Despite Hina's attempts to dissuade him, Smoker was not someone who could accept undeserved credit.
To him, Crocodile was taken down by Carl, and the Baroque Works agents were defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates. Yet, the higher-ups wanted to pin the victory on him.
What others would see as a golden opportunity was nothing short of an insult to his sense of justice.
"I'm heading back to headquarters to clear this up," Smoker declared, biting down hard on his cigars.
Hina sighed, folding her arms.
This man was both stubborn and reckless—reasoning with him was pointless.
Carl, on the other hand, waved goodbye nonchalantly, completely unbothered by the situation.
A Few Days Later…
Naval Headquarters – Marineford
After taking his time getting there, Carl finally set foot in Marineford.
The moment Smoker arrived, he went straight to Sengoku's office to lodge his complaint.
Carl, however, was in no rush. Instead, he took the opportunity to wander around, taking in the sights of the Marines' main base.
As for reporting in?
That could wait.
To be honest, if not for the upcoming Paramount War, he would have loved to stay here.
After all, what place was safer than Marine Headquarters?
"…No, wait, the Golden Lion wrecked this place twenty-two years ago," Carl muttered to himself, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, staying here still isn't safe."
Marineford had been stormed by pirates twice—Kaido's attempt being an exception.
The first time was when Shiki the Golden Lion rampaged through the base, singlehandedly laying waste to Marineford. It took both Garp and Sengoku working together to subdue him.
The second time was the Paramount War, after which Marineford had to be relocated to the New World.
Each time, the danger level escalated.
As Carl strolled through the base, a golden light flickered beside him.
"Oh~ you must be Carl, right?"
The light condensed into Kizaru, who gazed at him lazily. "To think someone as young as you could injure Dracule Mihawk… How terrifying~."
Carl blinked.
This guy… he looked way more perverted in person.
This wasn't the Glint-Glint Fruit—this was the Pervert-Pervert Fruit!
"Kizaru Admiral," Carl greeted warily.
"Sengoku is looking for you~" Kizaru pouted in a weirdly exaggerated manner. "The old man had to go run errands because you were out wandering around."
"…Cough, I understand. I'll head over now," Carl replied, sweatdropping.
"That's good~ I'll be waiting for you in the Fleet Admiral's office," Kizaru said before vanishing in another burst of golden light.
Carl exhaled slowly.
What a busted fruit ability.
Among the three Admirals, each of their Logia fruits was powerful, but if Carl had to pick, he'd go for Kizaru's every time.
The sheer speed, power, and range of the Glint-Glint Fruit was absurd.
One casual kick and you're already a supernova.
Shaking his head, Carl made his way to the Fleet Admiral's office.
After a short walk, he knocked on the door.
"Come in."
As he stepped inside, he saw Sengoku behind his desk, while Garp sat off to the side, munching on senbei and dried fish.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Ensign Solomon Carl of the 148th East Blue Branch reporting in!" Carl saluted crisply.
Sengoku smiled. "Welcome, Ensign Carl. How do you feel about Marineford after spending time here?"
Carl hesitated, scratching his head. "Well… to be honest, it's definitely an impressive place. Far better than our branch back in East Blue."
That much was undeniable.
In terms of size, firepower, and sheer strength, Marineford was leagues ahead of any Marine base.
Of course, Carl didn't actually want to stay here—especially with the Paramount War approaching.
Who knew how badly he'd get dragged into it?
Sengoku nodded, picking up a document from his desk. "We've already decided on your new assignment."
He passed the paper over to Carl.
"Solomon Carl, from this moment forward, you are officially promoted to Marine Colonel, directly under the command of Admiral Kizaru."
"…Huh?"
Carl blinked.
Did he hear that correctly?
"Wait, wait, hold on, Fleet Admiral! How did I go from Ensign straight to Colonel?!" Carl protested. "That's completely out of order!"
It was way too fast!
He had expected maybe Lieutenant or even Commander, but Colonel?!
"Well, you're right," Sengoku acknowledged with a nod.
There was a brief moment of hope in Carl's eyes.
"Yes! Exactly! I mean, I haven't really done much to warrant—"
"—until, of course, you defeated a former Warlord of the Sea in Alabasta."
"…Huh?"
Sengoku continued with a smile.
"The news of you taking down Crocodile has already spread. That's an undeniable military achievement."
Carl stood frozen in place.
I… I really am an idiot.
He shouldn't have gotten involved with Crocodile at all.
All he wanted was a training dummy! There were plenty of strong opponents out there—why did he have to pick Crocodile of all people?!
Without realizing it, he had dug his own grave.
Sengoku waved dismissively. "That's settled then. Colonel Carl, report to Admiral Kizaru for your next assignment."
"…Understood."
Carl walked out of the office, his face dark with despair.
Kizaru's Office
Carl took a moment to collect himself outside the Admiral's office.
A Colonel directly under an Admiral's command…
At first glance, it seemed like a terrible situation.
But!
Kizaru was the only Admiral who genuinely didn't care about work.
If he played his cards right, Carl could convince Kizaru to send him anywhere but Marineford!
As long as he wasn't stationed here, he could avoid getting pulled into the Paramount War.
Even if he couldn't return to the Four Seas, anywhere in the first half of the Grand Line was still better than being here!
Besides, out of the three Admirals, Kizaru was the ultimate slacker.
He didn't just let things slide—he let them sink into the ocean.
Some people even joked that he was an undercover Revolutionary Army agent because he slacked off too much.
Hell, there were even fan rumors that he was Luffy's uncle!
Of course, that was all nonsense.
Kizaru simply didn't want to be bothered.
Taking a deep breath, Carl pushed open the door.
Inside, the office had a Japanese-style castle aesthetic.
A large wooden plaque hung above, bearing the words "Ambiguous Justice".
Kizaru lounged on a couch, casually trimming his nails.
"Oh~ Colonel Carl, you've arrived," Kizaru greeted lazily. "No need to be so formal~ have a seat."
Carl nodded, taking a seat.
He had to approach this strategically.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Cough… Sir, what are your plans for my future assignments?"
His only goal was to avoid staying in Marineford!
Kizaru chuckled. "Well~ before we discuss that, the old man would like to understand your abilities first, hmm?"
Carl remained silent for a moment before replying, "I primarily specialize in hand-to-hand combat… and a little Haki."
"Hoh~ hand-to-hand combat, is it?"
Kizaru's gaze flickered toward the three swords at Carl's waist.
Among them, Sakura Ten and Mugetsu were once wielded by Shiki the Golden Lion.
The third, the blade he had used against Mihawk, was another mystery entirely.
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