This guy was simply a monster.
On his first day taking office at the G-5 Branch, he had actually killed everyone in the branch's subordinate 06 Unit, leaving only one person alive.
On the warship that had brought Rowan, Smoker, and Hina from Headquarters to the G-5 Branch, the Marines were all stunned.
They knew that Rowan had always been called a Marine scumbag at Headquarters, and that he was also the fourth monster to come out of the training camp, but they had never seen how terrifying a monster truly was.
And now...
"Gulp."
The sound of someone swallowing woke the major up. He immediately kicked the communications soldier beside him awake.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry back to Headquarters!"
For a moment, the warship fell into chaos.
Rowan took a few steps toward the harbor, and the Marines on the warship reacted as if they were facing a great enemy.
"What are you panicking for? You're not scum like them!"
Rowan cursed in annoyance, then said, "Go back and report to Headquarters. These guys violated military discipline and have already been cut down by me.
The Marines of the G-5 Branch will still need to be cleansed in the name of justice. If the personnel losses become severe later, whether Headquarters will send reinforcements or allow me to recruit on my own, I need Headquarters to provide a document."
As for Marine branches, the base commander had the authority to recruit soldiers. Forget a G-numbered branch in the New World, even a small branch in the East Blue could do it, but it had to be reported upward.
[Note: Koby became a Marine in the East Blue, then later followed Garp to Headquarters.]
"Un... understood."
The colonel on the warship replied, and soon after, the warship disappeared across the sea at full speed.
Rowan turned around and glanced at Smoker, who had been shot.
"You clearly knew the other side could use Haki, yet you still elementalized over a large area. Can your Observation Haki really observe the attacks of that many people?"
Smoker's face flushed red. "I was just careless. Next time..."
"Next time?"
Rowan interrupted him and reached out to pat his wounded shoulder.
"Hiss..."
The pain from the wound made Smoker grimace, but in the next moment, the lead bullet was shaken out by Rowan from a distance.
"There are still quite a few guys like that inside the G-5 Branch. How about I leave all of them to you to deal with later?"
Those words made Smoker's stubborn mouth soften, and he fell silent.
Rowan then looked at Hina. "The ability of the Cage-Cage Fruit is still a little lacking. At the very least, your Armament Haki hasn't covered it and turned it into a black cage. Vice Admiral Tsuru sent me here to babysit for her."
"Ba... babysit?"
Hina, who was only four years younger than Rowan, froze for a moment. Then she also said unconvinced, "Hina wasn't injured! Hina's Haki is also very strong!"
"Yes, yes, very strong."
Rowan casually waved his hand, then picked up the luggage that Smoker had just put down and kicked Leelton, the only survivor of the 06 Unit, to his feet.
"Go support the old man, then lead the way."
Leelton, who knew he had escaped disaster because he had not joined the others in their corruption, quickly got up and hurriedly supported the old man as he led the way. The group soon arrived at the G-5 Branch.
As for the dozens of corpses at the harbor, there was no need to deal with them for now.
Leaving them out to dry for two or three days, letting all the Marines of the G-5 Branch see them, would achieve the effect of the stick.
As for the carrot...
He had no carrots here.
The New World branch's new recruits needed to be handled by the branch itself. This was also one of the reasons why most of the people on G-5's side were scum.
They themselves existed somewhere between good and evil. In a place like the New World, one either became a pirate, became a Marine, or became an ordinary person who was exploited.
For now, only large affiliated nations like Dressrosa were slightly better. At the very least, the country's economy was developing well, King Riku did not exploit the common people, and they could afford to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
"M... my lord."
Leelton's voice was still trembling. The scene just now had truly been too horrifying.
In a place like the New World, many, many people died every day, but something as brutal as smashing someone's head into their chest with one punch was something he had truly seen for the first time.
"Just call me Vice Admiral. Or if you want to be respectful, sir is fine too. My name is Rowan, your new base commander."
Rowan casually waved his hand.
With his easygoing attitude and young appearance, if Leelton had not seen what happened just now, he absolutely would not have believed this was a bloody monster.
But for G-5, this might not necessarily be a bad thing.
"Vice... Vice Admiral, sir."
Leelton paused, then continued, "Brigadier General Saseboda's son is also a Marine of the G-5 Branch. He belongs to Unit 03 and is currently ranked Seaman First Class."
Rowan smiled, then walked over and put an arm around the middle-aged man's shoulder.
"Relax a little. Generally speaking, as long as someone isn't scum, I'm still very easy to talk to. Look at those two. When I was transferred to G-5 as base commander, they followed me all the way from Headquarters with eager eyes. That proves my character is actually pretty good."
As he spoke, Rowan pointed at Smoker and Hina behind him.
The old man, who had been supported by Leelton the whole time, had also thought about many things after leaving that bloody scene.
At this moment, he even bowed to Rowan and said, "Vice Admiral, you are a good man. If you need this old man to testify later, I can come anytime."
"No need, no need."
Rowan smiled. "The people above aren't much better either. As long as Fleet Admiral Sengoku doesn't come personally, it won't be useful no matter who else comes. Old man, I also have people above me."
(одо)
Those words left the old man a little stunned.
Smoker and Hina behind him exchanged a glance and fell silent.
How far "above" was he talking about?
Most of Marine Headquarters was still good. As for the people above at Mary Geoise, that was taboo.
But if it was only cleaning out the scum among the Marines of the G-5 Branch, then with the power behind Vice Admiral Rowan, it was indeed enough.
The Fleet Admiral would only ask about the defense line. Those scum did not matter.
As for the World Government...
This Vice Admiral had originally been the World Government's man inside Marine Headquarters.
"Alright. Leelton, was it? Introduce G-5's six units to me. It would be best if you tell me which ones should be killed and which ones shouldn't."
Rowan continued talking with Leelton, only stopping when they reached the gates of the G-5 Branch.
Then Rowan revealed a perfectly timed smile.
"Leelton... later, prepare yourself to confront those guys. If you lied, for example, using the chance just now to settle personal grudges, then tomorrow you might be killed by me because you stepped into the branch with your left foot first."
Leelton: (#Д#)
"Vice... Vice Admiral, sir, I ab... absolutely did not speak nonsense."
Under absolute power, the cleanup of the G-5 Branch proceeded very smoothly.
Saseboda's son was called Sasekunitou. His appearance was ugly beyond words, which made Rowan remember this guy. It seemed that twenty years later, he became the brigadier general of Unit 06.
He was the guy who helped Vergo conceal the missing children and also seized things by force on the streets.
The lax military discipline of the G-5 Branch could be considered infamous. Fortunately, the worst offenders were all in Unit 06. As for the other five units, each had more or fewer rotten people.
After basically killing forty percent of them, the remaining Marines whose sin values were below fifty all became obedient, and the rules were reestablished.
The next day, Rowan tapped the new rules pasted on the wall behind him.
"Strictly forbidden from laying hands on ordinary civilians. Remember, in any sense of the word. Robbing, occupying, using authority to collect benefits, any meaning at all!"
"Also, after wiping out pirates, the spoils will be split fifty-fifty. Don't worry, I don't want fifty percent. Fifty percent will be returned to the people robbed by the pirates. If they really can't be found, or they're too far away, then it will be distributed directly to the civilians in our jurisdiction."
"The remaining fifty percent will be split equally between me and you."
"Lastly, remember this. For pirates with bounties, keep their heads. According to Headquarters regulations, we'll say pirate hunters killed them, then ask the higher-ups for the bounty."
"You can only earn this money because of me, so you get thirty percent, and I get seventy percent."
"Any objections?"
The Marines below had already been scared witless by the killings over the past few days. Just digging pits to bury those idiots had taken them an entire night.
At this moment, no one dared to object.
Only Leelton stepped forward under Rowan's earlier signal.
"Vice Admiral, sir, we have absolutely no objections. It's just that many times, we are no match for the pirates in the New World... The ones who knew Haki before were all killed by you because they committed crimes."
Rowan replied, "That's why, next, the Marines of G-5 Branch need to undergo strict training. Anyone who hasn't mastered Haki will all be demoted to chore soldiers, and they won't have the right to share the spoils."
"Also, when you run into someone you can't beat, don't you know how to call for backup? Run while calling for help. Once I rush over, are you still afraid you can't win?"
"Patrols along the warning line still need to continue. Training will be done on a rotation system. Units One, Three, and Five, and Units Two, Four, and Six will train separately, every morning."
"Also, don't think you're very important. There are plenty of people lining up to eat from the Marine bowl! Post the recruitment documents. If anyone can't handle being a chore soldier, they can choose to become a pirate."
Become a pirate?
Those guys below, who were properly wearing their Marine uniforms today, all shivered.
If he was already saying they could become pirates, could they still live after that?
But being able to share the spoils, and even get thirty percent of the bounty money, was no small amount.
The premise was that they could beat the pirates of the New World.
But with a monster like this around, as long as they held on until the Vice Admiral arrived, wouldn't it be like yesterday, cutting through them like vegetables?
After the first day's speech ended, the special training of Units One, Three, and Five immediately began.
There was nothing special about it. He simply drew his blade and chased them from behind, slashing at them. Anyone who couldn't keep up would receive a direct cut to the backside.
Everyone ran desperately while carrying weights. Even if they vomited, they were not allowed to stop. After running, they went straight to the cafeteria to eat huge chunks of Sea King meat.
This was something the Vice Admiral had personally gone into the sea to catch. One Sea King was enough for the entire branch to eat for four days, allowing everyone to recover by the next day and continue completing their patrol missions.
Grand Line, Baltigo.
"So now the G-5 Branch is under Mr. Flame's control?"
Rowan glanced at Dragon, who had just rushed back, and asked curiously, "Why weren't you staying in Baltigo? Where did you run off to? Wano is still in its initial stage, and the other places are also developing while lying low..."
At this point, Rowan froze, then blurted out, "Don't tell me you learned from Roger and secretly went off to make a kid?"
"Uh..."
Dragon clearly did not want to answer that question. "If that's the case, then within the area covered by Marine G-5 Branch, our people can safely develop with full force."
"Heh."
Rowan sneered. "If you don't want to say it, forget it. But it's not just about development. You also need to arrange for some people to become Marines. When the time comes, if the entire G-5 Marine force is made up of our own people, many things will be easier to operate."
Dragon nodded. "Mm. I'll arrange it afterward. They won't know your identity. I'll only tell them that G-5 has one of our own inside."
With the main matters arranged, Rowan stood up and prepared to leave.
But before leaving, he still looked at Dragon with a playful gaze.
"If you end up having a son who wants to become Pirate King, that would be pretty interesting."
Pirate King?
Dragon froze.
His own matter had not even reached the first stroke of the eight characters yet. Since when did he have a son? And Pirate King?
Wait!
Dragon suddenly remembered that Rowan seemed able to see some parts of the future, and his heart immediately tensed.
For now, the Revolutionary Army was targeting oppressed countries, and among those who oppressed ordinary people, there were not only nobles but also pirates.
The Revolutionary Army had killed no small number of pirates.
"Looks like if I really do have one, I'll have to educate him properly."
After returning to G-5 with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Rowan was slightly dazed.
At present, there was less than a year left before the birth of King Luffy in his memories. If Dragon went out to sow a seed around this time, it really was quite possible.
But in the future, this world would no longer have any Pirate King. There were many strange things about this sea, and banning passage was also not advisable.
There might be an Adventure King instead. It just depended on whether he wanted to become one.
Rowan looked out the window. At this moment, Smoker was holding a small knife, chasing behind the Marines in special training in his elementalized form.
Anyone who ran slowly would get a cut, and he would mock them a few times while he was at it.
However, that kind of mockery could not compare to the loudspeaker Transponder Snail beside the training ground. It was playing Rowan's recorded mocking phrases on loop.
The thought processes of people in this world were all very strange. Most people could not endure provocation, and it was very easy to stir up the anger and dreams deep in their hearts.
As for the remaining fragments picked out from this group of scum, what they actually desired most was recognition.
Just like Vergo's methods when he became base commander in the future. He recognized these fragments, and so he gained their worship.
However, what Rowan wanted was not worship, but for them to awaken their own spiritual will, then improve their Haki through battles against pirates.
Those who stood out would stay. Those who gave up would become chore soldiers. In any case, the Revolutionary Army would come to fill the gaps later, so it did not matter.
The opportunity had been given. Whether they could remain depended on themselves.
Time passed day by day.
The image of the Marines of G-5 Branch changed greatly, and they also received praise throughout the surrounding patrol areas.
Sometimes, people were just like that. If a plaza was covered in trash, then you would naturally throw the trash in your hand down without guilt.
But if there was not even a scrap of paper in the plaza, then when you held trash in your hand, you would hesitate over whether to throw it away.
This group of people was now the same. After seeing the changed attitude of the civilians for the first time, many of them even felt embarrassed to accept thanks.
At the same time, a call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku also came from Marine Headquarters.
"Rowan!!"
"You killed all those bastards, so who is going to help you patrol such a large area?!"
"Who do you think you are?! Who gave you the authority..."
He went on and on. The Transponder Snail imitated him vividly.
Rowan waited until Sengoku had vented almost enough before speaking.
"As for manpower, recruitment has already begun. Headquarters needs to keep up with the supply of materials. Also, the report has already been submitted. It should arrive in a couple of days."
That casual answer made the other side of the call fall silent for a moment.
Rowan's promotion to Vice Admiral had come through documents issued by the World Government. If Sengoku wanted to remove him, he needed to consider many things.
In addition, Rowan was a future Admiral-level combatant and also had connections with the World Government's CP side, so it was even more impossible to remove him lightly.
Not to mention, this guy had also submitted a report to the World Government, explaining why the Heavenly Tribute paid according to population had recently decreased in certain areas.
"You'd better guarantee that there won't be any problems in the area G-5 is responsible for!"
"Click."
The Transponder Snail hung up.
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