Ring! Ring! Ring!
The alarm clock went off.
Raleigh rose silently from his seat and approached, the cold gleam of his razor-sharp blade flashing ominously in the sunlight.
Despair and terror finally shone in Crocodile's eyes.
The bloody, severed left hand on the ground served as a terrifying testament to Raleigh's cruelty, warning Crocodile against holding onto any false hopes.
Raleigh was a true madman who did whatever he wanted.
Facing such a lunatic, Crocodile's courage completely drained away.
Survival was now his only thought.
"W-Wait!" Crocodile finally managed to choke out, just a split second before Raleigh's blade descended upon his right arm.
The edge of Mikazuki Munechika had already broken Crocodile's skin; a thin line of crimson blood trickled along the cold steel.
Raleigh's expression remained completely unchanged, though he asked with slight, mocking curiosity.
"What, you have decided to comply?"
His tone carried a hint of feigned disappointment that Crocodile had yielded so quickly.
But he pulled the blade back.
"Crocodile, technically you were one second late. By rights, I should take your right hand too. But considering your wise decision to work for the Navy, I will let you keep it for now."
Raleigh sheathed his sword. "Remember—the title of Seven Warlords of the Sea is a privilege granted by the World Government, so you must fulfill your obligations accordingly. And do not forget what I told you. Do not cross my bottom line, or you will learn the true consequences of overstepping."
After a long, suffocating silence, Crocodile slowly nodded, as if bearing a tremendous weight.
A warm, cheerful smile finally appeared on Raleigh's face, a terrifying contrast to the blood on his boots.
"See? Was that not simpler? I really don't understand why such straightforward matters must be complicated enough to require violence."
Raleigh stepped away from the bleeding pirate. After walking several dozen paces, he suddenly turned back.
"Oh, and there are specific regulations about where you can establish your influence in the Grand Line. World Government officials will notify you shortly with all the requirements."
"Do well, Crocodile. I would hate to have to remove your head and hang it from my blade someday because of your poor performance."
With that, Raleigh swaggered off the island, followed closely by Bullet and Gion.
Raleigh understood men like Crocodile perfectly—they were just like Doflamingo, always scheming in the dark.
Because of their innate Conqueror's Haki, these types were all rebellious, ambitious troublemakers who bowed to neither heaven nor earth.
Even if temporarily subdued through torture, they would likely rebel again within two or three years.
It was clear that within just a year of ruling the North Blue, Doflamingo had already developed many inappropriate ambitions.
Had Doflamingo not frequently read about Raleigh's monstrous exploits in the newspapers, that flamboyant pirate would have long since severed ties with the Marines entirely.
Even now, Doflamingo was still striving to cut off Raleigh's control over him.
Breaking Crocodile took Raleigh most of the morning, leaving him utterly drained.
Even the mountain of seafood noodles he had for breakfast was completely burned off as energy.
...
At that moment, Raleigh and Bullet were feasting heartily in the dining hall of the Marine warship.
Rare ingredients were continuously transformed by the naval chefs into various delicacies, only to be instantly devoured by the two powerhouses.
Since Raleigh had not expended excessive physical energy, he soon stopped eating.
Bullet, however, continued shoveling food into his mouth for a good while longer before finally speaking up.
"Raleigh... if I had not agreed to your terms back then, would I have ended up like Crocodile today?"
Raleigh swirled the red wine in his glass, his gaze firm as he looked at the Demon Heir.
"No, Bullet. You and Crocodile are entirely different. I have full confidence in you." Raleigh took a sip.
"You are a proud fighter, so you would never stoop so low by breaking your word. Once you give your promise, I am completely at ease. But Crocodile is different—he is far too cunning and treacherous. Even today's beating will not keep him in line forever; at most, two years, and he will start covertly defying me."
A character like Crocodile, once absorbed by the World Government, would undoubtedly be stationed in a fixed location to act as a deterrent.
Thus, Raleigh could not frequently visit to keep him in check. But Bullet could be kept close by to carry out mobile missions.
Although Raleigh had said that the Seven Warlords of the Sea were the World Government's dogs, this statement meant different things to different people.
In this world, everything is determined by strength.
If Raleigh were one of the Warlords, not a single Marine soldier would dare say to his face that he was the Government's dog—simply because Raleigh's fists were powerful enough to shatter the island.
Bullet silently swallowed the meat in his mouth and asked.
"So where would we go now?"
Raleigh looked up, a smirk crossing his face.
He had just thought of a very interesting pirate crew, and he fully intended to seek them out next.
...
Meanwhile, in a hidden, heavily fortified training camp in the North Blue, Miles was inspecting the soon-to-graduate cadets.
They stood in crisp, black combat uniforms, their faces fervent as they gazed at Miles standing before them.
"Everyone! As the very first batch of graduates from this camp, you will carry the honor of our military academy and go forth to change this corrupt world!" Miles shouted, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
"I am thrilled to witness this moment, and I believe our principal—Vice-Admiral Christian Raleigh—would be immensely proud as well!"
"However, Vice-Admiral Raleigh is currently tied up with crucial matters in the Grand Line and cannot make it. But I am absolutely confident that as our strength continues to grow, our ultimate gathering place will undoubtedly be Marineford itself!"
"Do you have the confidence?!"
The elite cadets instantly opened their mouths and roared in perfect unison.
"YES, SIR!!!"
Miles nodded in deep satisfaction.
He then coordinated with several logistics officers sent by Cleveland to arrange their deployment routes.
These first graduates would, under Raleigh's master plan, gradually infiltrate and take over branch offices across the Four Blues.
This was the grand strategic objective Raleigh had established: before free travel between the Grand Line and the Four Blues became possible, they must silently seize control of as many Marine branch bases across the globe as possible.
Changing the world was not something to be taken lightly.
Even becoming the Fleet Admiral and wiping out all the pirate emperors in the New World would not be enough to fix the rot in the system—because grassroots power could not be grasped overnight.
No matter the military, factions and corruption existed everywhere.
Raleigh could not easily move against deeply entrenched corrupt officers, even if he eventually became Fleet Admiral.
So, he planned to take a radical approach—instead of targeting the upper echelons of the Navy right away, he would start from the absolute bottom!
Although progress would be slow, Raleigh was still young and had plenty of time.
With over a decade until the main storyline began, and possessing a system that essentially rewarded him the longer he delayed and slacked off, Raleigh had absolutely no reason to rush.
The seeds he planted today might only be privates or majors, but in five or ten years, they would become base commanders overseeing entire regional Marine branches.
At this moment, these fanatically loyal trainees were being dispatched to various remote bases across the Four Blues.
Due to the difficulty of rapid information transmission, many base commanders in these isolated posts had become wildly corrupt.
Because of this, if these cadets ended up eliminating their corrupt superiors during "tragic battles with pirates," it would be perfectly justifiable on paper.
Right now, those fallen, corrupt base commanders were either sound asleep or just waking up to begin another day of indulgent, abusive living.
They would never imagine that the demons destined to end their lives had already set sail from the North Blue.