"I'm sorry, but regarding this matter... I must refuse." Bellemere didn't even hesitate before rejecting Michael's proposal. "Sister Sohan saved my life and my two daughters' lives back then and the salary she offers me is quite generous."
Bellemere harbored not a shred of resentment toward the Marines.
Her decision was purely based on personal loyalty and benefits.
After all, she had two daughters to raise.
Just thinking about her salary back when she was a Marine made Bellemere feel utterly exhausted.
There was absolutely no way she could have supported two daughters with that.
"Uh, what was your rank back then?"
"Marine Branch Captain" Bellemere replied. "And it was in the East Blue."
After hearing this, Michael wasn't surprised by her answer.
The East Blue's military budget was already the lowest among all Marine branches.
Moreover, a Branch Captain salary wasn't particularly substantial to begin with.
Combined, it was enough for one person to live comfortably, or barely enough for two.
Definitely not enough for two daughters.
"But the Alabasta branch... is completely different from the East Blue." Michael approached the mother and her two daughters, saying, "Although it's a Marine branch, the benefits are on par with Marine Headquarters. Plus, the Alabasta royal family allocates an annual sponsorship fund to the Alabasta branch... If you were to return to your previous rank, you'd likely earn about five times your original salary."
"And that's just the base pay. If the Alabasta branch captures or kills a wanted pirate, the entire branch receives a bonus."
As Michael spoke, Bellemere's eyes gradually transformed into two large dollar signs.
Michael wiped the cold sweat from his temple.
So this greed for money runs in the family!
But soon, Bellemere shook her head vigorously, her eyes clearing as if the greedy look had never been there.
"N-no! I can't! Sister Sohan saved me, I can't just..."
"Hey! Bellemere! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Sohan's voice came from behind them.
Bellemere turned to see Sohan emerging from the ship's cabin.
"Sohan..."
"I just finished inventory and heard you talking nonsense here!" Sohan walked up to Bellemere, looking at the younger woman with a sigh.
"It's true I saved your life back then, but haven't you saved me more than once?"
"If we're counting life debts, I'd say I owe you at least two by now."
"So don't hold back. If the salary is good, the Marines are definitely a better path than staying on a merchant ship."
Hearing Sohan's words, Bellemere froze in place.
It wasn't that she wasn't tempted by the benefits Michael described.
Because when she first joined the Marines, it wasn't for survival—it was to stand against all injustice and unfairness.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have boldly declared that if Shiki dared come to the East Blue, she'd punch him into the sky when she heard about his prison break.
Nor would she have stood in front of everyone when Arlong invaded Cocoyasi Village.
Even after deliberately distancing herself from the Marines for over a year, she had to admit...
She was born to be a Marine.
"And most importantly, you'll be raising two children." Sohan stepped forward, gently stroking Bellemere's hair as the sturdy merchant displayed rare tenderness. "But a cramped merchant ship isn't the best environment for children to grow up healthy."
With that, she approached Michael and extended her hand for a formal handshake.
"Michael-san, I entrust my hopeless little sister to your care."
****
"So during this mission, you brought back a former Marine branch captain?"
"Mhm."
"And this Marine branch captain has two children?"
"Correct."
"You think I believe that?"
"Shouldn't you?"
Michael and Stella sat across the desk staring at each other until Stella finally sighed.
Then she muttered under her breath.
"...Sometimes I can't tell if you're genuinely oblivious or just pretending."
"Ahem, I can hear you."
"So what if you can!" Stella stuck her tongue out at Michael before composing herself.
"I've checked Bellemere's service records."
She began reading from the East Blue branch's documents:
"Bellemere, joined the Marines at East Blue branch in 1499 of the Sea Calendar, aged fifteen."
"Demonstrated exceptional performance with repeated achievements in anti-piracy operations, quickly promoted to Marine branch captain."
"Later went missing during the Oykot Kingdom campaign in East Blue."
"It seems she was both experienced and talented as a Marine."
Michael nodded in agreement.
With such an impressive record, had she not left the Marines for little Nojiko and Nami, she'd likely have been transferred to Marine Headquarters by now.
"Based on her record and your description of her conduct aboard the merchant ship, she'd be perfect for current Alabasta," Stella said, looking up.
"After all, you're the only one in the entire SWORD who's actually commanded regular troops... We can't have a branch commander handling everything personally, can we?"
"True, you are all classified special forces after all..."
Michael agreed.
He never intended for his subordinates to develop leadership skills—their primary goal was enhancing their combat strength to become the Marines' future pillars.
"Then it's settled. The Alabasta branch still has many headquarters officer positions available... For Bellemere, let's start by removing the 'branch' from her captain title."
"Oh, when assigning housing, make sure Bellemere gets a larger residence—preferably with a small yard... Since she's bringing two children."
"...It's this kind of unconsciously kind behavior that easily gets misinterpreted!"
"Hah?" Michael lightly flicked Stella's forehead. "What strange things are you always thinking about... By the way, include Bellemere in your internal training sessions."
"Understood." Stella grasped his meaning. "We'll begin by teaching her the Six Powers."
After settling Bellemere's affair, Michael was about to leave the communications room with Stella when she called out to him.
"There's one more thing..."
"What is it?"
"Recently, there have been strange sandstorms near Rainbase."
"Isn't it perfectly normal for sandstorms to occur in the desert?"
"But these sandstorms have nothing to do with the weather. It's almost as if... they're alive."
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