Chapter 146

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One Piece: Biggest Scum in Marine History - Chapter 146

July 28

That night, late at night.

Training camp, administrative building, chief instructor's office.

Kerosene lamps cast a soft light, dispelling the darkness in the office. Zephyr sat at a desk full of traces of time, holding a pen in his hand and immersed in processing documents. The light of the kerosene lamp cast a huge shadow on the wall. As he turned the pages, he could vaguely see the personal files of the new students in the training camp.

In his hand was a bottle of wine in a green glass bottle, the cork of which had been opened.

Call…

After a long time, Zephyr slowly closed the document in his hand, exhaled a long breath, and a satisfied smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth. The level of students in this training camp was very high. Generally speaking, it even exceeded that of the first and second training camps. They were so good that the chief instructor, Zephyr, could hardly believe it. 

Looking at the names shining like gold on the file, Zephyr's heart was full of expectations. Feeling better, Zephyr couldn't help but light up a cigar, take a puff of it happily, and then pick up the wine beside him and drink it.

Tuk tuk tuk...

A knock sounded from outside the door. Zephyr was stunned and quickly put out the cigar and put it away. Before he could hide the liquor, Gion, holding documents in her hand, had already pushed the door open and walked in.

"Teacher Zephyr..."

Just as Gion was about to speak, her tall nose wrinkled, and she could clearly smell the cigar smoke. She glanced at Zephyr again, whose movements were frozen, and said with some dissatisfaction:

"Didn't the doctor advise you to quit smoking and drinking? This is not good for your health."

The training camp had officially started. Due to the lack of manpower, Staff Officer Tsuru suggested letting Gion serve as Zephyr's temporary assistant to help handle some trivial administrative matters.

Caught red-handed, Zephyr smiled cheekily and said, "Gion, I'm in a good mood today, so I'm celebrating."

"You said the same thing yesterday."

"Well... I was in a good mood yesterday."

...

Gion sighed helplessly. She also knew Teacher Zephyr's character; he was stubborn and wouldn't listen to other people's suggestions.

"It's okay, it's okay...hahahaha!!" Seeing Gion's helpless expression, Zephyr smiled and raised the liquor with the word Sherry printed on it. "My body is not that delicate, and this is the most domineering wine. If you don't drink it for a day, everything will feel wrong."

"You are an alcoholic," Gion said calmly.

Zephyr:...

He put down the bottle in frustration, regretting in his heart that he agreed to Tsuru and asked Gion to come over to help. He couldn't help but stare and said, "Tell me what you came to see me for."

Gion walked forward and put the documents in her hands on the desk.

"Regarding the reconstruction of the teaching building, this is the latest confirmed construction list and budget."

Zephyr glanced at it and was dizzy from the dense numbers and words on it. He waved his hand and said, "Just watch and deal with these."

He paused and looked at Gion with burning eyes. "Well, I absolutely believe you!"

"Are you afraid of trouble..." The corner of Gion's mouth twitched and she said slowly, "In terms of funding, the headquarters does not have a corresponding budget..."

Zephyr raised his eyebrows. "Didn't that guy Darren say he would compensate?"

Gion was startled and subconsciously replied, "Yes."

Zephyr smiled and said, "Isn't that enough? I heard from Sengoku that boy has a lot of money."

Gion's eyes trembled and she nodded helplessly, "Then I'll go out first, Teacher Zephyr."

"Okay, go back and rest early, Gion...wait—"

Zephyr suddenly called out to Gion, who stopped, turned around, and looked at Zephyr doubtfully.

"You have spent some time in Beihai, so you should know that Darren better than others... In your eyes, what kind of person is he?"

Hearing Zephyr's question, Gion was stunned and then fell into silence.

What kind of person is Darren?

Many images of Darren came to her mind:

Seeing the anger of Governor Yadis's wife when they first met;

Darren's questioning when he learned he was receiving dirty money;

Flattery and respect when facing the Celestial Dragon;

The father who sells flowers in the hospital cries;

News of the death of the Draco;

Fighting the wild and unruly Waldo...

Darren is a very complicated man.

After a long silence, Gion spoke slowly in a low voice:

On the surface, he is a heinous scum, but in fact...

Actually? Zephyr's eyes showed curiosity.

...He is also a heinous scum, Gion said coldly.

Zephyr: ...

But...

Gion suddenly sighed and admitted reluctantly:

Although his means and methods are incorrect, I don't know why, but many difficult things can always be solved easily when he gets involved.

Moreover, Beihai has indeed achieved peace under his governance, and the living standards of civilians have greatly improved.

Is that so... Zephyr murmured thoughtfully. In your opinion, Darren's attitude towards justice is...

Gion thought for a while and finally shook her head with an extremely complicated expression:

I don't know, Teacher Zephyr.

I really do not know.

What kind of person is he?

…

…

Commadore Darren, this is the residence arranged for you at the training camp.

In front of a low building with an old exterior wall, a young navy lieutenant spoke to Darren with respect.

The house is not luxurious. It can be seen that it has been a few years. The walls are mottled, and green ivy grows in the corners. The house has been cleaned very well.

The building comes with a 40-square-meter garden. It is a typical small single-family villa. This architectural style can be found everywhere in the civilian areas of the headquarters. Generally speaking, officers with the rank of Rear Admiral or above are allocated a villa for personal residence or for settling down a family.

Trouble.

Darren smiled and nodded.

He doesn't have high requirements for a place to live.

With his financial resources, of course, he could easily buy a large and luxurious villa in Marineford, but since the headquarters has arranged accommodation, it saves a lot of trouble.

By the way, are the other students in the training camp also arranged to stay nearby?

Darren suddenly remembered something and asked.

The navy lieutenant nodded and said:

Yes, except for Rear Admiral Kake and Rear Admiral Gion, who have personal residences in the headquarters, everyone else has been arranged to stay in this block. This is also for the convenience of management at the training camp.

Many of the students had already moved in with their families a month ago.

This is also the normal arrangement of the training camp, but because of Darren's special situation, he was delayed again and again in Beihai, and because Roger was admitted to the hospital, it was delayed until now.

Okay, trouble.

Darren smiled and stuffed a wad of bills over.

No, no, Brigadier Darren.

The navy lieutenant looked at the wad of colorful banknotes with a blushing face and backed away.

Take it. I don't like people rejecting my kindness, and I need you to do something for me.

Darren smiled and put the money directly into his hand.

Can you help me buy a fresh fruit basket and deliver it here tomorrow morning?

After saying that, he didn't give the young navy any time to react, patted the latter's shoulder, and walked straight into the house.

The navy lieutenant stared blankly at Darren's back and then at the tip which was more than half a year's salary. Suddenly his face turned red and he saluted vigorously:

Yes, promise to complete the mission, Commadore Darren!

Darren waved his hand.

Go to bed early.

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