Buru buru... Buru buru...
"Hello, Momonga, what brings you to call me?"
In the North Blue base office, a relaxed Raleigh was lying on the sofa eating fruit and reading.
Suddenly receiving Momonga's call made him curious.
Because Momonga knew his habits—usually at this time Raleigh would be slacking off or sleeping.
"Raleigh, there's something I must let you know."
"Mhm, go ahead, what is it?"
"It's like this—Zephyr-sensei was sent by headquarters to investigate the Totteneys Kingdom matter. He took the notebook I wrote back then, and now he has evidence proving that the Mad Blade Pirates have nothing to do with us."
"But after the investigation, Zephyr-sensei suddenly wanted to instruct the branch soldiers' training on a whim. Without thinking, I told him about the soldiers knowing the Six Styles."
"Now Zephyr-sensei insists on finding the person who simplified the Six Styles. I'm still stalling him. If you're willing to admit it, I'll tell Zephyr-sensei the truth. If you're not willing, I'll just make up some mysterious person."
Hearing Momonga's words, Raleigh suddenly sat up from the sofa.
The news came too suddenly—the fruit in Raleigh's hand fell to the ground.
"Oh no, oh no, I shouldn't have gotten carried away with success." Raleigh's mind raced as he recalled how he had become complacent.
He had assumed that his movements across the seas would go unnoticed by headquarters, since their primary focus remained on suppressing the Grand Line.
The oversight over the Four Seas wasn't particularly strict, so Raleigh could confidently teach the simplified version of the Six Styles to the soldiers at the branch base.
After all, only by making them stronger would Raleigh have more time to slack off.
But he never expected headquarters to dispatch an Admiral to the Four Seas.
Coincidentally, that Admiral even visited Branch 133 for an inspection.
Internally, Raleigh tallied up all the people he had taught the simplified Six Styles to: the Marine soldiers at Branch 133, Bell-mère from Branch 127, and the soldiers formerly of the North Blue's Branch 166, who were now under his direct command.
Raleigh stroked his smooth chin, deep in thought.
He already had a rough idea—he just needed to fabricate the image of a mysterious master.
He could claim to have encountered a retired old Marine veteran in the East Blue who, upon seeing the weakness of the soldiers at Branch 133, had passed on a simplified manual of the Six Styles out of affection for the Marines.
This veteran had permitted Raleigh to teach it only to those he deemed possessed a heart of justice.
With that, the story would mostly hold up.
As for whether it could fool Zephyr, Raleigh felt it was possible.
As long as Momonga didn't leak any more information, no matter how Zephyr investigated, he wouldn't be able to pin it on Raleigh.
"Heh, I've got it. Let's go with your idea—we'll invent a mysterious old Marine predecessor. If Zephyr-sensei asks you, just insist you met him on a deserted island," Raleigh said with a grin.
"After that, the old master disappeared and was never seen again. If Zephyr-sensei insists you take him to the island, head to Antia Barren Island. I recall that island used to be a base for a powerful pirate crew."
The more Raleigh spoke, the clearer his plan became.
He casually grabbed a piece of paper and started jotting down his thoughts.
"Then, if Zephyr-sensei still doesn't believe it, let him search on his own. As for why I didn't report it to headquarters, it's because the old master didn't want fame—he wanted his techniques to flourish in those who truly possess a heart of justice."
"And I, Raleigh, am the chosen disseminator. Only those I deem suitable can learn the simplified Six Styles."
Momonga asked, "Aren't you afraid that Zephyr-sensei will report this to Fleet Admiral Kong, and they'll transfer you back to headquarters to become an instructor at the Marine academy? After all, it's easier to find talented individuals with a heart of justice there."
Raleigh sighed in frustration.
"You fool, whether someone can learn the simplified Six Styles is entirely up to me. Besides, being an instructor at the headquarters academy would be great—I'd have even more time to slack off. You have no idea how much more complicated the situation in the North Blue is compared to when we first arrived in the East Blue. I've only been here a short while, and I'm already getting gray hairs."
Hearing this, Momonga felt a bit nostalgic for their early days in the East Blue.
But when Raleigh complained that the workload in the North Blue was severely cutting into his slacking time, Momonga couldn't help but laugh.
"You, aside from being incredibly lazy, don't have any other flaws. With your immense talent, you're content to laze around and slack off. I really don't get what goes through your head."
"How could you possibly understand? This is the realm of top-tier geniuses, something an ordinary genius like you can't comprehend yet."
Raleigh lay back down on the soft sofa, reached out to pluck a grape, and popped it into his mouth.
[Resting during work hours, Slacking Value +100]
Raleigh felt extremely comfortable.
After arranging everything, there were no more matters to worry about.
Even Gion, Tokikake, and his two disciples were all training hard.
Having no one disturb him was truly blissful.
Hearing the peaceful environment on Raleigh's end, Momonga couldn't help but sigh.
"Raleigh, to be honest, I envy you. You take it easy every day and enjoy every moment."
"Hold on, I'm just slacking off, not actually incompetent. Don't you dare learn from me. The real priority is to go convince Zephyr-sensei. If there's nothing else, let's hang up. Oh, right. If Zephyr-sensei insists on speaking with me, use that unregistered Den Den Mushi."
Once during a lottery draw, Raleigh had won a pair of unregistered Den Den Mushi.
Out of caution, Raleigh gave one of them to Momonga, which could come in handy for special occasions.
Later, to ensure information wouldn't leak, he spent a fortune on the Black Market to buy several anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi.
One for Momonga, one for himself, and another he gave to Nisugi Kazuki of the Mad Blade Pirates.
"Alright, I won't disturb you further. I'll go report to Zephyr-sensei."
After hanging up, Momonga felt much more at ease.
Since Raleigh had already made arrangements, there was no need for him to worry anymore.
Stepping out of the office, Momonga called out loudly.
"Zephyr-sensei, I just spoke with the senior on the phone. He said he can teach the Marines a simplified version of the Six Styles, but he has one condition."
"Since it was Raleigh who gained the senior's approval back then, if the Marines want to learn, Raleigh must assess whether they possess a heart of justice. Otherwise, it cannot be taught privately."
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