50. Rising To Fame

Scattered shipwrecks floated on the sea, the blue water was stained scarlet with blood, and there were mutilated corpses everywhere. From time to time, there were one or two vultures hovering in the sky, waiting for today's lunch...

Atlas took a look at the tragic environment around him, and scanned the battlefield over and over again. He would not let a single person survive, and he would do his best to eliminate evil!

...

The ride back was peaceful.

After sailing for about a day, Atlas returned to the port of G-8 Fortress on a refreshing morning in the gentle sea breeze.

After reporting the details of the battle to Major Drake in the staff office, Atlas went to the cafeteria and ate a lot of food. He was tired of eating dry food for the last two days. Atlas felt like his mouth was full of feathers.

"What? You destroyed the entire Ekrum Pirates alone!!?"

Drake was shouting in his office at the staff office. He had expected Atlas to die on his mission. He had complained yesterday that everyone was too stubborn. Even Vice Admiral Jonathan did not stop Atlas from going. But today, Atlas surprised him by coming back alive.

"Well, don't make such a fuss."

Atlas shrugged and spoke casually. He said he was a weakling and his bounty was too high for him. He thought Ekrum must have done a lot of evil things like burning, killing and looting.

"Come on, please tell me the details of your battle in detail." Drake calmed down a little, sat back on the office chair, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and asked Atlas in a gentle manner.

Drake now fully agreed with what Zephyr had said about Atlas. He was joking? That pirate had a bounty of 200 million, and there were other pirates with different bounties. But the young man in front of him had defeated them all by himself. That was incredible, even for a fight.

As for the suspicion that Atlas lied about his military exploits, are you kidding me? He is just a person for Marine's intelligence agency. It is impossible for such a large pirate group to disappear out of thin air. There is a saying that goes: Wherever you walk, you will leave traces!

"Now, well, I just walked over and stabbed him, and then stabbed him again. Well, that's it!" Atlas raised his arm and gestured to Drake in a serious manner.

"Huh!? That's it?" Drake, who was about to listen to Atlas's tirade, couldn't help but was speechless.

"Okay, I'm going to report to Vice Admiral Jonathan. You can leave first." Drake looked at Atlas's calm face and was filled with disgusting words. 

...

Atlas left Drake's office and went to his room. He took a shower and then hurried to the cafeteria. It was a busy time for food and there were many people in the cafeteria. Atlas had to wait in line for a long time. When he finally got his food and looked for a place to sit…

"Holy shit, is that the kid?"

"How young!"

"As expected of someone who came out of our elite training camp!"

"The noisy discussions continued to penetrate into Atlas's ears. With his current physical condition, even without using Observation Haki, he could basically hear any small movement around him clearly, not to mention these soldiers, who didn't cover it up deliberately.

Atlas listened for a while and learned why they were talking about him. It was Vice Admiral Jonathan who told the whole fortress about his deeds. Atlas didn't care much about these things, though he was now considered famous in G-8 Fortress.

After a hearty meal, Atlas sneaked out of the side door of the cafeteria. He didn't want to be watched like a monkey here!

"Hey! Atlas, I was just looking for you. Vice Admiral Jonathan asked you to come to his office."

Not long after Atlas left the cafeteria, he met Drake. Drake was worried about where to find Atlas, but he didn't expect to meet him there, so he quickly called him.

"yes!"

…

"Knock knock knock..."

"Please come in!"

Atlas pushed open the door and came in. The base's top officer, Vice Admiral Jonathan, was playing with his beloved fishing rod. When Atlas came in, he gently put the fishing rod aside and crossed his fingers with his hands. 

"Well, he is indeed the monster Mr. Zephyr calls him! The big pirate with 200 million berries was easily defeated."

Jonathan spoke in a calm tone. He was a kind of peaceful general, but not the lazy kind like Borsalino. He was the kind who had everything under control. He was wise and composed. But it was strange that he was friends with someone like Sakazuki who was very radical. This showed that the ordinary-looking Vice Admiral was not what he seemed.

"It's just luck, and that guy is also a weak." Atlas said modestly.

"Now, don't be humble. I'll assign you a mission." Jonathan waved his hand, just kidding. The reward of 200 million berries cannot be underestimated no matter how low it is, not to mention that guy is From the New World, even if it's just a pathetic loser.

"What mission?"

As soon as he heard that there was another mission to do, Atlas' expression suddenly became serious.

"There are several pirate groups that have been hanging around Alabasta recently, so I hope you will go and take a look at the situation."

"Alabasta? This seems to be outside the jurisdiction of our fortress, right?" Atlas raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, indeed, but the branch in charge of that sea area has sent us a message asking for help. I can't just sit back and watch."

"and..."

"This matter may involve Shichibukai!" There was a meaningful look in Jonathan's eyes, but his face was calm and unpredictable.

"Shichibukai? That "Desert King" Sir Crocodile?" Atlas was a little surprised. The first thing Atlas thought of about the Shichibukai related to Alabasta was the Crocodile guy, but he didn't expect him to take action for Pluton so quickly.

"Ah, how do you know? That guy disappeared after being taught a lesson by Whitebeard. I didn't expect to hear information about him again in Alabasta."

"I just don't know what this guy wants to do. Go and deal with those gangs of pirates and see what Crocodile is planning."

"Okay, I promise to complete the task!"

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