Heroic Spirit Template in One Piece Chapter 187: Great Victory Returns, Announcing to the World

On the third day after Caelan sent Gion's team to eliminate the pirates, they returned triumphantly.

The Neo Navy marched through the port of Dressrosa with scores of captured pirates and the treasures looted from them.

This ti, not only did Gion, Nami, and the others contribute, but the Neo Navy as a whole worked hard. Every unit captured a significant number of pirates.

"It's Lord Caelan's navy!"

Crowds gathered at the port, pointing and whispering as they watched the Neo Navy soldiers arrive.

"Wow! They captured so many pirates, that's incredible!"

"I know that one! He attacked my hotown before! He's a monster!"

"I never thought I'd see them in this state. This is so satisfying!"

"Seeing these pirates in such miserable shape makes happier than pulling off a perfect scam!"

"Get lost, if you want to ss around, go do it at ho!"

Seeing so many pirates in chains, the onlookers cheered with joy.

These were vicious pirates who had burned, looted, and killed without remorse. The common folk loathed them to the core.

Now, seeing them bloodied and humiliated, many citizens felt a deep sense of relief.

So who had been victims of pirate attacks burst into tears, thanking the heavens.

"Hero!"

"Hero!"

"Hero!"

The cheers echoed through the port, directed at the Neo Navy.

The soldiers straightened their backs, chests puffed out with pride.

They had never received such treatnt under the World Governnt.

Beyond vengeance against pirates, wasn't this kind of recognition exactly why they beca Marines in the first place?

This lineup was truly fulfilling.

Gion, Nami, and the other won wore bright smiles, enjoying the mont and the overwhelming admiration from the crowd.

The accompanying photographer snapped professional photos of civilians lining the streets, adding more promotional material for both the Neo Navy and the Illuminati.

Caelan also received word of their return and ca to the port to welco them personally.

"Welco back, my heroes!"

Caelan opened his arms and hugged Gion and the others one by one.

When it ca to Hina's turn, he hesitated.

After all, the other girls were already "his," so hugging them wasn't an issue.

Hina, however, wasn't part of his circle yet. Hugging her might be inappropriate.

"Is the Supre Commander really drawing lines between people now?"

Hina didn't hesitate at all and hugged Caelan directly.

What was this? Everyone else could hug him, but she couldn't?

"No, no."

"If you don't mind, I can hug you again."

Caelan thick-skinned as ever, wasn't even slightly embarrassed.

"Hmph. Keep dreaming!"

Hina snorted coldly and turned her head, but the tips of her ears flushed red.

As a 32-year-old single woman, Hina found it hard to resist Caelan's straightforward style.

None of her previous suitors had been this strong, this bold, or this shaless.

Thankfully, Gion broke the tension and reported the situation to Caelan.

"This ti, we wiped out 23 pirate groups of various sizes. We killed over 2,000 enemies and captured 1,132!"

"Send the prisoners to Moria. Let him manage them."

Caelan made the decision on the spot.

Moria had beco the de facto warden, in charge of handling most of the captives. Many forr mbers of the Donquixote Family were already serving under him.

His Shadow-Shadow Fruit made him perfect for the job.

Once a person's shadow was stripped, they couldn't step into sunlight without disintegrating. Escape was nearly impossible.

Better yet, the prisoners could be used twice.

The real bodies stayed in a sunless prison making crafts on sewing machines.

anwhile, their shadows were inserted into corpses to beco part of Moria's zombie workforce, used for outdoor construction.

Double labor, double gains.

Caelan silently gave himself a thumbs-up for spotting such useful talent.

"In addition to the prisoners, we also confiscated a large amount of treasure. The preliminary estimate is around 600 million Berries."

Gion gestured to two large crates and reported the loot.

"These will be converted into funds and used for the Neo Navy's salary reserves."

Caelan only glanced at the boxes before turning his attention elsewhere.

Since he had recruited elite Marines from the G-5 Branch, he was responsible for supporting them.

A temporary burst of enthusiasm could drive people, but they still needed food to survive. Salaries couldn't be skipped.

Besides, with several large inco sources on the horizon, there was no need for him to skim from military funds.

"I see."

Gion looked at Caelan with newfound respect.

She had thought he might pocket the funds, but he instead dedicated them to the navy's payroll.

It seed this man actually had a decent head on his shoulders.

After assigning tasks, Caelan gave the troops ti to rest. Then he sought out Morgans.

With two nations having joined the Illuminati and the Neo Navy already proving its worth, it was ti...

Ti to announce it to the world.

(To be continued.)

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