Chapter 12
The beeping of the machines around him was familiar. Too familiar. As he finally woke up, he was assaulted by blinding light and the white walls around him. But it was the smell that told him where he was: a hospital.
Castiel sighed in disappointment. In the end, that little brat didn't finish him off. And this time, he really had high hopes. But like always, he had to be disappointed. And now he was in his least favorite place.
Looking down at his bandaged chest, he felt with his fingers where the bullet wound was. Nowhere near his heart. That blonde brat had left him alive on purpose. That's what he gets for trusting others to do the job. But in his case, it wasn't like he could do it himself.
Before he could get up from his bed, Castiel was surrounded by an army of nurses and doctors fussing around him, making sure he didn't move. No matter how much, he just wanted to get out of here.
"Sir, please don't make our job difficult," the doctor said, pleading with him. "You were out cold for a day. Your wounds aren't critical at the moment, but don't make light of them. You suffered a mild concussion and lost too much blood. Your other wounds aren't that severe, but your body needs to rest."
Castiel listened to him, as he didn't see any other option. Tests were run by the doctor the whole day as he checked on Castiel's condition periodically. Only by the end of the day was he left alone. But by that time, he was already forced to stay the night there.
He hated hospitals. Especially the smell and the machines. Thankfully, he found most doctors quite agreeable and nice. But all of this was just a reminder that he had once again failed. His body was starting to get quite a few scars, each one indicating his failure and desperation.
He was tired of it all. Tired of living as a Marine. Tired of not knowing when he would be too late to die. Tired of not being able to do anything to help anyone. Especially Cass, knowing how much she was suffering was killing him more painfully than anytihng else could do.
"Warrant Officer Castiel." A tall and lean Marine with shady eyes came to his hospital room. "I am Captain Jin. No need for you to rise; please stay comfortable."
Castiel just looked at this guy. His smile was the fakest he had ever seen. But it didn't seem like he had come to Castiel with any kind of hostility. So, Castiel thought that he probably wasn't going to blame the Revolutionary Army's attack on him or something like that.
"Let's get to business," the Marine captain said as Castiel didn't reply. "I've come to congratulate you. As of this moment, you are no longer a Warrant Officer, but an Ensign. Surviving members of the attack have described your contribution as more than worthy of the promotion. You did well, and the World Government values your hard work."
"I just did my job," Castiel replied dryly, not really caring.
At this point, Castiel was getting more annoyed than anything. To him, this promotion meant nothing; it wasn't like he was going to get rich from it, nor did it have any real power behind it. All he could do was accept it and hope that it would help him bring about his demise sooner rather than later.
"And you did it exemplarily." Captain Jin seemed happier about it than Castiel. "And not only has the World Government recognized your good work with a promotion, but we would be happy to accept you into the Ilisia Kingdom's branch."
"That won't be possible," Castiel replied coldly. "I am a member of Soja Kingdom's branch and always will be."
"I think you don't realize how much opportunity awaits you here, Ensign." Even his fake smile disappeared when Castiel refused him. "This branch has deeper roots than any other branch in West Blue. It is only one step away from the branches in the Grand Line. So, I hope you will reconsider your decision, for everyone's well-being."
What was wrong with this guy? Well, most Marines had a few screws loose in their heads, so Castiel shouldn't be surprised. But it sure annoyed him that he was forced to talk to them all the time. And it annoyed him even more that he knew he would have to talk to them even more.
As the Marine captain left him be with ominous words, Castiel put his head against the pillow. To tell the truth, at this point, taking that man's deal to transfer here might not be a bad idea. But just meeting Captain Martin and this snake left a bad taste in his mouth.
All he cared about was Cass and her opinion. She wanted him to be some kind of hero, a good guy, as there were few of them in their lives. So even if he could get far by taking their offers, it meant nothing if Cass grew to hate him for what he would become.
But then again, maybe that was the only chance she would get to grow up at all. He knew why he had so few options. It was because he was weak. And by now, it really started to annoy him.
All he wanted was for Cass to live. So he was going to make it happen one way or another. If he couldn't get killed, then he would climb the ladder. Higher ranks would give him more influence, more power, more money, and a chance that could save Cass.
And if nothing else, with the promotions, there would be a bigger danger for him. More of a chance to get killed by the bad guys. But he wouldn't be a puppet soldier to the vile dogs of the World Government.
…
It was truly a different place. This Marine base was far bigger than the one in the Soja Kingdom. More luxurious, even. And the ships in the port said enough about how much more powerful they were.
Castiel really would have hated it there. And it seemed that everyone in this base hated him no less. And he never even met any of them. He had just come to report for duty. Any plan he had in this kingdom went to ruin with Captain Martin's death.
So he probably had no choice but to get a ship back home. But nothing was free; he knew he would be put to work first before there was a chance for a ship to go through the Soja Kingdom.
If he were a civilian, he would just buy a ticket to get there. But he was a Marine, a toy soldier that they needed to play with first before throwing him away. He just dismissed their cold looks directed at him. He had no idea what it was about, nor did he care.
"Ensign Castiel, the Rear Admiral will see you now," the receptionist said coldly.
She wasn't the only one. Every Marine he passed by looked at him the same way. They either sneered at him or dismissed him outright. Castiel couldn't care less about them, though, as he walked into the Rear Admiral's office.
"Ensign Castiel, good to see you doing better." Just looking at that fake smile and shady eyes made Castiel nauseous; there were too many of these kinds of people in this place. "Are you ready to continue your duties?"
"Sir, my duty was to escort the prisoners to this kingdom. Even though I failed in my mission, my duties end with this," Castiel replied, as he wasn't about to get used up by a bunch of strangers. "I would like to return home."
"Captain Jin told me you have an attitude," the Rear Admiral replied in a cold tone that left no room for argument. "Well, you are here now. And you will do as I order. Because of the casualties we faced in the recent attack you were part of, we are short-handed. You have a mission, Ensign, and you're going to carry it out."
A folder was slid across the table in front of Castiel. Though he didn't like the damn mocking eyes that looked down on him, Castiel had no choice but to accept it. After all, he was right; he was here, in their territory, and he had to do as they told him.
Hopefully, they would get bored with him soon enough and let him go home. This whole thing was just a big mess that he didn't want to clean up. Hopefully, they would send him on some dangerous mission to get himself killed; they looked that petty.
"A merchant is looking for a bodyguard. She is very influential, so be on your best behavior around her," the Rear Admiral explained. "You are to be by her side every minute of the day for the next two weeks."
What a bunch of bullshit. He wanted to question whether he was serious. Was this the reason he was kept there? And when did even the merchants start to get used to the Marines to their liking? Something was fishy, as only the nobles could use them.
Well, it wasn't all bad. He might have time to find out about the medicine, and whether there was any of it there, so he took the job without questioning it. It was just two weeks, enough time to look for information.
…
"I am sorry, please forgive me," a man bound and kneeling before a blonde woman begged for his life. "Please, I made a mistake."
"Yes, dear, you did make a mistake." The woman knelt before him, looking into his eyes with a compassionate expression. "I forgive you for that."
"Thank you, miss. You won't regret it."
"But you fucked up, and now you need to find out why you don't do that, not before me." The woman grabbed the man by his collar, and as fangs sprang from her mouth, she bit into his neck. "Fui, you have disgusting blood."
The blonde woman spat out the blood she had taken as the man collapsed to the ground, no longer moving. Wiping her red lips with a napkin, she looked at him with disgust before turning to one of her subordinates.
"What is next on my agenda?"
"A request from the Rear Admiral, Miss." The subordinate handed her a folder. "He wants you to get rid of this Marine. Make it look like he died in the line of duty."
"Ensign Castiel, what a pretty name," the woman read through the folder. "And he has a cute face, too. What a disappointment that he had to get on the nerves of the pettiest Marines in the world. Oh well, the money is good. And I do take pleasure in this kind of work."
"He should arrive at any minute now," the subordinate said. "It is a good opportunity to use him against Capone Bege, killing two birds with one stone."
"That ugly man has been getting on my nerves lately. Very well, leak out some information so that he takes the bait. I'll have him kill the cute Marine, and then use the situation to benefit me, like I always do."
As the subordinate left, Stussy finally relaxed. It was tiresome to maintain so many personas at all times. But there was nothing she could do. They were all watching her, the lowlives of the Underworld and the higher-ups in the World Government.
Slipping up even a bit would be her downfall, so she had to keep up the act as the ruthless Queen of the Pleasure District. A member of the Underworld. But she still had a long way to go before she reached a level she could be satisfied with.
Though she hated it the most when the common dictator of the Ilisia Kingdom used her. The Rear Admiral was a petty man, but with the whole Marine branch in his hands, and the higher-ups turning a blind eye to his actions, well, that was why she was here.
To spy on him. Once he harbored ambitions beyond the World Government, he would be dealt with. In the meantime, she had to work here under his gaze and do as he asked her. West Blue was just a starting line, but it still held a lot of influence over the world. Especially the Underworld.
Though it was sad that such a young and pretty boy had to fall into her hands, getting rid of him wouldn't be difficult. And it might even work out best for her. She could weaken Bege's influence in the West Blue and get closer to the Rear Admiral.
"Miss, the Marine is here to see you," her subordinate returned quickly.
Hmm, she liked it when men weren't tardy. She had barely finished reading the folder, and the man in question had already arrived. And he looked even better in real life. What a pity it was to get rid of him. She would have liked to keep him as her little pet.
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 chapters in advance, you can support me on Pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.