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Chapter 120is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
"Yes, Fleet Admiral! Word just came in. After being in a coma for five long months, A'Qi finally regained consciousness today!"
"Good! Good! Excellent!"
Sengoku was overjoyed, his booming voice echoing through the office as he praised the news three times over.
"Forgive me for asking, Fleet Admiral," the Marine Captain said, looking thoroughly bewildered. "But why are you so thrilled about her waking up? She's just an ordinary woman, isn't she?"
The Captain genuinely couldn't wrap his head around it. Why would the Fleet Admiral of the Marines care so deeply about a civilian? Did Sengoku have some sort of hidden connection to the girl?
"Before I answer that, let me ask you a question. And I want an honest answer," Sengoku replied, shifting the focus instead of satisfying the man's curiosity.
"Sir!" the Captain barked, snapping a crisp salute. He had no idea where the Fleet Admiral was going with this, but an order was an order.
"What do you make of Lieutenant Baishui's future prospects?" Sengoku leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The Captain paused to think. "He is incredibly young and capable. Receiving direct, personal guidance from Vice Admiral Garp is no small feat. His future achievements will likely rival—if not surpass—a Vice Admiral's. He has the potential to become a vital pillar of our Marine forces."
It was an objective assessment. At only twenty years old, Baishui had already proven his undeniable strength by single-handedly slaying the ferocious beast, Raan. Coupled with Garp's mentorship, the kid's career trajectory in the Marines was guaranteed to be meteoric.
"Exactly," Sengoku nodded. "Because he is going to be a cornerstone of our military might, I keep a very close eye on A'Qi. If anything were to happen to that girl, it would be a massive headache for us." Sengoku stroked his braided beard thoughtfully.
"With all due respect, sir, I still don't understand," the Captain confessed. "Whether A'Qi wakes up or stays in a coma... what does she have to do with Lieutenant Baishui?"
Sengoku let out a long, long sigh, looking half a second away from face-palming. "How dense can you be? I've spelled it out for you! A'Qi is the kid's fiancée!"
"Oh! Understood, sir!" The realization finally hit the Captain. No wonder the Fleet Admiral cared so much about an ordinary woman.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you're dismissed. Oh, wait—take this authorization pass to the port patrol," Sengoku said, suddenly remembering a slip of paper he had just signed. "Tell them that when Baishui arrives, he is not to be delayed."
"Sir!" The Captain saluted once more and marched out.
Right as the sun began to dip below the horizon, Baishui finally arrived at Marineford.
The moment he set foot on the docks, the patrol spotted him. Following Sengoku's explicit orders, they waved him right through. Baishui was slightly surprised by the VIP treatment, but he quickly flashed his ID to log his arrival, shouted a brief "Thanks!", and sprinted full-tilt toward the Marine Headquarters hospital.
But when he finally reached her room, he froze. His hand hovered over the doorknob, suddenly too heavy to turn. Fear, worry, anticipation, and an overwhelming wave of nerves crashed into him all at once.
There's an old saying that the closer you get to home, the more your anxiety grows. Right now, Baishui felt that in his very bones.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his hand down, twisting the knob and pushing the door open.
In that exact moment, the girl on the hospital bed turned her head. Their eyes met. Five months of unspoken longing, overwhelming relief, and explosive joy shattered the silence between them. Tears welled up in both their eyes, dripping silently onto the floor.
"You're awake."
Baishui had a thousand things he wanted to say, but as the words climbed up his throat, they melted down into just those two. He sat on the edge of A'Qi's bed, gently taking her delicate hand in his. His own hands wouldn't stop trembling.
He reached out to wipe the tears from her cheeks, but it was a losing battle; the moment he wiped one away, three more took its place. Her tears flowed like a broken dam.
"It's... it's okay. I'm here. Don't cry. You're safe," Baishui whispered, his voice shaking violently despite his attempts to comfort her.
Hearing him stumble over his words made A'Qi let out a wet, breathless laugh, though the tears continued to stream down her face. She reached her arms out toward him, silently demanding a hug.
Smiling, Baishui gently propped her up, supporting her back so she could rest her head against his shoulder.
"I thought... I thought I'd never see you again," she sobbed, her hands gripping his shirt with desperate strength. Her whole body shook, her tears quickly soaking through his collar. "I was so scared. I was so scared of losing you."
"Shh, I know. But we're okay now, see? Everything is okay," Baishui murmured, gently rubbing circles into her back.
"I know," she managed to choke out.
"Look what I got you," Baishui said, pulling back slightly. He fished a small, velvet box from his pocket and popped it open. Inside lay a breathtakingly brilliant necklace.
It was strung on a delicate bone-chain, designed to rest perfectly at collarbone length. At the center hung a flawless, azure-blue gemstone, secured by two intricate clasps. On the left clasp was engraved Baishui's 'Shui', and on the right, A'Qi's 'Qi'.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I love it," A'Qi nodded vigorously, entirely caught off guard by the beautiful surprise.
Then, Baishui reached into his coat pocket one more time. He pulled out a second, smaller box. Inside rested a single, dazzling ring.
He looked down at her, gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "A'Qi... will you marry me?"
A'Qi's face flushed a deep, brilliant red. "Yes," she squeaked, her voice barely louder than a mosquito.
"From this day forward, you're officially mine," Baishui vowed, his tone turning fiercely protective. "And I swear to you, I will never let what happened back then happen again."
He meant it. Never again would he leave her alone in danger.
"Mhm," A'Qi hummed, already floating in a haze of pure sweetness, nodding along like a clockwork doll.
Baishui slid the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand—saving the ring finger for the day they actually stood at the altar.
Settling back in, Baishui began to fill her in on everything that had happened over the last five months. When he told her how he had nearly died trying to avenge her, her heart broke; she clutched his shirt tightly, pressing her hand flat against his chest just to feel the steady, reassuring beat of his heart.
When he recounted his explosive, direct promotion to Lieutenant, her face glowed with absolute pride. That was her man. And as he spun tales of his time training in Foosha Village, her emotions rode a rollercoaster—one minute she was terrified for him, the next she was laughing at his antics.
Before they knew it, the night had slipped away. It was incredibly late.
As much as Baishui wanted to stay glued to her side, he knew he had to leave. She was awake, but she was still far from fully recovered. Her internal injuries had mostly healed, but her body was still incredibly weak, and sitting up for too long would only hinder her recovery.
"You need to listen to the doctors, okay? I'll come back and see you tomorrow."
After gently coaxing A'Qi back to sleep, Baishui finally stepped out of the hospital room. He had been in there for six solid hours.
By the time he stepped out into the night air, it was the dead of night. Marineford was still bathed in bright floodlights, but a heavy silence had settled over the fortress, broken only by the occasional, synchronized footsteps of a night patrol.
Even so, Baishui couldn't just go to bed. He still had to report to Sengoku—that was the deal.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Even at this ungodly hour, the lights in Sengoku's office were still burning bright. Being Fleet Admiral was a relentless job.
"Enter," Sengoku's voice called out after Baishui knocked.
Pushing the door open, Baishui grinned. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Still awake? You really work yourself to the bone, old man." With a sleight of hand, Baishui produced a flat flask from his coat and poured the Fleet Admiral a glass of liquor.
"You brat," Sengoku huffed, though a glint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. He took a sip, a look of immense satisfaction washing over his tired face. "Only remembering this old man after you've finished seeing your girlfriend, I see."
"Haha, my bad! Slipped my mind," Baishui chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He couldn't exactly deny it.
Sengoku set the glass down and scrutinized Baishui closely. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the young Marine's posture and presence. "Five months away, and you've grown leaps and bounds. Your Haki, your entire aura—it's far more refined and condensed. Good work."
"I try," Baishui grinned, shamelessly pushing his luck. "Though, if you're offering, I wouldn't mind if you gave me a few more months with him. I'd come back even stronger!"
Sengoku rolled his eyes, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the cheeky request. "Enough out of you. You got five uninterrupted months with Garp. You should be counting your lucky stars. You're the only person in all of Marine Headquarters to get that kind of treatment!"
"If the rest of the brass knew you had Garp entirely to yourself for five months, they'd be lining up to murder you out of sheer jealousy."
Despite the scolding, this was the real Sengoku. Underneath the Fleet Admiral's imposing exterior, he was just as much of an old maverick as Garp was.
"Alright, alright. If that's all, I'm gonna head out. It's late, and I'm dead on my feet," Baishui said, waving a hand in dismissal.
"Go on, get out of here," Sengoku muttered, waving him off as if shooing a particularly annoying fly.
By the time Baishui finally tracked down his new quarters, it was past eleven. Exhausted down to his marrow, he practically face-planted into his bed and passed out instantly.
As a formally recognized Company Officer, Baishui had been assigned a rather nice apartment. Two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It had great natural light, good airflow, and felt incredibly spacious.
The Next Morning.
Rank didn't excuse you from morning assembly. Everyone, from the freshly recruited chore boys up to the Vice Admirals, had to attend. The only exceptions to the rule were the three Admirals.
When Baishui arrived at the assembly grounds, still aggressively rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the plaza was already packed. A sea of white uniforms stretched out before him, yet the area was remarkably quiet. Everyone sat with perfect posture, completely silent. They were Marines, after all; discipline was paramount.
As the most famous Lieutenant in Headquarters right now, Baishui's assigned seat was near the very front. He was placed at the absolute edge of the Company Officer section, bordering the Field Officers—a placement that subtly marked him as someone standing entirely in a league of his own among his peers.
Glancing at the seating arrangement, Baishui noticed that the man seated directly to his left was the highest-ranking Field Officer present. And seated right next to that officer in the Vice Admiral section was a face Baishui recognized very well: Vice Admiral Momonga.