If Vice Admiral Borsalino hadn't occasionally moved to turn over, Arthur would have thought he was already dead!
Arthur could barely endure it on the first and second days, but now it was the third day, and Borsalino was still lying there like a salted fish, basking in the sun... He finally couldn't hold back and asked.
You have to understand, every day a warship is at sea, it burns through a huge amount of resources and money.
With thousands of Marines to feed and the ship's fuel costs, wasting time like this was a crime!
They would be better off using these resources to hunt pirates in the nearby waters!
Hearing Arthur's anxious words, Borsalino lazily lifted his exaggerated frog-like sunglasses, glanced at him with lifeless eyes, and drawled,
"Don't be so impatient... Besides, I'm not the one in charge of this mission."
Arthur: ...
Borsalino's sluggish tone made him instantly shut his mouth.
"I can only wait for Vice Admiral Daren to return..." he thought silently to himself.
Just then, a figure came hurtling through the sky at high speed, landing steadily on the warship's deck.
"Vice Admiral Daren!"
The Marines, who had been slacking off playing cards and fishing, immediately dropped their cards and rods, stood up straight, and saluted in unison.
"It's fine, carry on."
Daren smiled and waved at them.
Arthur: ...
"What's wrong, Arthur?"
Daren noticed his odd expression and asked with a smile.
Arthur glanced at Borsalino, still sprawled out lazily on the beach chair, then at Daren, who clearly didn't care about the slacking Marines either.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he said faintly,
"Nothing, Vice Admiral Daren..."
Daren chuckled, easily guessing what was on his mind. He raised a hand and patted Arthur on the shoulder.
"It's good to have drive, but being an excellent Marine isn't just about fighting and killing. On this sea, you also have to learn to handle relationships."
Arthur didn't fully understand, but out of trust in Daren, he nodded and asked,
"Then Vice Admiral Daren, what should we do next?"
Over these three idle days, unlike the others, he hadn't wasted time slacking off.
He had kept up a strict regimen of training and self-discipline, and now he was eager to test the results of his hard work.
Arthur had never forgotten Daren's words...
He absolutely could not let down Vice Admiral Daren's expectations!
He had to perform well!
Thinking of this, Arthur's eyes lit up, filled with anticipation.
"Action? There's no action... Everything's already been taken care of."
Daren smiled as he spoke.
"Taken care of?" Arthur's eyes widened in shock.
They hadn't done anything these past few days... How could everything already be resolved?
"Have you heard any news about Shichibukai candidates being hunted in the New World these past two days?"
Daren asked with a teasing tone.
Arthur froze.
Indeed, over the past few days, there had been no reports from headquarters about any major incidents like that!
But... that didn't necessarily mean the problem was solved...
It could just be that the culprit caught wind of the situation and didn't dare to act again!
Seeing Arthur lost in thought, Daren chuckled softly and then turned to look at Borsalino.
"Vice Admiral Borsalino, you haven't been lying there for three days straight, have you?"
Borsalino grinned.
"Not exactly."
He paused for a moment, then added,
"I did sit up to drink something. Otherwise, I'd be starving..."
Daren: ...
Alright, you win.
"So, is everything settled?"
Borsalino asked with a half-smile.
Daren narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly.
"More or less. Thanks for your help."
Borsalino shrugged, indicating it was no big deal.
"What's your next move?"
"You've come all this way. You're not planning to head back so soon, are you?"
"By the way, the G5 Branch isn't far from here. As the G5 Base Commander, shouldn't you stop by and check in?"
Daren laughed.
"That's exactly my plan."
The appointment letter for the G5 Base Commander had been issued half a month ago, but too many unexpected things had delayed him.
Although his presence at G5 wouldn't drastically change that unruly branch, it was still his territory.
No matter what, he needed to make an appearance.
Following Daren's orders, the warship shifted course toward the G5 Branch.
The sea breeze was cool and refreshing as it swept across the warship.
Snow-white seabirds soared across the vast blue sky.
With Daren's return, a new beach chair had appeared on the deck.
"I can tell you've got your eye on that kid, Arthur."
Borsalino said suddenly.
Daren, who was lighting a cigar, paused for a moment, then glanced at the young figure training at the other end of the deck.
The sun-drenched Marine cadet was there, sweating profusely as he trained, his expression serious and meticulous, completely out of place among the lazy Marines around him.
As fatigue set in, his hands and legs began to tremble, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it.
There was a different kind of passion and youthful vigor about him.
Daren's gaze softened slightly. He lit the cigar, took a slow puff, and smiled.
"Don't you think he reminds you of someone?"
Behind his sunglasses, Borsalino's expression gave nothing away.
"...A little, yeah."
He withdrew his gaze, then looked at Daren with interest and said,
"I heard he recently got a large sum of mysterious funding and started building his own army—calling it the 'Freedom Fighters'... Vice Admiral Daren, you wouldn't happen to be the one funding him, would you?"
Daren lifted his hands innocently, putting on an exaggerated expression.
"How could that be..."
"I'm a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters... How could I possibly have anything to do with a world-class criminal?"
"But I heard another rumor... The Freedom Fighters have been very active lately. Their intelligence capabilities have suddenly skyrocketed. They even managed to topple a country's government."
"Vice Admiral Borsalino, you wouldn't happen to be the one feeding them intelligence, would you?"
Borsalino also raised his hands in mock surrender and said in a surprised tone,
"How could that be..."
"I'm a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters... How could I possibly have anything to do with a world-class criminal?"
At that moment, the two of them struck identical surrender poses, looking downright ridiculous.
Then...
They both burst out laughing.
"Impossible!"
"Of course!"
Boom!
Suddenly, a dull explosion roared beside the warship, sending a massive spray of seawater into the air.
Waves surged violently, rocking the entire vessel.
"Artillery fire!"
"It's artillery fire!!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Prepare for battle!!"