Chapter 45: Of Course I Will
"Come, come—look this way! Look over here!"
"Hey hey hey, brat, that's enough! With old man's reputation, do we really need all this nonsense?"
"Mr. Zephyr, I agree—your name alone is enough. If you say a single sentence, every Marine across all four seas would buy instantly."
Ginny flashed a flattering smile, ignoring Zephyr's growing impatience.
"But our Boss said, 'Good wine still fears a deep alley!' The entire Sibia River Islands is counting on you to help us sell."
"???"
Wait—when did the great Chief Instructor of the Navy become a wine salesman?
Zephyr's face twitched violently.
But seeing all the villagers watching him with eager, hopeful faces…
He could only sigh deeply.
"Alright, alright! Just get it over with!"
"Right away! Leave it to us!"
Ginny snapped toward the filming crew borrowed from the Taimé Mafia and kicked the director square on the backside.
"Didn't you hear Mr. Zephyr? Hurry up and film! Didn't you claim you had years of filming experience?! Then why are you trembling?! Shoot!"
"Y-Yes! Right away!"
The poor director forced a wobbly smile.
"Boss, give me a moment—I just need to adjust!"
Adjust?
Of course he needed to—
That was the Chief Instructor of the Navy standing in front of him!
He had filmed plenty of things as a mafia cameraman…
But not this!
He thought they were here to film something for their own boss.
But no—
He was filming a promotional advertisement for the Navy's top instructor to sell wine.
Has the Navy fallen on such hard financial times…?!
Even the Chief Instructor was taking ad gigs—
Filmed by a third-rate mafia cameraman?!
No wonder the Boss didn't seem like a mere retired ensign.
Turns out he had connections all the way up to Navy Headquarters!
Ridiculous…
and yet—
weirdly exhilarating.
The trembling director suddenly felt a surge of passion and excitement.
He faced Zephyr with a sycophantic grin.
"Z-Zephyr sir, according to the script, you'll take the green grape wine your student bought for you, pour a cup, lift it slightly, turn your body, and recite the line."
Seeing the legendary instructor awkwardly following his directions, the director nearly shed tears of emotion.
"Yes! Yes! Just like that! Perfect!"
"Alright, alright. The line."
"A smooth—"
"Wa-wait! Don't forget the first part—tsk tsk tsk~ Details! Details matter!"
"Tsk tsk tsk~ A smooth..."
"Excellent! Cut! This take is good!"
"Finally done?"
Zephyr exhaled in relief, instantly discarding the awkward posture and downing the wine in one swift gulp.
He originally thought this would be a simple statement inside Navy HQ.
But no—
that brat had turned it into a full-blown production.
At least it was finally finished.
"If there's nothing else, old man can go rest now?"
But just as he stood up—
"Wait! We still need one more take, Mr. Zephyr!"
"???"
Zephyr froze mid-step.
"One more? Didn't we just finish?!"
"This take is finished—but there's the next one."
Ginny flipped through his little notebook.
"This one's easier. Just stand beside the grapevines, gently touch the grapes, and say your line. It's short—let me read it for you."
He turned another page.
"'Quality… requires time to age. We brew our wine with heart…'"
But no matter what Ginny said, Zephyr stared blankly like he didn't hear a thing.
Then he lowered his head, eyes falling on the notebook.
His mouth twitched.
"How many more are there?"
"...N-Not many! Really, just a few!"
"Give it here. Let old man look."
"No need! Once we finish filming, I'll tell you. Oh—also, the Hero of the Navy needs to be filmed too. When should we schedule his shoot?"
"Hand it over."
Ignoring Ginny's drifting eyes and babbling evasions, Zephyr reached out.
The notebook was immediately snatched into his hand.
He looked down.
"'Honoring ancient techniques, wisdom passed through generations…'"
"'Time nurtures depth, craftsmanship creates excellence…'"
"'Wine is delightful, but don't overindulge~'"
"..."
Zephyr stared at the densely packed pages of ad scripts—
completely dumbfounded.
Across from him, Ginny's heart jolted.
He quickly forced a flattering smile.
"Not many! Really not many!"
And seeing the Chief Instructor's face grow darker by the second, he hurriedly added—
"Mr. Zephyr… you promised the Boss. As the Chief Instructor of the Navy… you wouldn't go back on your word, right?
You definitely won't, right?"
"..."
Old man has… something to say.
Zephyr looked from the notebook, to Ginny, and then to the hopeful villagers around him.
In that moment—
it was as if the entire village whispered at him:
"You definitely won't, right?"
Zephyr took a deep breath.
His darkened face stretched into a terrifying grin.
"Of course… I won't."
That brat… so this was his trap all along!
Then Zephyr's gaze turned dangerous.
"And your Boss will surely complete my request properly too…
won't he?"
___
"Of course I won't leave you behind," Eiger said flatly, lifting his one-handed axe over his shoulder as he faced the two frowning Marines. "We're just splitting up. I'm a retired ensign—how could I walk into a Navy base like it's nothing?"
"R-right… that's true."
Binz let out a sigh of relief, scratching his head.
"It's just… is it really necessary to split up? You could still enter without trouble. There's no danger anyway. Honestly, I don't even know why Teacher Zephyr wanted you on this mission. If it's just an investigation, Ain and I can easily handle it."
Still, since Zephyr had given instructions, there was nothing else they could do.
All they had to do was reach G-5, gather information, and report back to Headquarters.
As for the pirate crew that attacked the base—
if they found them, great.
If not, then too bad.
The sea was vast, and so much time had passed.
Those pirates could be anywhere by now.
But Eiger didn't bother responding to Binz's rambling.
He only said one thing:
"Follow my orders."
At once, Binz and Ain both fell silent.
Eiger didn't say anything more. He lifted his axe, stepped off the deck, and used Moonwalk to leave the ship—intending to land separately.
He had discovered something useful:
As long as the sun was shining, and his stamina was limitless, he could use Moonwalk endlessly.
Truly convenient.
But right as he left the deck, he halted midair and said:
"Be careful of Vergo."
"???"
"Vergo?"
Binz and Ain exchanged confused looks.
Why Vergo?
But before they could ask, Eiger kicked off the air again and shot toward the island, leaving them with no explanation.