The moment the name Stella was suddenly mentioned and spoken by Orion, the bitter, unwilling laughter on Tesoro's face abruptly ceased, like a duck being choked.
All the sounds in the entire world—the wind, the distant gasps of the trainees, the terrified breathing of his subordinates—everything vanished in that instant.
In his world, only the name Stella remained.
He abruptly sat up, moving so swiftly it was completely unlike someone who had just been defeated and severely injured.
Rubble and gold dust slid off him, but he paid no heed.
A pair of bloodshot, crimson eyes fixed intently, unwaveringly, on Orion's face.
That gaze was no longer one of madness, no longer of venomous hatred, but an extreme, heart-rending frenzy.
He opened his mouth, his cracked lips trembling, but no sound emerged from him.
A full ten seconds passed.
"Wh... why..."
He finally squeezed out a few words, his voice hoarse, "You... why bring up that name?"
"Why?!"
"Why!!"
"WHY!!"
The last cry was no longer a question but a heart-wrenching roar!
Like a beast utterly enraged, he screamed insanely, his hands grabbing his own hair, tearing at it violently.
"She's already dead!"
Tesoro lifted his head sharply, glaring at Orion with eyes that seemed about to burst from their sockets, his voice filled with a hatred that all the oceans could never wash away.
"Killed by those self-proclaimed gods, the Celestial Dragons you protect!"
He extended a trembling finger, pointing shakily toward the direction of the Red Line, his face contorted to the extreme.
"You'd better kill me today! Orion!"
"Otherwise! Sooner or later! I will make them pay a hundredfold! A thousandfold!"
"I'll make the entire Holy Land! All the Celestial Dragons! Burried with Stella!"
His frenzied roars echoed over the ruins, every word soaked in blood and despair.
Orion wasn't angered by Tesoro's sudden madness, merely watching him quietly.
His handsome face no longer bore the usual gentle smile, yet showed not a trace of fury at Tesoro's frenzy.
Calm.
Like an ancient well of unfathomable depth, no ripple would stir no matter how large a stone was cast.
Tesoro also noticed Orion's expression.
His frenzied movements abruptly halted.
The next second, scrambling on all fours like a wounded stray dog, he crawled through the rubble to Orion's feet.
Kneeling there, he lifted his head, his distorted face nearly pressing against Orion's knees.
Tilting his head, he examined Orion's face with bloodshot eyes, as if searching for something.
"Where is the smile on your face?"
He spoke neurotically, his voice sharp and eerie, "Smile! Why aren't you smiling!"
"You're the Fleet Admiral! The Marine Fleet Admiral who can execute Celestial Dragons with a flick of your hand!"
"Smile! Why won't you smile!"
He roared like a madman, trying to find even a flicker of emotion on that serene face.
But he failed.
That face remained terrifyingly calm.
Tesoro's roars gradually faded, replaced by a near-delirious muttering.
"You should smile."
"You have the right to smile."
His voice grew softer, lighter, filled with boundless desolation and self-mockery, "Because you command the Marines, the Fleet Admiral who made the Holy Land's Celestial Dragons bow their heads."
After uttering the final word, as if all strength had drained from his body, his head drooped and his entire form collapsed, slumping like mud at Orion's feet.
Seeing him finally quiet down, Orion sighed softly.
"Leave."
"If you truly can make the Holy Land's Celestial Dragons pay with their lives for Stella—"
"I will grant you that opportunity!"
With that, Orion stood up decisively and, accompanied by Hancock and Morgan, turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.
Just then.
"Fleet Admiral Orion!"
Tesoro suddenly lifted his head, his voice no longer mad or hoarse, but carrying a heart-wrenching sob.
Gone was his previous frenzy, his eyes now terrifyingly clear yet terrifyingly hollow.
"Why... did you only appear now!"
He shouted, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"If you had appeared earlier... before Stella was captured by the Celestial Dragons..."
"Would Stella... perhaps..."
"not have died?"
Orion paused, and after a brief two-second silence, glanced back at Tesoro who's kneeling helplessly in the ruins like a lost child.
"I'm sorry."
"I arrived too late!"
BOOM!
Those simple words of apology shattered Tesoro's last remaining mental defenses.
The next moment, he could no longer suppress his inner collapse.
Covering his face, he wailed like a child.
Years of suppressed pain, hatred, despair, resentment...
In this moment, all transformed into mournful tears, bursting forth like a broken dam.
"Stella—"
He let out an agonized cry to the heavens, the sorrow in his voice enough to move any who heard it to tears.
Orion's expression shifted slightly.
He let out a soft, inward sigh before speaking slowly.
"What has happened in the past, I, the Fleet Admiral, cannot change it."
"But from the moment I became the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the tragedies of the Celestial Dragons hunting innocent civilians for sport and forcibly taking women as slaves will no longer occur."
"The era where the Celestial Dragons enjoyed all privileges will also cease to exist."
"Of course, I will never allow evil to run rampant across these seas any longer."
"Considering you have yet to commit grave sins, I will grant you a chance at redemption."
At this point, Orion turned to face Tesoro directly and said decisively.
"Will you bow your head to me?"
Tesoro's heart-wrenching sobs abruptly ceased.
He lifted his head sharply, his reddened, tear-filled eyes staring at Orion in disbelief.
"There's no need to answer immediately. I'll give you one month. If, after that time, you can move past your past experiences, come to Marine Headquarters."
"Of course, if you choose to retire from the world entirely, I will respect that decision as well."
"On one condition—you must not commit evil!"
Orion's gaze suddenly turned icy as his hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Otherwise, the next time you face judgment, it will not be at the hands of these trainees."
"It will be by the blade at my waist!"
With that, Orion did not linger. He turned and strode toward the port, accompanied by Hancock and Morgan.
Squads of Marine soldiers quickly followed, carrying the unconscious or severely wounded trainees on stretchers behind Orion.
Tesoro remained kneeling in place, motionless, until the last trainee was carried onto the ship and the training vessel's moorings were cast off.
Baccarat, Tanaka, and the others approached silently, standing behind Tesoro with complex expressions as they watched the departing Marine training ship.
They watched as the ship slowly sailed out of the harbor and disappeared beyond the horizon under the cover of night.
The twisted, sorrowful expression on Tesoro's face gradually faded.
In its place was an unprecedented calm and solemnity.
He slowly rose to his feet, straightening his posture.
Under the astonished gazes of all his subordinates, he raised his right hand and saluted crisply in the direction where the training ship had vanished.
After a long moment, still holding the salute, he looked up at the distant night sky and murmured softly.
"Stella, if only we could have met in this era—"
"How wonderful that would have been."