Chapter 1
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions rang, even in this dark and damp place in the deepest part of the ship. Petty Officer Castiel could only try to will the sound to end. But that didn't seem to work, so he just tried to ignore it and put his head back on his arm.
Though sleep wouldn't come to him as the ship shook. The only thing more annoying than the sound of the explosions was feeling the impact of them. Being thrown around by the shaking ship made sure he wouldn't be able to rest even a bit.
And here he thought that maybe he would be able to die in his sleep. It sure would beat anything that would be coming for him soon. Either one of those cannonballs manages to hit where he was and explode him into pieces, or he will drown.
If the ship sank, he would probably be the first to go down with it, as he was in the deepest part of it. There was no escape for him, as the cell doors were locked tight. And he hoped that nobody was coming to save him.
His Marine uniform was dirty and torn; even he could smell the sweat and blood that had seeped into it. Even the rats down here didn't want to touch him. At least he would die without shitting himself. He would have that much dignity left.
Though he wished he could have been killed instantly rather than left down here to do nothing but starve himself to death. All he was left with was his own thoughts, and now all he was wondering was how painful it would be to die by drowning. Or will it hurt be torn to pieces by an explosion?
Probably more so than being shot. But maybe less so than being starved to death. Though he did imagine that it wouldn't be very comfortable to feel his lungs filled with water. Would he struggle much? He didn't think he would, as he had long since wanted to die.
After all, it had already been a year since he awoke in this world as Castiel. An exemplary Marine who rose through the ranks and became a Petty Officer from a mere Seaman recruit in a year.
He was a proud and brave Marine who served the World Government to the best of his capabilities. With respect from his fellow Marines and civilians alike. The criminals could only fear him.
Well, that's probably what most people would remember him as. And that would be enough. He was too tired of this shit. Of the world that shouldn't exist, of being a dog to the worst kind of people imaginable.
And most importantly, he was tired of seeing himself in the dead eyes of all the slaves he was forced to chain up and prepare for transfer to the worst parts of the world. And all of it because of the orders of his higher-ups. Because it was his job.
Though they were not slaves, but prisoners. Criminals of the worst kind. If he didn't know of this world, he might have believed it like everyone else. Swallowed those words as if they were the declaration of the gods themselves.
What a bunch of bullshit. What kind of crime could a child commit to deserve that kind of fate? Those damn dead eyes were looking at him without any emotion left in them. All Castiel could see in those eyes was his own ugly reflection as he sent them all to a fate worse than death.
But it was his job, and he needed money. Someone like him, without any connections, even parents or other family to rely on, what kind of job could he find? He had no education and no training. At best, he would be used for cheap labor and probably robbed before he kicked the curb.
Being a Marine was safe work. Respectable work. And it paid quite well, so he accepted it. He worked hard to earn more money. And now he wanted to die. Not just because of those damn nightmares that haunted him, but because it paid even better to die than to live.
And he needed money. He needed a lot of money. So, when the pirates came, he felt thankful, as he was the first to rush to meet them. Ready to take a bullet or a sword in the line of his duty, so the only person in this world he cared about could get the money she needed from his death.
But he didn't die. He was beaten half to death before more Marines came, and they took Castiel as a hostage. How nice. He got to live a few more days as the pirates tried to escape. And now he was going to sink with the ship that shook once more from being hit by the cannons.
Then all of it was over. The ship didn't shake anymore, nor could he hear explosions anymore. Now, only rushed footsteps above his head remained. Was the ship sinking? He couldn't tell. It was quite a terrifying thought, not knowing if he was dying or not yet.
He couldn't see anything, and the floor was already quite wet, so he didn't know if the water was slowly coming inside or not. Was it getting colder, or was it his imagination? The only reason he wasn't panicking was that he awaited it and looked forward to finally ending it all.
Thump! Thump!
It wasn't his heart that was beating heavily. It was footsteps coming closer to him. He raised his head and looked forward into the darkness. He saw nothing, but he knew someone was coming. He only wished it would be one of the pirates coming to finish him off in anger over their defeat.
A light flickered in the darkness as a match was lit up; it illuminated the pretty face of a girl. Her short black hair, which didn't even reach her shoulders, was wavy. Her big blue eyes were fixed on him as he was fixed on her.
"Can I have a cigarette, too?" It wasn't her that he was fixed on, but her cigarette, as once he saw it, he craved it. "It has been a few days since I had any."
"Petty Officer Castiel, I presume." Her voice was stern, detached, barely containing any emotion.
"The one and only," Castiel replied weakly, as he could feel the dryness of his mouth.
"Vice Admiral Doll. I came to rescue you."
"Lucky me." She looked surprised, as Castiel didn't sound as enthusiastic as he should be. "My little sister will kill me for making her worry, so let's go quickly."
Castiel could barely feel his legs. But it was mostly because of the defeat he felt, rather than the numbness of not using them for days. Still, he wobbled forward to the gates of the cell as the Vice Admiral ripped them open with her bare hands.
It seemed the title of Vice Admiral wasn't a joke. But he couldn't care less as he slowly walked out. He passed by her, not even taking a second glance at her. As much as Castiel wanted a smoke, he didn't dare to ask her for one, now that she showed him her strength.
Slowly, with his wobbly legs, he walked up to the deck. The light from the sun burned his eyes, and he had to cover them and look down to avoid it. Looking down, he saw how truly tattered his uniform was. His body condition wasn't any better either.
"Petty Officer Castiel, sir!"
A row of Marines stood before him, all saluting him. They were his colleagues who had worked together for the past year. A bunch of idiots, but he didn't hate them much. There were truly only a few Marines in the lower ranks who were despicable and worthy of his disdain.
Most of them were regular guys and girls who admired Marines and what they stood for. At least half of them had suffered at the hands of pirates one way or another. The other half knew someone who did. And now all they wished was to fight them and stop them from hurting others.
Castiel wished he could have their mindset. Truly, he wished he could think of himself as a hero. But even when he was still just a Petty Officer, he saw and did things he couldn't forgive himself for in the name of his duty. What awaited him in the higher ranks?
"Does anyone have a smoke?" Castiel asked after returning the salute.
Then he collapsed to the ground, too exhausted. His wounds were probably infected, and he hadn't had anything in his mouth for probably the past two days. Just one more day, and he could have probably died from his wounds or starvation. How unlucky he was, even he couldn't believe it.
…
"Vice Admiral Doll, madam!"
Doll looked at Commodore Daigin, the one who had requested her assistance. She was disappointed in the man, as his eagerness didn't match his skills. But at least he was smart enough to ask for her help, and lucky that she was available at the moment.
If she hadn't been escorting a noble to a nearby kingdom, Commodore Daigin wouldn't have ever been able to catch up to these pirates. And that would have been a shame, since now she saw the Marine they were all trying to save.
At first glance, Petty Officer Castiel didn't look like much. His longer brown hair that almost reached his shoulders was a mess, but it was expected after being captive for so long. His hazel, narrow eyes were tired, but again, expected from the situation he was in.
What was interesting, though, was his strong will. Most Marines would have been broken after a day in that dark and damp place, not knowing if they would be saved or not. But he didn't seem to be affected in any way.
It was peculiar. She had been in similar situations, saving Marines from being captured. But never had she seen someone like him, and he was a relatively low-ranking Marine with only one year of experience. How could such a young man keep his cool and sharpness in his condition?
"Castiel? He is very talented with a rifle, the best sniper on our island, and his swordsmanship isn't that bad either."
"Oh, sir Castiel is very friendly and spares his time to spar with rookies who have just entered the service. Though he is quite direct while speaking and abrasive, please don't take offense if he says something wrong. He just doesn't know any better. He is still at his rebellious age."
"Petty Officer Castiel is our pride." Commodore Daigin and other Marines had a high opinion of the man. "It was just unlucky that he was on patrol and had to rush into the enemy forces to protect the townspeople; he would have taken those rascals from a distance with his trusty rifle before they could even reach him."
From everything Doll heard, Castiel was nothing but a brave Marine who didn't hesitate to risk his life to protect innocent people. But she couldn't call him an idiot either. Recklessness was one thing, but deciding to make such an action knowing the consequences was another matter entirely.
To discard his most reliable weapon shouldn't be easy for anyone. And yet, from what she had heard, he didn't even hesitate for a moment when he saw the situation demanded that he rush into the enemy. She was impressed, and she didn't impress easily.
After returning to the base, she was greeted as a guest. Since, for now, she held the highest rank among the Marines at this base, she received the most respect. Nobody could even pass her without saluting her and standing straight, letting her go first.
Funny enough, the only person who hadn't done so was Petty Officer Castiel, since he only walked past her at their first meeting, and she didn't think she would have even thought of showing any respect to anyone if she had been freed from being a captive for that long.
"Madam, here is the information we could find on him."
Doll looked over the report her subordinate had prepared. Castiel, no last name. Orphan, with only his little sister as his family, not blood-related. Twenty years old. Joined the Marines at age twenty. Showed great resolve and was the third best in training that year.
Then he passed all tests with the highest marks possible. Excellent marksmanship; if results were to be believed, better than most recruits at Marine Headquarters. Only lacking in physical strength and swordsmanship, but still above average.
After finishing reading the information, Doll liked the man even more. She wanted him under her command. She believed she could bring him up to even higher places. And if what she saw in him was a worthy talent to nurture, he would become an excellent Marine under her command.
A.N.As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.