"Welcome to Marine Headquarters, you two."
"I am Rear Admiral Noah of Marine Headquarters!"
Rear Admiral Noah, who was responsible for greeting Sabo and Koala, looked at the young man and girl standing on the dock and continued.
"From now on, I will be in charge of your accommodation, meals, and daily needs here at Marine Headquarters."
"Hello, Rear Admiral Noah!"
Koala stepped forward politely and said, "I am Koala, and I have been ordered to come to Marine Headquarters with Sabo for training!"
Noah nodded.
"Let's go."
With that, Noah turned and walked away decisively.
Despite having a rear admiral like Noah personally greet them, Koala and Sabo still seemed somewhat reserved and inexplicably felt immense pressure.
It wasn't that the gazes directed at them were unfriendly, but rather that everyone at headquarters exuded an indescribable, powerful confidence.
Whether it was the soldiers on duty or the recruits in training, they all radiated a deep-seated longing for something from the inside out—like beasts ready to pounce on their prey at any moment, or a war machine operating at high speed.
Especially the flags fluttering noisily in the sea breeze, which brought an indescribable sense of oppression.
"Is this the Marine? It's both intimidating and strangely appealing!"
Sabo, following behind Noah and Koala, glanced around at the waving flags and the Marine officers and soldiers carrying out their respective duties, feeling an inexplicable sense of admiration in his heart.
Setting aside the opposing stances of the Marine and the Revolutionary Army, purely in terms of atmosphere, the Revolutionary Army couldn't compare to the Marine as it was now.
For a fleeting moment, an unprecedented thought crossed his mind: 'Is this the difference between a regular army and a ragtag militia?'
"Rear Admiral Noah, who are these two kids?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice snapped Sabo out of his thoughts.
Turning toward the voice, Sabo realized they had followed Noah into a plaza large enough to hold at least a hundred thousand people.
The speaker was a burly Marine officer in a captain's uniform, with an extremely fierce expression that made him seem intimidating.
"Hey, Captain Morgan, you've got a lot of free time today!"
Just as Sabo expected Noah to retort, Noah instead pulled a box of cigars from his bag and handed it over.
His tone didn't sound like a rear admiral speaking to a captain—it even carried a hint of respect.
"These are the cigars I just bought. Don't you dare look down on them!"
"Hehe, you really get me, Rear Admiral Noah!" Captain Morgan's face instantly lit up with a bright smile as he accepted the cigars.
"I can't chat with you now. I need to get these two settled in!"
Noah glanced back at Koala and Sabo and added, "It's an order from the Fleet Admiral!"
"An order from the Fleet Admiral?" Morgan's hand holding the cigar paused slightly, and his gaze swept over the two.
"What's their background? To have a rear admiral like you greeting them."
Noah didn't hide anything and replied straightforwardly, "They're two kids from the Revolutionary Army!"
"I see!"
Morgan nodded. "I won't keep you then. Let's catch up another day!"
With that, Morgan turned and walked away decisively.
As soon as Morgan walked away, Sabo, who had remained silent until now, could no longer contain his curiosity.
Gathering his courage, he cautiously asked, "Rear Admiral Noah, that man's rank seemed lower than yours, right? Why did I get the feeling you were somewhat... afraid of him?"
"What do you know!"
Noah glared at Sabo, lowering his voice mysteriously.
"It's true he's just a captain, but he's the Fleet Admiral's personal guard! Do you understand the weight that carries? Not just me, even the Admirals have to show him respect!"
"In short, you can offend anyone at Headquarters, but you must never offend Captain Morgan!"
Hearing this, Sabo was deeply shocked, his eyes filled with curiosity as he watched the burly figure walk away.
Just as he was marveling at the extraordinary status of the "Fleet Admiral's personal guard," the crowd ahead of Morgan suddenly parted.
Then, he saw the supposedly unoffendable Captain Morgan being pulled aside by two Marine officers.
To his even greater astonishment, the unoffendable Morgan bent over and lay on the ground, and immediately after, a little girl about five or six years old climbed onto his back.
Before Sabo could recover from his shock, the surrounding Marine officers of various ranks dispersed to form a circle, clearing space for Morgan and the little girl, their eyes filled with what could only be described as adoration.
"This... this..."
Witnessing this scene, Sabo felt his brain couldn't keep up.
Pointing at Morgan carrying the little girl, he stammered, "Rear Admiral Noah... didn't you say he was very powerful? How..."
"Ahem—"
Noah had also seen what was happening ahead.
Noticing Sabo and Koala's reactions, he said somewhat awkwardly.
"I take back what I said earlier. Purely in terms of Marine officers, we shouldn't easily offend Captain Morgan, since he's the Fleet Admiral's personal guard! But within the Marine Headquarters, the one you must never offend is the little girl riding on Morgan's back!"
"Her name is Aqua, our Princess."
"Princess?" Sabo and Koala looked up almost simultaneously, asking in unison.
"Is she Fleet Admiral Orion's daughter?"
"Exactly."
Noah nodded with a smile.
"Standing before you now is the Queen of Backgrounds in the Grand Line, the treasure in the palm of the Fleet Admiral's hand, the treasures in the hearts of all Marine officers, Princess Aqua of the Marines."
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, Noah seemed to remember something else, his expression instantly turning solemn.
"There's one more person. If you see her at Headquarters, remember this: no matter what she says to you, or if she mistakes you for her grandchildren or something, you must go along with her words. Absolutely, under no circumstances, make her unhappy!"
"Because she possesses the ultimate summoning technique!"
"If anyone foolish enough makes the old lady cry, not only will the Marine Admirals arrive unconditionally and immediately, but our Fleet Admiral will also personally escort her!"
'Another background queen?'
Sabo's lips twitched slightly, then he raised his hand and pointed toward a figure at the entrance of the plaza.
"Rear Admiral Noah, are you talking about that old lady?"