One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

"Major Gasparde, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I told you we'd meet again soon. It's only been less than ten days, and here I am."

Karl arrived empty-handed, sending away those who had come to offer gifts or condolences, all with the intention of making Gasparde feel disgusted.

Gasparde, unable to express his anger, could only lie in bed and feign illness, watching Karl as he entered.

"My lord Karl... thank you for visiting me. It's a shame I was injured by pirates, so I can only lie here and speak to you like this..."

Gasparde acted weakly, looking so convincing that anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was on the verge of death.

But Karl saw through it. His Observation Haki could clearly tell that Gaspardi was in perfect health, far from weak.

According to Buggy, Gasparde had only been given a small cut on the abdomen, with an anesthetic injected into his body. It wasn't a serious injury—someone like Gasparde would recover after a good night's rest.

He was clearly faking it, not wanting to see Karl. Yet, Karl had come anyway.

"Major Gasparde, since your injuries are so severe, you should speak less."

Karl's tone turned more serious.

"I came for two reasons. The first is to visit you and offer my condolences. Seeing that you're still alive is enough.

The second reason, however, is to follow up on our previous conversation. What's your involvement in protecting the Crete Pirates?

Although Buggy's Treasure Hunting Crew is a pirate crew, doesn't that make Crete's crew one as well?

You let Krieg escape, and you still haven't captured Buggy? That's quite a serious offense!"

Gasparde's face shifted slightly as Karl's words sunk in. He realized that Karl had come not just to visit, but to hold him accountable.

Gasparde didn't know the full extent of Karl's relationship with Buggy, but he assumed Karl was questioning why not a single pirate had been caught.

He wasn't sure how to answer. Krieg was Admiral Crete's subordinate, and he couldn't just move against one of his senior officers.

But what Gasparde didn't realize was that this seemingly insignificant man with a red nose had a Devil Fruit power at his disposal!

And so, he was caught in Karl's trap.

"My lord Karl, I can explain—"

"You don't need to explain. Just focus on recovering. When you're better, I'll go after Buggy's crew myself.

No, actually, they should be called the Buggy Pirates by now!

They were originally just treasure hunters, and I had no interest in them. But since they've attacked my colleagues, I'll be sure to deal with them.

You don't need to worry, Major Gasparde. I'll take care of it, but your failure can't be swept under the rug!

I need you to do something for me, to make up for your failure."

"My lord, please say the word. If it's within my power, I will assist you!"

Although Gasparde was already planning to leave the East Blue, he was still a Marine for now. Offending Karl would be a pointless risk, and he had no intention of doing so.

As for Karl's request, he could simply go through the motions and not care about it.

Karl knew exactly what Gasparde was thinking. Gasparde had no intention of carrying out his mission. However, Karl needed him to send a message to Admiral Crete, so this mission was essential.

"Major Gasparde, I order you to locate Admiral Crete within the next week!

He has already begun to make moves, but my manpower is insufficient, so I need your help!"

"No problem, leave it to me!" 

Gasparde accepted the task, though internally he couldn't help but chuckle. He wasn't taking it seriously at all.

After a brief exchange about a fabricated plan to counter Admiral Crete, Karl left Gasparde's domain.

Once Karl departed and Gasparde's subordinates reported that he had truly left the Marine base, Gasparde finally got out of bed and contacted Admiral Crete through a transponder snail.

"Big brother, I have important intelligence to report..."

Not long after Karl returned to his warship, he received a reply from Kuro.

Admiral Crete was preparing to take action against Karl, and the hired help had finally arrived!

But as Karl had predicted, Crocodile hadn't come to the East Blue. Instead, only two swordsmen had arrived.

These two swordsmen were renowned bounty hunters from the Grand Line, known as the "Double Swords" Pirate Hunters.

They had even teamed up to defeat pirates with bounties exceeding 80 million.

Together, they were nearly on the level of a Marine Captain in terms of strength, though individually, neither could even match a Colonel.

They posed no real threat to Karl.

After hanging up the transponder snail, Karl rubbed his chin, smiling.

"This big fish has finally bitten. The so-called 'Double Swords' pose no threat at all. It's time to reel them in!"

Karl dialed Buggy to instruct him to take action against Admiral Crete's entire pirate fleet!

With the intel from Kuro and the power of his Conqueror's Haki, Buggy's treasure hunts were bound to be accurate!

With the pressure Karl applied, Admiral Crete would have no choice but to make a move, or he'd risk being stripped of his position.

Two days later, both Gasparde and Kuro sent word.

Admiral Crete planned to strike at Buggy, with the location being a remote uninhabited island.

However, Gasparde's information wasn't entirely reliable—he claimed Buggy would make his base there and that Admiral Crete would ambush him at the same location.

Gasparde suggested that Karl arrive early to set up an ambush, but he made it clear he would only send soldiers—he didn't plan to go himself.

Karl understood his intentions.

If Karl showed up early, he would likely fall into an ambush.

Though Karl wasn't afraid, he didn't want to waste manpower, so he rejected Gasparde's suggestion and said he would return to base.

After fooling Gasparde, Karl made his own arrangements based on Kuro's intel.

Because of the treasure Buggy had stolen, Admiral Crete could no longer tolerate it, and had Kuro prepare a plan to eliminate Buggy's Treasure Hunting Crew.

Meanwhile, Gasparde was also preparing for an encirclement, planning to join in the effort to take down Karl!

The two swordsmen had also left Admiral Crete, heading to the location in advance to prepare.

"Having Kuro on our side really makes things easier! A talent like him should never become a pirate!"

Muttering to himself, Karl turned to tell Belmer:

"Belmer! Notify every Marine, including Smoker, to prepare for battle!

This will be the start of the war between the Marines and Admiral Crete, the perfect opportunity to test the strength of our forces!

Be sure to remind Buggy that he is the key player in this plan. He absolutely cannot make any mistakes!"

At the same time, Karl began spreading false rumors that the Marine Corps was preparing for a military exercise, set to depart immediately.

However, little did they know, on a deserted sky island, a blonde old man with a ship's wheel stuck in his head was watching the newspaper and smiling maliciously as he read about Roger's execution from months ago.

"The kid from God Valley… It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

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