After a few words, Aokiji said he wanted to return to the warship. Now that the fighting was over, his usual laziness had kicked back in. He didn't want to linger even a second longer—his heart was already set on basking in the sun on the deck.
Kaito and Zephyr, who knew Aokiji's personality well, could only sigh helplessly. Zephyr let out a long breath. He knew that his student hadn't always been like this.
When Aokiji first joined the Marines, he had passionately upheld the ideal of "Burning Justice." But after the Ohara Incident, his sense of justice grew confused and uncertain.
Eventually, it evolved into the "Lazy Justice" he followed now.
As his teacher, Zephyr had tried to reason with him many times. But truth be told, his own brand of "Justice Without Killing" hadn't exactly proven flawless either. In the end, all he could do was place his hopes on Kaito now.
Seeing Aokiji so eager to return, Kaito didn't object. But since Zephyr was still injured, Kaito used the Deva Path's power to slightly slowed their return pace.
Aokiji glanced at Kaito out of the corner of his eye and gave a small nod to himself. He genuinely appreciated what Kaito was doing, though with his introverted nature, he'd never show it outright.
...
As soon as they got back to Aokiji's warship, a soft body crashed into Kaito's arms—it was Ain.
Only heaven knew how worried she had been all this time. When she finally saw Kaito safe and sound, the emotions she'd been holding back surged all at once.
Kaito gently patted her back and didn't say anything. He knew better than to speak at a moment like this—what she needed was time to calm down.
After holding him for a while, Ain slowly pulled away. From behind her, she took out a package and handed it over—it was the unknown Devil Fruit she had acquired during the trial.
Kaito didn't refuse. He took the package from her hands and stored it away in the Kamui space.
Seeing him accept it, Ain gave a small smile. She looked just like the girl next door—so natural, so sweet.
She quietly studied Kaito standing before her. When her gaze fell on his upper body, her delicate brows knit into a frown. There were still faint traces of injury on him.
After all, Weevil's Haki was no joke. When mastered to a certain level, Haki could leave internal injuries even if the surface damage seemed light.
Kaito's recovery speed was already incredibly fast. Just look at Marineford—when Marco was punched by Garp, even with the Phoenix Fruit, he'd ended up wrapped in bandages for multiple episodes.
Ain wanted to reach out and touch those wounds, but she hesitated, pulling her hand back. Instead, she asked softly,
"Don't you have that ability that heals you quickly? Why didn't you use it?"
Kaito smiled and shook his head. He leaned close to her ear and whispered,
"Silly... how could I use that kind of ability more than once in a row? But I didn't mind using it for you."
Ain froze. Of course—it made sense that a heaven-defying power like that would have limits. But Kaito had still used it on her. Was she really worth that?
Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes. But not wanting Kaito to see her so vulnerable, she quickly turned around and wiped her face with all her strength.
Yeah... most girls are easy to move emotionally.
What felt like nothing special to Kaito was a nuclear bomb to Ain.
Kaito rubbed his temples, then clapped his hands on her shoulders and turned her around with gentle force. He reached out and wiped her tears away.
"Alright, cheer up. We'll probably be attending the graduation ceremony once we get back. With what you accomplished this time, I'd say you're at least a Captain. What do you think—Captain Ain?"
For some reason, hearing "Captain Ain" from Kaito made her want to laugh. She couldn't help but lift her little fist and give him a playful punch on the chest.
Kaito immediately pulled a pained expression, acting like her punch had really hurt. Sure, his acting was a bit stiff, but it actually fooled Ain.
She hurriedly leaned in to check where she'd hit him and even blew on it gently with her lips. The sight of her doing that was unbearably cute.
Unable to resist, Kaito leaned down and placed a kiss on her smooth, pale forehead.
Ain, caught off guard by the "attack," jumped up like a startled bunny and stared at Kaito in disbelief.
Kaito's face turned slightly red, but he kept his expression steady—like nothing had happened at all.
Seeing him act so shamelessly, Ain puffed out her cheeks in frustration, making her look even more adorable.
Kaito felt like he was about to lose it if this kept going.
With a dramatic flair, he flung his justice coat behind him and strode off without looking back.
"Come find me after graduation. You—I'm claiming you!"
Ain wanted to shout, "Who says you can just claim me like that?!" But the words caught in her throat.
What she finally ended up saying instead was,
"You better keep your word!"
...
Back at headquarters, Zephyr was immediately surrounded by the med team who had been waiting on standby. He felt embarrassed—he was a former Admiral, after all. Riding a stretcher? That was a blow to his pride.
But since the ones tugging at him were young nurses, he didn't dare resist too hard. Half-reluctantly, he let himself be laid down. As soon as he was in place, the burly orderlies hoisted the stretcher and vanished in a flash.
With Zephyr taken care of, the rest of the med team turned to stare at Kaito.
Kaito clicked his tongue and shot into the air, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
He went straight to Sengoku's office.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Sengoku asked anxiously,
"Well? How's Zephyr? And the cadets?"
"Instructor Zephyr's injured. As for the cadets, about one-third casualties. The attacker this time was Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil."
BANG!
Sengoku shot to his feet and slammed his fist onto the desk. The veins on his forehead bulged as he growled through clenched teeth,
"Damn pirates!"
Kaito fell silent.
Even though his intervention had minimized the casualties, it still hadn't been perfect. It reminded him that his presence had already started to shift the timeline of key events.
Sengoku took a deep breath, forcing down his rage. After several moments, he finally calmed enough to sit back down and slid a document across the desk toward Kaito.
Kaito didn't take it immediately. He looked at it, puzzled.
"What's this?"
"Your promotion to Vice Admiral. No one can deny the credit you earned this time. You could say you saved the future of the Navy. The graduation ceremony is tomorrow. I'll be presenting your medal then. Get ready."
Damn.
Kaito was supposed to be promoted to Rear Admiral, and now he was jumping straight to Vice Admiral?
In an era before Marineford or the global recruitment program, this kind of promotion speed was unheard of.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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