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

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The situation in the East Blue had mostly stabilized.

During this time, Smoker studied under Bellemere, gaining a firm grasp of the region's overall condition.

All matters within Loguetown were fully handed over, and starting today, Smoker officially became the commander of Loguetown.

Karl relinquished his post, preparing to head to Enies Lobby to await further orders.

Two days prior, Sengoku contacted him via Den Den Mushi, instructing him to reach Enies Lobby within ten days to await the gathering of a naval task force.

The task force would include Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Kuzan from Marine Headquarters, along with several of Zephyr's disciples.

Among the Marines were future pillars like Momonga, Onigumo, and Doberman. However, they were still young—only a few years older than Karl—and far from their future strength.

Before leaving, Karl also gave Buggy specific instructions to keep an eye on Shanks.

The moment Shanks appeared in the East Blue, Buggy was to inform him immediately.

This was Karl's task for Buggy.

Buggy readily accepted, though whether he would actually follow Karl's orders was uncertain.

Regardless, Karl had other people in Foosha Village who could help. Buggy was merely an additional safeguard.

If Shanks truly appeared in Foosha Village, Karl had instructed Dadan and Rouge to notify him at once.

His goal was to prevent Shanks from influencing Makino or corrupting Ace, thus undermining the progress of Ace's education.

During these three months, Karl devoted himself to educating Ace.

Using lessons on ethics and civics from his past life, coupled with political philosophy, he taught Ace about justice and crime.

He even cited his own example, including his role in executing Roger.

This caused a week-long rift between Ace and Karl.

Eventually, however, Ace came to terms with it.

Under Karl's guidance, Ace began to see pirates as inherently bad.

As a result, he decided he would not become a pirate; instead, he vowed to hunt pirates.

However, his resentment toward the Navy prevented him from joining their ranks.

Thus, after three months of Karl's training, Ace solidified his goal:

To hunt down every pirate.

This was the dream instilled in him after Karl's rigorous education.

Although the outcome was promising, Karl felt something was amiss.

Still, given the time constraints, the results were satisfactory for now.

To further cement Ace's worldview, Karl decided to compile a book on politics for Rouge to read aloud to Ace.

Although Rouge might not fully understand the content, reading it verbatim to Ace would suffice.

As for the book's contents…

Karl would never admit it, but it included select teachings from his past life—ideologies tailored to fit this world.

What kind of person Ace would ultimately become was up to fate. For now, Karl couldn't concern himself with it further.

After settling matters in Loguetown, Karl sent Rouge and Ace back to Foosha Village.

He then set out with Bellemere and Kuro, heading toward the Calm Belt to enter the Grand Line.

Before reaching the Calm Belt, however, Karl spotted an enormous ship with a dragon-shaped prow docked near an island along their route.

The ship bore no flag or insignia, yet its oppressive aura was undeniable.

It sat ominously by the island's shore, radiating suspicion.

"Karl-sama, this ship looks peculiar. Should we investigate?"

Kuro adjusted his glasses, his sharp intellect immediately sensing the anomaly.

Bellemere, however, appeared puzzled. "What's so strange about it?"

"First, a ship this massive has never appeared in the East Blue—not even Admiral Crete's ship compares to this.

Second, the ship exudes an oppressive aura, and my instincts tell me that its owner is no ordinary person."

Kuro shared his analysis, but Bellemere remained skeptical.

"Just based on your instincts? What if we investigate the wrong person? That wouldn't reflect well on the Navy."

"Bellemere, trust me—sometimes a man's instincts are spot-on."

Karl chuckled and joined the conversation, steering the warship toward the island.

"What if I told you that I know the owner of this ship? What would you do then?"

"You know the owner, Karl-sama?!"

Kuro and Bellemere were both taken aback, realizing their speculation had been futile.

Karl merely smiled, saying nothing.

He docked the warship and disembarked with Bellemere and Kuro.

"Bellemere, what's the name of this village? How many households are here? Where's the largest estate?"

"Sir! This is Shimotsuki Village, home to fewer than 300 families. There are no wealthy estates; the villagers are simple fishermen."

"No large estates? Then why is he here?"

Karl frowned in confusion.

He recognized the ship—it belonged to Monkey D. Dragon.

Years ago, even before Roger's execution, Dragon had commissioned this ship.

At the time, Dragon was already considering forming the Revolutionary Army, though he hadn't acted on it yet. He had even tried recruiting Karl multiple times, only to be rejected repeatedly.

Now, seeing Dragon in such an obscure village in the East Blue was baffling.

"Karl-sama, what's our next move?"

Kuro asked.

Karl sighed, clearly exasperated. "Let's head into the village and ask around. We'll find out where he went."

At the same time…

While Karl, Bellemere, and Kuro searched the village, Dragon was in a small dojo, sipping tea with a bespectacled man in samurai attire.

"Mr. Koshiro, your skill as a master swordsman is unparalleled, yet you've kept it hidden, never seeking a greater purpose. Isn't that a waste?

Revolution is challenging, but it's driven by human will. Our Revolutionary Army is filled with passionate youth yearning for freedom!

I urge you to join me in toppling this world order and liberating its people.

Together, we can build a brighter future—a world of prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and kindness!"

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