https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1087-A-Subordinate-Must-Have-This-Awareness/13541216/
Chapter 1088: The Navy's Done For
Chapter 1088: The Navy’s Done For
The seven-day banquet stretched from midday to nightfall, with Navy officers constantly arriving. Kuro didn’t need to personally greet each guest one by one, but he still had to make appearances.
Initially, that’s exactly what he planned to do—quickly drag Gramps to the top of the Castle Tower for a brief appearance and deliver a few words of blessing, then call it done.
After all, this wasn’t really his affair. Perhaps the Admiralty’s official appointment would be announced within seven days, maybe even earlier. If that happened, he’d go out of his way to avoid showing his face, keeping the event’s influence as minimal as possible.
But something started feeling off—besides the gifts presented to Gramps, he suddenly received one himself.
Now, in the grandest and highest dining hall, Kuro sat at the head of the table. Before him were Klah, Sazil, Fen Ni, and a yawning Moer. Lida sat beside him, idly poking through the pile of golden accessories on the table.
“Hey, Kuro! This one’s so cool!”
Lida stood on her chair, waving a Golden Scepter like a queen. “I’m the queen!”
“Stop fooling around! You, a queen in the Navy? That’s no different from being an emperor in the Republic! Sit down!”
Kuro snatched the scepter away, inspecting it with a whistle. “Huh, the craftsmanship’s actually top-notch. Who sent this?”
“Major from Pariver, from the East Blue,” Klah answered honestly.
“A Major from the East Blue? A branch office?”
“He’s stationed at Headquarters.”
Besides the naval bases, there were also stations and patrol units dispatched from the Grand Line, like Fenbodi and Smoker before.
“Headquarters still? A Major giving such a massive Golden Scepter? Look at these gems—top-quality. Have someone check what this guy’s been up to,” Kuro ordered, tossing the scepter onto the table. He bit down on his cigar. “And what’s with all these gifts anyway? Why send them to me? Listen, don’t test the officers like this. In this world, no officer in the Navy can withstand such a test!”
In this world, gift-giving wasn’t a crime. Even collusion with pirates wasn’t a big deal as long as it stayed within limits—just a few self-punishing drinks and you were cleared.
Kuro had been here over twenty years, going with the flow. He’d long since become part of the corrupt system. He was no saint, and he never pretended to be one.
But what baffled him wasn’t the gifts themselves—it was the timing.
“Who leaked my name?” Kuro narrowed his eyes, staring at the group. “Didn’t I say to keep things low-key? This isn’t finalized yet. I told you not to spread it around until it’s official. Even if I become an Admiral, we’re keeping it low-key. What’s going on here?”
Klah pressed his lips together. “Kuro, you know me. If I did, no one would’ve known.”
“Oh, you got skills now, huh?”
Kuro twitched his lips and glared at Klah.
“Kuro, you know me—I’m super lazy. I wouldn’t do stuff like this. I’d rather sneak out at night and spread some love elsewhere,” Moer said, yawning again like he hadn’t slept.
“You were out late again, weren’t you!”
“Kuro, Vice Admiral, you know me—I’ve been busy making Navy Medicine Pills. If it weren’t for Vice Admiral Klah dragging me to guard the gate, I’d be back in the lab already,” Fen Ni stretched lazily. “Standing around these past two days has been exhausting.”
Kuro’s gaze lingered on Fen Ni’s figure as she stretched, then quickly shifted back to the gold pile under Lida’s glare.
This girl’s curves have been getting more and more provocative lately. Must be from absorbing too much plague essence. Wherever she goes, you can bet there’s not a single flu virus within a mile.
Kuro even considered giving her some pointers someday—switching directions, maybe. After all, the human body naturally carries bacteria and viruses, maintaining a balance with the immune system. It’s this balance that keeps the body functioning. Tip the scales, and things get messy.
But not yet. Fen Ni’s research was still in early stages. He’d reassess the potential later.
Lida twirled her eyes. “Kuro.”
“I know, you just want food,” Kuro rolled his eyes. “You’re the least of my worries.”
“Hmph!” Lida pouted, though she still looked vaguely displeased.
Finally, his gaze landed on Sazil.
Sazil opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. After a pause, he muttered, “Kuro, Vice Admiral, you know me—I’m an honest man. I just blurted out what someone asked me to send as a gift.”
So it was you!
“You wanted to kill your captain to climb the ranks back then! Honest, my ass!”
Kuro cursed, “What, trying to whitewash your past? You’re not even sober since joining the Navy! And don’t get me started on us being the ‘good guys’!”
In pirates’ eyes, they weren’t the righteous side. Pirates had their own ideals of justice, seeing the Navy as the villains blocking their way.
“Huh? The Navy isn’t the good guys?” Lida tilted his head, confused.
Among those present, several had been pirates or pseudo-pirates. Lida had no bounty—just a pretend pirate. Klah was a former captain, Sazil an ex-trainee. All of them saw the Navy as the righteous force.
“What’s ‘righteous’? Let me tell you! Take Luffy, that idiot. He’s got a clear goal, sure. But his whole survival philosophy is stopping others’ dreams. He only acts when something happens, always playing the victim. A few operations, then he’s raging around aimlessly all day. That’s the textbook definition of a ‘good guy’!”
“What about us Navy? We’ve got lofty ideals, ambitions. Some of us will stop at nothing to achieve goals—like Sakazuki. We train relentlessly every day for our goals, never giving up. We’ve got organized operations, even people who always smile—like Gramps. Yeah, people like us? We’re the villains!”
“What are you talking about, Kuro?”
Lida gave him a weird look. “Did you drink too much lately, Fen Ni?”
“Huh? Brain damage?”
Fen Ni pulled out her notebook and asked earnestly, “Vice Admiral Kuro, please describe your specific symptoms. Before my research, you could try my latest Navy Medicine Pill—Sobriety Pill. It keeps you alert and sober, relieves pain, sharpens thinking. The only side effects are addiction and nerve damage, but don’t worry—I’ll research ways to eliminate the side effects before mass production.”
“Stop right there!” Kuro snapped. “If you ever mass-produce that, the Navy’s done for!”
(End of Chapter)
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