"Get that little rascal in here now!"
This happened at the G-1 Training Grounds.
Roya, feeling good after jogging around the grounds twice, was told that Vice Admiral Momonga wanted to see him. He immediately told his crew to line up, backs to the big G-1 Branch sign.
"Okay, everyone, strike a pose that's, let's say, special!"
"Aye!"
Bartolomeo and his gang cheered excitedly, acting like their inner superheroes were bursting out, striking all kinds of wild and crazy poses.
As the most noticeable group of tough guys in Logue Town, they had always lived by one rule:
Cause trouble, cause trouble, and cause even more trouble!
The more outrageous, the better. Standing out in the world's biggest Marine base? How awesome was that?
They loved Colonel Roya!
Roya stood at the front, smoothing down his super cool mohawk, looking confident.
"Alright, everyone, shout it with me!"
"Three, two, one, cheese!"
"Click, click, click!"
The photo snail blinked its eye.
Done! Saved! Complete!
Roya was very happy. He went over to Lu Yun, who took the photo, and whispered, "Secretly send these to Morgans. Be sneaky; don't let anyone know it was us."
"..."
Lu Yun's eyes sparkled, and she nodded hard.
This is so exciting!
Front-page news in three days, guaranteed!
Colonel Roya was so mischievous.
But wasn't it obvious that they were behind it? What was the point of hiding it?
Hmm, I better use a secret snail to send it!
Roya waved his hand. "I have to go see Vice Admiral Momonga. You guys can hang out with Colonel Hina around the base. No need to be too proper; just make yourselves at home."
"..."
Hina was in shock.
She used to think Smoker was the most unusual Marine, but now she realized that Smoker was just a well-behaved kid compared to Black Hair.
This was the G-1 super-fortress, famous for being strict!
A few minutes later, in the Base Chief's office.
Roya stood up straight, looking powerful.
"Colonel Roya, reporting for duty!"
"..."
Momonga stared at Roya's pretty mohawk, not sure if he should be angry or amused.
Mohawks are the best!
Wait, that's not right!
The G-1 Branch's good reputation was about to be ruined!
Vice Admiral Momonga looked annoyed and coldly asked, "Colonel Roya, do you know what you've done?"
"Participated in training?"
Roya rubbed his chin. He had just arrived and already led his men in training. Surely he deserved some praise.
"Smack!"
Table HP -1.
"Wrong!"
Seeing that Roya wasn't listening to reason, Momonga slammed his hand on the desk, getting angrier. The little rascal still didn't realize he had done wrong!
Was that "participating in training?"
He was clearly here to cause trouble!
During training camp, he knew Roya was a big troublemaker. Sengoku's choice to send Roya to the G-1 Branch was something he strongly disagreed with.
He only agreed because Teacher Zephyr had spoken up, and he had promised Teacher Zephyr that he would take care of Roya.
But this kid had just arrived and was already making his blood pressure go through the roof.
Momonga kept a serious face and asked, without a smile, "Colonel Roya, what's with you and your men's hairstyles?"
"Reporting, Vice Admiral Momonga! We're all your fans. When we found out we were coming to the G-1 Branch, we all got our hair like yours to show our respect!"
That makes sense!
Roya quickly pulled out a small notebook.
"Vice Admiral Momonga, would you please sign this? I want to frame it and hang it on my wall so I can admire it every day."
"..."
Momonga felt his blood pressure rising again.
Regret. So much regret.
He shouldn't have let this kid into the G-1 Branch!
He couldn't really complain about the hairstyle itself because the pirates caused so much stress for Marines. So, they didn't care too much about how people expressed themselves, like with hairstyles and tattoos.
Lieutenants who had a bit of personality would often do something different to stand out.
But usually, lower-ranking Marines didn't need to be so individual, and the overall look of Marines had to fit the Marine's good image; this was an unspoken rule.
There was no doubt that the mohawk was super cool!
But over two hundred people with mohawks...
It was too embarrassing!
Momonga softened his voice and said, in a roundabout way, "Colonel Roya, could you ask the Marines you brought to change to a normal hairstyle?"
"Huh? Vice Admiral, you don't like mohawks?"
Roya stared closely at Vice Admiral Momonga's mohawk, which was bright red and even more noticeable than a rooster's comb.
Momonga's face twitched.
Of course, he loved mohawks! Among all the Headquarters Vice Admirals, his super cool mohawk was one of a kind!
To be honest, he was happy that his men liked mohawks. It proved that his men had good taste.
But the problem was...
If the other Vice Admirals found out, they would definitely laugh at him!
Momonga took a deep breath. "Roya, it's not about whether I like them or not. So many people with mohawks are seriously affecting the G-1 Branch's good reputation--"
"Wait a second, Vice Admiral Momonga!"
Roya took out the Marine Corps Rule Book, flipping through it as he asked, "You said it's affecting the good reputation. Could you please tell me which chapter and which article?"
"This..."
Momonga was speechless.
Good grief, he came prepared!
Roya narrowed his eyes. He knew his behavior was unusual, so he studied the military rules in his free time.
The Marines were a formal group, and there were many similarities to the groups from his past life. Basically, as long as he didn't make any big mistakes, no one could do anything to him.
The only downside was the same problem Smoker had: his unusual behavior would affect his chances of getting promoted.
But did he care?
Within the group, as long as he was happy with his current position and didn't make any big mistakes, he would be unstoppable. Small problems with his behavior didn't matter; at most, he would get a verbal warning.
If he wanted a promotion, he could just earn military merits. Pirates were everywhere in this world, and as long as he was strong, climbing up the ranks was only a matter of time.
Relying on being around a long time and having connections for promotion took too long anyway, which didn't fit his plans.
Another important thing was that Vice Admiral Momonga was very honest, and with Teacher Zephyr's connection, he wouldn't go too far.
If he were facing Admiral Akainu, he would have to think about whether he would be melted if he made Akainu angry.
He had to change his approach depending on who he was dealing with!
Another thing to remember was that the Marines were purely a military group, so they were very accepting of officers with strength and potential.
Momonga's head was throbbing.
Fine, you want to play this game with me, huh!
"Roya, according to the military rules, you can only bring up to 10 men with you when you take office. But you've brought way too many, and I have to send them back!"
"Vice Admiral Momonga, I know this breaks the rules, but there's a reason for it. Please listen to me before you make a decision."
Roya sighed and started his speech with a sad look.
"My men used to be street thugs in Logue Town, always stealing and causing trouble, giving people a lot of problems."
"But it's not entirely their fault because they're all orphans who didn't have parents to guide them when they were young. This crazy world is what turned them into what they were."
"After I became the Base Chief of Logue Town, I dedicated myself to keeping Logue Town peaceful. Figuring out what to do with them became the main issue."
"They're still kids, who should have a good future!"
"It really breaks my heart!"
"At that time, the Logue Town Marines lost a lot of men in the battle against the Arlong Pirates. To get more men and let these kids start over, I recruited them into the Marines."
"But they're used to being wild. Even after becoming Marines, some of their bad habits are still hard to fix. As the one who recruited them, I have a responsibility to take care of them and must be responsible for their future."
"I know very well that once I leave, these kids will definitely go back to their old ways, so I brought them to the G-1 Branch, hoping that in this serious fortress, I can train them into real Marines!"
"Vice Admiral Momonga, can you understand?"
"I can't just leave them alone!"
He appealed to him with emotion and reason.
Roya opened his big, innocent eyes and looked at Vice Admiral Momonga hopefully, trying to move him.
Vice Admiral Momonga was quiet.
He didn't believe a single word of the nonsense this kid was saying.
What made him speechless was that when he tried to reason with Roya, Roya pulled out the military rules. When he tried to talk about the military rules with Roya, the kid immediately started appealing to his emotions.
If he refused, wouldn't he seem like a monster?
So angry!
Momonga propped up his chin with both hands, staring at Roya with a serious look.
"Colonel Roya, according to the military rules--"
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening!"
Roya simply covered his ears.
Heh, so you can't be moved by this?
It doesn't matter; I have more tricks up my sleeve.
"Vice Admiral Momonga, if you refuse to take them in, then kick me out too. Preferably kick us out to the G-5 Branch."
"We are one!"
"Where I am, they are too!"
Hiss--!
Momonga was speechless.
Damn, does this kid have no shame, actually acting like a rogue with him!
Teacher Zephyr, can I return him?!
*
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter Access up to Ch 257
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 284 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
This and the next Chapter are bonus chapters for today's release
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
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]