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

That night.

After bidding farewell to Kuzan and his group, Karl received a call via Den Den Mushi from Sengoku.

As expected, he got an earful.

Sengoku berated him for his recklessness, criticizing Karl for not prioritizing his own safety.

Karl nodded along, muttering "Yes, yes, understood" throughout, not daring to talk back.

Once Sengoku was done venting, Karl finally found a chance to explain.

"Come on, old man, don't be mad! Didn't I make it out fine?

I'm pretty strong now—if I went up against you, I might not lose!"

"You brat, are you messing with me again? Wait till Sakazuki and the others return! I'll get the full story out of them.

You, stay put in Loguetown—don't go anywhere, and this better not happen again!"

Before Karl could respond, Sengoku slammed the receiver down, clearly still upset.

Sengoku cared deeply for Karl; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so harsh.

After all, Karl had just faced a legendary pirate—Golden Lion Shiki!

"Heh, next time for sure!"

Karl chuckled, tossing the Den Den Mushi aside.

With Sengoku's nagging out of the way, Karl suddenly felt like the world was much quieter.

But his rest was brief; there was still work to do.

The Crete Pirates, along with Admiral Crete himself, were apprehended in their entirety.

This pirate crew had relied on their sheer numbers to dominate the East Blue.

Coupled with Crete's considerable strength, he was undoubtedly the strongest in the East Blue—if not for crossing paths with Karl and Smoker.

Crete had even ventured into the Grand Line and was familiar with Haki and the Six Powers (Rokushiki), giving him extensive knowledge of the world.

Unfortunately for him, seeing didn't mean mastering. Without proper skills, he was defeated and retreated back to the East Blue to play king.

Karl worked through the night to imprison the Crete Pirates, assigning Smoker and Buggy to take turns guarding them.

Any sign of resistance? Immediate execution.

Karl needed military merits to climb the ranks.

For the past 18 years, although he had followed Garp around, he hadn't accumulated much credit.

After all, Garp's missions were mostly about chasing Roger, leaving little room for Karl to earn recognition.

This explained why, despite being in the same cohort as Kuzan and Sakazuki, Karl's rank was so much lower.

Once the pirates were locked up, Karl instructed Bellemere to notify nearby naval branches to send reinforcements for the escort mission.

Karl had no intention of handling it personally—he couldn't be bothered to travel that far.

With everything sorted, he reported back to Sengoku and was promptly scolded again.

By now, Sengoku's reprimands were just part of Karl's routine. The Fleet Admiral had always been like this, nitpicking out of concern.

This time was no different.

Sengoku, however, didn't let it delay official business. Upon learning of the situation, he swiftly approved the necessary procedures.

Within a day, the paperwork was finalized: authorization to transfer the pirates to Impel Down.

Karl sent Smoker to oversee the operation, giving him an opportunity to gain experience in the Grand Line.

After dispatching Smoker and the convoy of marine ships escorting the pirates, Karl finally had some peace.

"Karl-sama, look! This is the latest news. Kuzan and the others have been promoted to Vice Admirals!

And here—it says you played a key role, earning special commendation. Your rank has been upgraded from Marine Headquarters Lieutenant to Captain!"

"Not bad, but… they promoted me without even telling me?

That old man Sengoku must've forgotten. But really, there's not much difference between Lieutenant and Captain."

Karl sighed, brushing it off.

For Karl and Sengoku, ranks below Commodore barely mattered. Sengoku overlooking this was perfectly normal.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.

It had been nearly a year since Roger's execution.

Karl's rank had risen to Captain, just one step away from Commodore!

Once he accumulated enough merits for the promotion, Karl would return to Marineford to report in.

Loguetown, under Karl's leadership, had transformed significantly.

The marine force had grown from 3,000 to 6,000.

Using the powers of the Float-Float Fruit (Fuwa Fuwa no Mi), Karl merged floating rocks and uninhabited islets with Loguetown, doubling its size and making it more prosperous than ever!

The townsfolk now lived comfortably, with their quality of life greatly improved—thanks to Karl's efforts over the past year.

To better defend Loguetown, Karl taught the marines the Six Powers, requiring everyone to practice at least one technique.

As a result, every marine in Loguetown could now perform at least one of the Six Powers.

Bellemere showed remarkable talent, rising to the rank of Ensign. Her strength had more than doubled compared to before.

She had mastered all Six Powers, though her execution still needed refinement.

Smoker's progress was equally impressive.

He had fully grasped the Six Powers, though not to their ultimate levels, and his combat prowess was formidable.

However, his mastery of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Moku Moku no Mi) remained slow.

Despite Karl's guidance, his growth in fruit abilities lagged behind, whereas his physical skills improved tremendously.

Smoker's natural aptitude for combat hinted at untapped potential—but his reliance on the Smoke-Smoke Fruit hindered him.

Meanwhile, Buggy required little attention.

Karl let him roam the East Blue freely, with one condition: any treasure found must be split 50-50.

This arrangement suited Buggy far better than staying cooped up in Loguetown.

His progress was minimal, but Karl didn't need him to be strong—just capable of surviving.

As for Kuro, his development was extreme.

Recognizing his strengths, Kuro focused solely on mastering Shave (Soru).

In just over a month, he perfected the technique, leaving the other Six Powers aside.

Half a year later, Kuro had developed his signature move, Spoon (Shakushi).

While the original technique was uncontrollable, Kuro's refined version allowed for precise targeting.

He even equipped himself with custom weapons resembling cat claws, each half a meter long.

Paired with his speed, this made him a terrifying force.

Even Smoker, without using his Devil Fruit powers, couldn't match Kuro in combat!

Kuro moved so fast it seemed like teleportation.

Other than Karl, no one could react in time.

His talent was undeniable, with his only limitation being his age.

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