After Kuzan boarded the warship, the ice freezing the sea slowly began to melt. Watching the warship drift further and further away, Shirakawa's tense heart finally began to relax.
Although Kuzan had suffered heavy injuries, it was obvious he still had the residual strength to fight. If Kuzan were to make a comeback and freeze him again, Shirakawa estimated he wouldn't even have the strength to break free, and he might end up sealed away forever.
On the warship, the Marines first woke the doctor to bandage Kuzan's wounds.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, how did you get injured this severely?" Kuzan took off his shirt, revealing a hideous wound. The other injuries were fine, mostly minor cuts and scrapes.
The most serious one was the penetrating wound on his abdomen. This ship doctor could be said to be seeing Kuzan suffer such a severe injury for the very first time. Previously, on Kuzan's warship, he had only ever bandaged up ordinary Marines.
"Cut the crap and quickly treat Vice Admiral Kuzan's injuries," a rather bad-tempered officer immediately ordered the ship doctor.
"Yes, sir."
The ship doctor was incredibly careful while treating the wound. But it had to be said, a ship doctor capable of working on a Vice Admiral's warship possessed quite brilliant medical skills. Before long, Kuzan's upper body was completely wrapped in bandages.
"Although the bleeding has been temporarily stopped, the Vice Admiral's injuries will still need to be treated at Headquarters. Our ship does not have the necessary conditions to provide treatment for the Vice Admiral."
"Hmm, you may leave first."
Kuzan spoke up. If he had been a step slower, that hot-tempered officer would have reprimanded the military doctor again.
"Yes, Vice Admiral."
The doctor stepped out, leaving the room to these officers.
A period of silence fell over the room. When they first set out, they never imagined that this mission would end in failure. No one expected Shirakawa to actually possess Conqueror's Haki, instantly depriving them of a massive portion of their combat power. Nor did anyone expect Shirakawa to be a Great Swordsman, fighting evenly matched against Vice Admiral Kuzan.
"I will bear the consequences of this mission's failure myself. You do not need to blame yourselves."
In the end, it was Kuzan who broke the silence first.
Every time a mission failed, punishment would follow. This was a rule of the Marines.
"No way. If it wasn't for Vice Admiral Kuzan this time, we might not even have made it back alive. If consequences must be borne, we will bear them together."
"That's right, exactly."
The other officers also chimed in, agreeing with the first person's thoughts.
"Alright." Hearing their words, Kuzan felt a wave of emotion.
"Then let's report this mission to Headquarters first. I will do it personally." If anyone else reported to Fleet Admiral Kong, they would inevitably receive a harsh scolding.
"Yes, Vice Admiral." An officer grabbed a Den Den Mushi and walked over to Vice Admiral Kuzan's side.
"Puru puru puru, kacha." The Den Den Mushi connected.
"This is Kong. Who am I speaking to?" A voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"This is Kuzan."
"Ah, Kuzan. How did the mission go?"
"The mission failed."
"What? How could your mission fail? Did you not encounter Shirakawa, or did you let him escape?" Kong's tone held a hint of surprise; he couldn't believe what his ears were hearing.
"No, we encountered him. But Shirakawa's strength is incredibly formidable, far exceeding all of our expectations."
"What happened? Tell me in detail."
"He has mastered three types of Haki, and his strength has reached the level of a Great Swordsman."
"Conqueror's Haki and a Great Swordsman?" Kong said in astonishment on the other end.
"Correct. Furthermore, I also suffered heavy injuries during the battle, so I had no choice but to issue the order to retreat."
"Alright, as long as you are fine. Return to Headquarters and recover from your injuries first. As for the matter regarding Shirakawa, we will discuss it when you get back."
"Understood."
Immediately after, the Den Den Mushi hung up. All the officers gathered around Kuzan let out a sigh of relief. They had truly been afraid of being reprimanded by Fleet Admiral Kong just now.
Meanwhile, on Shirakawa's ship, he slumped directly into a chair. This time wasn't so bad; he didn't instantly lose consciousness. It was just that his body was a bit exhausted, and he couldn't muster even the slightest bit of strength.
But fortunately, he could still eat.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Seeing his captain completely slumped over, Riddle asked with concern.
"I am fine. Go make me a lot of food. I will be better once I finish eating."
"Oh, alright then. Wait here, I'll go right now."
"What is his deal?"
Jora cast a sideways glance at Riddle's retreating back and asked Shirakawa.
"This ship belongs to him. So, in order to obtain this ship with a legitimate reason, I had no choice but to subdue the captain."
"You are a pirate. Do you really need a reason to steal someone else's things?"
"Haha, I simply wanted to find someone who could help out around the ship. After all, wouldn't it be too lonely with just the two of us on the ship when the time comes?"
"That makes sense."
"But don't let his appearance fool you. His bounty is actually higher than yours."
"Him? Hmph, that's just because he debuted earlier."
Riddle's strength after using his Devil Fruit was roughly on par with his own. However, Jora could improve within a short period of time, whereas Riddle could not.
Perhaps it would take a few years before Riddle's strength showed any noticeable improvement.
Before long, Riddle walked in carrying a massive platter of food. Although the taste was nothing to write home about, it was more than enough for Shirakawa right now.
Feeling his stamina slowly recovering, Shirakawa's mood also became quite good.
Although it looked like he had fought Kuzan to a draw this time, only he knew that he had lost, even if it was just by a hair's breadth.
However, he was already very content. After all, this man was going to be a future Marine Admiral.
But his contentment was only limited to his current self.
If he fought Kuzan to a draw again five or ten years from now, he would really need to do some serious self-reflection.
Not long after, Shirakawa arrived at the port of Jora's village.
"You have finished cultivating that Phantom Step of yours, right?"
"Yes."
"Then go say goodbye to the people in your village and your master. We are getting ready to leave."
"Are you not planning to stay here a bit longer?" Jora had not prepared himself mentally before suddenly being told they were leaving.
"No. The Marines could return at any moment. We managed to repel one Marine Vice Admiral this time, but if they send two next time, wouldn't we be finished?"
"Alright then." Jora thought about it and agreed. If they continued to stay here, they would be in great danger, and they might even implicate the villagers who had been shielding them.
"Then I will go say goodbye to my master first."
"Hmm, go ahead."
"Then what should I do?" Riddle asked Shirakawa.
"Go into the village and buy some water, food, and supplies. Also, bring our pirate flag over. Remember, you absolutely must pay for everything. Do not steal. We have a very good relationship with these villagers."
"Rest assured, I understand."
When he was the only one left on the ship, Shirakawa tilted his head up and gazed at the sky. A pirate crew truly belonging to him, and a journey belonging to himself alone, were finally about to begin.
/-\
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