unlocked the secret of Devil Fruit power transmission.This was a pleasant surprise.During this period, the system of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had not yet been established, and the prototype of th...On the other side.

Three flying squirrels, accompanied by hundreds of navy soldiers, marched through the bustling town streets, heading towards Sir Eldes' residence.

Gion looked heavy with thought, watching the silhouette of the flying squirrel walking ahead.

She had a feeling something was off, suspecting that Darren had intentionally separated her and Gage so he could act alone.

"Big sister, you are so beautiful."

At this moment, a childish voice rang out from beside her, interrupting the depths of Gion's thoughts.

Gion was startled, and turned away.

Coming into view was a little girl in a simple floral dress, carrying a backpack on her back. Inside it were several wrapped red roses.

The little girl looked to be only seven or eight years old. She had big, bright eyes and politely bowed towards Gion. She said:

"Do you want to buy flowers"

Looking at the little girl's adorable appearance, Jiyuan's heart almost melted. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she crouched down and stroked the child's hair.

"Little sister, how much did this flower cost you"

As if she had seen the long sword hanging at the waist of a geisha, the little girl spoke timidly:

"Sister, 200 berries, can you"

Gion giggled,

"This shouldn't be asked of me,"

Noting the little girl's gaze, she smiled gently.

"Don't worry, sister is a navy sailor, she's here to protect you."

"Sister, this knife is only to be used against bad people."

Little girl: "Really"

Gion nodded and smiled.

Of course, that's what we Navy do.

She looked at the flowers the little girl was carrying.

"Give me one."

As she spoke, Gion took out 200 berries and put them in the little girl's hand.

The little girl looked up in surprise, then awkwardly set down her schoolbag. With a serious expression, she carefully began to choose.

"Well, this one is the most beautiful."

She selected the most vibrant red rose, holding it high with both hands and offering it to Gion.

"Gion received it, and smilingly asked,"

"Little sister, why are you selling flowers at such a young age"

The little girl smiled sweetly and replied:

"Lily is big enough now to help Daddy."

She looked at the roses in her backpack with pride on her face.

"This is the flower my dad planted. It's as beautiful as my sister!"

Gion smiled.

"So that's how it is. Is your father a flower farmer"

Where's your mother

"Mom…" The little girl's eyes dimmed. "Mom is sick, Dad told me she went to a very, very far place to get treatment."

Gion was taken aback, a flicker of sadness crossing her eyes. Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Then the little girl turned her body and looked at Jiaji beside her. She politely bowed and asked:

"Uncle, would you like to buy some flowers"

His face darkened.

His eyes twitched, he crouched down, and plastered a self-satisfied, friendly smile on his face.

"Little sister, I'm not even 20 years old yet. You should call me brother."

The little girl's eyes widened in surprise as she scrutinized the man before her. He wore a brown hat and was smoking a cigarette. After a moment of contemplation, she firmly shook her head.

"No, Uncle, you don't look like my brother, you look like my uncle."

In addition: ...

He gritted his teeth and forced a stiff smile.

"Little sister, if you call me brother, I'll buy all your flowers."

The little girl's eyes lit up, but she quickly became conflicted. A pair of fair, small hands kept fidgeting in front of her, and her face was full of grievance:

Although Lia really wanted to sell all the flowers... but Dad told me we can't lie.

Bang!

and then he fell headfirst to the ground.

He got back up and snarled.

"Damn it!! Open your eyes and look, I'm only 19 years old!!"

He shrieked in frenzy.

"Alright, alright..." Ginyoen, seeing the little girl's pitiable state of near tears, kicked Gakkei away with a frustrated kick. Then she crouched down and patted the little girl's head.

"Although that uncle might look a little scary, he's actually a good person. There's no need to be afraid."

The little girl blinked her big eyes and nodded dumbly.

She immediately spread out the 200 beli she had earned selling flowers in Gion, counting them clumsily with her hands. Then, she put 40 beli into her left pocket and the remaining 160 beli into her right pocket.

Gion, noticing the situation, curiously asked:

"Why are you dividing the money up"

The little girl said earnestly:

"Dad said that part of our income has to be paid up, so those people with weapons won't come and bother us."

Gion's face changed slightly.

At this moment, a man ran over anxiously, grabbed the little girl's hand, and bowed to Gion with some fear:

"I'm so, so sorry, Admiral. Leia was out of line and spoke rudely."

After uttering those words, he scooped up his daughter and fled like a man escaping for his life.

"Big sister goodbye!! Uncle goodbye!!"

The little girl in her father's arms waved happily at Gion and Kake.

"Damn it!! I told you I'm your brother, not your uncle!!"

Furthermore, he added resentfully.

Gion watched the departing figures of the father and daughter, as if she had suddenly realized something.

Part of the revenue was surrendered... People wielding weapons... Taxes...

Let me know if you need anything else translated!

She furrowed her brows and strode forward, intercepting the squirrel who was directing his subordinates in deploying tasks not far away.

"Sergeant Flying Squirrel, you tell me, isn't Darren up to something shady again! "

Gion had a stern look on her face.

The flying squirrel looked at the stern-faced Gion before him and said with a headache:

"As the highest ranking officer of the entire North Sea Navy, Commander Gillian Shao, commander of Darren Base, naturally has things to attend to."

As his adjutants, our primary responsibility is to carry out his orders.

"The most important task before us now is to carry out the security work for Sir Eldred."

"Gion shook her head stubbornly."

“No, I want to know what Darren is up to.”

Since the headquarters' orders have been issued, Malin Vando must have already contacted the governor of Bathia Island, so Darren doesn't need to go there in person for the handover.

Since the mission to protect Sir Eldred is so important, Darren, as the first person in charge of the operation, should not leave at all.

She gritted her teeth and asked:

"Darren... isn't he the one who goes to the mayor and collects those Mafia families' taxes!"

The flying squirrel was taken aback, a touch of surprise in its heart.

Although Gion's thoughts are often quite naive, she is indeed very clever, having guessed Darren's purpose.

"I knew it!"

Gion clenched her fists tightly.

From the flying squirrel's reaction, she had received a definite answer.

How could you do this! While the Mafia's influence on civilians isn't as large as that of pirates, their presence still subjects them to oppression and exploitation!!

Gion angrily asked:

"Darren is hopeless... that depraved, corrupt bastard is beyond saving!"

But, Lieutenant Colonel Flying Squirrel, how could you be like him, colluding with the Mafia family!

"We are the righteous navy! Our duty is to protect civilians, not to oppress and exploit them!"

She had wanted to question Darren about it long ago, but the sudden war that Germa 66 had started interrupted her.

The flying squirrel looked into the eyes of the Gion, seeing the anger and determination within. Suddenly, it let out a long sigh.

What a truly admirable belief... It's a shame though, in a place like the North Sea, pure justice is the most useless thing.

"Lieutenant Gion, have you seen this street"

He didn't answer directly, but instead pointed to the street ahead.

"Could you tell me what you saw"

Gion was stunned for a moment, and her eyes widened.

On both sides of the street, shops lined up, displaying a dazzling array of goods. People flowed like water. Young parents took their children to play, and laughter echoed everywhere.

A peaceful and tranquil scene.

"Peace." For some reason, Gion's voice was a little lower.

"Yes," the flying squirrel shook its head,

But you don't know, a year ago, this street was Batti Island's notorious criminal alley.

“This place was once teeming with con men, thugs, swindlers, murderers... filled with darkness and chaos that a genius like you from Marin Vando would never be able to imagine.”

That was a hospital.

"That place used to be a shelter for refugees and homeless people."

He then pointed towards the direction of the port where they had landed in the distance.

"We anchored in the port where warships were docked. In its original form, it was a sewer filled with corpses."

The road we walked over, a year ago, was a stinking dump.

Looking at the gradually changing expressions of Gion and Kage, the flying squirrel let out a long sigh:

"Bataria Island was once one of the most chaotic transit points on the North Sea."

Pirates wreak havoc and plunder with impunity, and dozens of Mafia families, big and small, run rampant here.

Gunshots ring out almost every day here, and the crime rate on this entire island exceeds 30%. More than half of the children end up joining gangs, scammers, mafia, and gamblers before they even become adults for all sorts of reasons.

"The bustling island of Battia, in a way, is a breeding ground for evil."

“This… how is this possible…” Gion and Kage muttered, their faces pale.

They looked at the bustling, thriving island before them and couldn't connect it to the dirty, chaotic picture described by the flying squirrel.

"Why hasn't the Beihai Navy come to quell this over these past years" Ji Yuan suddenly gritted her teeth.

"Of course there are troops to be sent."

A mocking smile played at the corners of the flying squirrel's mouth.

During Sakaski's tenure as Rear Admiral, he led numerous campaigns to eradicate pirates and Mafia members, resulting in countless casualties.

Of course, this process also led to the death of many civilians and officials, and it triggered a lot of political pressure, ultimately leading to his transfer to the headquarters.

"But... at least it's effective, right" Gion added.

"The effect No... the situation on Batty Island has gotten even worse," said the flying squirrel, his expression rather complex.

"This is impossible!" Both Gion and Kakekata retorted in unison.

Since Sakaski is leading an army to quell the rebellion, it will certainly have a deterrent effect no matter what.

How could things possibly get worse on Battiala Island

They couldn't believe it.

"This is really hard to believe. If I weren't the one who experienced it, I probably wouldn't believe it either, but that's just the way it is."

The flying squirrel sighed:

Because pirates and mafia families, are endless... at least in this North Sea.

"Less than half a year after Major General Sakaski's powerful deployment, a massive influx of thugs, criminals, swindlers, pirates, and mafia members... once again swarmed this bustling trade island like locusts, turning it into a lawless den of chaos."

In fact, no one can solve these problems.

Neither Major General Polusalino's 'leniency' policy nor Major General Sakaski's 'iron fist' policy worked.

"—Until a year ago, when Darren was promoted to the head of Branch 321."

The flying squirrel said softly, mentioning that name, his eyes gradually filled with deep respect.

He brought the navy's might to bear, crushing the rampant pirates and Mafia families that plagued this region, leaving behind only two Mafia families who were then given clearly demarcated territories.

"He once told me, 'Pirates, the Mafia... these things can never be eradicated completely, no matter what era. The key to governing is control, at least in this North Sea.'..."

After keeping two relatively easy-to-control Mafia families, Colonel Darren let go completely, allowing them to maintain a state of hostile equilibrium and unifying the island's underworld.

Therefore, with the situation finally stabilizing, both families, driven by self-interest and fearing Colonel Darren's bloody purge, entered into a peaceful cooperation.

"...There are no more gang shootouts, civilians can rest and recuperate, Battia Island's economy and trade have developed in the long term, and the city's appearance has undergone a earth-shaking transformation. The original crime rate of over 30% has dropped to below 5%..."

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···e sky, not looking at the road beneath his feet.Then,He accidentally stepped into a hole.Bang!A dog came out of nowhere and started digging in the dirt.Two sandals flew out, hairy legs dangling in the...