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

"Time sure flies, doesn't it? In the blink of an eye, five years have passed."

"Hey, old man Zephyr, when do you think Sengoku will finally become Fleet Admiral?"

"You brat, are you just hoping he'll take the position so you can slack off more easily?

But it is strange, Sengoku has long been qualified to be Fleet Admiral—so why hasn't he taken up the role yet?"

"Who knows? Fleet Admiral Kong's intentions are always hard to figure out. On the other hand, Grandpa Garp is much simpler.

But geez, Big Brother Dragon is really a headache. The things he's been doing lately are just over the top."

"Kid, don't bring him up in Marineford. Dragon's name has practically become taboo these days. Even Garp gets uncomfortable when he hears it."

"I get it… Hey, hey, hey, don't hit me on the head, old man! I'm already 24—about to turn 25! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Haha! Your reflexes are getting sharper, brat. Stop running! Stand still, you little punk!"

These lively exchanges between Karl and Zephyr had become a regular spectacle at Marineford over the past five years.

During this time, Karl had remained closely by Zephyr's side, assisting with the training of recruits at the Marine training camp.

Many of these recruits would go on to become key pillars of the Marine forces. Among them were Gion and Tokikake, who would later be recognized as candidates for the rank of Admiral. Both were personally trained by Karl.

In the first two years, Zephyr guided Karl through the teaching process. But over the last three years, Karl had taken to the role with increasing skill and a much stricter approach.

In these five years, only two batches of recruits managed to graduate under Karl's rigorous training.

The first batch included Belle-mère and Enel. It took them nearly four years to finally graduate under Karl's tutelage.

As for the second batch, they joined three years ago, but only Gion and Tokikake have graduated so far.

Whenever Zephyr embarked on training missions at sea, Karl accompanied him without fail.

Karl was determined to prevent the tragedy from Zephyr's original timeline, where he was ambushed by pirates.

While Karl couldn't recall the exact timing of the incident, the past five years had been relatively peaceful, and their recruit training ships had not encountered any pirate attacks.

Though this was a good thing, Karl couldn't shake a lingering sense of unease.

Karl's proactive attitude over these five years earned him significant military accolades. Six months ago, he was promoted to the rank of Commodore.

His strength, however, had already reached the level of an Admiral. Compared to five years ago, he had grown considerably stronger.

At his current level, Karl could even hold his own in a fight against Sengoku or Garp, making it a fifty-fifty battle.

The recruits trained under Karl had also developed into capable Marines.

Enel, for instance, was assigned to work under Kuzan (Aokiji). Stationed near G-8 and Jaya Island, Enel's mastery of the Six Powers (Rokushiki) allowed him to use Moonwalk (Geppo) to fly up to Skypiea on his own.

Although Enel no longer possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi), his exceptional talent enabled him to push the Six Powers to their peak. Even Zephyr couldn't help but call him a genius.

Enel had also mastered Life Return (Seimei Kikan) and proficiently used Armament Haki. His innate Observation Haki required no practice, giving him an unrivaled edge.

With such extraordinary abilities, Enel quickly became a rising star within the Marines.

Under his brilliance, Belle-mère seemed somewhat overshadowed.

Although Zephyr also regarded her as a genius, her talents were within the bounds of normalcy, whereas Enel's were outright monstrous.

Nevertheless, thanks to her experience in Loguetown, Belle-mère's progress was steady. She had become proficient in both Haki and the Six Powers, though she still struggled with Life Return.

A year ago, Karl assigned Belle-mère to Loguetown to succeed Smoker and Buggy as its commanding officer.

Meanwhile, Smoker and Buggy were transferred back to Marineford as members of Karl's third batch of trainees.

Unfortunately, Karl's limited time meant he couldn't oversee their graduation. However, given their abilities, it wouldn't take long for them to rise through the ranks of the elite training camp.

Smoker, in particular, had grown far beyond his former self. In addition to mastering Haki and the Six Powers, his Devil Fruit powers had developed in bizarre ways.

He could compress smoke or use it to create vacuums. Most notably, by combining his powers with Buggy's concocted toxins, he could even produce poisonous smog.

The development of his abilities had taken a truly eccentric path.

Buggy, on the other hand, was still clumsy with Haki and mediocre at the Six Powers. But his escape skills were unmatched.

For now, no Marine below the rank of Vice Admiral could even catch Buggy, as his slippery tactics made him nearly untouchable.

Karl could only shake his head at the duo's peculiar progress.

Kuro, meanwhile, was secretly planted in the underworld by Sengoku and Karl. Rising to prominence as a feared boss, he earned the moniker "Thunder God of a Hundred Plans." His intellect and formidable strength earned him the respect of other underworld leaders.

Capone Bege, under Kuro's guidance, also made his way into the underworld. Known initially as the "Godfather," his title had since evolved into "The Priest" due to his eccentric behavior and constant preaching. His bizarre antics caused headaches for all factions, including the Marines.

Despite his oddities, Bege remained true to his word and didn't betray Karl, focusing instead on spreading his "faith" through his ever-present political texts.

The Grand Line was also abuzz with major events during this time.

Shanks's Red-Haired Pirates advanced to the New World, clashing with the Whitebeard Pirates but retreating unscathed.

The notorious pirate Byrnndi World, known as the "World Destroyer," was betrayed by his crew and captured by the Marines, ending up in Impel Down.

Other infamous pirates, including Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and Captain John—remnants of the Rocks Pirates—vanished, presumably dead.

Only Edward Newgate (Whitebeard), Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom) remained active from the Rocks legacy.

The world had largely forgotten the Rocks Pirates, remembering only these three as dominant figures. Among civilians, they were now being referred to as the "Three Emperors."

Elsewhere, Gecko Moria challenged Kaido but suffered devastating losses, with all his crew killed. Defeated, he fled, his whereabouts unknown.

Crocodile also attempted to challenge Whitebeard, losing an arm in the process. He escaped but disappeared shortly thereafter.

Within Wano, internal conflict erupted, though their isolationist stance kept the full details hidden.

The Marines were well aware of the turmoil but chose to ignore it.

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