement.
Groups of navy soldiers, stripped to the waist, ran in formation under the rising sun. Sweat streaked down their backs, their footsteps heavy and precise, every stride radiating youthful vigor and burning determination.
"Work hard to become stronger!"
"Follow the Captain!"
"Head to headquarters!"
The shouts rolled like thunder, uniting their hearts in a single purpose.
At this moment, the newly appointed chief of Branch 186 arrived several hours ahead of schedule, courtesy of Hailiu's ride service.
He paused at the edge of the training ground, eyes wide with disbelief.
Wasn't this supposed to be the worst branch in the East Blue?
What he saw was anything but disgraceful. If they kept up this momentum, the title of "Strongest Branch in the East Blue"—long claimed by Logue Town—would sooner or later be snatched away by 186.
His gaze settled on the soldier leading the front row: a handsome young man, eyes sharp, steps steady, his aura brimming with resolve.
"That must be Captain Yamir," the new chief muttered, admiration flickering in his eyes. "No wonder headquarters chose him. How misunderstood this branch has been… To be called 'the Navy's shame'—what nonsense. How much slander have they endured in silence?"
He strode forward, extended a hand, and said politely, "Hello, Captain Yamir. I'm the new chief assigned to Branch 186."
"Pah—!"
The soldier at the front snapped to attention, spine straight as steel, and barked:
"Reporting, sir! Captain Yamir should still be asleep!"
"..."
The new chief froze, dumbfounded. Asleep? At this hour? He glanced back at the sweating, energetic troops, his brows furrowed in confusion. Their morale was sky-high—yet their leader was still snoring?
By eleven o'clock, sunlight filtered lazily through the curtains of the branch office.
Yamir slouched behind his desk, still a little bleary-eyed, when the new chief stepped inside.
The man's sharp gaze swept over Yamir's decadent, handsome face, and his heart skipped a beat. This... is Captain Yamir?
"Oh—sorry, sorry." Yamir yawned, stretching like a cat. "I've been swamped lately with the handover work before my transfer, so I stayed up late. I ended up waking up late too."
He stole a glance at his system panel: [Current happiness value: 85,663].
The past two weeks had been blissful. During work hours, he slacked off without restraint. Meanwhile, the soldiers—fired up as if injected with chicken blood—trained themselves senselessly and even took over his duties. He tried persuading them to ease up, but no one listened.
If he couldn't stop them, why not enjoy the free time?
But still… What's the point of working so hard if you abandon me in my time of need?
No more card games of mahjong or Landlord during office hours. No more evenings spent drinking or goofing off. Just endless drills. That kid leading the group was practically working himself into the grave.
And after hours? The ladies from the Red District lined up outside his door like it was festival day. If not for his superhuman physique, he'd have collapsed long ago under an avalanche of soft curves and smooth legs. Tender and passionate, they eagerly tested every "learning material" from his past life.
Ahh… it really was great.
"I understand, I understand," the new chief said warmly, smiling. "The workload from transferring posts must be overwhelming. To think you stayed up late handling official matters—I misjudged you, Captain Yamir."
Yamir tilted his head slightly, offering a vague nod. Official matters? Sure, let's go with that.
Headquarters is next. My duties as Kizaru's adjutant won't be heavy—mostly daily affairs—but still, it's the Navy's heart. Every decision carries weight. Fighting? If I can avoid it, I will. If not… one slash to settle things. If even that fails—call Old Monkey. He's perfect for taking hits.
Mental work, though, was the real burden. Why crack my head open when someone else could do it for me?
Kizaru himself couldn't care less. He needed someone even more shamelessly lazy than him to balance things out.
Which meant Yamir needed a think tank—a super-capable assistant to handle the tedious mess while he focused on his "great cause of doing nothing."
He already had candidates in mind:
"Hundred Plans" Kuro—a pirate worth only 16 million, yet cunning enough to be certified by Oda himself as second only to Ben Beckman in intelligence. Sharp, meticulous, and endlessly resourceful. The perfect aide for underhanded management.
Iceburg, Mayor of Water 7—renowned for his administrative genius and beloved by the people. If persuaded to join, his skills would be a treasure to any commander.
Yamir's eyes narrowed with amusement as the pieces moved in his head. Yes… someone else can do the work. That's the true way of the slacker king.
As Kizaru's adjutant, Yamir could easily recruit CP9 under his command by using this identity.
In the future, CP9 members would eventually be defeated by Luffy.
Rob Lucci, with his formidable combat ability, was perfectly suited to serve as muscle.
Bruno, though slow in thought, was meticulous—an irreplaceable advantage when handling complex matters.
Khalifa, Iceberg's capable secretary, was unquestionably skilled at support and management.
After their downfall, they were hunted by their former superior Spandam, who intercepted them before they could return to the CP system and rise again as CP0.
But with Kizaru's name behind him, Yamir could easily protect them. After all, Kizaru was the admiral most loyal to the Five Elders' will—whenever the Celestial Dragons stirred up trouble, he was the one dispatched to clean the mess.
It wasn't unreasonable to leverage that relationship to "borrow" a few subordinates.
Of course, cunning people like CP9 required restrictions from the very start.
He had prepared both a carrot and a stick.
Yamir twirled the badge in his hand, then pulled a small cloth pouch from his pocket, a sly smile playing on his lips.
[Ghosts and Gods]
[Excellent Blue Item — Current Star Rating: ★★★ (max)]
Consumes vitality to provide a chance of breaking through talent limits.
Higher star ratings increase both the probability of success and the upper ceiling.
Usable only by those below Vice Admiral-level talent. At max effect, it can raise talent to Elite Vice Admiral level.
Once upgraded to ceiling-level Purple, the breakthrough rate becomes 100%, raising talent to Admiral-level.
Upgrade cost: 100,000 Pleasure Points.
Yamir smirked.
He had never wasted his pleasure points on lottery draws, saving them precisely to push Ghosts and Gods to the ceiling level.
When the time came, he would let one of CP9 consume it, instantly forging a loyal subordinate—both powerful and indebted to him for survival.
"Old Monkey," Yamir muttered, "you told me I could slack off after finishing my job. You never said I couldn't make others do it for me, right?"
By recruiting talent on his own merit, he'd have capable agents running errands while he collected the paycheck from headquarters. He only needed to step out occasionally to swing his sword.
A perfect win.
[Senzu Beans]
[Excellent Blue Item — Current Star Rating: ★★ (max ★★★)]
Restores vitality and heals injuries (internal and external).
Ineffective against ordinary illnesses.
Upgrade cost from ★★ to ★★★: 10,000 Pleasure Points.
Yamir's plan was simple:
First, give a two-star Senzu Bean to the one who consumed Ghosts and Gods, letting him taste the sweetness and whet his appetite.
Later, once loyalty was secured, he would bestow a ceiling-level Senzu Bean to completely erase the item's side effects.
If CP9 didn't appear, well… he'd just drag Iceberg out of Water 7 by force.
"Open the door! Hands up! Marine Headquarters is forcibly recruiting!"
Yamir laughed to himself.
It felt damn good to have power behind him.
Meanwhile, in the East Blue — Goa Kingdom, Windmill Village
The early morning sun painted the earth golden, sea breeze whistling softly, and seagulls circling in the blue sky. Their clear cries carried across the air like blessings to those about to embark on adventure.
A modest wooden boat swayed gently as it sailed out of Windmill Village's harbor.
At the bow stood a boy in simple clothes, a straw hat perched proudly on his head.
He stretched his arms wide toward the endless horizon and shouted:
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
And with that cry, Monkey D. Luffy set off on his great voyage.