The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"I'm here to join the Navy, to eradicate evil and uphold justice!"

"Oh."

Reed nodded slightly, looking John up and down.

Judging from the materials, the quality is quite good; they must be quite wealthy.

"Come with me."

With that, Reed turned and walked toward the base building.

As for eating? What's more important than making money?!

in the office

John sat in the chair in front of his desk, but his attention was on the coffee table and sofa to his right.

The coffee table was exquisitely crafted and coated with high-grade tung oil. Inside the ashtray on it were several cigars that had been half-smoked and then extinguished.

Judging from the rich aroma wafting through the office, these cigars must be quite valuable.

Next to the coffee table is a genuine leather sofa, and in the corner there is a wine cabinet with a window, through which you can see red wines worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Everything about it was completely out of place with this simple base building.

"Where are you from?"

Reed sat behind his desk, pressing a registration form and asking questions in a serious manner.

John's eyes flashed, and he delivered the speech he had prepared beforehand:

“I am from the Kingdom of Felose.”

The Kingdom of Felose is a non-member state of the neighboring Kingdom of Leon. Due to the poor relationship between the two countries, and the fact that non-member states are not subject to the World Government's control.

Therefore, his false identity was completely undetectable by the Navy and the World Government.

"The Kingdom of Felos..."

Reed nodded, a hint of joy appearing on his lips, which he quickly suppressed.

Then, he shook his head regretfully at John.

"I'm sorry, but our navy does not accept people from non-member states."

"Huh? Why?"

John raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He had anticipated being questioned in various ways, but he never expected to be rejected because he came from a non-member country.

Moreover, in his memory, when the World Government wanted to bring Kaido into the Navy, Kaido's country was not a member state at the time.

Was it because Kaido had already made a name for himself at that time, and was an exception?

Reed leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and gave his answer:

“Because non-member states are potential threats to world governments, we do not share the same position.”

"Therefore, it is difficult for me to guarantee that you are not a spy sent by the Kingdom of Felosé to steal secrets from the Navy and the World Government."

Having received the explanation, John understood.

That's indeed the case, if a resident of God Valley joins the Navy and rises to a certain rank.

So when the navy marched in a grand procession to God Valley, this resident would surely have guessed, or received definite news directly.

This would inform the elders and villagers of God Valley, allowing the island's residents to evacuate in advance.

In this way, the world government's efforts will have been in vain.

The Navy's refusal to accept personnel from non-member states is justified!

but……

John pulled a stack of peggs from his trench coat pocket and placed it on his desk, then looked at Reed with a smile.

"Sir, where am I from?"

It's unreasonable for the other party to explain in such detail, especially considering the various items in their office that far exceed their salary.

All they want is money!

Seeing that John was so cooperative, Reed nodded in satisfaction, then his gaze drifted to the ceiling.

“You look familiar. I think I’ve seen you in this town before.”

Upon hearing this, John immediately understood and replied accordingly:

“Sir, I am from Shells Town in the Kingdom of Leon.”

"Hmm! Not bad!"

Reed reached out and put Bailey into his desk drawer, then began filling in the birthplace section of the registration form.

"So John, what are you good at, or to be more precise, do you want to be a helmsman or some kind of handyman on a warship?"

"What does the officer think I'm best suited for?"

John pulled out another stack of peso and slammed it on the desk.

He was too lazy to waste words; if it could be solved with money, then he'd just resolve it directly.

Reed looked up, first glancing at Bailey, then scrutinizing John again.

"I can tell you come from an extraordinary background. You must have been literate since childhood and learned some nautical knowledge, right?"

He emphasized the word "some" very much, as if afraid that John wouldn't understand that he only needed a superficial understanding.

“I know about navigation.” John nodded knowingly.

"Very good! Then you can start as a navigator on a warship. It's easy to make merit in this position."

When he mentioned the word "meritorious service," Reed gestured with his chin toward the stack of pele on the table.

Chapter 37 The Wandering Dragon

Another three-masted sailing ship docked at the port.

The spiky-haired, eyebrowless boy followed the crowd out of the ship's cabin, stepped onto the land using a gangplank, and then stood in the harbor, lost in thought.

He didn't know where he should go.

For nearly three months since the God Valley incident, Dragon has spent most of his time in the Marine Headquarters' underground prison.

This is a punishment for his actions in God Valley.

In fact, the punishment should not be so lenient. Normally, at the very least, the person should be tried on Enies Lobby, or executed at Marine Headquarters.

It was his father, Garp, who threatened to resign to save him from the Celestial Dragons' wrath.

In return, his father had to make a guarantee that he would never leave the Navy and would serve the World Government for life.

Otherwise, both father and son would be wanted by the World Government.

After being released from prison, Dragon could no longer agree with the Navy's "justice" and chose to resign.

Then, under her father's arrangement, she was taken to Loguetown by a warship on a mission, and then she traveled to the Kingdom of Goa by herself on a merchant ship.

Now, Dragon heard from the crew of the previous ship that he would need to stay in Shells Town for two days before a ship bound for the Kingdom of Goa would arrive.

Where should I go in the next couple of days?

Looking at the bustling crowds at the port, Dorrag felt utterly out of place.

Having experienced hell, even heaven seems unreal.

Indeed, the world has been deceived by the Celestial Dragons, and the Navy's justice is nothing but a lie to deceive the people.

thud

Just as Dorrag was feeling lost, workers unloading cargo from the ship bumped into him as he stood in the middle of the road, and the wooden crates crashed into the ground, creating a crack.

Hey! Get out of my way!

"Hold... I'm sorry."

Dorrag snapped out of his daze, quickly stepped aside to make way, and bowed his head to apologize to the other person.

But in that instant when he looked down, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of what was inside the wooden box.

It was a wine bottle wrapped in hay.

In an instant, information about the Kingdom of Leon flashed through Dragon's mind.

If he remembered correctly, the country had issued a "prohibition order" six months ago, strictly prohibiting any non-royal organization from brewing or selling alcohol.

He happened to be on his way to Loguetown to board a warship to the Navy Headquarters, and he spent a few days transiting through Shields, so it left a particularly deep impression on him.

Although the "prohibition order" was promulgated by the Kingdom of Lyon and not by the World Government, as a member state, the navy stationed in this area has to help enforce this law.

Especially smuggling alcohol by sea, like this, is something that the nearby naval branch must stop.

After all, matters at sea fall within the navy's responsibilities.

"What are you looking at! If you don't want to get into trouble, keep your mouth shut!"

The worker glared menacingly at Dorrag, then took off his coat to cover the crack in the wooden crate, picked it up, and quickly left.

Dorrag watched the workers leave, his eyes flickering slightly, but ultimately chose to leave it at that.

He is no longer in the navy and has no reason to take action.

and……

The Kingdom of Leon issued a "prohibition order" not for the health of its people, nor to prevent people from causing trouble and disrupting public order while intoxicated.

They simply wanted to monopolize the "wine" business to benefit the royal family.

grumble

"Uh... let's go eat first."

Dorag rubbed his rumbling stomach, his nostrils twitching as he followed the delicious aroma wafting through the air.

"Ideal" restaurant