Chapter 143: Marine G5

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By the time they parted ways, Shirahoshi had yet to master the mysterious power to control the Sea Kings fully. 

But Byakuya wasn't surprised. After all, she was still young and had little experience. 

Now, with the threat of Vander Decken gone, she could live freely on Fish-Man Island and experience a life she never had before. 

That could help her better control her powers.

Shirahoshi, too, was reluctant to say goodbye to Ain and Tashigi, and they promised to meet again. 

Before leaving, Byakuya shamelessly raided Ryugu Palace, storing many of Fish-Man Island's unique food and drinks in his system's space. 

Only when he had thoroughly cleaned the palace's stores did he leave, fully satisfied. 

This trip to Fish-Man Island was the most fruitful for Byakuya.

"Congratulations, host, for altering the storyline of the 'Fish-Man Island Incident' and 'The New Fish-Man Pirates Rebellion,' earning 10,000 points of World Source Energy."

Byakuya opened the system panel.

[Host: Byakuya]

[Template: One Punch Man - Saitama]

[Fusion: 40%]

[World Energy: 93,500]

[To increase fusion from 40% to 41%, it requires 3,100 World Energy]

[Special Skills: King Engine, Telekinesis (Max), Armament Haki Level 8 (Special Move: Ryuo), Observation Haki Level 8, Swordsmanship (Max), Infinite Recovery (Passive) Psychokinesis (Telepathy)]

['Ninja with No Balls' Sonic: 1,000 points (summoned)]

However, Byakuya didn't immediately increase his fusion level this time. 

His current strength was already sufficient to handle potential threats, so he wasn't in a rush to power up. 

His destination was the Marine G5 branch, where Doflamingo had a 'surprise' waiting for him.

Rising from Fishman Island to the New World was much faster than sinking to the island in the first place. 

In just a few days, they officially arrived at the New World. The New World, located in the second half of the Grand Line, was completely different from the first half. 

In the first half, the Marines held more power than the pirates, so most pirates would avoid Marine ships out of fear. 

However, the New World was ruled by the Four Emperors. 

Pirates who wanted to survive in the New World had two choices: submit to one of the Emperors and receive their protection or challenge them and try to take their place.

Even the Marines could only establish small bases on key islands in the New World. 

Their primary role was to monitor the movements of the Four Emperors' pirate crews, avoiding confrontations unless necessary. 

These bases were led by Marine vice admirals responsible for fending off pirate attacks. 

Admirals were always on standby to counter any major offensives from the Four Emperors, such as when the Beasts Pirates launched a crazy attack on a Marine base to rescue Jack. The attack distracted the Marines and allowed them to free him.

Such events were rare; most of the time, both sides did their business without interference. 

However, Byakuya's arrival in the New World would likely change things. The Marine G5 branch was the least Marine-like of all Marine units, with a reputation for poor discipline. 

It was said to be filled with pirates wearing Marine uniforms. 

This situation was largely due to Vergo, a traitor who intentionally let things slide. 

After all, a stricter environment would make it difficult for Vergo to carry out his treacherous plans.

In the G5 base commander's office, a man's deep voice echoed in the quiet room.

"I understand. I'll look for the right opportunity to execute the plan."

"Don't worry, I won't expose my identity. And when he arrives, I'll ensure he knows I haven't been idle all these years at G5."

After hanging up the phone, a vicious glint flashed in Vergo's eyes. Originally, he had planned to stay as acting commander of the G5 base for another six months. 

If the base operated smoothly under his management during that time, he would likely be promoted to Marine Headquarters vice admiral, removing the "acting" from his title and becoming the official commander of G5.

But who would have thought that Byakuya would swoop in out of nowhere, taking the position of G5 base commander for himself? 

This sudden development put Vergo's plans to become a vice admiral on indefinite hold.

What angered Vergo the most was that this was all part of Doflamingo's scheme. 

However, there was some relief that Doflamingo held a grudge against Byakuya and shared his revenge plan with Vergo. 

Once Doflamingo's arrangements were in place, all Vergo had to follow the plan. 

If everything went smoothly, Byakuya wouldn't last more than three months as base commander before meeting his demise.

Doflamingo had repeatedly warned Vergo about Byakuya's immense strength and cautioned him not to confront him head-on. 

Vergo wasn't foolish enough to challenge Byakuya directly. For him, physical confrontation was a last resort. 

After all, what could a 19-year-old boy like Byakuya have experienced? 

Vergo was confident that a few flattering words would easily make Byakuya lose his head. 

Once Byakuya was dealt with, everything would return to normal, with Vergo taking his rightful place.

The next morning, Vergo received word that Byakuya's ship was expected to arrive at dawn. 

He gathered all the soldiers at the base early, preparing to "welcome" their new commander. Of course, his intentions were far from kind.

Most of the soldiers at the G5 base usually slept until they woke up naturally and were not used to rising so early. 

When they learned that they were being woken up early to greet the new base commander, many grumbled. Some even turned around and went back to their barracks to sleep, not caring at all about the incoming commander. 

This was exactly what Vergo wanted.

When Byakuya arrived, he would see a scattered and disorganized group of soldiers, hearing their discontented complaints. 

How would Byakuya, the new base commander, react to such a display of insubordination? If Byakuya got angry, Vergo's plans would be perfectly suited.

Thanks to Vergo's "efforts," most of the soldiers at G5 were rebellious and unruly. 

Even if Byakuya was powerful, he couldn't simply discard an entire base of soldiers. 

If he decided to crack down on discipline, he would alienate the entire base and turn them against him. 

On the other hand, if he did nothing, it would be a slap in the face, showing that even the new commander was powerless against the disorder.

Vergo couldn't imagine Byakuya successfully managing the G5 base under these circumstances.

While Vergo was lost in thought, he spotted the Polar Day, Byakuya's ship, approaching from the horizon. 

It was rare to see a personal ship fly the Marine flag, and in fact, Byakuya's vessel was unique among Marines.

The Nikko docked, and Byakuya was the first to disembark, followed closely by Fergus, Tashigi, and Ain. 

When Vergo saw Byakuya's extremely youthful appearance, it was as if he had just tasted something sour—his heart filled with jealousy.

However, Vergo knew what he had to do. 

He immediately commanded the soldiers with a loud, firm voice, "Welcome to our new G5 Base Commander, Vice Admiral Byakuya!"

But the soldiers below barely responded. Over a hundred people sounded quieter than Vergo's single voice. 

"Welcome... Vice Admiral..." they mumbled, sounding half-asleep, making it difficult for anyone to stay alert.

Fergus and the others behind Byakuya frowned upon hearing the soldiers. 

Before arriving, they had been told that the G5 branch had a poor atmosphere, with its soldiers acting more like pirates than Marines. 

At first, they thought this might be an exaggeration, but seeing it with their eyes, they realized it wasn't. 

Even though all the soldiers were supposed to be present, less than ten percent had shown up. 

The ones who did attend were dishevelled, their uniforms stained and dirty, far below the Marine standards. 

The only consolation was that Marine Rear Admiral Vergo, the former acting commander of G5, looked the part. 

His appearance and demeanour matched that of a true Marine, and he had personally welcomed Byakuya upon arrival, making him seem like the only true Marine in the entire G5 base.

Noticing Fergus and the others' dissatisfaction with the soldiers, Vergo feigned embarrassment and explained to Byakuya, 

"Apologies, Vice Admiral Byakuya. The soldiers here have gotten used to laziness, which is why they're like this."

"Starting tomorrow, I'll intensify their training and whip them into shape, giving them a new look."

Byakuya looked at Vergo with a knowing smile and said, "It's fine. You've been training them for years, and they still look like this. I'm not blaming you."

Vergo, who usually prided himself on being clever and calculating, was taken aback by Byakuya's response. What did he mean by that?

Feigning concern, Byakuya asked, "Is this all the G5 soldiers?"

Vergo sighed, "What you see here is less than one-tenth of the total number. I gave the order, but most didn't show up. Some came and then left. There's nothing I can do."

Vergo didn't mind playing the fool in front of Byakuya. This way, Byakuya wouldn't suspect him of anything. 

If something happened to Byakuya later, no one would ever connect it to Vergo.

Watching Vergo's convincing act, Byakuya almost felt like applauding, thinking to himself, What a performance! 

He deserves an award! If Byakuya hadn't known that Vergo was a traitor, he might have been fooled into venting all his anger on the soldiers below. 

But since he was fully aware of Vergo's true identity, Byakuya wasn't concerned.

"Let them sleep if they want to," Byakuya said indifferently. "We'll meet in the afternoon and gather everyone on the training grounds."

Vergo was surprised, staring at Byakuya. Isn't he supposed to be hot-blooded? He's so young and already a Marine Vice Admiral. 

Where's that fiery temperament? His subordinates don't respect him, yet he's unbothered, just brushing it off like that. Vergo couldn't figure out what Byakuya was up to.

"Did you not hear me, Rear Admiral Vergo?" Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I heard you. I'll have everyone gathered in the afternoon," Vergo quickly replied. His shock had almost made him slip up in front of Byakuya.

"Oh, and from now on, you'll handle all the base affairs together with Fergus. Only report to me if something major happens," Byakuya added.

Fergus smiled and gave Vergo a friendly nod. After all, Vergo outranked him, and Fergus respected him for keeping things in order in such a chaotic environment.

Vergo responded with a smile, glancing at Fergus meaningfully. So, Fergus must be Byakuya's trusted subordinate. 

Even though Byakuya hadn't directly promoted Ferguson, assigning him to handle the base's affairs was a subtle signal. 

This made Vergo more determined to eliminate Byakuya as soon as possible.

<End Chapter>

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