Anyway, Damon didn't have to pay his salary out of his own pocket; Marine Headquarters paid the entire salary. Where else could you find such a good deal?
"Smoker, Hina, Drake, Jonathan, Daddy Masterson, and all of these friends must get on board."
"We could also consider Warden Shiryu, but he currently needs to help me look after the Philosopher's Stone transmutation array I've set up in Impel Down."
"It's difficult for me to recruit others within Marine Headquarters. After all, I'm only a captain now. Although my future looks promising, I still can't command respect. It would be better to invite friends from other places. Fujitora is a decent fighter, but he's hiding among civilians and mostly hangs out in gambling dens. Finding this admiral-level fighter on the vast ocean won't be easy."
As for what other hidden masters were waiting to be discovered among the people?
Waiting online, very anxious!
Just as Damon was pondering this, he saw that the squadron of soldiers he was leading on Vice Admiral Tsuru's ship had been waiting for a long time.
Shu's face flushed with pride, and he stood at attention, saluting as he said:
"Captain, all the teammates in the squadron are willing to fight alongside you!"
"Did Grandma Tsuru agree?"
"Captain, we have received Vice Admiral Tsuru's approval!"
Damon sized up Shu and his group. In his opinion, they were mediocre and not capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.
But in this world, the strong were always a minority; most people were just ordinary people.
Even the most beautiful flowers needed green leaves to complement them; without all living beings, where would the strong come from?
Moreover, Damon's flagship, a three-masted sailing ship, was very large and difficult to maneuver with just a few people. The addition of Shu and his group filled this gap.
Damon shook hands with Shu and smiled slightly:
"Welcome to my team."
Shu shuddered, immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle, and then, together with the soldiers, pounded their chests with their fists and shouted:
"Defend our honor with our blood!"
Clearly, before considering joining Damon's team, Shu had done his homework and understood the principles of justice that Damon had upheld since his debut, which could be considered as catering to his preferences.
Whether Shu's kindness was feigned or he genuinely agreed with Damon's ideals, as long as a person could maintain this facade for a lifetime and truly uphold this ideal to protect the common people, what did it matter if it was just an act?
On this voyage, Damon planned to first go to Impel Down. One reason was to recruit his companions onto the ship, and the other was that after half a year, the Philosopher's Stone transmutation array that Damon had set up in Impel Down was finally ready to yield results.
Whether it was the spatial equipment like the Dimensional Square Shangri-La or the skill of summoning a Death Knight, both required the Philosopher's Stone as a consumable item.
After that, Damon would need to go to the Sabaody Archipelago again to coat the bottom of the three-masted sailing ship with a layer of seastone, and also change his identity, using the pirate Dragon Ash as a cover to cause some trouble for the Donquixote Family.
Damon had once consigned a three-eyed Den Den Mushi at an auction house that Doflamingo held shares in behind the scenes. Given that the auction house planned to attack Damon afterward, it was undoubtedly a shady business. They were probably planning to renege on their debt, and Damon took the opportunity to destroy the auction house.
Damon would not let any of Doflamingo's properties in the Sabaody Archipelago go!
This was merely a small gift from Damon to the new Warlord of the Sea!
Doflamingo must be very surprised, right?
Damon instructed Shu to collect supplies on the island: firearms, ammunition, swords, spears, halberds, oil, rice, firewood, salt, meat, vegetables, fruits, winter coats, and quilts. These basic supplies could all be obtained from the quartermaster, and most importantly, Damon didn't have to pay for them himself—they were completely free!
With his subordinates running errands, Damon finally got to enjoy the life of a hands-off manager.
A few days later.
On the harbor.
A gentle sea breeze blew, coconut palms swayed, and seagulls glided through the air.
Momousagi Gion personally came to see him off. Her delicate body leaned forward. Her slender fingers rested on Damon's collar, gently tying his tie like a kind older sister, as she murmured:
"Little brother, this is your first time leading a warship out to sea, so you must remember not to eat anything indiscriminately. Otherwise, if you get an upset stomach, and there's no ship doctor on board, it could easily lead to unnecessary trouble."
"Also, remember not to flirt with girls everywhere. Even though you're still young and there's nothing you can do even if you wanted to, you've always been good-looking enough to make girls swoon. If you happen to run into an old hag who likes children, she might just kidnap you and drain you dry!"
Although Momousagi Gion seemed a bit talkative, Damon could still feel her genuine concern.
"Sister Momo, even if one day we have to part ways, you will shine like gold in my memory."
Momousagi Gion was slightly taken aback, but then realized that Damon was indirectly comforting her.
Her red lips lightly touched Damon's forehead, and a touch of crimson appeared on Momousagi Gion's cheeks.
"Little brat, once you're promoted to vice admiral, your sister will be on your side."
The year 1512 of the Sea Calendar was a cloudy day.
Winter went and spring came; they bid farewell to the old and welcomed the new.
An eight-year-old boy stood at the bow of a three-masted sailboat, a warm, humid sea breeze blowing in his face, making his clothes rustle.
As Damon gazed at the gradually emerging architectural outlines in the mist, he realized they were about to arrive at Impel Down.
Taking advantage of this break, Damon checked his haul.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, host, for reciting a classic line from Genshin Impact. You have been awarded one chance to draw a prize. Would you like to activate the prize wheel?"
The prizes on the lottery wheel were divided into several categories: summoned characters, artifacts, items, talent skills, and skins.
Summoned characters: Jean, Diluc, Klee, Venti, Mona...
Artifacts: Flower of Life, Feather of Death, Sands of Time, Goblet of Emptiness, Crown of Reason...
Items: Eye of God, Wind Catcher, Pocket Anchor...
Innate Skills: West Wind Swordsmanship, Wind Pressure Sword, Dandelion Wind, Traveling with the Wind...
Skins: Sea Breeze Dream, Shining Concerto, Orchid in Gauze...
[Teleportation Anchor]: A functional landmark that could be placed anywhere, providing the current spatial coordinates and serving as the endpoint for teleportation. It could be activated by consuming energy, and energy could also be used to create copies of the teleportation anchor. (Currently lacking energy.)
A small blue crystal, about the size of a palm, appeared in Damon's palm. As long as Damon found an open space and placed it there, the small blue crystal would quickly grow into a blue tower-shaped building.
With the teleportation anchor paired with the Dimensional Square Shangri-La spatial equipment, once Damon had set up teleportation anchors all over the world, it meant that Damon could teleport to any corner of the world at will.
With a flick of his wrist, he put away the teleportation anchor, and the three-masted sailboat slowly docked in the harbor.
Returning to the same place brought a unique feeling.
Chief Warden Magellan, suppressing the urge to use the restroom, led a group of prison guards to welcome him.
Despite being confined to the isolated deep-sea prison, Warden Magellan was not out of touch with the world. On the contrary, he was fully aware of the events that had occurred over the past six months.
As he watched that familiar figure approach again, Chief Warden Magellan's gaze was complex. He sighed to Vice Warden Domino beside him:
"Times have changed!"
"Next, it will be your era, young people."
Vice Warden Domino hadn't changed much; in fact, due to being in an environment where she was rarely exposed to sunlight, her skin had become even whiter than before. Her belt cinched her figure, and paired with her serious and beautiful face, she exuded an aura of a goddess of asceticism.
Vice Warden Domino wore a wry smile.
Although she had long seen that Damon had the potential to become a great admiral, it had only been a short time since they last met. Yet, he had risen from a mere naval trainee to a rank that had been skipped all the way up, and now, with the approval of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he had become the first genius captain in naval history to lead an entire army.
"I'm afraid that before long, with his talent and strength, we'll have to call him a vice admiral, won't we?"
A boy who was not even 10 years old and had already been promoted to vice admiral?
In the past, if someone had asked such a question, Vice Warden Domino would have probably thought the person was crazy.
But now, Vice Warden Domino thought this could actually happen.
"The warden has good foresight; he chose to switch jobs early on. Should I seriously consider this?"
Chief Warden Magellan probably never dreamed that his simple remark would cause his right-hand men to become fickle.
First it was Warden Shiryu, then it was Vice Warden Domino.
If he could do it all over again, Chief Warden Magellan would definitely slap himself twice.
The two sides held a cordial and friendly meeting, established a foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation, and reached a strategic partnership.
Warden Shiryu handed over a bag filled with refined Philosopher's Stones.
The Philosopher's Stone looked very much like an agate, with a mesmerizing reddish hue. Its texture was hard and smooth. Judging from its appearance alone, it was completely unremarkable and could only be mistaken for an ordinary gemstone. No one would ever imagine that it was a versatile treasure that could astound the world.
Seeing Damon standing there, toying with the red gem in his hand, Chief Warden Magellan, clutching his throbbing stomach, said with a forced smile:
"Please come in and have a seat. I have already notified your companions. They broke into the sixth underground level of Impel Down a few days ago and are still resting in their rooms. They will arrive after they have showered and changed."
"Not urgent."
Damon walked towards an open space inside the fortress, without turning his head, and said:
"Wait a minute, I'll show you a big treasure."
Chief Warden Magellan: "???"
When he typed a question mark, it wasn't that he had a problem, it was that Damon had a problem!
Chief Warden Magellan and his entourage had no idea what Damon was up to. They saw him crouch down on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, a tower-like building rose up from the ground, nearly three or four stories high. It was surrounded by a thin veil of blue light, and a pillar of light shot into the sky, looking like a dream.
"Creating something out of thin air?"
Chief Warden Magellan's mouth was slightly agape, his face filled with shock.
Naval officers of his rank typically possessed a Devil Fruit encyclopedia and were familiar with all known Devil Fruit abilities in the world, yet no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't find a single similar ability.
"Damon, can I touch it?"
"Whatever."
Chief Warden Magellan circled the teleportation anchor, finding it strange no matter how he looked at it. When his black-gloved palm landed on the anchor, he not only felt the texture of a solid object, but also vaguely sensed a strange fluctuation.
This fluctuation was closely related to space. The teleportation anchor recorded the spatial coordinates of Impel Down, and using this as an anchor, no matter where Damon was, he could return here through the Dimensional Square Shangri-La.
Chief Warden Magellan knew this was Damon's secret, but he didn't press the matter further.
Having reached his position, he already understood that everyone had their own secrets. The secret to interpersonal relationships lay not in knowing everything about the other person, but in maintaining a distance that made both parties feel at ease.
Distance created beauty!
Moreover, Chief Warden Magellan did not believe that Damon would do anything harmful to Impel Down.
Damon had always acted with great discipline and upheld justice. Everyone in the Navy gave him a thumbs up when they talked about Damon.