Karl immediately panicked and jumped up from his seat.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, pirates are raging at sea and committing evil everywhere. How can I calmly take a vacation as a Rear Admiral?"
"Therefore, I voluntarily refuse the leave and dedicate my limited life to the endless fight against evil!"
Sengoku looked at the righteous Karl, and surprise flickered in his eyes.
What spirit is this? Karl truly is a marine with a broad outlook and a sense of justice!
If every marine was like Karl, why worry about the troubled seas?
He used to always worry that Kizaru would lead Karl astray, but he didn't expect Karl to remain incorruptible and unspoiled!
Sengoku grew to love and appreciate Karl even more, even considering that if Karl could rise to the level of admiral, he would certainly become the best candidate for the position of Fleet Admiral!
"Good! Well said! Karl, I'm very glad you said that! If Kizaru and Aokiji could learn from you, I'd be much less worried!"
"But! There is a reason why I want you to rest..."
Sengoku pulled out a stack of capture orders marked with crosses and placed them on the table, saying: "Look, this is the result from the past few months. The pirate groups that dared to appear recently have mostly been captured or killed."
"Except for the New World, there are practically big fish not worth your attention! These small pirate groups are more than enough for other generals."
"Your abilities should be used for more complex tasks. I can't have you, a staff general, chasing after pirate groups with bounties in the thousands every day, right?"
Karl frowned. This statement made sense. A general should do what a general is meant to do. He can't actively pursue those about whom nothing is known, right?
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if that's the case, then I'll go to the New World to take on assignments! I'm not afraid of pirates with bounties over 500 million!"
Hearing this, Sengoku shook his head and helplessly said, "It's not that I don't want you to go to the New World, but the Whitebeard Pirates have been expecting you there lately!"
The Whitebeard Pirates? Karl frowned slightly. Is it because of the Whitney bay and Whitebeard?
"Is it because of Whitebeard?"
Sengoku nodded, "Yes! Whitebeard's protection of his territories is certainly not just empty words. The New World is full of Whitebeard's territories. As soon as you appear, they will likely capture you."
"For your safety, you still need to grow a bit more before I can allow you to take on assignments in the New World."
The subtext was that Karl was very important to the Navy. It's not worth engaging in battle with a full-scale force like Whitebeard's. Let's raise the level first.
Karl was silent for a long time, then continued, "Alright! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but I still don't want to take a vacation! How about this!"
"I am very interested in Fish-Man Island. The recent investigation into Princess Otohime's cause of death hasn't been assigned to anyone, right?"
Sengoku pondered, then shook his head.
"Alright, I'll take this assignment. After the continuation of the Conference of the Seven Leaders, I will go to Fish-Man Island to investigate. If I can figure it out, great. If not, I'll consider it my vacation. What do you think?"
Yes, yes, yes...
Sengoku tapped his fingers on the table, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed.
"Fine! I agree with you for now, but currently, everything is based on the Conference of the Seven warlords of the sea. Let's discuss this later."
Karl sighed with relief. Finally, he didn't have to take a real vacation!
"Monkey, read more and learn more!" We are both taking a break, but Sengoku should praise us!
When Karl left Navy headquarters, an unexpected old friend had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Hey! Karl, I haven't seen you for a few months. You're already a general!"
Seeing who it was, Karl smiled and headed towards him. As he approached, he pulled a cigar from his chest, placed it in his mouth, lit it, and then blew a smoke ring.
Karl looked at Smoker with a smug expression and said, "Did you call Karl? Call me sir!"
Smoker was startled and almost dropped his cigar: "You're something else, Karl, still playing this game with me!"
"Hahaha! Just joking, are you on vacation?"
As he said this, Smoker's expression darkened, and he shook his head: "Not a vacation, but a suspension."
"Suspension? Are you sure? Why?"
"Some dirty and messy things, I get angry when I talk about them, so let's not go there! We finally met today, how about going for a drink with me?"
It was midday, and Karl hadn't eaten yet, so he didn't refuse.
...
"Karl, do you think the current Navy truly deserves the word 'justice'?"
Karl touched his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "The Navy is, of course, just, but where light cannot penetrate, darkness naturally grows."
Thud, thud, thud~
Smoker downed his entire glass of wine in one gulp, wiped the wine stains from the corners of his mouth with his sleeve, and sighed, "Yeah! But too much darkness is growing..."
Karl didn't know what darkness Smoker had encountered, but it was clear that he was a bit disillusioned with the Navy at the moment and felt that it was far from the army of justice he envisioned.
"So what can you, a Lieutenant Commander of the Navy, change?"
"I... hmm~ I can't change it."
Karl smiled and said, "Then enjoy yourself! At sea, only the strong have the right to speak! Whether it's the Navy or pirates!"
"Since you can't stand the darkness and want change, you must have the means to change."
As a veteran with ten years of service and a time traveler, how could Karl not be familiar with the twists and turns within the Navy?
But what if he knew? He was just a branch captain before and was powerless. Now, even though he's a general, he still doesn't have a voice.
The only thing he can do now is to do his best to improve his strength, reputation, and rank.
Only then will he have the right to speak and the ability to change the current situation of the Navy.
Having the ability to change is one thing, and wanting to change is another.
For Karl, it doesn't matter whether he changes it or not; he's just resting anyway.
Smoker furrowed his brow, watching Karl, who seemed to understand something but said nothing, drink alone before collapsing onto the table.
Karl shook his head, sighed, and snapped his fingers.
"Hello, how can I assist you?"
Karl stood up, pointed at Smoker, and said, "This is Captain Smoker. He will cover all today's expenses. By the way, bring me another bottle of red wine."
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
Karl took a pack of napkins and wiped his mouth, then took the red wine handed to him by the waiter and left the restaurant, keeping his accomplishments and fame to himself.
Unbeknownst to him, Smoker, who lay on the table pretending to be asleep, gradually clenched his fists, thoughts running through his mind, thoughts that would have been silenced if voiced.
He lost more than he gained!