In the Marine base office, Miles was bustling about, attending to Raleigh's needs.
If others saw this usually resolute commodore acting like a sycophant, it would surely shock many.
Raleigh felt somewhat helpless.
He wasn't one of those noble lords and wasn't accustomed to being served like this.
"Alright, Miles, no need to be so formal."
Miles turned around and brought over the tea in his hands. "Master, don't I know you? You'd rather lie down than sit if you could."
Raleigh felt a twinge of embarrassment at having his old habits exposed but quickly regained his composure.
If anyone else had said such a thing in front of him, Raleigh wouldn't mind teaching them how to speak with his fists—or simply rendering them speechless.
But Miles was different.
He was the keeper of Raleigh's memories from those times.
If Miles hadn't chosen to remain in North Blue, his strength might be even more formidable by now.
"Just how far has your power progressed, kid?"
Having not seen his disciple for a long time, Raleigh wanted to assess Miles' current strength.
Miles set down what he was holding and replied respectfully, "Master, my current strength lies between Commodore and Rear Admiral. However, if I utilize my Devil Fruit, I can reach above Rear Admiral level, approaching Vice Admiral."
Raleigh nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to cheats like himself or talent monsters like Sakazuki and Borsalino, someone like Miles represented the standard for a true genius.
After all, even Gion and Tokikake had only recently been promoted to Vice Admiral.
Still, Raleigh was curious about how well Miles had mastered his Devil Fruit abilities.
"Miles, to what extent have you mastered your Devil Fruit powers?"
Miles thought for a moment, then explained, "If I focus on enhancing my own speed and strength, I can currently achieve up to fifty times amplification. I haven't reached the hundred-fold effect yet. For standard cannons on battleships, I can amplify them up to sixty times. However, the larger the projectile, the smaller the amplification factor I can achieve."
Inside the office, Raleigh grew pleased.
Although Miles wasn't yet strong enough to serve as Raleigh's ace card, he was young and had plenty of potential for the future.
More importantly, everyone knew Miles was Raleigh's disciple, but no one knew Miles was a Devil Fruit Ability user.
This was a hidden piece Raleigh had kept in reserve.
Ever since Miles stayed in North Blue, Raleigh had secretly given him the Moa-moa Fruit.
From then on, Miles became a Devil Fruit Ability user.
Furthermore, in subsequent promotions, Raleigh had consistently assigned Miles to fixed-area garrison roles within the Navy, rather than the mobile pirate-hunting roles he himself undertook.
First, this reduced the probability of Miles exposing his Devil Fruit ability. Second, it allowed people within the Navy to gradually overlook Miles' presence.
After all, pirate hunters—whether successful or not—remain constantly in the public eye.
Only those officers who stay at their bases and never venture out are slowly forgotten.
"Boss, how about we give it a try? It would be a good opportunity for you to test my strength." Miles was eager.
His master was now an Admiral, and Miles wanted to be the first person Raleigh sparred with after his promotion.
"Forget it. At your current level, without using your Devil Fruit ability, you wouldn't even withstand a single strike from me." Raleigh curled his lip, unafraid to deflate his disciple's enthusiasm.
Miles, still unwilling to give up, asked, "Then if I use my Devil Fruit ability, does that mean I could exchange blows with you?"
Raleigh scratched his ear and said irritably, "Do you think Admirals are that weak? Let me tell you, even if you use your Devil Fruit ability to reach Vice Admiral-level combat power, you'd only manage to block one strike at best."
Miles' head drooped in dejection, but he quickly rallied his spirits.
What's shameful about being instantly defeated by an Admiral?
In this world, how many people can actually trade blows with an Admiral?
Moreover, his own master was an Admiral, and his master's senior brother Borsalino was also an Admiral.
With two Admirals backing him up, why shouldn't he be a little more audacious?
Thinking of this, Miles straightened up once more.
At that moment, a messenger in a Navy uniform knocked on the office door.
After receiving permission, the messenger handed the newspaper in his hand to Miles.
Following Miles' order, the messenger quickly left the office and closed the door.
"What's the matter?" Raleigh took a sip of the tea that had steeped to perfection, instantly feeling refreshed and invigorated.
"Raleigh-sama, the Pirates in the New World are fighting again. The rising star, Captain Shanks of the Red-Haired Pirates, and the veteran great Pirate, Captain Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, clashed on an island."
"It wasn't a full-scale war; just a fight between Shanks and Kaido. Shanks left the island with minor injuries, and Kaido didn't order a pursuit."
A dangerous glint flashed in Raleigh's eyes.
"As expected of the key figure guiding the Child of Destiny, his growth is astonishingly fast. A few years ago, Shanks didn't even have the strength to stand before Kaido. Now, he can fight Kaido and leave relatively unscathed. One can imagine how rapidly his strength has progressed these past few years."
However, Raleigh wasn't worried about any impact on his plans.
Just a Four Emperor who hasn't fully matured yet.
Even if he does grow, so what? One of the Yonko have died at the hands of the Navy before.
The Navy managed to kill Whitebeard at his peak, taking down one more Red-Haired dude would be a simple matter.
"It seems the New World is about to descend into chaos again," Miles sighed.
He had dealt with Shanks before.
Back then, Shanks had passed through an island where Miles was stationed, though even then, Shanks' strength was nothing to scoff at.
Without revealing his Devil Fruit abilities, Miles could only watch helplessly as Shanks departed.
"Enough. He's not someone you can handle now. Besides, chaos in the New World isn't without its benefits for us," Raleigh spoke calmly.
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