Chapter 17: Taking In Koby and Forming a Team

"Hohoho, the Marines really have a rising star."

On the Whitebeard pirate ship, the great pirate Whitebeard looked at the newspaper in his hand while hooked up to his IV bottle.

"Monkey D. Chiba... why does that name sound familiar?"

Marco, the Phoenix, standing nearby, replied, "He's Ace's brother. Ace mentioned him before."

"Hohohoho!" Whitebeard burst into laughter. "So he's Ace's brother, huh? No wonder he's made such a name for himself."

---

In a small town...

The glint of blades flashed, and the sound of gunshots echoed through the air. Under the flicker of firelight, villagers and Marines alike lay in pools of blood. Screams and clashes filled the town like a scene from hell.

"Hee-ha-ha!" A wild laugh reverberated through the area, adding a sinister edge to the chaotic battlefield.

A large, dark-skinned man stepped out from the flames. His blackened cheeks glowed red from the blaze, and with blood dripping all over his body, he looked even more vicious and menacing.

Holding a newspaper, the man stared at the front-page photo, then laughed wildly again. "Monkey D. Chiba, that clown Marine, managed to make some impressive things—the energy potion for training, huh? I wonder what it's like."

He crumpled the newspaper in his massive hand, black energy tearing through it. "Heh-heh-heh, boys, looks like we've got a new target."

"Captain Blackbeard, who are we taking in as our crew this time?"

"Haha, Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Chiba."

---

Ten days after the promotion ceremony...

At Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Chiba had officially assumed his role as Vice Admiral and began forming his own team. To support him—and to benefit from his knowledge—Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Garp, Kizaru, and even Sakazuki offered their assistance by sending candidates to him.

Chiba carefully selected four individuals to become the core of his team.

The first was Koby.

Koby had been brought back by Garp, determined to become a Marine. Koby's potential was enormous. In the original timeline, under Garp's training, Koby advanced six ranks in just two months, going from a mere recruit to a sergeant. He even mastered the Shave technique of the Marine's Six Styles—a testament to his extraordinary growth rate.

During the Summit War, Koby also awakened Observation Haki, demonstrating his natural talent for Haki and showing potential on par with that of a future Admiral. Most importantly, Koby was currently at the lowest point in his life, making it the perfect opportunity to nurture and mold him into a powerful Marine ally.

The second recruit was Helmeppo.

While Helmeppo's talent was slightly less than Koby's, it was still promising. He had the potential to become a great asset. His father, Morgan, once belonged to Garp's faction, although he eventually betrayed him for unknown reasons. Garp had since forgiven the past and accepted Helmeppo, despite his previous laziness and lack of training discipline.

After joining the Marines, Helmeppo showed impressive growth. With proper training, Chiba was confident Helmeppo could also reach Admiral-level strength in the future.

The third member was Hina, who had been by Chiba's side for some time now.

Hina, known as the Marine's "sexy older sister," had been taking care of Chiba's daily needs. Chiba, naturally, was fond of her. His achievements were well-known, and being with him daily, Hina was aware of Chiba's rapid progress. She felt a sense of security and stability around him, and, without realizing it, she had developed a crush on him. Though they often bickered, their bond grew stronger every day.

The addition of the fourth member to Chiba's team made Hina even more conscious of the competition, as she felt Chiba might be stolen away at any moment.

Chiba's fourth recruit was Peacock.

Peacock, Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter, was a captivating and enchanting woman with the Paramecia Whip-Whip Fruit ability. This power allowed her to control anything she whipped, even inanimate objects like buildings.

Whenever Peacock looked at Chiba, her eyes sparkled with mischief. She often playfully brandished her whip, as if tempted to take control of him right then and there.

---

Chiba's Research Room

Peacock perched on Chiba's desk, her slender legs crossed before him. The red miniskirt she wore struggled to contain her voluptuous figure, while her top revealed tantalizing glimpses of her chest. Her alluring face was full of temptation as she lifted her whip and playfully raised Chiba's chin.

"My dear Chief Chiba, do you like this position?" she purred.

Chiba caught her wrist, suppressing the heat rising in his chest. "You little minx, if your grandma, Vice Admiral Tsuru, saw you like this, she'd give you a good spanking."

Peacock smirked, tilting her head. "Oh? So that's what you like, sir? That's fine by me. Go ahead, use my whip."

"Hmph." A cold voice cut through the air. Both Chiba and Peacock turned to see Hina walking in.

Today, Hina was dressed in a wine-red, form-fitting uniform that accentuated her curves. The slightly open neckline hinted at her ample chest, presenting a mysterious allure that invited one to explore further.

Her light red lips were pursed tightly, enhancing her sultry appearance, while a hint of frost settled on her beautiful face. Her eyes, filled with a mix of anger and sadness, were locked on Chiba.

"I didn't expect you to be this kind of person, Chief Chiba. Hina was wrong about you. Hina is very disappointed."

---

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧