One Piece: The True Codex

In the slums of Kalmar City, near the docks, William had occupied a flat piece of land six months ago and established a barracks capable of accommodating two hundred soldiers.

The soldiers in the barracks were all teenagers, averaging just fourteen or fifteen years old. Some came from Red Leaf Village, others from villages and towns liberated by the Morgan Pirates, and still others from the slums of Kalmar City.

William had combined the wisdom and experience of his various subordinates with his own memories from his previous life, making some modifications to this world's Marine training manual to better suit his needs. Day after day, these young soldiers were drilled relentlessly.

As for how William acquired the Marine training manual, it was naturally provided by Gin, Nezumi, and other corrupt Marines. They also introduced William to several retired Marine officers. With the help of Dennis, the sheriff, William had even managed to poach two officers from the kingdom's military. Together, these individuals formed a training team to assist in guiding the soldiers through their basic training.

But "assist" was the key word here. William had no intention of letting the army he funded and trained develop loyalty to the Marines, the World Government, or even the Navia Kingdom. The primary responsibility for training still fell to his trusted subordinates, who were both experienced and loyal.

In addition to regular military training, William placed a heavy emphasis on ideological education. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning, the barracks held cultural classes alongside basic physical training. Whenever William had time, he would personally step onto the stage to teach.

However, William's sporadic enthusiasm for teaching was not particularly conducive to the young soldiers' literacy progress. Without a proper syllabus, his lectures often veered off-topic. Nevertheless, as someone who had lived two lives and once been a corporate elite, William's high-level discussions were far more engaging than the dry and monotonous cultural lessons.

William had a knack for weaving together stories about world affairs and meaningful anecdotes, occasionally peppering his lectures with profound insights drawn from his experiences in his previous life. His words often left the young soldiers deep in thought.

Sometimes, William stayed at the barracks until nightfall, organizing bonfire gatherings—or more accurately, grievance sessions—for the young soldiers.

These teenagers, either from the lower rungs of society or victims of the Great Pirate Era, often had memories that were still fresh and painful. With a little guidance, those memories became deeply engraved in their minds.

In the barracks, the young soldiers seemed to find a sense of belonging and camaraderie. They shared their tragic childhood experiences, discussed the root causes of their suffering, and gradually began to direct their resentment toward the World Government.

This atmosphere unsettled some individuals within the barracks. One teacher, who taught cultural lessons to the young soldiers, openly criticized William's rhetoric and the emerging ideology among the soldiers during class. The next day, that teacher vanished without a trace.

In the days that followed, a retired Marine officer and a retired kingdom military officer recruited by William also disappeared from the barracks.

The entire barracks operated as a closed environment, with teachers monitored by William's men during lessons. These young soldiers were treated like seeds of revolution, and William allowed no one to contaminate them. Upon leaving the barracks, not all of them would join the military. In fact, only a small portion would enter the army.

Some would go on to attend the professional technical academy William was about to establish. Others would be sent to villages and towns as grassroots officials as part of future rural development campaigns. A portion would form new training teams, while the remainder would join the new army, continuing to hone their skills as soldiers.

After leaving the relief center, William arrived at the barracks to guide the young soldiers in practicing swordsmanship on the training ground.

He focused on instructing them for two hours before noticing Harden standing at the edge of the training ground. Harden stretched his neck and occasionally scratched the scar on his throat, clearly waiting to report something to William.

Harden was a veteran from the days of Barbarossa, originally serving as the ship's second mate. Bold and fearless, he had a penchant for violence. Back when William, still an ordinary crew member, first clashed with Zeff, Harden had been one of the instigators unwilling to back down. Before William killed Barbarossa, Harden had already grown dissatisfied with their captain and was prepared to fight alongside William against him. Although he was ultimately restrained, his courage was undeniable.

A quintessential warrior with a simple mind, Harden understood his place and was deeply loyal to William. Despite not being the strongest among William's subordinates, his seniority earned him the role of managing the Morgan Pirates' affairs in William's absence.

William set down his bamboo sword and approached Harden. "What's the matter?"

"Captain," Harden said with a low laugh, his voice gravelly. "The matter with the Goa Kingdom has been taken care of."

…

Goa Kingdom, High Town.

Unlike the fury he had displayed when he first heard about his merchant ship being sunk, Count Pere now appeared calm and composed. His every move was slow and deliberate, exuding the elegance characteristic of nobility.

Seated on the sofa opposite him was a long-faced noble, his demeanor a mix of unease and deference.

"I've heard about Sabo," Count Pere said leisurely, stirring his coffee. "I'm quite saddened by the news. But to be honest, if something truly unfortunate has happened to him, so be it. My real concern is that he might disgrace the nobility by associating with criminals and vermin outside the city."

"Sabo would never do such a thing," the long-faced noble replied.

"Perhaps he would, perhaps he wouldn't," Count Pere said diplomatically.

The long-faced noble felt a twinge of irritation and decided to bring up a recent topic he had heard about. "I understand your merchant ship was attacked in the Navia Kingdom not long ago?"

As expected, Count Pere's expression darkened upon hearing this. However, a moment later, he seemed to think of something that made him relax again.

"Just a group of ignorant and despicable criminals and pirates, bullying the humble commoners without knowing their place," Count Pere said, sipping his coffee. "They have no idea of the power of the nobility. I've already ordered the Blue Sapphire Pirates to teach them a lesson, to show them the consequences of offending a noble."

"The Blue Sapphire Pirates? Brujem?" the long-faced noble asked politely. "With them involved, I'm sure you'll receive good news soon."

"Of course," Count Pere said with a reserved smile. "I specifically sent someone to ensure that after the Blue Sapphire Pirates punish them, they'll extract ten times the value of what I lost from those criminals."

As the two conversed, the door to the reception room was suddenly knocked upon. Moments later, the butler entered, carrying a wooden box sealed with wax.

"Sir, someone has delivered this to you."

Count Pere frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"I don't know," the butler replied honestly. "The courier didn't know either. He was merely entrusted with delivering it. The wax seal on the box bears a mark, so if anyone tampered with it, it would be evident. Since it was addressed to you, no one dared to open it."

Count Pere nodded and took the wooden box. As he brought it closer, he caught a strong scent of spices emanating from the box, even though it was tightly sealed. He then noticed the symbol imprinted on the wax—a skull emblem.

Count Pere didn't think much of it, assuming it was a gift from someone trying to curry favor. He casually opened the lid.

The moment the lid was lifted, Count Pere's face contorted in horror. With a sharp scream, he threw the box aside, and a severed head, its expression twisted in agony, rolled onto the carpet.

Count Pere recognized the head immediately—it belonged to the subordinate he had sent out.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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