"Reporting, sir! We are soldiers from North Blue Branch 166, ordered to await your arrival here!"
As Raleigh and his group stepped off the elevator platform, a resolute-looking warrant officer approached them.
Behind him stood soldiers lined up in perfect formation, their aura alone making it clear.
These were all veterans who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, having overcome numerous hardships.
"These must be soldiers trained by Vice Admiral Sakazuki. They've probably killed many ruthless pirates."
Gion exclaimed in surprise.
It was no wonder Gion was somewhat astonished, as there was generally a significant gap between the overall level of the four seas branches and headquarters.
Any talented young individuals were prioritized for assignments at headquarters.
The marines remaining in the four seas were mostly local personnel with average talent, aside from those sent for gilded experience.
But the soldiers before them now gave Gion a dangerous feeling.
In each person's eyes, there was an occasional flash of killing intent - not directed at anyone specifically,
but rather a presence cultivated through day after day of battling pirates.
'Soldiers like these would be considered upper-middle level even at headquarters', Gion thought.
Raleigh nodded slightly, thinking to himself.
'No one in this world is simple, especially those who can climb to the position of fleet admiral.'
Raleigh could discern Sakazuki's style just from observing his subordinates.
A style that was domineering and fierce.
This stood in stark contrast to Raleigh's own approach.
Raleigh's style was more flexible.
Simply put, Sakazuki's style excelled at fighting tough battles and confronting enemies head-on.
While Raleigh's style was like a pack of cunning wolves - fighting in groups, constantly tearing at their prey to minimize their own losses.
It was hard to say which style was superior, but Raleigh still held some admiration for Sakazuki.
Words like iron-blooded demeanor and tough measures perfectly described Sakazuki's military image.
He was still part of the younger generation within the hawk faction, but Raleigh knew this man would eventually lead the entire Marine hawk faction.
His unique charisma also earned Sakazuki many followers within the Marines.
"Salute!"
The young Marine captain solemnly saluted Raleigh, while the soldiers on the dock behind him simultaneously snapped to attention and saluted Raleigh in unison.
Witnessing this scene, Raleigh felt deeply moved in his heart.
Returning the military salute solemnly to all the naval soldiers, Gion and Tokikake, like Raleigh, also saluted the naval soldiers.
"Hello, I am Christian Raleigh. These two behind me are the Four Seas Inspectors, Commander Gion and Commander Tokikake from Headquarters."
Raleigh stepped aside, introducing Gion and Tokikake behind him to him.
"Greetings, Rear Admiral Raleigh, Commander Gion, Commander Tokikake. I am Maki Cleveland, currently the commander of Branch 166."
This Captain Maki Cleveland was a native of the North Blue.
He officially joined the Marines after Sakazuki came to the North Blue, achieving numerous merits in two years.
With Sakazuki's deliberate promotion, he became a branch commander.
"Our warship is ready. Please follow us aboard. The soldiers will help carry your personal belongings."
Raleigh didn't say much.
This Captain Cleveland clearly knew how to handle things.
For an airborne commodore and vice-admiral, such an attitude was already quite good.
He had thought all the soldiers in the North Blue were like Sakazuki, not caring about such details.
Following Cleveland's lead, they boarded the warship.
Miles, who was following behind, refused the soldiers' help and chose to carry Raleigh's sun lounger himself.
Cleveland gave a strange look at this action but said nothing.
The naval soldiers working under Sakazuki hardly had any time for rest.
Every day, they were either busy fighting pirates or training.
Something like this for resting on a warship, he had never seen before.
"Rear Admiral Raleigh, I didn't expect you to be quite the enjoyer of life."
Raleigh laughed heartily:
"Cleveland, you can just call me by my name. We're about the same age anyway."
"My life motto is, if I can lie down, I'll never sit."
After hearing Raleigh's words, Cleveland fell silent.
He had never seen a marine like this.
But to be honest, this couldn't be blamed on Cleveland.
Because whether it was monsters like Sakazuki who didn't need rest and trained all day, or oddities like Raleigh who would never sit if they could lie down, they were extremely rare in the entire Marines.
"So Rear Admiral Raleigh, shall we depart directly?"
Cleveland asked respectfully.
"Let's depart directly. I'd like to see Vice Admiral Sakazuki again."
When Raleigh was in the military academy, Sakazuki had already graduated and was often on missions.
Even when his old friend Borsalino invited Raleigh to gatherings, they rarely saw Sakazuki.
Woo... Woo...!
The warship sounded its horn, reminding everyone that this behemoth was setting sail.
"Rear Admiral Raleigh, from here, it will take us five days to reach Headquarters. I hope you understand."
"No problem, don't mind me. Just carry on with your duties as usual."
Raleigh had already shed his solemn demeanor and was lying on the sun lounger.
Planning to sleep comfortably.
[Sleeping during Marines working hours, slacking value +100]
Beside him, Gion and Tokikake looked extremely embarrassed, wishing they didn't know Raleigh.
They could clearly see the strange looks the North Blue soldiers were giving Raleigh.
Even the looks directed at them were no longer as respectful as before.
"Damn it, that Raleigh guy made us look bad in front of others."
Tokikake was feeling frustrated, but he didn't dare to cause trouble for Raleigh.
He knew that unlike Gion, if he were to wake Raleigh from his sleep, he would receive a thoroughly memorable beating.
"Don't mind that guy, we can train ourselves. After three days without training, I feel my strength has regressed somewhat."
After numerous disappointments, Gion had come to accept Raleigh's slacking behavior.
Now she simply trained on her own, only approaching Raleigh when she needed to discuss something.
Miles and Bello Betty had long started endurance training around the deck after storing their personal belongings.
Cleveland, observing from the shadows, seemed to understand something.
"So only Rear Admiral Raleigh is different, but why don't the two commanders from headquarters care about his behavior?"
Cleveland was puzzled, but he would understand soon enough.
Some people could slack off reasonably without being disliked because they genuinely had the ability to make others shut up.
And in the North Blue, there was never a shortage of opportunities to take action