North Blue, Chaniaral Island.
The heavy Marine warship cut through the waves, sailing slowly into the harbor.
The sky was painted in shades of orange and purple as the setting sun cast a warm glow over the metal hull of the ship.
On the deck, sailors moved quickly.
They dropped the heavy iron anchor into the water with a loud splash, tied the ship securely to the dock, and lowered the wooden gangplank.
A messenger walked up to the Commander's door and knocked gently.
"Commander Raleigh, we have arrived at Chaniaral Island," the messenger called out softly.
Inside the office, a groan was heard.
"Hmm? So soon?"
Raleigh rubbed his eyes, sitting up in his chair.
He felt confused.
He only remembered eating his lunch at noon and deciding to rest his eyes for a few minutes. How had the entire afternoon passed by so quickly?
Suddenly, a transparent screen that only he could see popped up in his mind.
[Sleeping during work hours: Slacking Points +400]
Raleigh sighed.
Although he enjoyed slacking off and gaming the system, sleeping the day away always felt like a bit of a waste. He stretched his arms, hearing his joints pop.
"I could have spent the afternoon talking to Gion," he muttered to himself. "Instead, I just napped. Sigh, I really need to change this habit of sleeping during the day."
He stood up and walked to the coat rack.
He grabbed his white Marine coat, decorated with the word 'Justice' on the back, and draped it over his shoulders.
"After all," he thought with a grin, "flirting at work is also a form of slacking off. I need to diversify my methods."
Raleigh pushed open the office door and walked out onto the deck.
He looked down at the port and paused. He was surprised to see a familiar figure waiting on the dock.
It was Alice.
He hadn't expected Alice to come all the way to the port to greet him personally. If it were up to Raleigh, he would have been happy to let his subordinates handle the welcome.
He didn't like making a big fuss.
"Let's go," Raleigh said, leading Gion and a squad of Marine soldiers down the gangplank.
As soon as their boots touched the stone pavement of the port, Gion stopped.
She looked around, her eyes wide with shock.
"Raleigh," Gion exclaimed, looking left and right. "This place... it seems completely different from the last time we were here."
She was right.
The last time they had visited Chaniaral Island, it was a disaster zone. The local Mafia had been out of control, and crime was happening on every street corner.
Raleigh had come here specifically to deal with the Mafia problem after he took office.
Back then, Chaniaral Island was chaotic.
It was a paradise for criminals.
The buildings at the port were broken and covered in bullet holes. The streets were filled with mountains of garbage, bad smells, and sometimes even dead bodies from gang fights.
But now? It was like a different world.
While it wasn't as perfect and shiny as the Marine Base in the North Blue, the port was surprisingly clean.
The road extending from the docks was sweeping and tidy.
In the past, the market stalls had been crowded and messy, blocking the road.
Now, every stall was numbered. The merchants were operating in an orderly line. The garbage that used to cover the ground was gone, and the stone streets looked like they had been scrubbed.
"Hiss..." Raleigh scratched his head, looking just as confused as Gion. "What in the world is going on here?"
Before he could guess, a young woman in a neat suit stepped forward.
"Raleigh-sama, you have finally arrived," Alice said. Her voice was full of respect. "Your loyal servant, Alice of the Salisbury Family, awaits your presence."
She bowed deeply, almost bending perfectly in half.
Raleigh blinked.
He was taken aback by her super-formal speech.
"Who taught you to speak like that?" Raleigh asked with a frown.
He reached out and flicked her forehead firmly with his finger. Thwack.
"Ouch! Raleigh-sama!" Alice cried out.
She immediately dropped her formal act, covering her forehead with both hands. She squatted on the ground, looking up at him with a sulking expression.
Raleigh ignored her grumbling for a moment.
He turned to his soldiers. "You are dismissed for the evening. Go relax in the town, but stay out of trouble."
The soldiers cheered and dispersed, happy to have some free time.
As the sun fully disappeared below the horizon, the sky turned dark blue.
One by one, the street lamps flickered to life, casting a warm yellow light over the clean streets.
Raleigh began walking toward the town center, with Alice trailing behind him.
She still looked like a bullied child and keep rubbing her forehead.
Gion watched Alice's cute expression and couldn't resist. She reached out and pinched Alice's soft cheek.
"Gion-san!" Alice whined. "Why are you bullying children just like Raleigh-sama?"
Gion pretended not to hear her, turning her face away to hide her smile.
Alice looked resentful, feeling like everyone was picking on her today.
"Alice, answer me seriously," Raleigh said, interrupting their playing. "Why has Chaniaral Island changed so much? It hasn't been that long since we left."
Hearing Raleigh's question, Alice's mood instantly changed.
She stood up straighter and puffed out her chest with pride.
"All of this is thanks to you, Raleigh-sama!" she declared.
"My doing?" Raleigh stopped walking. "I don't remember doing anything like this."
He really had no idea how the island's economic boom was related to him.
He had spent most of his time napping or training.
Seeing Raleigh's confused face, Alice explained eagerly. "Raleigh-sama, do you remember how you eliminated the Mesfield Family a few months ago? After that battle, our Salisbury Family became the only Mafia family left on the island."
Raleigh nodded slowly. "Of course I remember."
It had only been a few months, so he hadn't forgotten.
The Salisbury Family was the first group to submit to him in the North Blue, so he had stepped in to help them when the Mesfield Family attacked.
"That is true," Raleigh said, "but I don't recall giving orders to clean the streets or organize the stalls."
Alice looked at Raleigh with shining eyes, full of admiration.
"After you left, Uncle Rex told me something important," Alice said. "He said that if we wanted to make the Salisbury Family strong, we had to follow the Marines closely. We had to cling to your coattails!"
She continued, speaking faster because of her excitement. "You saved us and wiped out all the other gangs. Because of that, the Salisbury Family took complete control of the island. There is no one left to fight us!"
Alice looked like she wanted to jump up and hug him, or maybe blow him a kiss, but she held back because Gion was watching closely.
Raleigh listened and started to understand.
Gion, however, still looked a bit puzzled.
Raleigh sighed and pointed toward a night market nearby.
A man in a black suit—a Salisbury member—was standing guard quietly, not bothering anyone.
"Gion, look at that," Raleigh said. "Before our operation, there were many different Mafia families here. They fought every single day over territory, money, and power. That fighting scared away customers and destroyed the town."
Raleigh gestured to the busy stalls. "But now, only the Salisbury Family is left. There are no enemies to fight. Without gang wars, the civilians are safe. They can open their shops and spend money without fear."
"For a Mafia family to make real money, they need the town to function," Raleigh explained simply.
"It seems the Salisbury Family realized that peace is more profitable than war."
He looked around the bustling street. "Chaniaral Island always had potential. It has a good port and resources. The only thing stopping it before was the chaos. Now that the Salisbury Family has a monopoly and isn't suppressing the people, the economy has doubled in just a few months."
Raleigh smiled and patted Alice on the head.
"Well done, Alice."
Alice beamed under the praise, her earlier sulking completely forgotten.
Gion stood there, staring blankly at the scene.
It was familiar, yet so strange.
She listened to Raleigh's explanation and felt a mix of emotions.
She knew the truth.
The Marine Headquarters was aware that Raleigh was cooperating with the Mafia.
Both she and Tokikake had reported it.
However, in their reports, they had downplayed the connection, focusing instead on how stable and peaceful the region had become.
As a Marine who believed in justice, it was hard for Gion to accept working with criminals.
But looking at the clean streets and the happy people, she couldn't deny the results.
'Raleigh,' she thought, looking at his back, 'your way of doing things... it might be surpassing the understanding of our entire generation.'