"My ancestors bled for the World Government and contributed to the Navy Headquarters!"

Stom regained his composure and, disregarding the identity of the person before him, asked directly, "What did I do wrong to be dismissed by the headquarters?"

As for the Navy, Stom couldn't say he liked it much, nor could he say he hated it. After all, this was a world that was worse than bad. In Stom's eyes, the "Navy" was merely an identity, a job. Since it was a job, he didn’t care for it much, but being inexplicably fired was just ridiculous!

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Kuzan scratched his messy hair. "And you weren't fired; you submitted your resignation."

Do you even hear what you're saying? Stom looked at Kuzan in disbelief. What’s the difference between "being fired" and "submitting a resignation"? Does that mean after Stom voluntarily resigns, the Navy Headquarters doesn't need to pay him any extra salary? By the way, does the World Government have a Labor Law?

From Stom's reaction, Kuzan finally realized something. "Didn't Zephyr-sensei explain the reason to you?"

Kuzan lowered his head and rubbed his forehead, a chilling aura radiating from around him. "Ah la la, really, he clearly recommended you to come here..."

Zephyr's recommendation? Stom glanced at the letter in his hand and raised his hand to signal. "Zephyr-sensei just wrote a recommendation letter. He said Admiral Kuzan would explain everything."

"Ah la la."

Kuzan once again uttered his signature phrase. "It will just lead me to extra work. How troublesome!"

Setting aside the facts, isn’t this your own problem? Stom silently scoffed. He had no intention of getting involved in the "conflict" between two generations of Navy Admirals. He silently walked forward, placing the recommendation letter in front of Kuzan, then quickly returned to his original position.

Kuzan took a glance at Stom, opened the letter, and read it quickly. Stom had no idea what exactly Zephyr wrote in that recommendation letter. He only observed that the chilling aura emanating from Kuzan was becoming more intense. The temperature in the Admiral's office was also dropping rapidly. Stom could almost see the mist from his own breath.

"New recruit!"

With a sharp shout, Kuzan suddenly looked up and stared at Stom. "Did you publicly insult the world nobles, the Celestial Dragons, as pigs during boot camp?"

Kuzan's expression was as cold as ancient, unmelting ice. If one were to ignore the ugly green plaid eye patch he wore on his forehead, Kuzan appeared quite intimidating.

"First of all, it wasn't public; it was said in a private conversation." Stom smirked slightly, openly confessing to his past "crime." "Secondly, it wasn't an insult, but an objective description. Finally, I didn't say 'the Celestial Dragons are pigs'; I said 'the Celestial Dragons are scum even worse than pigs.'"

There are Navy personnel who have insulted the Celestial Dragons on the seas. For example, Monkey D. Garp. That old man can publicly insult the Celestial Dragons even in Mariejois. But so what? He is Garp! A hero of the Navy, with a son who is a leader of the Revolutionary Army and a grandson who is about to become the Pirate King. What's wrong with cursing the Celestial Dragons? The World Government has no objections!

But Stom was just a rookie seaman. He insulted the Celestial Dragons, and his superior found out. Stom sighed inwardly. Damn, this could affect my career...

Could Kuzan be planning to "send" me to the Four Seas Branch? If so, then that would truly be—

Awesome!

Kuzan's expression became increasingly serious, and the biting cold seemed to freeze the entire Admiral's office. But in the next moment, the icy atmosphere melted away.

"Pu ha ha ha!"

Kuzan burst into a loud laugh. "New recruit! I think I finally understand why Zephyr-sensei recommended you to the SWORD unit! You're quite interesting!"

SWORD unit? The Navy Headquarters' secret special unit—the Blade Unit?

Stom caught a crucial piece of information from Kuzan's words. He quickly pieced together everything he knew—Zephyr signaled him to come to Kuzan just to recommend him to join the SWORD unit?

"By the way, new recruit—no, Pengele? Let's just call you Stom!" Kuzan wiped the ice particles that had gathered at the corner of his eye and returned to a serious expression. "Do you know about the SWORD unit?"

He knew a little but not much. Stom feigned ignorance and shook his head.

"The SWORD unit, or the Blade Unit," Kuzan began to explain. "This is a secret special unit established by the headquarters, strategically comparable to the Special Science Group led by Dr. Vegapunk. The members of the Blade Unit, simply put, are former Navy personnel who have submitted their resignations. The mission of the Blade Unit is to combat pirates, targeting all pirates, including the Emperor of the Sea! Besides that, the Blade Unit does not need to obey any orders. It's essentially a 'guerrilla' force that can act freely."

Kuzan finished explaining the general situation of the Blade Unit and then fell silent, giving Stom time to digest the information.

To be honest, what Kuzan described was mostly what Stom had already known. The only surprise was that the Blade Unit's strategic position could be compared to the SSG!

SSG, short for "Special Science Group," is an organization that sounds a bit unfamiliar but possesses tremendous combat power. The series of groundbreaking inventions and creations associated with the Special Science Group, such as the "Pacifista," "Laser Gun," "Bubble Shield," "Green Blood," and "Seraphim," have significantly bolstered the Navy Headquarters' scientific forces! Its importance is evident.

How could the Blade Unit compare to the Special Science Group...

But putting that aside, Kuzan seemed to know all about the Blade Unit. Does this mean he is the highest authority in the Blade Unit? Just as Kizaru leads the Navy Headquarters' scientific units, Kuzan, after leaving the Navy, became the tenth captain of Blackbeard's crew.

If Kuzan is the supreme commander of this "guerrilla" unit, then...

Is he an undercover agent?

A series of thoughts raced through Stom's mind.

At that moment, Kuzan continued, "Stom, Zephyr-sensei holds you in high regard in the letter. He believes your personality is well-suited for the Blade Unit."

At this point, Kuzan paused and casually listed a few points from the recommendation letter. "Discipline, hard work, not blindly worshipping authority, and having your own sense of justice."

There was one point Kuzan didn’t mention—that Stom has an absolutely clean family background! Stom's ancestors for three generations have all been in the Navy. Even within the Navy Headquarters, there are not many exceptional and capable seamen like Stom, who bears the "Navy's True Seagull" flag.

The Blade Unit is a secret special unit, and its unique nature dictates that its members must maintain "absolute purity" in their identities. Stom's family background perfectly guarantees this "purity."

Kuzan gazed at Stom and extended an invitation. "New recruit Pengele Stom, do you wish to join the SWORD unit and become a member of this secret unit?"

Stom remained calm and did not rashly agree. Joining the Blade Unit had its pros and cons for him.

As everyone knows, a righteous Navy personnel only needs to obey orders and serve as the World Government's lapdog. But the Blade Unit, which can ignore orders and act freely, involves many more considerations.

"Before I answer this question," Stom said after a moment of silence, "I have a few questions that need to be answered."

Kuzan nodded, indicating it was fine. "Go ahead."

Stom asked first, "The Blade Unit is a secret special unit; how high is its level of confidentiality?"

Kuzan replied simply, "Within the Navy, only the Fleet Admiral and Admirals are authorized to know the complete list of members of the Blade Unit."

Stom pressed further, "What about the World Government?"

"The Government?" Kuzan showed a rather subtle expression. "The Government will not know about the existence of the Blade Unit."

Huh? Is that true?

Stom was extremely surprised. The independence of the Blade Unit is this high? Even the World Government doesn't know about its existence?

With the current information being severely lacking, Stom could only choose to temporarily believe Kuzan's words. He quickly posed a third question.

"Since the Blade Unit can attack the Yonko, what about the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"

Generally speaking, without permission from the highest level—the Five Elders—even the Navy Headquarters cannot easily provoke conflicts with the Yonko. Even minor friction could lead to larger-scale wars.

But the Blade Unit can directly attack the Yonko! This is the uniqueness of the Blade Unit!

If that's the case, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the "official pirates" recognized by the World Government, should also be within the Blade Unit's scope of attack, right?

Kuzan looked deeply at Stom. As an Admiral, how could Kuzan not understand the dangers of the "Seven Warlords of the Sea system" to the Navy and to justice? But that is, after all, the policy of the World Government! It is a special policy implemented to stabilize the maritime order and divide the pirate factions! The Navy Headquarters has no authority to intervene.

But the Blade Unit...

Kuzan slowly nodded. "Yes."

The Blade Unit can attack even the Yonko, so why can’t it take on the Seven Warlords? As for resisting the policies and orders of the World Government...

"But I need to warn you in advance, Stom," Kuzan said seriously. "The headquarters will not be responsible for the actions of Blade Unit members, and they can be dismissed from military service at any time."

If there is a command from the World Government, the Navy Headquarters might even actively erase the existence of Blade Unit members!

"One last question."

Stom was unbothered by Kuzan's warning and instead displayed a relaxed smile. "If I join the Blade Unit, will my salary increase?"

"Of course! The benefits of the Blade Unit are definitely the best among all Navy units!"

Kuzan also smiled. "The Blade Unit welcomes your joining, Pengele Stom."

Stom didn't respond but silently raised his hand in a salute. He was on board with the Blade Unit!

Since Stom was willing to join the Blade Unit, Kuzan had no more unnecessary words to say. He cut to the chase. "To keep it short, the Blade Unit currently needs to carry out a very important mission.

"Not long ago, the dynamics of the New World changed dramatically. Following the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beast Pirates, and the BIG MOM Pirates, another pirate crew has risen.

"Claiming to be the 'Iron Wall Pirates' led by Red-Haired Shanks!

"A fourth Emperor of the Sea has emerged in the New World—Red-Haired Shanks!

"Stom, the mission that the Blade Unit needs to undertake is to gather intelligence on the movements of the pirate emperors in the New World.

"Your mission is—to become a great pirate, infiltrate the New World, and penetrate the inner circles of the Four Emperors!"

Stom tilted his head, gave a thumbs-up, and pointed at himself.

Me? To deal with the Four Emperors?