Shanna Island, Marine Branch 211.
Knock, knock, knock~
"Come in!" Tokikake said without looking up from his desk.
Cross, with a cigar clamped between his teeth, pushed the door open and walked in. The first thing he saw was Tokikake sitting on a couch, having just brewed a pot of clear tea and pouring it into his own cup. Cross grinned, "Perfect timing. I had tea with Admiral Sengoku yesterday, and today I get to have your tea. Pour me a cup, too!"
"Tch. That's enough out of you. That Queen sends you way more of her good wine and tea than she sends me. Why are you freeloading off my tea?" Tokikake rolled his eyes, his tone annoyed. But he said it anyway. He picked up a clean porcelain cup from the bamboo-patterned glass coffee table and poured Cross a steaming cup of clear tea.
The tea came from the mountains of the Bion Kingdom and was the best grade, a high-quality tea that would be quite expensive on the open market.
Cross sat on the couch across from Tokikake and shrugged. "I didn't keep all of it for myself. Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, Zephyr-sensei, Tsuru-san, Vice Admiral Borsalino, and everyone else all got a share. So, naturally, I don't have much left."
"Tsk, tsk. Hearing you say that, I'm starting to suspect your promotion was the result of bribery, Commodore Cross!" Tokikake teased.
"Nonsense!" Cross adjusted his collar with a proud look. "With my skills, if I needed to bribe someone for a promotion, Marine Headquarters would truly be rotten to the core!"
Hearing this audacious statement, Tokikake didn't get angry. Instead, he nodded in agreement, a hint of envy in his voice. "You and Vice Admiral Garp really pulled off something major this time! To capture a big shot like Patrick Redfield... when I saw the newspaper, I almost thought I was seeing things because I was so tired from the noble banquet at Oneway Port the night before!"
"To be fair, if Fleet Admiral Kong hadn't exhausted his stamina first, it wouldn't have been so easy. The Marines just got lucky, and I got lucky, too," Cross said with a sigh.
"Hearing you say that, there must be some hidden story, right?" Tokikake frowned, asking in confusion.
Cross shook his head, not saying a word. He took a long puff from his cigar, exhaled a smoke ring, then picked up the porcelain cup full of tea on the coffee table and took a sip of the hot brew.
Kong's defeat was a top-secret Marine matter that could never be revealed. Otherwise, the capture of Patrick Redfield wouldn't have the intended deterrent effect on other pirates.
Pirates would think, "If even the Fleet Admiral can be defeated, what good are the other Marines?"
At best, they would be seen as all bark and no bite.
The news might even backfire, intensifying the pirate surge, diminishing the Marines' prestige even further, and further damaging the balance and order of the seas.
Seeing Cross remain silent, Tokikake understood that there was some important secret involved, so he didn't press the matter further. Instead, he joined Cross in sipping the fragrant, precious camellia tea.
A moment later, Cross put down his half-empty cup and said in a low voice, "Oh, by the way, I'm being transferred back to Marine Headquarters!"
"Eh?!"
Tokikake's eyes bulged. His hand shook, spilling the hot tea from his cup, causing him to yelp in pain as he frantically tried to wipe the tea from his legs.
"Is it necessary to be so surprised?" Cross said, a wry smile on his face.
Tokikake ignored the jab and asked anxiously, "It's only been a year. You're being transferred back to Headquarters? What about me? Am I still stuck here?"
"What's wrong with here?" Cross wiggled his eyebrows and teased, "I see you're always at those noble banquets in Oneway Port, having a great time with all those pretty noble ladies!"
"I'm maintaining the relationship between the Marines and the Bion Kingdom and upholding the balance and order of the sea. It's all just an act, Commodore Cross. Please don't misunderstand your superior's actions. Everything I do is for Justice!" Tokikake said with an incredibly serious, straight face.
Hearing this, Cross was stunned, staring blankly at Tokikake. 'Your ability to lie through your teeth is amazing. No wonder Gion has rejected your confessions a hundred times.'
"Cough, cough, cough~ Don't change the subject. What did they say about me?" Tokikake asked, still perfectly composed.
Cross looked at Tokikake and seemed to be lost in thought. "About that..."
One day ago...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In a spacious office, Cross and Sengoku sat opposite each other on a couch, quietly sipping hot tea and enjoying a moment of peace.
After a while, Sengoku put down his teacup and looked at Cross with a gentle smile. "It's been a year. Lavishur has proven his worth as a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and you and Tokikake have laid a solid foundation for Branch 211. Especially with your repeated attacks on the Big Mom Pirates, you've made quite a name for yourself in the New World. It would be a waste to keep you in such a small place."
Hearing this, Cross paused, put down his teacup, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Sengoku-san, are you saying... you're transferring me from Branch 211?"
"Why?" Sengoku said with a teasing smile, "Are you reluctant to leave the Queen? I guess so, she's the Queen of a country after all. I heard she's quite fond of you!"
"You're joking, Sengoku-san. I'm not so devoted that I'd give up the whole forest for one woman," Cross said with a laugh. "Besides, I'm only 18. I'm not planning on hanging myself on a single tree!"
After hearing Cross's words, Sengoku couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "If you said that to Queen Shanna, she would be very sad! Hehehe~"
After his laugh subsided, Sengoku saw Cross smiling without a word and decided not to dwell on the topic. He returned to the previous subject, speaking with a serious tone. "For you, Branch 211 is too small. So I've decided to transfer you back to Headquarters to serve as the acting commander of the Marine base in the Sabaody Archipelago."
"The base commander of the Sabaody Archipelago..."
Cross's face showed surprise. "Sengoku-san, isn't that a little sudden? Even if Rear Admiral Gobert made a mistake or was promoted and transferred, what about Jonathan?"
"Rear Admiral Gobert was injured!" Sengoku explained with a poker face. "A few days ago, a daring group of pirates tried to attack the Celestial Dragons, intending to kidnap them to threaten the World Government and the Marines. But the plan was leaked and discovered by CP intelligence agents. So, to nip the threat in the bud, I ordered Rear Admiral Gobert and his subordinates to team up with the CP organization and eliminate the pirates. However, the pirates' strength was unexpectedly high. Although they were eliminated, Rear Admiral Gobert was injured in the fight. A pirate cut off his left leg. He's currently in the hospital, and it's uncertain whether he'll ever return to active duty."
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