The next day.
Donald Wilson sat in his office, carefully weighing his plans regarding Monkey D. Dragon.
Because he was deeply involved in underworld dealings, what he wanted most was for Dragon to remain quiet here. Ideally, the young major would stay inside the base all day and never step outside.
Unfortunately, judging from Dragon's performance the day before, even if he stayed at the base, there was no chance he would keep his head down.
Despite his youth, he carried the ambition of a lion.
People like that, idealistic and hot-blooded elites sent down from Headquarters, were exactly the kind Donald least wanted to deal with.
A dull ache formed at his temples. Donald turned to the man beside him.
"Lieutenant William," he asked, "tell me. How do we maintain the stability we had before?"
William was his trusted subordinate and also the middleman who handled his routine underworld transactions.
After a moment of thought, William answered cautiously, "Based on Major Dragon's behavior yesterday, letting him sit idle is unrealistic. Why not assign him minor matters like mediating village disputes? We can frame it as 'training' and keep him busy so he has no time to interfere elsewhere."
It was a common tactic when dealing with young people. Make them feel useful, and they would willingly pour their time into tedious work.
That Major Dragon seemed eager for quick results. This approach might actually work.
"No. That won't do."
Donald shook his head, recalling how Dragon had directly demanded that the welcome banquet be moved to the Marine mess hall.
"He's not someone who follows the rules. That approach won't restrain him. Still, your idea has some merit."
"What do you mean?" William asked carefully.
"Give him a specific area. Let him show off in some insignificant waters," Donald said slowly. "That way, he has somewhere to vent his excess energy, and our… income won't be affected."
He tapped his fingers on the desk, his eyes gradually lighting up.
Yes. That was it.
They could even send Dragon to intimidate unruly groups in certain areas, or use him to eliminate competitors.
With a Headquarters major at their disposal, manpower would not be an issue.
"I knew it," William muttered under his breath, curling his lips slightly.
He had thought of the same thing. But as a subordinate, he needed to offer modest suggestions first, so his superior could "arrive" at brilliance on his own. That was how flattery worked.
"What did you say?" Donald asked, glancing at him.
"I said the base commander is truly exceptional," William replied smoothly, giving a thumbs-up.
"Hm." Donald nodded with satisfaction. "Go invite Major Dragon over. I want to have a proper talk with him about the area he'll be responsible for."
"Understood, Commander."
William smiled meaningfully and left the office.
Meanwhile, Donald put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and began studying the map of the North Blue.
The shipping route from Rolin Island to the Calm Belt belonged to the Vinsmoke family. It accounted for a large portion of their annual "income" and could not be touched.
The route from Gale Island to Omen Island, however, was plagued by pirates. They were not business partners, so they could be handed over to Dragon to deal with.
At the same time.
Training grounds of Branch 141.
As a vital hub for underworld trade in the North Blue, the region under Branch 141 was notorious for its chaos, where criminal syndicates and pirate forces overlapped and intertwined.
Because of this, Branch 141 was considered one of the strongest among the four seas. It was fully staffed, with over a thousand personnel. Its colonel-level base commander even held a higher reporting rank when dealing with Headquarters than commanders of other branches.
Naturally, its training facilities were highly professional and covered a vast area.
At this moment, fifty elite Marine soldiers stood in perfect formation, arranged in a clean, square array.
At the front stood a tall, upright young man, who nodded slightly.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Monkey D. Dragon stood straight, his voice ringing out.
"Good morning, Major!"
The fifty soldiers answered in unison.
All of them had trained at Headquarters before. Military drills were second nature to them.
"Very good. Full of energy," Dragon said with a nod. "Did you eat well yesterday?"
"Very well!"
The soldiers replied enthusiastically.
And they truly had. The dishes Donald had prepared for Dragon were top-tier.
For them, it was the kind of food that would make you hesitate over the bill in a restaurant. Add to that the envious looks from the local soldiers, and the meal had tasted even better.
Perfect.
"Now that we're fed and rested, it's time to get down to business."
Dragon nodded in satisfaction, then his expression turned serious.
"I came here for three things. Do you know what they are?"
"We don't know. Please instruct us, Major!"
The group shook their heads and answered together.
"To earn merit."
"To earn merit."
"And to earn even more hard-earned merit."
Dragon declared it loudly, his voice booming so powerfully that a flock of white doves scattered from the sky in alarm.
He had come here to build achievements and rise through the ranks.
Admiral within three years. Fleet Admiral within five.
That was his goal.
"Understood!"
The fifty elite Marines froze for a moment, staring at the young man in shock.
Blunt to the point of intimidation.
They wanted merit too.
They liked promotions and pay raises just as much.
One soldier asked hesitantly, "Major, we only reported in yesterday. Where are we going today to earn commendations?"
Under standard procedure, they should first familiarize themselves with the local waters and follow established patrol routes for a few days.
These first weeks were supposed to be an adjustment period.
"Good question," Dragon said, nodding. "Headquarters has heard that the North Blue is in chaos, with pirates everywhere. Today, we set sail immediately for patrol. No special preparation. Random inspections only. Let the pirates of the North Blue see the strength of Headquarters."
"At the same time, let's secure a strong opening victory for Branch 141."
He had done his homework before coming and had a solid grasp of the various pirate factions in the region.
In short, the North Blue had one giant, the Vinsmoke family, along with numerous large, medium, and small pirate crews.
One superpower, several major powers, and countless minor ones.
In other words, aside from the Vinsmokes, who were difficult to touch due to manpower limitations and political standing, he could deal with any other pirate crew as he pleased.
With so many pirates around, a single outing was bound to yield results.
"Major, should we report this to the base commander?"
Two veterans from Garp's ship asked.
Garp's ship ran on looser rules, but branch regulations were far stricter.
"No need," Dragon replied calmly. "I'm the deputy base commander. For a small patrol mission, notification is enough. His approval isn't required."
He casually pointed at several squad officers on the training grounds.
Those officers nodded repeatedly, fully aware of the deputy commander's decisive and forceful style.
Some of the fifty Marines from Headquarters still hesitated.
But when they saw Dragon already striding toward the harbor, they hurried to follow.
This commander had boundless energy, but a young major sent from Headquarters was still someone worth trusting.
At the same time.
Lieutenant William was frantically searching for Dragon.
Before he even reached the training grounds, several department officers rushed over to report.
"What did you say? He took his men out to fight pirates directly!?"
William stared in disbelief.
This was only Dragon's second day here, less than twenty-four hours since his arrival.
At the very least, he should have spent more time getting acquainted with the situation and his colleagues.
Seeing the officers nod repeatedly, William broke into a cold sweat and sprinted back to the office to report.
All their plans were instantly thrown into chaos.
Forget assigning Dragon a controlled patrol zone. Now they did not even know where he was.
This man did not play by the rules at all.