"Okay, let's say that."

Kuro waved his hand, signaling Kro to leave. "Everyone, go out. I'm going to lie down for a bit. I just finished exercising and I'm a little tired."

This can be called an event?

You've completely evolved into an old person. You think you're healthy just because you get up and stretch?

Kro smirked, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Lida didn't linger there either; she was hungry and wanted to go to the cafeteria for a meal.

Stepping out of the office, Kro looked at the sky, his glasses gleaming in the sunlight. He remained silent for a moment, then walked to the deck, waved amidst the salutes of numerous sailors, dismissed those around him, took out a Den Den Mushi, and dialed the signal.

With a distinctive ringtone from a Den Den Mushi, the other party answered the phone.

“David…” Crow spoke first.

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, it was a bit noisy, but David's calm voice came through quickly: "Oh, it's Crow. What's up?"

"Mr. Kuro said calmly, 'Do you understand what Douglas Squadron means?'"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a forceful reply came: "Yes, I understand, please rest assured, sir!"

"Okay, that's settled then." Kro hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

These kinds of things shouldn't be said too much. Saying too much makes him seem unprofessional. For example, Mr. Kuro only hinted at it to him; saying too much is not a good idea.

...

On the coast of Astrea, David watched the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) ringing and fell into deep thought.

“Douglag’s Squadron? That’s Cass’s special unit. They’re a group of clones. I’ve heard him say they’re from the Vinsmoke family in the North Sea.”

David actually envied that kind of army that obeyed orders without question. If Dressrosa had had such people, the conquest would have been much easier, unlike now, where they were actually facing a shortage of troops.

The lack of high-end combat power and insufficient troops meant that David's conquests would not have been halted simply because of the excessive expansion.

"Vinsmoke..."

David pondered these words, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he was completely startled. "Master, you want to eat the Vinsmoke? I heard they were recently expelled from the World Government's list. If it's just about eating them, the World Government shouldn't mind. No, I just want their technology, that's even less of a problem..."

Vinsmoke's assassin soldiers are world-renowned, but because of their sheer number and lack of fixed territory, they are difficult to locate, given the vastness of the North Sea.

But the master has spoken, and that is a target.

Otherwise, why would the master have mentioned the Greg Squad?

"The master is the master; even now, I still need the master to think of me..."

David suppressed his emotions and looked resolutely at the gradually emerging land outline ahead. "Once I've finished this, I'll immediately head to the North Sea and dig the Vinsmoke out!"

The place he was going to was the Principality of Faya in Astia.

But it's not about conquest; he just wants to meet that 'Emperor.' If possible, he'll bring him into Demacia to create a coordinated front. If not... he'll find an agent here!

...

About two weeks later, the warship slowly sailed back to its headquarters.

This time, Kuro slowed down and also wiped out a few foolish pirate crews. As for the credit, it was naturally distributed among his subordinates. After all, they were all elite marines. Who else could they share the credit for wiping out a few small pirate ships?

They've reached their peak, as have Lida and Crow. They've reached their peak, so there's no point in seeking further credit.

The ship docked at the headquarters port, its side side stretching out a staircase. Kuro, cigar in mouth, slowly walked down the stairs, nodded to the naval soldiers saluting on both sides of the port, and after stepping out of the welcoming line, sighed, "You're back. You'll need to rest for a while this time. Traveling is exhausting. You two are free to do as you please. Call your men over, and after I finish my report, we'll find a place to have a drink."

"Understood, I'll go inform them," Kro said, adjusting his glasses.

Kuro nodded: "Go ahead, make sure you call everyone."

"yes."

Lida didn't say much and immediately went to find Kikyo.

Kuro went directly to the castle tower, the largest building in the headquarters, where he happened to run into an acquaintance who was on duty at the time.

"Maynard?"

"Uh, Vice Admiral Kuro..."

Maynard nodded when he saw Kuro.

"It's your turn to be on duty today."

Kuro took out his cigar case, tossed a cigar over, and asked, "Is Mr. Sa here?"

His title is quite interesting, but there aren't many high-ranking naval officers who use Sakazuki's full name.

Brother Jiaji likes to call him "President", Brother Yixiao likes to call him "Marshal Saka", so one more "General Saka" won't make a difference.

Maynard didn't stand on ceremony, took the cigar, lit it, and said, "Yes, I heard you're back. Marshal Sakazuki is already waiting for you. Speaking of which, you're really amazing. I heard you're the world's greatest swordsman now, Kuro."

"The news spread so fast?"

Kuro raised an eyebrow and said, "Who said that?"

"Hawkeye himself admitted it, saying you defeated him. From now on, you are the world's greatest swordsman." Maynard said with pride, "Our Navy has produced a world's greatest swordsman! That's truly amazing!"

"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

Kuro waved his hand. "I'll go first, we'll talk later."

This was something he had expected.

Having defeated Mihawk and become the world's greatest swordsman, he's bound to admit it eventually. He's the kind of person who would readily acknowledge who defeated him. It's surprising that we haven't seen it in the newspapers yet. Has the Navy suppressed it for him?

That's a good thing!

Thinking about this, Kuro felt a little better.

Headquarters finally understands him. If this matter could be suppressed, he would be overjoyed.

It's fine to spread the word within a small circle. Mihawk is all alone. Although he'll admit it directly, he certainly won't go to the newspapers to complain. He finds it too troublesome. Since he's alone, even if he tells everyone he lost, the message he conveys won't be very significant, so it really doesn't matter.

Most swordsmen in the world would still consider him the world's greatest swordsman, and that's who they would seek out. They would have achieved their goal of sparring with Mihawk, and he would be satisfied, and they would have avoided any trouble. How convenient!

Since they weren't mortal enemies, they couldn't really fight. If a fight broke out, even Kuro himself might not be able to control it.

That guy was fighting for his life, and he was a swordsman with immense killing power; he might cripple me.

What's the point of winning like that? You get nothing but a worthless title.