Especially now, since he had to add Ian as well.
The Egoistic Justice had spread with these incidents, and although he tried suppressing it as much as possible, many marines at headquarters still recognized his justice.
Perhaps just as Zephyr had said… If that guy had really joined the Marines back then, his brand of justice might really have influenced the entire headquarters, just like Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki.
Thinking of this, Sengoku felt a surge of anger, but quickly forced himself to calm down.
Things had already reached this point, and those people had already been sent to military court.
What was the use of talking about this now?
Sengoku swirled his newly refilled wine glass as he frowned in thought, a complex glimmer in his eyes.
There was reflection, melancholy, and a deep sense of release.
"Still not going out to sea?"
"So be it! Stay hidden like a little rat!"
With those words, Sengoku raised his glass. Clearly, no one sat before him, yet it was as though he were toasting someone.
After pausing the glass in the air, he drained it in one gulp.
"Don't ever appear on the sea again."
...
"Smoker, the 315th Branch is yours now!"
"Got it, so get lost already!"
Faced with the overly friendly senior, Smoker gave him no face at all and even urged him impatiently. "You're supposed to head to the New World's G-5 branch."
"Aiya, I'm just a bit reluctant, that's all."
Captain Enchi wasn't bothered at all by Smoker's impatience, and he continued cheerfully: "Oh, right, the Sibia River Archipelago was only oppressed by the rebel Ian."
His expression darkened as he raised his hand angrily. "That damn vile criminal dared to oppress civilians in my jurisdiction. It was my fault for not noticing in time. Please don't be too harsh on those villagers!"
"This kind of matter has nothing to do with you anymore. How I handle it is my own judgment!"
Smoker glanced meaningfully at Enchi, then removed the cigar from his mouth and flicked it.
"What you need to do now is get lost. From now on, I'm in charge of the Sibia River Archipelago."
"I know, I know! Hahaha! As expected of the marine troublemaker, you really don't give your senior any face at all!"
Enchi laughed loudly. Then, without further words, he waved his hand.
"Let's go! Don't stand here blocking my junior's sight."
"Yes, Captain Enchi!"
With Enchi's order, his subordinates immediately began packing their supplies and boarding their warship before starting its engines.
After making sure the warship was ready, Enchi leaned in toward Smoker again, lowered his voice, and said: "I hid a few bottles of good wine in the drawer under my office desk; consider them a gift to you, junior."
Smoker: "...?!"
Smoker's eyelid twitched, but before he could respond…
"Hahaha!"
Enchi burst out laughing, boarded the warship, and slowly sailed away from the 315th Branch harbor with his men.
When they had sailed some distance away, a trace of reluctance flashed in Enchi's eyes.
Silent, he watched the 315th Branch until it grew smaller in the distance.
Only then did he exhale heavily and chuckle: "I didn't expect I could actually get promoted and get a raise! Hahaha! Let's go, let's see what the New World is like! Hopefully, we won't die right upon entering the New World like that bastard Ian said!"
He then lifted his head slightly, gazing at the sun above, as if saying something in his heart.
Also… see you in the New World, Ian.
...
At the same time, watching Enchi's warship disappear, Smoker's expression darkened.
"That damned bastard!"
"Are you talking about Captain Enchi, Captain Smoker? Captain Enchi was quite decent. At least our handover went very smoothly. I heard many seniors at Marine Headquarters say that some officers cling desperately to their territories and refuse to leave, and even if they leave, they intentionally cause trouble for their replacements."
Tashigi pushed her glasses while speaking with emotion. "I thought we'd face that situation too, but it went surprisingly smoothly!"
"Hmph!"
Smoker snorted coldly at her words, then turned away without commenting further. "Prepare the warship. I'm heading to the Sibia River Archipelago!"
"The Sibia River Archipelago? The rebel's hometown?"
"That's right!"
Smoker took the cigar from his lips and flicked it, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he sneered. "I want to see for myself how that rebel oppressed his own homeland."
…
Ian wasn't aware of what had happened within the Marines, nor did he know that Captain Enchi had already left.
After discussing matters and deciding to hand over the new winery project to Grado to handle, he returned to his usual daily life.
Helping out, sleeping late, waking late, training.
Aside from some minor fuss from Grado's side, life seemed to have returned to its previous peaceful rhythm.
And time quietly passed within this peaceful routine.
As time went on, the construction on the Island of Ohara became more and more complete, and Ain's belly grew larger and larger.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
Spring passed into summer, summer into autumn, and before he knew it, another year was nearing its end.
When the sun was about to set, Ian stopped what he was doing. He picked up the clothes beside him, shook them out, and put them back on.
Instantly, his swelling muscles stretched the shirt tight.
"Did I get bigger again?"
Ian glanced at the tight shirt, but didn't care and just planned to buy new ones later. Lifting the axe from the ground, he turned and walked toward home.
Although the sun hadn't set yet, with Ain about to give birth, he had been coming home early these days.
Not just him, even Zephyr hadn't gone out the past few days.
But as he passed the harbor, he sensed something and turned his head, looking toward the top of the lookout tower.
Sure enough, he saw a figure wearing a hat and bare-chested, quietly sitting on top of the lookout tower, watching the sunset.
Ian hesitated for a moment, then used Moonwalk, heading straight for the top of the tower. Once he reached it, he sat down beside the figure and said calmly, "Quite relaxed, huh? Didn't train today?"
"Huh, Mr. Ian, you came too?"
Seeing that it was Ian, Ace smiled happily. "Hehehe, I didn't train today. I'm taking a break."
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