One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

"Belmer, calm yourself. Have you forgotten what I told you before?

If you want to be my secretary, elegance and composure come first. Maintaining my image is the priority; capability comes second."

"My apologies, Lord Karl..."

Belmer nodded, taking two steps back. Yet, her trembling body betrayed her inner turmoil.

Karl didn't reprimand her; after all, they hadn't known each other for very long.

Their initial encounter was nothing short of dramatic.

The situation was straightforward—Belmer was out at sea training new recruits when they were ambushed by a pirate crew. Everyone, including her, was wiped out!

Just when she thought her end was near, Karl descended like a hero, clad in a pure white cloak of justice!

In an instant, the pirate underlings were obliterated!

From that moment on, Belmer idolized Karl, especially when she learned he was the newly appointed officer in charge of Loguetown.

She went so far as to request to become his personal secretary!

Initially, Karl refused. But her persistence, coupled with Loguetown's dire situation, eventually won him over. And, to his surprise, she proved to be highly competent.

"You, step forward and tell me your name!"

"Hah! The name's Jack! Got that, you brat? Remember it well!"

A brutish man stepped out of the line, his demeanor as overbearing as ever.

Karl's expression turned peculiar. The name "Jack" brought to mind a certain notorious pirate. But alas, this wasn't that Jack—just a nameless nobody.

"Jack, is it?"

"Belmer, read his file."

"Understood!"

At Karl's command, Belmer quickly flipped through the personnel records and found Jack's profile.

"Jack, male, 37 years old. Joined the Navy five years ago and became a confidant of the previous commanding officer. However, prior to that, he was a subordinate of the pirate Crete!

During his time in the Navy, he's done nothing but loaf around, stir up trouble, and even extorted toll fees from passing ships under the guise of official duties.

Fortunately, he hasn't killed any civilians while in the Navy, so he was allowed to remain in service in Loguetown rather than being arrested."

"Looks like you've dodged a bullet," Karl remarked, shaking his head.

In a flash, he appeared before Jack.

SLAP!

A single, resounding slap sent Jack flying nearly a hundred meters before he crashed to the ground, lifeless. Blood spewed from his mouth as he fell.

"Background or not, I don't care! What are you going to do about it? If you're not happy, come at me all at once! Let's see if Headquarters punishes me or you!"

Karl stood defiantly, radiating unrestrained confidence.

The crowd fell silent.

No one had expected Karl to possess such overwhelming strength.

Up until now, apart from Buggy, Smoker, and Belmer, no one truly knew how powerful Karl was.

But seeing him knock Jack out of sight with a speed too fast for the eye to follow, they dared not utter a single word.

"Ha! Laughing so loudly before, and now you're all silent. How amusing!

Belmer! Call out the names. Don't miss a single one!"

"Understood!"

Belmer picked up the prepared roster and began calling names.

These individuals had ties to Admiral Crete or had even attempted to resume collusion with pirates.

By the time the roll call ended, over 200 people stepped forward, their bodies trembling. None dared meet Karl's gaze, fearing they'd share Jack's fate.

"Impressive! Out of all the Navy personnel in Loguetown, over 200 of you turned out to be 'heroes'! Truly unexpected!"

Rage simmered within Karl.

Though he had seen the roster before, witnessing the sheer number of corrupt Navy members infuriated him.

These were the parasites of the Navy! If left unchecked, they would destroy Loguetown from within.

"Buggy! These men are yours. I trust you know how to discipline them!"

"Wait! W-wait a moment!"

"What is it?"

"L-Lord Karl, are you sure it's fine to leave them to me?"

Buggy stammered, his body trembling—not from fear but from disbelief.

The surprise was too sudden. As someone who'd been observing the situation quietly, he never expected such a golden opportunity to fall into his lap!

"Of course. Buggy, remember what I told you last night.

Let me repeat: I trust those I employ. Now go ahead—do as you see fit. Just don't kill anyone."

"Understood!"

Buggy grinned from ear to ear, strutting arrogantly toward the trembling group.

"Ha! Follow me, boys. I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve for the likes of you!"

"You think some rookie can discipline us? Dream on!"

A hot-tempered man seized the moment and drew his blade, swinging it toward Buggy.

"Watch out!" Belmer cried out in alarm.

But Karl and Smoker didn't even flinch.

Though Buggy's strength wasn't remarkable, he was still above the average Navy elite. Handling these rogue sailors posed no problem.

The blade cleaved Buggy in two—only for his severed body to move on its own!

His hands detached and punched the attacker squarely in the temples, knocking him unconscious.

Buggy's body reassembled effortlessly as he smirked, planting his foot on the man's face.

The surrounding Navy personnel gasped in unison.

"Ha! I'm a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user—the Chop-Chop Fruit! You think you weaklings can harm me? Pathetic!"

"Buggy, stop stalling. Take them away!" Karl ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Buggy responded with a flamboyant salute, ushering the group out.

As he left, Karl caught a glimpse of Buggy's sly grin. Clearly, he had already concocted some "creative" methods to deal with the unruly sailors.

The remaining personnel, though some were veterans, had kept their noses clean.

As for the recruits, Karl saw potential. Given time, he could shape them into a force unrivaled in the East Blue.

After all, Karl himself had been trained by Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr. He could easily adapt their methods to train his new recruits.

Turning to Smoker, Karl said, "Smoker, I'll personally train you until you've mastered the Six Powers.

Belmer! Basic physical training for the rest is on you. And don't forget your own training—you'll need to learn the Six Powers too!"

~~~~~~~~~~

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