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

East Blue, Loguetown.

At the Marine base training ground, Bell-mère was rigorously drilling all the Marines present, herself included. It had been a month since the execution of Roger, and much had transpired during that time.

There were reports of titanic clashes: Whitebeard battling Kaido, and Whitebeard waging war against the Big Mom Pirates. Yet, these events were secondary compared to the commotion caused by the Golden Lion. Shiki had wreaked havoc on Marineford, destroying nearly half of the Marine Headquarters, only to be subdued by the combined efforts of Garp and Sengoku.

This legendary pirate was ultimately imprisoned in Impel Down, the inescapable fortress. His era ended, but these developments had little to do with Karl.

Over the past month, Karl had relentlessly pushed the Marines to surpass their limits. This demanding regimen was grueling and occasionally led to injuries, but the physical resilience of people in the "One Piece" world was remarkable. Even when injured, they were often back to full health within a day.

Thus, Karl saw no issue in subjecting them to such rigorous traini~~ng. Both Buggy and Bell-mère were among the trainees, alongside the former marine delinquents, who were now shockingly obedient. Not one dared to defy orders.

Karl didn't know what Buggy had done to command such loyalty from them, but it was clear these men now followed Buggy's every word. If Buggy said to go east, none would dare go west.

When Karl learned of this, he was stunned but soon accepted it with a wry smile. Buggy might lack combat prowess, but his knack for manipulation, brainwashing, and inspiring blind loyalty was truly exceptional. In the original story, this ability was the foundation of his success—it was his unique talent, after all.

Standing on a platform overlooking the trainees, Karl addressed them sternly yet encouragingly:

"Push yourselves harder! I know this is painful, but if you want to grow stronger, this is the path you must take!

"When I was in training, I went through the same hardships, and it's why I am who I am today. Without physical conditioning, you can forget about mastering the Six Powers. Heck, you won't even be able to protect the peace of the East Blue!"

Karl's gaze shifted to Smoker, who was training alone. Smoker's physical capabilities were already beyond average, but his progress had plateaued. With his Logia Devil Fruit abilities, his foundational strength was reliable, so Karl had permitted him to begin training in the Six Powers.

However, Smoker's aptitude wasn't exceptional; he hadn't even reached the basics of the Six Powers yet. This frustrated him, and he trained tirelessly, often to the point of exhaustion.

Karl admired Smoker's determination but didn't show it outwardly. Instead, he scolded him harshly:

"Smoker! Your talent is subpar. Don't think your Smoke-Smoke Fruit makes you invincible!

"In the Grand Line, Logia users aren't uncommon. With your current level of strength, you'd be walking to your death.

"Especially with your fruit's weaknesses—once you activate your abilities, your entire body is riddled with openings!

"So train until you drop. Once you've mastered the Six Powers, I'll consider teaching you Haki!"

"Yes, sir!" Smoker roared, doubling down on his efforts.

Karl had already envisioned a few combination techniques for Smoker, integrating the Six Powers with his Devil Fruit abilities. He was just waiting for Smoker to reach the required level.

At that moment, a Marine on duty rushed over to Karl.

"Sir Karl, someone is here to see you!"

"Someone wants to see me?"

"Yes, sir! The man calls himself Krieg and says he has something to show you."

"Krieg?"

The name rang a bell, but Karl didn't dwell on it.

"Take him to the reception room."

"Understood!"

Moments later, in the Marine reception room, Karl finally met Krieg.

The moment he saw him, memories from his past life surged. This Krieg, clad in heavy bronze armor, looked exactly like the unfortunate pirate who had been chased by Mihawk in the original story.

However, this Krieg was much younger. His face still bore traces of youth and nervousness, making it unlikely he was faking it.

"What do you want?" Karl asked coldly, towering over the armored figure.

Despite his initial surprise, Karl dismissed Krieg as a minor figure. If it were Gin, he might have taken him more seriously.

Clearing his throat, Krieg spoke, "I am Krieg, representing Admiral Crete to negotiate with you.

"We deeply regret the capture of the previous Loguetown base commander, but our cooperation must continue. Admiral Crete is willing to renegotiate our terms, offering you an additional ten percent of the profits to strengthen our partnership."

"Just ten percent? Are you mocking me?"

Karl's dismissive tone left Krieg visibly uncomfortable. Admiral Crete, the leader of East Blue's largest pirate coalition, had remained hidden in an unknown corner of the sea. Karl lacked the manpower to locate and eliminate him. Otherwise, he'd have dealt with them long ago.

"Listen, kid, you'd better accept this offer! The only reason you're getting this extra cut is because of the speech you made at the execution platform. Otherwise, it would have stayed seventy-thirty in our favor. That's straight from Admiral Crete! Don't push your luck!"

Though young and inexperienced, Krieg drew confidence from Admiral Crete's power. Yet before he could continue, Karl used Soru to vanish from sight, reappearing directly in front of Krieg.

"What?!" Krieg froze in terror, drenched in cold sweat as his legs trembled.

"Nice armor," Karl said, smirking as he patted Krieg's shoulder. Then, with a squeeze, the bronze armor shattered into fragments.

Krieg was utterly horrified, his entire body shaking as he braced for death.

But Karl simply straightened Krieg's clothes, chuckled, and said, "Tell Admiral Crete this: if he wants to keep hiding, that's fine. But the moment I find him, he's dead.

"Now, get out."

Relieved beyond measure, Krieg scrambled out of the room without a second glance.

Karl leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Admiral Crete, huh? How amusing. These pirates are getting bolder by the day."

~~~~ ~~~

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