Shika Island.
After nearly a month at sea, the Marine G-ICE warship finally arrived at the port.
At that moment, the docks of Shika Island were teeming with people, all locals who had come to welcome them.
Kuzan sat on a stone post by the dock, watching the ship stabilize as it docked. A brief smile flashed across his face, but it only lingered for a few seconds before fading.
"They're here! It's the G-ICE warship!"
"Did you see them? Did you see my child on the ship?!"
As the ship touched the shore, the crowd surged toward the warship, eyes filled with anticipation as they strained to spot someone on the deck. Even though they couldn't really see anything, that didn't diminish their hope.
Thud!
A long wooden ladder was lowered from the warship. Yoriichi Tsugikuni descended slowly. The moment he stepped onto the dock, the crowd rushed toward him, eyes filled with nervous excitement and reverence.
"Help the children disembark!"
"Be careful, make sure none of them get hurt."
"Everyone, stay calm. Line up and claim your children in order. Registration is required."
As Yoriichi gave these instructions, his gaze shifted to the silhouette sitting at the back of the crowd on the bridge post. After giving a few quick orders to his subordinates, he moved through the people and made his way toward Kuzan.
Just as Yoriichi stepped away, cheers of joy erupted across the dock.
Led by the Marines, the children began disembarking one by one. Parents who had lost their children scanned the crowd with desperate eyes. Some, having spotted their child, disregarded the Marines' attempts to maintain order and rushed forward to embrace them.
The crowd, overcome with emotion, started to get out of control. Thankfully, the Marines responded quickly, maintaining order with a mix of persuasion and containment.
"You actually came back."
"Honestly, after what you pulled, I thought you weren't going to make it."
Yoriichi approached Kuzan, who looked him up and down and let out a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"How could I not? Without my support, the G-ICE branch wouldn't stand a chance."
"How could I let your ambitions end before they even began?"
Standing beside Kuzan, Yoriichi watched the reunion of families on the dock. A soft smile appeared on his face.
"The other day, you asked me about the whereabouts of a World Government ship. Did you already suspect it was them behind the kidnappings?"
Kuzan kept his eyes on the dock and asked in a low voice.
"Yeah, just a guess at the time. It was only after I ran into them that I confirmed it."
Hearing this, Kuzan's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he asked again:
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"We're friends, comrades even, right?"
"Then why didn't you tell me?!"
"Did you think I'd just get in the way?!"
Kuzan's sudden questioning was filled with suppressed anger.
"I didn't mean to keep you in the dark. It's just that you had more important things to do, didn't you?"
Yoriichi turned his head and offered a smile. But Kuzan wasn't buying it. His face remained grim.
"You didn't treat me like a friend, Yoriichi."
"In your eyes, am I just someone who avoids risk and inconvenience?"
This guy Kuzan… he was really upset. Seeing the anger on his face, Yoriichi suddenly felt a warmth bloom in his chest. After a pause, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Kuzan, you really are something else!"
"Don't be mad!"
"Alright, next time something like this happens, I'll be sure to report it to Lieutenant Commander Kuzan without holding anything back."
Yoriichi chuckled and gave Kuzan a hearty pat on the back.
Kuzan winced at the slap and gave Yoriichi an exasperated look as he stood up.
"So, what kind of punishment did headquarters give you?"
"Don't tell me there was no punishment. What you did might fool civilians, but there's no way it slipped past Marine Headquarters."
"Not to mention the Navy, even the World Government probably knew, right?"
"Come on, what is it? What's the punishment?"
Despite his harsh tone, Kuzan's voice carried genuine concern.
"It's nothing big, just a minor disciplinary action."
"I'm not allowed to return to Marineford unless summoned, and I'm banned from approaching the Sabaody Archipelago. That's it."
Yoriichi shrugged casually, clearly unconcerned.
The punishment had been handed down directly by Fleet Admiral Kong. While it sounded like a reprimand, for Yoriichi, it hardly meant anything.
From his point of view, the ban from Marineford and Sabaody was likely meant to prevent any encounters with the Celestial Dragons.
In essence, this move was more about protecting Yoriichi, though more accurately, it was to protect the Celestial Dragons.
That Kong knew about it implied the Five Elders knew too. Yet they didn't strip him of his rank, which was worth pondering.
People at the level of the Five Elders or Kong didn't act out of like or dislike. They calculated gains and losses.
Perhaps they thought keeping Yoriichi in the Marines was safer than letting him run free across the seas.
As for arresting and executing him, of course the Five Elders had considered it. But what would they gain from that? Yoriichi wasn't some rootless nobody in the Marines—Garp, Zephyr, even Sengoku were quietly backing him.
Since the matter hadn't been publicized and hadn't caused global backlash, everyone just chose to pretend it never happened. No need to stir things up and turn Yoriichi into either a notorious pirate or a powerful addition to the Revolutionary Army.
During the Navy's recent manpower drawdown to pursue Roger, Dragon's Revolutionary Army had been making waves across the seas.
Though the Five Elders didn't care much about that, they certainly didn't mind having a powerhouse maintaining peace in certain regions.
Sending Yoriichi into the New World to clash with pirates was simply the most convenient solution.
Yoriichi had guessed most of this, and when Kuzan heard about his "punishment," he blinked in surprise. Then, he laughed and gave Yoriichi a firm slap on the shoulder.
"If that's all, then I'm relieved."
"While you were gone, we've opened a shipping route between Shika Island and Lodestar Island."
"Many of the original inhabitants of Lodestar have returned, and quite a few new settlers have joined."
"I'm planning to establish a Marine base here on Shika Island. This is a vital supply point. We need someone to take command."
"Yoriichi, I want you to stay on Shika Island and build this base."
"Didn't headquarters give you authority to do that anyway? Set up a new branch here, mirroring Lodestar. Use these two islands as a foundation and gradually expand our influence outward."
During Yoriichi's absence, Kuzan had accomplished a lot—opening trade routes, relocating populations, charting detailed sea maps, creating Log Pose navigators, and planning the base infrastructure.
Thanks to his efforts, the G-ICE branch was finally taking shape and was almost ready to operate.
"Sounds good to me. Has Admiral Sengoku delivered on his promise to send reinforcements?"
Yoriichi, hearing Kuzan change the subject, also shifted gears, asking about personnel deployment.
"They're already en route. Lodestar Island is still quite far from headquarters, and the New World's climate is volatile, so it'll take some time."
"In the meantime, let's get started and build the framework ourselves."
Yoriichi nodded. After reaching an agreement with Kuzan, the two watched the parents on the dock reunite with their children in an orderly fashion. Then, without dwelling on the matter further, they headed off to find the mayor and discuss plans to establish a Marine base.
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