The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"Make money! Make money! That's the only way out for ordinary people!"

John clenched his fists, full of energy, and picked up the Den Den Mushi to call Reed.

A short while later, a figure with dark gray skin and an afro appeared at the open office door.

"John, what is it?"

Reed walked wearily into the office and lifted his buttocks to sit on the sofa.

"Cough cough!"

John coughed, stopping Reed from sitting down with a look, then tilted his head and gestured with his chin to the left shoulder of the Justice Coat draped over his body.

The shoulder insignia of a major were so clearly visible.

"I didn't mind you calling me by my first name before, but what should you call me now?"

Upon hearing this, Reed was taken aback, then reacted and abruptly stood up straight and raised his hand in salute.

"Major John, what are your orders?"

"Ok!"

John nodded approvingly and pointed to the large hole Burns had made in the office wall.

"First, get someone to fix this hole; second, tell those sissies not to help the residents of Shells Town rebuild their homes; third, notify Elder Shells to come see me."

“Repairing this hole is no problem, but…”

Reed scratched his head, his embarrassment tinged with a hint of guilt.

“The town of Shells was destroyed by Burns in the battle with Morgan, and our Navy bears an unshirkable responsibility for it and has an obligation to help the residents rebuild their homes.”

"Don't talk nonsense!"

John pointed at Reed and corrected him righteously.

"It was the pirate Morgan who destroyed the town, and Burns went to stop him. Our navy bears no responsibility in this incident!"

“But… Shells Town is also the home of many naval soldiers in the 153rd Branch. How can we not let them build homes?”

Reed felt that John's order was too much to ask.

John tapped his index finger heavily on the desk, and said with righteous indignation:

“Then tell them that they are first and foremost the navy, and only secondly the natives of Shells Town.”

"Soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders. They must obey my orders unconditionally, or I will report them to headquarters and have them discharged from their posts!"

"If they won't do it, plenty of others will! I've heard that the Felose people are quite good."

You're a devil!

Reed muttered to himself, but nodded reluctantly in agreement.

"Okay, I will relay their words verbatim."

He could already picture the Marines of Branch 153 cursing John while obediently following orders.

After all, the residents of Shells Town hate the Felos the most. If the Felos were to replace the local natives as marines of the 153rd Division, it would be even more unbearable than killing them.

The residents of Felose in the town all possessed resident certificates issued by the Kingdom of Leon, making them legitimate citizens of a member state of the World Government. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the process.

"Ok?"

Seeing that John was still frowning in dissatisfaction, Reed was taken aback and quickly stood up straight and saluted.

"As ordered!"

"Okay! Go ahead."

"..."

After Reed left, John comfortably crossed his legs and started shaking them.

cool!

Pirate subordinates are never as well-trained as marines; the difference between the two is like that between wolves and dogs.

"Anyway, you all like being treated like this."

John couldn't help but recall the scenes from God Valley Island.

Ninety-nine percent of the marines would fire on innocent civilians on the island under orders from their superiors.

It's understandable that Ohara, who was researching the Poneglyphs in an attempt to overthrow the World Government, was killed by the Buster Call.

But in the Valley of the Gods, apart from the David family, all the other people were truly innocent; they suffered this calamity because they possessed gold mineral resources.

The marines were indeed forced into this situation, but if they submit to power today, they will be forced to burn, kill, and plunder by the pirates' violence tomorrow.

Moreover, putting himself in John's shoes, John believed that if he were in the same situation as the Marines of God Valley, he would never have given in!

It's not that he's particularly noble, but rather that he's inherently rebellious.

His hometown is a country with a history of five thousand, seven thousand, or even longer, and for countless years there has only been one main theme...

rebel!

Therefore, either he deliberately shot at civilians to gain power and status, or he refused, was coerced, and rebelled.

They would never be like those marines, hesitant and evasive, believing they were forced to shoot civilians while deceiving themselves into thinking they were exercising justice.

Ultimately, so-called "justice" is just a tool that anyone can use.

"I'm going to use you all to your fullest potential!"

"..."

The peace and prosperity of the past in the town of Shells are gone, replaced by ruins and devastation.

Fortunately, the townspeople only suffered minor injuries from falls and trampling while fleeing, and no one died. As long as people are alive, they can rebuild their homes.

"By order of Major John, all marines, drop everything and assemble here!"

As the sound of the radio Den Den Mushi echoed through the town ruins, the marines who were helping the people with their work stopped and gathered in the direction from which the sound came, filled with doubt.

Chapter 61 Don't Be So Good to Me

"Uh... Pfft!"

He was supposed to deliver a serious and infuriating order, but Reed couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw the marines lined up in formation.

The reason is that every one of the marines has a face that looks like it's been slapped and swollen like a pig's head!

How did Morgan manage to catch every single marine?

Reed scratched his head in confusion, took a deep breath to calm himself, and put on a serious face.

"By order of Major John, the temporary base commander of the 153rd Squadron, all marines are prohibited from assisting the people in rebuilding their homes without the major's permission."

"Including your own homes!"

"what?!"

"Why should I?! What does that bastard... Major John mean by this?"

Instantly, more than nine hundred marines began to protest, making Reed's eardrums ache.

A flicker of pity crossed Reed's eyes. "Blame it on you for running into that devil," he shouted, grabbing the receiver. The radio Den Den Mushi's voice came through.

"Quiet! This is an order from your superior. You must obey and are not allowed to question it!"

"Anyone who disobeys orders may leave the navy on the spot; there will be no coercion!"

"However... Major John will recruit from the Felosians to fill the vacancies left by your departure."

Upon hearing the second sentence, more than half of the marines wanted to quit. They figured they might as well give up on this "justice" since deserting on the battlefield wouldn't result in being punished by a military court.

But upon hearing the third sentence, they swallowed back the resignation they were about to blurt out.

Most of these marines were natives of Shells Town or the Kingdom of Leon. In their twenties and thirties, they had been told something by their parents since childhood.

The Felose are despicable and cunning rats who stole the wealth of these natives and took away the jobs and living space of many people.

If those Felos were to join the Navy as law enforcement officers, what kind of dark and hopeless situation would the town's local residents face if Shells were allowed to operate within the jurisdiction of Branch 153?

They absolutely will not allow it!

"It seems no one wants to disobey orders and resign. Excellent!"

Seeing that the marines who had just been protesting were now ashen-faced and silent, Reed nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk toward the mayor's estate.

What is puzzling is that while the town's buildings were more or less damaged in the battle, the mayor's manor remained unscathed.

It was as if they were being deliberately avoided.

If the mayor hadn't been caught in the crossfire and badly injured, the residents would have suspected some kind of conspiracy.

Soon, old Shields, leaning on a cane and supported by two servants, entered the office of the 153rd branch base commander, led by Reed.

What do you want from me?

Old Shields went straight to the sofa and sat down, his gaze on John filled with undisguised disgust, his missing front teeth causing him to speak with a lisp.

John leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face and a businessman's shrewdness in his eyes.

"On behalf of Branch 153, I express my regret over the devastation suffered by Shells Town during the Navy's operation to capture pirates."

"I have decided to have all the marines help the townspeople rebuild their homes and restore the town of Shells to its former glory."

"Hmm! That's more like it." Seeing how sensible John was, old Shields' expression softened slightly.

Although many of the marines were from Shellstown and rebuilding their homes was their duty, he worried that John would interfere and take the opportunity to send them away on assignments.

In retrospect, it seems we misunderstood the villain who stole his daughter, Sabrina.

However, John's next words made old Shields' expression change instantly.

"But there's no such thing as a free lunch. I want a billion peggs for labor costs."

"Why don't you just rob someone! Even if you and the entire 153rd branch of the navy were sold to slave traders, you wouldn't be worth a billion!"

Old Shields was so angry that he stood up from the sofa, raised his cane and pointed it at John, wishing he could just knock him to death.

It's infuriating that he couldn't beat them!