The weather on the Grand Line could change without warning.
One moment, the sea was calm and sunny. The next, the sky had turned black, split by flashes of lightning.
Boom!
Thunder rolled through the thick, dark clouds. Immediately after, heavy rain poured down. The once gentle sea breeze became a fierce gale, kicking up waves over ten meters high that slammed hard against the hull of the Marine warship.
"Lower the sails! Do it now!!"
"The port winch is stuck! I need two people to help!"
"Drop the anchor! We can't fight these waves head-on. Stabilize the ship!"
On the deck, the new recruits panicked because of the sudden storm. Fortunately, Zephyr was there to keep order. With his commands, along with Hina and the other instructors, the crew managed to stay organized even as the massive warship tossed violently in the waves.
After a while, the main sail was lowered. The heavy iron anchor and its thick chain sank into the sea. The warship finally managed to stabilize itself in the storm, rising and falling with the waves.
Inside the cabin, the mood was much more relaxed, though it still smelled of wet clothes and seawater.
"This terrible weather..."
Ain looked a bit messy as she used a dry towel to wipe her long blue hair. Water was still dripping from the ends. She slumped into a chair in the lounge, looking out the window at the dark sea. She couldn't help but complain.
"The weather on the Grand Line is crazy. It was fine a moment ago, and then it almost threw everyone into the sea."
She picked up a hard, compressed biscuit from the table and bit into it hard. It barely left a mark, and it made her gums ache.
"Ugh... I want some hot soup."
Ain sighed and threw the hard biscuit back onto the table. She leaned forward and rested her head on the table, looking miserable.
"Even plain broth would be fine. This compressed biscuit is so dry it feels like chewing sand. And also..."
She pulled at her collar, looking frustrated. "I really want a bath right now."
The smell of rain mixed with seawater made her frown. "I just got soaked, and I can't even take a hot shower. I smell like seawater. I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."
Hina sat across from her and looked much more composed. She held a cup of hot tea. Watching her junior complain, she smiled and tried to comfort her.
"Just bear with it. I've already made contact. Tomorrow morning, the supply ship from the G-17 Branch will meet up with us."
"When that happens, you can eat whatever you want, not just hot soup."
Hina tapped her long finger on the table. "When the time comes, I can introduce you to the G-17 base commander, Aiden. His cooking is excellent. He's better than the chefs at some fancy restaurants I've visited."
"Aiden?!"
Hearing that name, Ain sat up straight. Her blue eyes sparkled with admiration. "Do you mean Rear Admiral Reaper?!"
"The Aiden who killed Golden Lion recently and stopped the chaos in the Blacksteel Empire by himself?!"
Ain held her hands over her heart, looking like a total fan. "Oh my god! He can cook too? He's too perfect!"
Among the younger generation of Marines, Aiden was a hero. He had incredible strength, famous victories, and a handsome face. Many female Marines admired him.
"Perfect?"
Hina's mouth twitched. She thought of Aiden's lazy attitude and how he used to work her and Smoker to the bone. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"That's because you haven't seen him in person. Privately, that guy is lazy, has a bad personality, and loves living comfortably."
Seeing Ain's disappointed yet stubborn expression, Hina sighed and played with her teacup. "However, even if his character is questionable, he loves comfort more than anyone. Because of that, he has extremely high standards for life at his base."
"According to Smoker, the G-17 Branch has been turned into a resort. There are 24-hour hot baths, a cafeteria with high-quality ingredients, and even a dessert shop..."
Speaking of this, Hina felt a bit envious herself. She looked at her compressed biscuit and swallowed. Her voice carried a little anticipation. "So, if we can just make it until tomorrow when the G-17 supply ship arrives, we can enjoy ourselves. After you graduate, getting assigned there wouldn't be a bad choice."
"Really? I'll definitely go!"
Ain nodded hard, her eyes full of hope.
Hina shook her head, amused by her junior's reaction.
However, just as she thought the conversation was over, Ain suddenly blinked and asked innocently, "By the way, Hina."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I heard that you and Rear Admiral Aiden were in the same graduating class?"
Ain tilted her head, completely unaware of how awkward her question was. "Then why did Aiden become a Headquarters Rear Admiral so soon after graduating, while you are still..."
Hina froze.
The lounge went silent.
Hina's hand stopped in mid-air while holding the teacup.
That hurt.
Is she one of those people who is naturally mean without realizing it?
Hina took a deep breath. She was about to use her seniority to lecture this tactless junior.
Bzz—bzz!
Suddenly, the emergency Transponder Snail in the corner of the lounge started ringing. It let out a sharp alarm, instantly breaking the awkward atmosphere.
Hina felt relieved. She put away her annoyed expression, and her face turned serious. She grabbed the receiver. "This is the lounge. Hina speaking."
"Captain Hina! The communications room received an emergency distress signal!"
The voice of a frantic communication soldier came through the receiver, mixed with static. "It was received on the public emergency frequency! The signal is very weak and unstable. It seems to be interference from the weather!"
"A distress signal?"
Hina frowned and looked at the violent rain outside. "There are other ships nearby in this terrible weather?"
"Yes! According to the signal source, it's about twenty nautical miles away! They keep repeating the message. It sounds like a civilian ship. The situation sounds serious!"
"I understand."
Hina stood up immediately and put on her pink Justice coat with quick, efficient movements. "Keep trying to contact them. Confirm the details and the coordinates. I'm going to report to Instructor Zephyr right now."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hina hung up and looked at Ain. "Let's go. It looks like our break is over."
On the bridge.
The giant windows were blurred by the heavy rain. Every time lightning flashed, it lit up the huge black waves outside.
Zephyr stood in front of the nautical chart table. He leaned his hands on the surface, looking grimly at the center of the storm the navigator had just marked.
"Instructor!"
Hina pushed the door open. Cold, damp air followed her into the room.
"The communications room just received a distress signal," Hina reported quickly as she walked to Zephyr's side. "It's at our two o'clock position, about twenty nautical miles away. It's a civilian distress frequency."
"A civilian ship?"
Zephyr frowned as he looked at the storm outside. "In this weather, a normal civilian ship would have a hard time surviving. What is their status?"
"It's bad." Hina shook her head. "The signal is cutting out. Their communication equipment is clearly damaged. With waves this big, a normal ship's structure might not hold. It could break apart at any moment."
"Instructor—"
Hina paused. She looked at the weather outside and said hesitantly, "The wind and waves are too strong. Visibility is almost zero. Even for our warship, it is very risky to attempt a rescue in these conditions."
"And..."
Hina lowered her voice, adding a warning. "In these waters, we can't rule out the possibility that pirates are using the weather to pretend to be civilians. The chance is low, but we have to be careful."
Zephyr remained silent for a moment.
He turned his head and looked at the world being tossed by the storm outside.
If another Marine officer were here, they might weigh the pros and cons or choose to ignore it to save the ship.
But he was "Black Arm" Zephyr. His justice meant never abandoning an innocent person, no matter when or where.
"I know it's dangerous," Zephyr said firmly. His eyes did not waver. "But because it is dangerous, they need us to save them even more."
"We are Marines. If we leave people to die just because we are afraid of danger or because we suspect they might be bad people—"
Zephyr turned around to look at Hina and the soldiers. His voice was powerful and echoed through the bridge. "Then we have betrayed the word 'Justice' on our backs."
Hina was stunned for a moment. Then she smiled helplessly and saluted. "I knew you would say that."
Hina smiled with confidence. "But you're right. With Instructor Zephyr here, even if it's a pirate trap, they're the ones in trouble."
"Pass the order!"
Zephyr waved his hand. His voice rang out through the speakers, cutting through the sound of the rain. "Attention everyone! Raise the anchor! Full right rudder! Target is at two o'clock. Full speed ahead for rescue!"
"YES, SIR!!"
The massive warship struggled to turn its bow in the storm. Its paddle wheels churned through the water as it fought through the violent waves and headed toward the source of the distress signal.
At the scheduled meeting point for the G-17 Branch.
Aiden was lying lazily on a lounge chair on the deck. A book titled Grand Line Gourmet Guide was covering his face as if he were napping. Next to him, Smoker was snoring loudly. His new coat, which he had changed into specially for this trip, was now wrinkled.
"Report, Base Commander!"
A communication soldier ran over, breaking the silence.
Aiden didn't move the book from his face. He just asked lazily, "What is it? Did you contact Instructor Zephyr?"
"Re—Report!"
The soldier's voice was shaking. He clearly had bad news. "We still haven't been able to contact Chief Instructor Zephyr's warship."
"We contacted Headquarters again to confirm. According to them, Zephyr's ship defeated the Mad Axe Pirates yesterday afternoon and headed toward us as planned."
"Based on normal speed and sea currents—"
The soldier looked at the data on his clipboard and swallowed. "They should have arrived here three hours ago. Headquarters was also surprised. They asked if we had encountered them yet."
The book on Aiden's face slid down, and he caught it.
His half-closed eyes opened slightly. His usual laziness faded, and he frowned.
"Three hours..."
If it were ten minutes or even half an hour, it could be an error.
But for someone as strict and disciplined as Instructor Zephyr, being three hours late was not his style.
Furthermore, his own warship had been circling this meeting area for several hours and hadn't seen a sign of them.
Aiden slowly sat up.
He didn't think anyone in this part of the sea could threaten a former Admiral like Zephyr, but the unusual delay felt wrong.
"Maybe the communication equipment is broken?" Aiden muttered. He tore a small piece of paper from the book and crumpled it into a ball.
He instantly coated the paper ball with Armament Haki. Aiden flicked his finger.
The black paper ball flew through the air with a whistling sound and hit the snoring Smoker right on the forehead.
"Ow!!"
Smoker cried out in pain. He jumped up from the lounge chair, smoke bursting around him as he took a fighting stance. "Enemy attack?! Is it an enemy attack?!"
When he saw the calm deck and Aiden's face, he realized what happened.
"Aiden! What are you doing?!"
Smoker rubbed his forehead. Then he remembered something and his eyes lit up. He started straightening his wrinkled coat and smoothing his hair. "What happened? Is Hina's ship here? Is my outfit okay?"
Seeing Smoker's silly, half-awake look, Aiden didn't tease him as usual. He stood up and walked to the bow of the ship. "Stop sleeping. Hina isn't here, and neither is Instructor Zephyr."
"Huh? Not here?" Smoker froze. "What do you mean? They're late?"
"Yeah. Three hours late, and we can't contact them."
"Three hours late?"
Smoker frowned. As Zephyr's student, he knew his teacher's habits well. "That doesn't sound like him. Did they hit a storm? Or did they go off course chasing pirates?"
"Who knows."
Aiden waved his hand and turned to the soldier behind him. "Did Headquarters send the coordinates of the area where Instructor Zephyr fought the pirates yesterday?"
"Yes, sir!" the soldier answered loudly.
"Good."
Aiden's eyes sharpened as he gave the order. "Stop waiting here like idiots!"
"Adjust the course immediately! Head toward those coordinates! Full speed ahead!"
"Since they didn't come to us, we'll backtrack along their route and find them!"
"YES, SIR!!"
The paddle wheels churned through the water. The massive hull began to turn slowly and headed back the way they had come at full speed.
Smoker stood beside Aiden and lit a new cigar. He took a deep breath and looked ahead with concern. "Hey, Aiden... they should be fine, right? That's Instructor Zephyr, a former Admiral. Even with a bunch of recruits, no pirate in this sea should be a threat to him."
"What could happen?"
Aiden shrugged, his tone relaxed. "The weather probably changed, and the signal for the Transponder Snail is bad. That delayed them."
"I hope so." Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke. Even though he said that, he felt uneasy. "I hope it's just a false alarm."
Aiden didn't speak again.
He looked at the rolling waves ahead. Although he sounded relaxed, he instinctively spread out his Observation Haki.
For some reason, the dampness and tension in the air made him feel slightly... uncomfortable.
To Be Continued
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