Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

"Want to die? It's not that easy."

Raleigh rubbed his military boots back and forth on Crocodile's head as he spoke!

"Before you've been fully exploited, even death is a luxury."

Raleigh's words, one after another, pierced Crocodile's heart like sharp arrows, fueling his growing hatred.

Raleigh employed different methods in recruiting Crocodile and Barrett.

Barrett is a martial arts fanatic whose hobby is constantly challenging strong opponents.

And given his personality, he doesn't really care where he'll be sent or what kind of mission he'll be assigned to.

Therefore, Raleigh would not resort to such extreme humiliation towards Barrett, after all, the strong have their own dignity.

If he were to humiliate Barrett, either Raleigh would gain Barrett's body or a powerful nemesis, neither of which Raleigh wanted.

Of course, the more likely outcome is that Raleigh gets Barrett's body.

But Crocodile is a different story. This guy, known as the Sand Crocodile, is too ambitious and quite strong.

If you can't control him in the early stages, it will cause a lot of trouble.

It is foreseeable that those who outwardly comply but inwardly defy will ultimately suffer the consequences.

So the method used against Crocodile was no different from that used against Doflamingo; it was simply to break their bones in the most cruel way.

Of course, Doflamingo is more concerned about his family executives and is therefore easier to control. Crocodile, on the other hand, is a lone wolf with no ties that Raleigh can hold onto. Therefore, Raleigh can only resort to brutal methods and extreme humiliation towards him. Of course, Crocodile will not completely submit in this way, so all Raleigh needs is Crocodile's loyalty for a few years.

Crocodile's face was buried deep in the earth, and no one could see the fury burning in his clenched teeth.

Raleigh's words and actions dealt an unprecedented blow to this fledgling genius pirate.

The flames of revenge burned relentlessly from the depths of his heart.

A violent aura erupted from Crocodile beneath Raleigh's feet.

Raleigh's brow furrowed as he looked at Crocodile at his feet, whose Conqueror's Haki had been upgraded due to overwhelming rage. Crocodile was using his remaining arm to support his body, trying to lift himself up. The excruciating pain in his body was no match for the wanton humiliation he had suffered. He suddenly raised his head and shouted at Raleigh:

I'm going to kill you, you damned navy man!

"Aa ...

Under Crocodile's control, Conqueror's Haki surged towards Raleigh's body. A contemptuous smile appeared on Raleigh's face, and an aura many times stronger suddenly erupted, easily shattering Crocodile's Conqueror's Haki.

Then, Raleigh raised his right foot again. "It seems your hatred has clouded your judgment. I need to make you understand your current situation once more."

click!

Raleigh casually kicked and shattered the arm bone supporting Crocodile's body.

Crocodile, now without support, lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes fixed on Raleigh.

A gift!

Raleigh drew Mikazuki Munechika from his waist and stabbed Crocodile's left hand with a single blow.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

The intense pain brought Crocodile back to his senses, which had been running high.

"It's ridiculous that they can still maintain such self-respect in the face of life and death."

If you were destined for greatness, then I could understand. But you're neither destined for greatness, and you've fallen into the hands of someone like me. Your pride will only cause you more suffering.

Crocodile heard Raleigh's mocking laughter but didn't refute it; he just breathed heavily.

Raleigh wasn't in a hurry and just waited for Crocodile to recover his strength.

After a long while, Crocodile stopped panting and looked up at Raleigh, saying, "!"

Navy, bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve.

"From the day I became a pirate, I will never be anyone's dog, not anyone!"

After saying that, the Conqueror's Haki on his body surged once more.

Raleigh sighed and asked in return;

What's wrong with being a dog? Is it better to lose your life?

Having said that, Raleigh gripped the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika's sword, and with Crocodile's horrified gaze upon him, he swung the blade.

D ratio.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through Crocodile's arm without any resistance.

A blood-soaked hand was thus impaled by Raleigh and placed before Crocodile.

Even if a pirate like you dies, I won't kill you with a single blow.

I've said it before, falling into the hands of someone like me is torture for you; this time it's your left hand.

"Ten minutes later, I'll cut off your right hand; ten minutes after that, I'll cut off your left foot."

After saying that, Raleigh gestured to the soldier to bring an alarm clock and set it for ten minutes.

Then Raleigh, holding his longsword, sat on the bench the soldier had brought him and waited for the time to pass.

Crocodile stared intently at his left hand, which was now his own, while recalling Raleigh's words in his mind.

Having witnessed so much, Crocodile trusted his own judgment; this madman in the Navy was not lying.

If I don't follow his orders, this madman will really cut off my right hand in ten minutes.

Furthermore, after cutting off his left hand, this madman applied hemostatic medicine to himself, as if he was afraid of dying before the execution was over.

Tick ​​tick

With each fluctuation in the indicator, Crocodile's expression grew increasingly grim.

Raleigh kept his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the passage of time.

Finally, in the last thirty seconds, Raleigh opened his eyes, which were devoid of any emotion.

Tick-tock—tick-tock.

This indicator's voice resonated deep within Crocodile's heart.

With each jump, his face grew paler.

Crocodile's heart, which was originally filled with anger, was filled with fear in those ten minutes.

He was no longer the crocodile whose mind was filled with rage and hatred; now, he was only thinking about how...

Only Crocodile who survived... Ring ring! Ring ring!

The alarm clock rang, and Raleigh got up from his seat, his razor-sharp military knife gleaming coldly as he approached.

Crocodile's eyes revealed despair and fear.

The severed, bloody left hand seemed to tell of Raleigh's cruelty, while also telling Crocodile not to have any illusions.

Because Raleigh is a crazy guy who does whatever he wants.

Faced with such a madman, Crocodile's courage had been completely exhausted; to survive was now his only thought.

Wait a minute.

Crocodile finally spoke just before Raleigh's saber was about to fall on his left arm.

Mikazuki Munechika's blade had already pierced Crocodile's skin, and bright red blood flowed out along the blade.

Raleigh's expression remained unchanged, but he asked with some doubt:

"What, you're willing now?"

His tone suggested some dissatisfaction with Crocodile's quick surrender.

However, he added:

Crocodile, theoretically, you were a second too late, and in principle, I should have cut off your right hand as well. However, considering your decision to work for the Navy, I'll temporarily store your right hand on your body.

Remember, being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is a right granted to you by the World Government, so you must fulfill your obligations. Also, remember what I'm telling you.

Don't cross the line, or you'll know the consequences.

After a long silence, Crocodile slowly nodded, as if it weighed a ton.

A smile appeared on Raleigh's face;

See, the problem is solved now.

"I really don't understand why such a simple thing has to be made so complicated, requiring manual intervention."

Then Raleigh walked away from Crocodile.

After walking several dozen steps, Raleigh suddenly turned around and said;

"By the way, there are also regulations regarding where you will develop your influence in the Grand Line."

Personnel from the World Government will contact you as soon as possible and inform you of all the requirements.

"Do a good job, Crocodile. I don't want to end up with your head hanging on a knife because you're not doing a good job."

Subsequently,

Raleigh swaggered off the island with Barrett and Gion.

He was very familiar with Crocodile; like Doflamingo, he was always full of scheming.

Moreover, due to their innate domineering nature, these people are all rebellious troublemakers who refuse to submit to heaven or earth. Even if they are temporarily subdued, they will rebel again in two or three years at most.

Having not seen Doflamingo for only a year, he has developed many inappropriate thoughts.

If Doflamingo hadn't frequently seen his information in the newspapers and knew his strength on the Grand Line, this guy would have completely joined the Navy.

Even now, Doflamingo is still trying to sever the control between himself and the Navy. It took Raleigh most of the day to resolve Crocodile's matter, which made him completely waste the seafood noodles he ate that morning.

At that moment, Raleigh and Barrett were enjoying a delicious meal in the mess hall of a naval warship.

Rare ingredients were continuously transformed into various delicacies by the chefs and then entered Barrett and Raleigh's stomachs.

Since Raleigh hadn't expended much energy, he quickly stopped eating.

Barrett ate for quite a while before speaking!

"Rolley, if I hadn't agreed to your terms back then, would Crocodile's situation be the same as mine?"

Raleigh swirled the wine in his glass, looking at Barrett with a determined gaze.

"No, Barrett. Crocodile is a completely different person from you, and I trust you completely."

You are a proud person, so you disdain doing things that break your promises. As long as you agree, I am at ease.

But Crocodile is different. He's too cunning and clever. Even this beating won't shake him for long. At most, he'll be secretly defying me in two years."

Once a character like Crocodile is absorbed by the World Government, he will definitely be fixed in one place and won't move anymore.

Therefore, Raleigh can't frequently warn Crocodile, but Barrett can be taken along on missions.

Although Raleigh said that the Seven Warlords of the Sea were the dogs of the World Government, he was referring to different people at the same time.

In this world, everything is determined by strength.

If Raleigh were the current Shichibukai, then absolutely no Marine would dare to say to Raleigh's face that the Shichibukai are the dogs of the World Government.

Simply because Raleigh's fists are big enough.

Barrett silently swallowed the meat in his mouth and asked;

"So where should we go now?"

Raleigh looked up. He thought of a very interesting pirate crew and decided to go find them. In the North Blue training camp, Miles was inspecting the graduating students.

They were all dressed in black combat uniforms, their faces filled with fanaticism as they stared at Miles ahead.

"Gentlemen, as the first batch of graduates, you will represent the honor of our military academy and go on to change the world."

I'm delighted to see this, and I think our headmaster, Christine Raleigh, will be very pleased.

"However, Vice Admiral Raleigh may find it difficult to cross the Grand Line, but I believe that as our strength continues to grow, we will eventually converge at Marineford on the Grand Line!"

Do you have confidence?

The elite trainees instantly opened their mouths and roared:

"have!!!"

Miles nodded in satisfaction, and then arranged their travel route with the officers sent by Cleveland.

These first batch of graduates will, under their plan, gradually infiltrate branches in various parts of the world.

This was a strategic plan devised by Raleigh: before the world could freely travel back and forth across the Grand Line and the four seas, he wanted to control as many naval branches as possible in the four seas.

Wanting to change the world is not just empty talk.

Even if he became the Fleet Admiral and wiped out all the pirates in the New World, it wouldn't be enough.

Because grassroots resources cannot be grasped all at once.

No matter what kind of army it is, there are factions. Raleigh can't touch many people, even after becoming a Grandmaster. So he plans to take a decisive approach: I won't touch the high-ranking officers in the Navy; I'll start directly from the bottom!

Although this pace will be slow, Raleigh is still young and has plenty of time.

With more than a decade to go before the story begins, Raleigh, who possesses the "retirement system," becomes stronger the longer he can drag things out.

The seeds planted now may only be privates or majors, but five or ten years later they could become the branch chiefs of a Haiju branch.

At this moment, these trainees are heading to various relatively remote branches throughout the country.

Because of the difficulty in transmitting information, many branch leaders in these branches degenerated into people like Colonel Rat and Monka.

Therefore, it would be reasonable to kill them even in a battle against pirates.

These corrupt branch leaders are either fast asleep or already up, enjoying a new day of life.

They would never have imagined that the demons who were about to end their lives had already set off from the North Sea.