Just as Edward Weevil was clinging to a sliver of hope, his pupils suddenly dilated.
What did he see?
Tens of thousands of Damons!
One by one, figures dressed in pure white naval uniforms emerged from the darkness, approaching him expressionlessly and mechanically performing the same action.
White knife goes in, red knife comes out!
Edward Weevil was like someone on a rollercoaster, experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, his ugly face displaying a variety of expressions: relief, surprise, panic, fear, and finally, numbness.
His whole body was numb!
In this Tsukuyomi space where time and space were distorted, Edward Weevil had no idea what terrifying torment he had endured, nor how much time had passed.
One year? Ten years? One hundred years? Ten thousand years?
Darkness engulfed Edward Weevil's vision like a tidal wave, and a suffocating sense of fear overwhelmed his remaining sanity, causing him to let out a bloodcurdling howl like a wild beast.
A moment later, when Damon's mind left the Tsukuyomi space and returned to reality, he saw Edward Weevil's tall figure kneeling on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face, as if he had just been pulled out of the sea, panting heavily, his whole body soaked in cold sweat.
Even when faced with the Zanpakuto pointed at him, Edward Weevil's fragile spirit could no longer support his powerful body. His body instinctively wanted to move, but his mind was filled with nothing but blank confusion.
The numerous death lines on Edward Weevil's body converged at the seam where the stitches met, forming a distinct death spot, surprisingly not at his heart.
Even if his heart were pierced, it would likely only result in serious injury, not true death.
The Zanpakuto pierced through Edward Weevil's death spot, severing his life force.
The burly man's body collapsed like gold and jade being overturned, and a strange smile appeared on his face before he died, as if he was glad that he could finally escape the sea of suffering and no longer have to recall the endless nightmare.
"Huchi! Huchi!"
The Zanpakuto was stuck upside down on the deck. Damon gripped the hilt tightly and leaned against the blade, panting.
The Mangekyo Sharingan had reverted to its normal black pupil state. In addition to feeling a sharp pain in his eyes, Damon felt as if his head was being pricked with needles, and he felt an unprecedented mental exhaustion.
Clearly, with his mere seven-year-old mental strength, performing Tsukuyomi was ultimately quite difficult for him.
As the training ship beneath his feet was about to sink into the sea, Chief Instructor Zephyr cut off a lock of hair from a fallen cadet. Meeting Damon's slightly puzzled gaze, Chief Instructor Zephyr's lips curled into a bitter smile as he said:
"I was unable to take their bodies back for burial, so I had to use their personal belongings as a substitute. I hope they can forgive my incompetence if they know this in the afterlife."
In this world, there was also the saying that one should be buried in peace.
Only when a person died and was buried in the earth could they be considered to have died a worthy death, bringing peace of mind to their family.
Humans are born as infants, barefoot on the yellow earth, and after death, they return cleanly to the yellow earth, like an invisible cycle of reincarnation.
Chief Instructor Zephyr took one last, reluctant look at the figures lying in pools of blood. Although he was getting old and his memory wasn't as good as it used to be, he could still accurately remember the name of each trainee.
"George, Sandru... Farewell!"
Chief Instructor Zephyr, who was already used to life and death, carefully stored the severed locks of hair and then left the place with Damon using Moonwalk.
On the way, the two encountered Vice Admiral Tsuru who had come to their aid, and then boarded a warship to return to port.
Seven days later.
Marine Headquarters.
The sky was clear and the wind was gentle.
Today was a momentous day for Damon, and also a momentous event that would be recorded in naval history.
In front of a full-length mirror, Momousagi Gion was carefully smoothing out the wrinkles on Damon's military uniform. Her slender, white fingers, carrying a pleasant fragrance, gave Damon's skin a unique feeling as they gently touched it.
Damon lowered his head, trying to break free from Momousagi Gion's meddlesome hands, muttering to himself:
"Let me go! I can do it myself!"
Momousagi Gion's soft body pressed against Damon's back, and Damon could feel a weight on his back.
But then, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around Damon's waist, aimed at his reflection in the mirror, and helped him put on the medal of honor. A pretty face leaned against Damon's small shoulder. Momousagi Gion, seeing Damon's flushed face, couldn't help but find it a bit amusing. Perhaps due to her girlish nature, she deliberately teased him, saying:
"Little brat, if we were outside, countless stinky men would be begging me to help them put on their uniforms. That's a blessing they'd love to have!"
Damon's face darkened, and he had no choice but to endure the girl's fussing and touching, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing that Damon seemed about to explode, Momousagi Gion realized she had gone too far, coughed lightly, and defended herself:
"You need to know that as the youngest captain in naval history, and having recently saved old man Zephyr, you are now highly valued by Marine Headquarters. Countless eyes are watching you. If I don't keep a close eye on you, given your careless nature as men, you might make a mistake. I'm doing this for your own good."
Damon took a deep breath, the fragrance filling his chest.
After confirming the uniform one last time, Damon nodded in satisfaction.
Although he was a little annoyed by Momousagi Gion's little tricks, the girl was indeed more meticulous than the boy. Whether it was the size of the clothes or the outfit she had put together for Damon, there was nothing to criticize.
Accompanied by Momousagi Gion, Damon walked out of the room with his head held high.
Along the way, every naval officer and soldier who encountered Damon, regardless of rank, greeted him with a friendly smile.
It was hard to say who had the greatest influence within Marine Headquarters, but if they were talking about who had the most students, it would undoubtedly be Chief Instructor Zephyr.
The story of Damon's courageous departure to save his mentor had already spread throughout the navy, and all the naval officers and soldiers who heard about it gave Damon a thumbs up.
Upon entering the Great Hall, Damon stood on the stage.
Below the stage, everyone was a naval officer.
Normally, the awarding ceremony for a mere captain would not be so grand.
Regardless of Damon's background, his actions, or the combat capabilities he had demonstrated, he received high attention from a group of naval officers.
Under the gazes of all the generals, Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally awarded Damon the rank of captain and announced a reward that shocked all the officers.
"In view of Captain Damon's youth and outstanding achievements, you are hereby granted the qualification to lead a force independently. You may recruit naval soldiers on your own, up to a maximum of 150, and you shall be responsible for procuring the warships yourself!"
Upon hearing this, the entire audience erupted in uproar.
Damon's awarding ceremony had ended, but the Great Hall was still bustling with noise as a group of naval officers discussed the matter.
In naval history, there had never been a captain who could lead a full force and have the authority to recruit naval soldiers on his own. This was an unprecedented case!
After this incident, all the naval officers remembered the name Damon.
"This child is terrifying!"
After the meeting in the Great Hall, Vice Admiral Momonga made the following remarks.
Damon thought the matter was over for the time being, but he never expected to be taken back to the office by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
The Fleet Admiral sat in his executive chair, slammed a document onto the table from a drawer, then placed his hands under his chin, his eyes, peering through round-framed glasses, fixed on the young man before him, and said in a slightly low voice:
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
"The mission that was originally assigned to you to hunt down Doflamingo is now officially cancelled."
Damon's eyes seemed to be deep in thought. Before he could ask, the Fleet Admiral continued:
"Of the 170 member states of the World Government, nearly a third of them have been robbed by the Donquixote Family during the transport of Celestial Gold. Doflamingo has threatened to plunder the Celestial Gold of other member states. Unable to withstand the pressure from the Celestial Dragons, the World Government and the Five Elders have now chosen to compromise with Doflamingo and officially appoint him as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Damon's gaze shifted downward, and he saw a document of investiture from the World Government.
Currently, this news had not been made public, and the outside world had no way of knowing about it.
No wonder!
Damon suddenly realized why the Fleet Admiral had made an exception and given him the green light.
A stick in one hand and a carrot in the other!
To avoid causing Damon to have unnecessary emotional outbursts and affecting the overall situation of the World Government and the Five Elders, Fleet Admiral Sengoku chose to give Damon a small reward before announcing the matter. He did this because he did not want Damon to act impulsively and rashly choose to continue opposing the Donquixote Family in order to seek justice for Chief Instructor Zephyr.
Although Chief Instructor Zephyr was an old comrade-in-arms who had joined the army in the same year as Fleet Admiral Sengoku and fought side by side for many years, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sitting in this position, sometimes had to put aside personal feelings and make some compromises with reality.
One cannot always act according to one's wishes in such a position!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku made an exception and gave Damon the green light, which was also a reflection of his own deep-seated guilt towards Chief Instructor Zephyr.
The Fleet Admiral originally thought that young people, full of vigor and hot-bloodedness, would find it extremely difficult to accept such a fact.
Therefore, Fleet Admiral Sengoku specially invited Vice Admiral Tsuru to his office, just in case Damon got angry and Vice Admiral Tsuru would give him a "Wash-Wash Fruit" treatment to cleanse his mind and body.
Surprisingly, Damon appeared quite calm.
Damon was familiar with the plot and had already considered that Doflamingo would become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea when the Donquixote Family's Diamond Legion was wiped out.
Once Doflamingo became a Warlord of the Sea, Damon, as a Marine, would no longer be able to oppose him. Even knowing that Doflamingo was ruthless and sold weapons and people all over the world, he could only swallow his anger.
This was why the hawks within the Navy strongly opposed the Seven Warlords system.
This identity as a naval officer could not be utilized.
But Damon had a backup plan: the alias of the pirate Dragon Ash would finally come in handy!
You're looking for the pirate Dragon Ash. What did that have to do with him, Damon?
Fleet Admiral Sengoku watched Damon leave the office with a deep gaze, then turned to Vice Admiral Tsuru and asked:
"Tsuru, what do you think?"
"Damon has always been a smart kid," Vice Admiral Tsuru said meaningfully.
The Fleet Admiral leaned back in his office chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.
"This time, there are many suspicious points surrounding the attack on Zephyr. It just so happens that Kizaru was on a business trip to wipe out a hideout of the Revolutionary Army in the Bridge Country of Tequila Wolf. This caused Marine Headquarters to lose one of its most mobile support forces. Within Marine Headquarters, only the admirals know about this."
"It seems that Doflamingo has planted a heavyweight pawn among us!"
"Tsuru, you're on leave during this time. Stay at Marine Headquarters and secretly investigate all the officers who have been promoted over the last ten years!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru: "..."
A storm was brewing at Marine Headquarters, and someone was likely to be in trouble.
After leaving the office, Damon planned to head to Impel Down to recruit his crew members onto the ship.
Thanks to the friendly sponsorship of Iceburg in Water 7, Damon owned a three-masted sailing ship. With just a refurbishment and painting, and the raising of the naval flag, it became a brand-new naval warship.
With no shortage of ships, Damon naturally wanted to fill all 150 soldier slots.
Generally speaking, a private's annual salary was 20,000 Berries, and 150 soldiers would require at least 3,000,000 Berries a year. If there were also sergeants or officers among them, this salary would increase accordingly.