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Chapter 18: I'm Definitely Lawful Good
Chapter 18: I'm Definitely Lawful Good
"Kuro Ensign, we'll never forget you!"
At the harbor,
Kas and the Navy personnel were tear-eyed.
Kas clutched Kuro's hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion.
"They're just visiting forces, technically part of Base 153. Once we drop Kuro off, our mission's done. We'll head back to Base 153."
"Kas, I won't forget you either."
Kuro forced a stiff smile, responding half-heartedly.
"Ensign, you can rest assured—we'll carry forward your teachings, train diligently, become noble Navy personnel, and strive to enter Headquarters, to serve under you!" Kas sobbed.
Absolutely not!
Kuro instinctively tightened his grip. With a nutcase like you around, how could I ever have peace?
Thanks to your overactive imagination, I had to go to Headquarters in the first place. Then I ran into Hawk-Eye on the way. If you show up in Headquarters too, am I supposed to chase you all the way to the New World and fight the Four Emperors?
Kas' hand ached from the pressure, but he simply assumed Kuro was reluctant to part, so he cried even harder.
Finally seeing Kas off, Kuro exhaled in relief.
At last, some peace and quiet.
Logue Town had settled into routine.
Lida and Klah's enlistment was straightforward. As Headquarters Commander, Smoker had the authority to approve their recruitment directly, pending the arrival of the training ship to Headquarters.
Their rank would be recruit, awaiting training at Headquarters.
They were Kuro's direct subordinates.
However, in Logue Town, countless pirates aspired to reach the Grand Line. Catching a few of them and sending them to Headquarters meant promotions.
This was their own business. Kuro didn't care to meddle. After all, recruits held no rank. They'd need achievements significant enough to rise to a sergeant's level.
Smoker had full confidence in the two. Klah was a given—Smoker had heard his reputation. His combat prowess was reliable.
As for Lida, a Devil Fruit user, after spending time with Kuro, she'd recognized his talent for Haki. Naturally, Smoker authorized her to team up with Tashigi, patrolling casually to capture reckless pirates.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
On the training grounds, Smoker and Lida clashed.
After learning Lida's Haki proficiency, Smoker seemed oddly motivated, frequently challenging her to sparring matches. Lida initially resisted, but the Navy cafeteria's delicious food kept her coming back.
Truthfully, Smoker wanted to fight Kuro more, but Kuro's words had dissuaded him.
"What? You're asking about my daily cultivation? Let me think... Every morning at eight sharp, I wake up, smoke a cigar, then start shaving mountains until eight PM. After returning home, I spend two hours refining Observation Haki to fully cover the entire island.
"At eleven, I go to bed. Before sleeping, I always drink a glass of red wine, then spend another hour on physical training to ensure all my bodily functions stay in top shape. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep. Never let fatigue or stress carry over to the next day. Even the Navy doctors say I'm perfectly normal."
Why is this freak still stuck in the East Blue?!
Doesn't the Navy have anyone who can recognize true talent?!
Naturally, Smoker possessed some Haki, though his Armament Haki hadn't reached the "color" stage yet. His Observation Haki was decent but paled in comparison to Lida's, let alone Kuro's.
But as a Logia user, he defied normal logic.
In theory, Lida's Armament Haki should pierce through any opponent. But Smoker wasn't an ordinary foe—his Logia abilities granted exceptional mobility.
Moreover, Haki-imbued Devil Fruit powers were rare exceptions, requiring either physical contact or material medium.
Lida's Haki was contact-based, forming an invisible armor. However, activating it prevented her from using her own ability. Without Haki, she couldn't catch Smoker.
Her combat style was explosive but drained her quickly.
Without using a Seastone Ten-Hand Weapon, Smoker could hold his own against Lida in a fifty-fifty battle.
Each loss left Smoker in a foul mood.
"Hey, Klah! Let's train. I'll guide you through practicing 'Shave'!"
After another defeat, Smoker glared at Klah with a stormy expression.
Klah: "?"
Why? Why must I always suffer the bruises?
He'd only asked for a little power-up. Smoker said his physique could handle the 'Shave' training, but this wasn't training—it was a beating!
"Too slow!"
"Are you a snail?!"
"Your so-called 'Spoon' is just an undisciplined 'Shave'! Half the Navy can do that!"
"You can't even master Observation Haki! You need way more training!"
Moments later, Klah lay sprawled on the ground, his face black and blue, staring at the sky in existential despair.
"I was wrong. I was so wrong. I shouldn't have joined the Navy in the first place. If I hadn't joined, I wouldn't be beaten to a pulp. I wouldn't have sunk to this miserable state."
Klah's heart ached with bitterness.
...
Headquarters Office.
Kuro lounged on the sofa, lazily puffing his cigar, enjoying the gentle breeze through the window. He closed his eyes, exhaling a plume of smoke.
Life was peaceful.
He propped his feet on the table. With a crisp 'snap,' the stone sculpture Smoker had painstakingly stacked scattered to the floor.
"Hey, Kuro!"
Smoker barked.
"Shhh, appreciate this tranquility, Smoker."
Kuro sat up, stubbed out his cigar, and casually plucked another from Smoker's coat pocket, lighting it.
"At least show some respect—I outrank you! And can't you buy your own cigars?!" Smoker's temple throbbed.
"Money..."
At that word, Kuro's mood soured instantly.
"Wow, this tastes amazing, Klah! Pass me that snack!"
Lida's voice drifted up from below the window.
Lida walked ahead, munching on snacks, while a dejected Klah trailed behind, arms overloaded with grocery bags.
Kuro cast a sidelong glance at Smoker. "You call that money?"
Smoker paused, then chuckled.
Indeed, even he was stunned by the bottomless pit that was Lida's appetite.
"Commander Smoker! Ensign Kuro! Urgent news!"
A Navy officer burst in, saluting. "Headquarters reports—Monkey D. Luffy's pirate crew is heading toward Logue Town!"
Hearing this, Kuro straightened.
"Monkey D. Luffy? Who's that?" Smoker asked.
"A thirty million Belli bounty pirate."
Smoker frowned. "Thirty million? Calling him a 'great pirate' is generous."
"Commander, he's a ruthless scoundrel who defeated both Captain Krieg and Arlong the Fish-Man!"
"Captain Krieg?"
Smoker turned to Kuro. "You've met Monkey D. Luffy, haven't you?"
"Vaguely remember him. But I never actually encountered him—I was stopped by Hawk-Eye before." Kuro mused.
"Whatever."
Smoker stood, addressing the officer. "Getting flustered over small fry like this? Show some discipline. Since I've taken charge here, has a single pirate slipped through?"
"Y-yes, sir!" The officer sweated under Smoker's gaze.
"Wanna check it out?" Smoker asked Kuro.
Kuro waved him off.
"Figures. You'd rather lounge around like a lazybones."
Smoker strode out.
Kuro gazed out the window, narrowing his eyes.
"So the world starts to stir."
But what did it matter to him? Playing it safe, living steadily—now that was the true path.
The troublemaker would come and go without leaving civilian casualties.
"One Piece?"
From Kuro's angle, he could see the towering execution platform in the town square.
He snorted disdainfully. "I'm Lawful Good alignment."
Lawful Good wasn't about mere kindness—it was about order.
Chaotic alignments meant attacking whoever you disliked.
Chaos was the root of all evil. How could he possibly sympathize with that?
(End of Chapter)
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