Smoker was in an exceptionally good mood today. Looking at the port of Maria Happy Island not far away, he was extremely excited.
Many pirate subordinates following behind him looked at their captain, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, with some surprise.
Wasn't he just here to have fun?
Why was he so excited?
It made it seem like their captain was some kind of virtuous person who'd never indulged before.
Of course, Smoker also noticed the strange looks from his subordinates. He secretly thought happily to himself, "You think I'm here for fun? Hah, I might become a Marine again today! I'm almost twenty years old now. The Admiral personally promised me back then that I'd be a full Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters! My future is limitless. Our time together might end here. The next time we meet, I, your captain, might personally escort you to Impel Down..."
But thinking about it carefully, there was some genuine affection between them over the past two years. Due to his control and orders, these pirate subordinates under his command weren't evil people. Apart from dealing with corrupt nobles, they hadn't done any terrible things.
If possible, maybe he should give it a try and see if he could recruit them all into the Marines?
By then, as a Rear Admiral, he'd naturally need subordinates. If these pirates could walk the righteous path, it would be worth their two years of camaraderie.
Just like that, while Smoker was fantasizing about his bright future at Marine Headquarters, his ship slowly docked at the port.
"Alright, go find your own fun. I have other business to attend to!" Smoker hastily ordered. Then, without even waiting for the ladder to be lowered, he jumped directly from the deck onto the dock.
The young pirates on the ship were filled with emotion as they watched their captain rushing urgently toward a group of beauties waiting at the port.
Look at that. Great pirates are different. The Seven Warlords of the Sea are so distinguished. When he comes to this island, he's personally received by so many beautiful women.
But isn't our captain being a little too eager?
The ship hasn't even properly docked yet, and he's already charging ahead?
After counting carefully, there were seven or eight beautiful women in that group. Could he handle them all by himself?
If it really doesn't work out, as the captain's loyal subordinate, I could still be of service!
Group activities and such... I can accept that!
"Lord Smoker, welcome..." The tanned beauty who'd received Finn a few days ago greeted Smoker with a smile after seeing him.
But Smoker was completely devoid of gentlemanly manners. His mind was now filled with thoughts of Justice, the Marines, and Marineford.
Before the beautiful woman could finish her words, Smoker waved his hand impatiently. "Stop the pleasantries! Lead the way! I'm in a hurry!"
The beautiful woman was stunned for a moment. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
This pirate is terrible. He has no manners at all and is extremely rude. Just look at the Marine Admiral from two days ago. How graceful he was.
However, she didn't find it strange that the Seven Warlords of the Sea were having a secret meeting with a Marine Admiral. After all, theoretically, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were also under the World Government.
It was reasonable for both parties to occasionally discuss confidential matters.
What's more, this woman was Stussy's confidant and wouldn't say anything unnecessary.
"Yes, please follow me," the beauty said with some displeasure, then left the port with Smoker.
Smoker nodded, straightened his clothes with an expectant expression, and followed with firm steps.
Soon, under the guidance of these beauties, he arrived at the gate of Stussy's courtyard. As expected, those beauties had no intention of entering. They said a few more words to Smoker and left.
Smoker looked at the house with some emotion in his eyes.
As someone who'd lived in Marineford, he'd been to Zephyr's house many times. He could tell the design of this courtyard was influenced by Headquarters.
For a moment, he was filled with many feelings.
"Should I renovate my house like this when I get back?" Smoker thought to himself.
But he soon shook his head and smiled to himself. "No need for that. I'll be back in the Marines within six months at most. With my status as Rear Admiral or even Vice Admiral Smoker, I'll be able to live in a house like this by then..."
After expressing his feelings, Smoker walked into the courtyard with confidence and great enthusiasm.
Not long after, after passing through some greenery, Smoker saw Hina watering flowers.
His eyes lit up. He waved to Hina happily. "Hey, Hina! Long time no see! Hahahaha!"
Hina, who'd been watering the plants, heard the voice and responded happily, "Smoker, it really is you!"
"It seems you already know? The truth about why I left Marineford?" Smoker asked with a smile.
"Of course! Hina is Admiral Finn's secretary now, and Hina know many secrets," Hina said proudly.
"Really? But how come you're still a Commander? Although I'm a pirate now, I'm essentially a Rear Admiral of the Marines. Hahahaha, you need to work harder to catch up with me," Smoker said arrogantly.
After a brief pause, before Hina could speak, Smoker asked again, "The Admiral asked me to come here this time to arrange for me to return to Headquarters, right? Hahaha!"
Hina's expression became somewhat awkward. Then she said, "The Admiral is inside. Go ask him yourself."
Smoker didn't think much of it and nodded to Hina. "Yes, I should go hear this important news from the Admiral in person!"
After saying that, Smoker didn't linger with this friend he hadn't seen in a long time. He walked quickly into the house.
Hina looked at Smoker's excited back and shook her head with some emotion. "Life is so unpredictable, Smoker..."
As soon as he entered, Smoker saw Admiral Finn, whom he'd been thinking about constantly, sitting on the sofa and chatting with a woman opposite him.
He knew that woman. The Queen of Pleasure Street, Stussy. A renowned figure in the underworld, she was also a formidable presence in the New World.
He just hadn't expected she actually had connections with the Marines, and it seemed like she had a very good relationship with the Admiral.
Could it be she was also an undercover agent like himself?
But things were different now. He was going to resume his identity as a Marine!
Thinking of this, Smoker looked at Stussy with an inexplicably arrogant expression.
Stussy was a top agent and the Queen of Pleasure Street. She was very good at reading people. But when she glanced at Smoker, she felt somewhat puzzled.
What is this guy so proud of?
What's there to be proud of?
Without further delay, Smoker walked up to Finn, stood at attention, saluted, and said with full vigor, "Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Smoker, reporting to Admiral Finn!"
Smoker was almost moved to tears when he said this. How long had it been? Over two years, so many days and nights, he'd always wanted to give a proper, open military salute to prove his identity as a Marine.
Now, he'd finally gotten his wish!
Finn looked at Smoker and was filled with emotion.
He didn't know if this guy had done it intentionally, but he was wearing the same Justice vest he'd worn when he was in the Marines. The only difference was there was a large X drawn over the word "Justice" on the back.
When he'd walked in just now, he'd still had a strong pirate aura, but when he saluted, he looked just like when he'd been at the academy.
"Alright, alright, Rear Admiral Smoker. Thank you for your hard work!" Finn stood up, patted Smoker's shoulder seriously, and said sincerely.
"Everything for Justice!" Smoker shouted.
"Very good. I'm proud to have someone like you in the Marines!" Finn nodded in praise.
Only then did Smoker hurriedly ask, "Admiral, have you summoned me this time because my mission is complete? Calculating the time, it's been two and a half years since I left Marineford. Shouldn't it be another six months at most before I can return to Marineford and don the Coat of Justice?"
Finn looked somewhat embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "Has it been three years already? Come on, Smoker, have a seat first. Let me introduce you to Ms. Stussy..."
Finn changed the subject and pulled Smoker to sit down.
Although Smoker was somewhat puzzled, he didn't think much of it. He sat down with a smile. "I know her. The Queen of Pleasure Street is very famous in the New World."
"Really? But with your clearance level, you probably don't know this. In fact, Stussy is the senior operations commander of CP-0 and a member of the World Government. Of course, I have a good personal relationship with her, and she's also someone worthy of our Marines' trust," Finn nodded and introduced.
Smoker was stunned for a moment. He'd thought Stussy was a Marine, but it turned out she was CP?
However, seeing that Admiral Finn seemed to trust her, he didn't feel any resistance and nodded. "It's a pleasure to truly meet you, Ms. Stussy."
"I'm glad to meet you too, Rear Admiral Smoker," Stussy said with a smile.
She didn't address him by his Warlord title, which made Smoker very happy. He smiled. "Thank you."
Then, before Finn could speak again, Smoker asked impatiently, "Admiral, when can I return to Headquarters?"
"Ah," Finn hesitated for a moment, then said, "Speaking of which, I was just about to tell you something, Smoker. Our Marines are also in a difficult situation right now. You may not know this, but the suppression from above is very severe, so our Marines have to seek some new methods to alleviate this pressure."
"Really? Then I should return to Headquarters immediately and serve our cause!" Smoker said without hesitation.
Finn's face twitched slightly.
Why do you keep talking about returning to Headquarters? Isn't being a pirate a good career with a very promising future?
"No, in fact, you can still serve Justice even without returning to Headquarters," Finn said quickly.
Smoker was stunned for a moment. He frowned. "Wait... what do you mean by not returning to Headquarters?"
"Plans can't keep up with changes, Smoker. You might have to work a while longer," Finn said with some guilt.
Smoker's reaction wasn't particularly intense. Although a slight delay would be unpleasant, he could still accept it.
So Smoker nodded. "How long?"
Finn looked at Smoker's sincere gaze and said in a somewhat guilty tone, "Three... three years?"
Smoker: ???
Another three years???
"Admiral, this is different from what we originally agreed. If you'd asked me to persist for another year or two, I would have agreed without hesitation. But we agreed on three years, and now it's another three years. This..." Smoker said impatiently.
"If you think about it carefully, it's just doubling that one or two years. It's not a big problem," Finn tried to comfort him.
"It's not a big problem?" Smoker was stunned for a moment, then said in a slightly agitated tone, "This IS a big problem! Three years! Do you know how I spent these three years?"
"Smoker, listen to me..." Finn said quickly.
"Smoker is dead!!" Smoker said in a somewhat irritable tone.
The original excitement had now turned into disappointment.
Finn: ???