In the end, they didn't make it to Shimotsuki Village. Finn didn't get to visit the Isshin Dojo, meet Mr. Koshiro, or see Kuina, who was probably only one or two years old by now.
But this wasn't a particularly important matter. Finn didn't harbor too many regrets. If there was an opportunity in the future, he could always come back.
After returning to Windmill Village, Finn picked up Garp, Hina, and Bell-mère, along with Nami, Nojiko, Ace, and Luffy. The warship then set course for Mary Geoise.
It wasn't particularly far to travel directly from Windmill Village to Mary Geoise, but by the time the warship arrived at the Holy Land, quite some time had passed.
"Is this Mary Geoise?" Bell-mère stood atop the Red Line, gazing at the prosperous Holy Land with visible emotion.
She was a genuine East Blue country bumpkin. She was almost twenty-one this year. She'd served as a Marine for four years and had never once left the East Blue.
She'd originally been preparing to retire, but had suddenly been noticed by a Marine Admiral. Now, inexplicably, she was supposed to live at Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
The country girl's life trajectory had changed dramatically overnight.
She'd never imagined that her first stop after leaving the East Blue would be the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
People who'd never been to Mary Geoise still held a very positive impression and high expectations of the so-called Holy Land.
Especially in the East Blue, where the World Government's operations ran deepest. The East Blue was known as the Sea of Peace. Therefore, people from the East Blue generally held a higher degree of favorability toward the World Government.
Bell-mère hadn't encountered too many bad things in her life, so she maintained a good level of trust in the World Government. Now that she was seeing Mary Geoise with her own eyes, she was naturally extremely excited.
But soon, Hina stepped up beside her and said, "Bell-mère, as someone who's been here before, I want to remind you that it's best not to set foot in Mary Geoise casually in the future..."
Bell-mère, who had been excited just moments ago, looked at Hina with some surprise.
Finn, standing nearby, also laughed inwardly. What a veteran you are! The last time you came here, you weren't much better than Bell-mère!
Hina put on an experienced air, gazing at the prosperous Mary Geoise in the distance. Her eyes took on a slightly 'deep' look, and her tone deliberately lowered. "Where there is light, there must be shadow. Beneath the prosperity of Mary Geoise, countless jaw-dropping crimes are hidden..."
Why does that sound so familiar? Hey, you just copied that directly from me, didn't you?
Bell-mère was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise, "Crimes? Not here, surely. Isn't this a Holy Land?"
"Well, anyway, Mary Geoise is very dangerous. If a beautiful single mother like you gets noticed by some noble or Celestial Dragon, you'll be in serious trouble. Just don't come to Mary Geoise alone without us!" Hina said quickly.
At that moment, Garp walked over casually, nodded, and said, "Bell-mère, Hina's right. Mary Geoise isn't a good place, and the Celestial Dragons are a bunch of trash. Running into them is very troublesome. Basically, don't come here alone without us."
Wait. You're a Marine Hero. Is it really appropriate to say things like that?
Constantly calling the Celestial Dragons trash is a capital offense, right?
Are all the Marines at Headquarters this arrogant now?
Although she was surprised, seeing the Marine Hero say such things, and the Admiral beside her lighting a cigar with a completely nonchalant expression, Bell-mère realized that this so-called Holy Land of Mary Geoise might truly be hiding a lot of darkness and evil she was unaware of.
Bell-mère wasn't a fool. There was no reason for her to disobey when she was being warned, especially since she had four children to raise.
So she said seriously, "I understand."
After a brief pause, she smiled again and said, "Come to think of it, I have to take care of Nojiko, Nami, Ace, and Luffy, so I usually won't have time to leave Marineford anyway."
"Now that you've got four little ones to take care of, you'll definitely be too busy to grow oranges. Besides, I haven't found suitable land at Marineford yet," Garp said, scratching his chin.
If Bell-mère returned to Cocoyasi Village, a remote little village with vast land and a sparse population, it would be no problem for her to build an orange grove.
But Marineford was a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. It had been developed extensively over the past few hundred years. It really was difficult to establish an orange plantation there.
Even if Garp was a Marine Hero, it wasn't easy for him to arrange such a thing.
Bell-mère smiled. "There's no rush about that. Indeed, if I have to take care of four children, I may not have enough time to grow oranges anyway."
"Well, I'll give you Ace and Luffy's living expenses on time," Garp nodded.
He didn't say he'd cover all of Bell-mère's expenses at once.
It wasn't that he didn't have money. Garp was well compensated at Marineford and had a good salary. Besides, he basically had no need to spend money. The Marines' benefits covered everything.
But during this period of contact, he'd also realized that although Bell-mère was young, she was a very strong-willed person. It would be inappropriate to say too much. He just needed to take care of her more in daily life.
Bell-mère nodded. "No problem."
At that moment, Finn suddenly seemed to have thought of something and said, "Oh, by the way, isn't Mr. Po planning to retire soon?"
"Huh, Po? That guy is quitting?" Garp asked in surprise.
"Yeah. He said his legs are becoming increasingly inconvenient, and he's getting old, so he's preparing to return to his hometown in the West Blue. He's made a lot of money over the years. I heard he bought a mansion in his hometown's capital, and even purchased a baron title. He'll be a noble lord when he returns. Hahahaha," Finn laughed.
Gion, standing nearby, also laughed when she heard this. "He suddenly went from tavern owner to noble lord? Mr. Po's life really is quite exciting..."
"That guy made a fortune," Garp nodded in agreement.
When Boss Po was young, he'd been a Rear Admiral in the Marines. Although that was the second-lowest flag officer rank, with only Commodore below it, he was still considered a senior figure at Marineford.
Therefore, he had an extensive network of contacts. He knew the Fleet Admiral, Admiral Sengoku, and Garp also had a good relationship with him.
If he hadn't injured his leg and been forced to retire, and if he'd developed normally, he'd probably be a powerful Vice Admiral by now.
However, even though he'd retired due to injury, he'd opened a tavern at Marineford with the help of a group of comrades. This tavern, named "Marine Club," had become the favorite tavern of Marineford's Marines.
Although there was no threshold to enter the tavern, most of the Marines knew that this was the place where flag officers most often gathered. Occasionally, you could even see Admiral Finn and Admiral Sengoku coming here to drink.
You could imagine how good the tavern's business was.
The Marines' welfare benefits were very high, especially for officers at flag rank. Living in Marineford, they basically had nowhere to spend their money. Those who frequently went to the tavern were also mostly single, and most had no families.
So they had plenty of Berries to spend.
No one knew exactly how much money Boss Po had earned over the years, but he was definitely a low-key hidden millionaire.
"Boss Po is leaving. We can take over the Marine Club, let Bell-mère be the manager, and hire a few servers for her. Then we can all make money together," Finn said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Garp's expression brightened. "That's right! Bell-mère is someone we all trust. If she becomes the manager, we won't have to worry about embezzlement."
Bell-mère was in a daze for a moment before she came to her senses, a slightly moved look in her eyes.
Don't be fooled by Finn and Garp constantly talking about making money.
She knew very well that for people of Finn and Garp's status, Berries and wealth were no longer important.
With their power and position, money was within easy reach.
These offers were all about taking care of Bell-mère.
Of course, she wouldn't refuse such a generous opportunity, so she smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of your money."
"Hahahaha..." Everyone laughed.
In this way, Bell-mère had to temporarily set aside her dream of growing oranges and change careers to become a tavern proprietress.
Just as Finn and the others were discussing this, Sakazuki's sturdy figure also walked over from a distance.
When he saw Finn and his group, his normally stiff expression showed obvious surprise, and his eyes were full of confusion.
Why are Gion and Garp here?
That would be fine, but there was also this unfamiliar woman...
That wasn't too surprising either, but the real question was: why are you bringing four little kids with you?
We're going to fight Kaido!
This isn't a kindergarten field trip, okay?
Can you be serious?
"Ah, Sakazuki!" Finn waved to Sakazuki from a distance.
Although Sakazuki was confused, he nodded and walked over.
"Finn, what's all this?" After Sakazuki approached, he asked with some bewilderment.
"Ah, let me explain. These are Vice Admiral Garp's two grandsons, these are Vice Admiral Garp's two granddaughters, and this is Bell-mère, the mother of Vice Admiral Garp's grandsons and granddaughters..." Finn introduced.
What kind of introduction is this?
But as expected, Garp didn't refute Finn's claim that Nami and Nojiko were his granddaughters. He even looked quite pleased.
Although Bell-mère was slightly surprised, seeing how happy Garp was, she certainly wasn't foolish enough to deny it. If Nami and Nojiko became Garp's granddaughters, they'd effectively be third-generation military elite, and they'd be able to walk around Marineford with their heads held high in the future.
Sakazuki was stunned for a moment, then looked at Bell-mère with respect in his eyes. "So you're Dragon's wife?"
Isn't this too prolific? These little ones don't look very old. Did she give birth to four children for Dragon in just a few years?
Bell-mère was momentarily stunned, then quickly waved her hands. "Misunderstanding! I'm the adoptive mother."
Sakazuki nodded seriously. "I see, foster mother. Hello, foster mother."
He didn't take her denial seriously at all. After all, Dragon's identity was difficult to handle, and his wife certainly couldn't come to Marineford to live openly.
So it was reasonable to adopt the identity of a foster mother!
Although everyone says I, Sakazuki, am a straightforward man, in most cases, I'm actually very perceptive!
Alright, I understand but won't say it out loud!
Sakazuki didn't dwell on this issue for too long. He nodded to the bewildered Bell-mère with a look that said, "I understand. No need to explain."
Finn and Garp didn't think much of it, and were actually surprised that Sakazuki was being so easygoing today.
"These four little ones may all join the Marines in the future. Sakazuki, please take good care of them," Finn said with a hearty laugh.
"Alright," Sakazuki nodded.
Although his relationship with Garp wasn't particularly close, it wasn't bad either. They still had camaraderie. Moreover, as Dragon's offspring, these four little ones should have good talents, right?
It would be a good thing if they could become pillars of the Marines like Dragon had been.
How could Sakazuki refuse?
Garp was slightly surprised to see that Sakazuki had agreed so readily, and his impression of the man improved somewhat.
He thought about it carefully again and suddenly realized that Sakazuki's style of doing things had indeed changed over the past two years. He was no longer as irritating as before.
He's matured too...
"Hina, take Bell-mère and the others back to Marineford later. You'll be in charge of them for now," Finn made further arrangements.
After all, they were going to deal with Kaido. It was impossible to bring so many burdens along.
Hina wasn't someone who didn't understand priorities. Although she was a little reluctant, she nodded. "Yes, Admiral!"
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