As everyone knew, Hope had once been one of Sengoku's subordinates. Perhaps his abilities were still insufficient for him to serve as a flag officer, but his worship and loyalty toward Fleet Admiral Sengoku were absolute.
Disrespecting the Fleet Admiral of the Marines and getting his rank reduced? Old Man had really come up with an outrageously absurd excuse.
He might as well have said that Hope had disrespected the Celestial Dragons because he had stepped into Marineford with his left foot first, causing Marineford's geography to tilt slightly and earning himself a severe punishment.
"He can't even come up with a decent excuse."
Yaen helplessly complained before turning to Hope.
"Hope, if Fleet Admiral Sengoku forced, coerced, or framed you, just blink. I'll take you back right now and argue it out with Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I'll guarantee that you get your old position back."
At those words, Hope seemed to deeply feel Yaen's concern and kindness. His expression and tone grew even more resolute as he said,
"Lord Yaen, you're very thoughtful, but I did this of my own free will."
"No, you didn't," Yaen said.
"Yes, I did."
Hope raised his voice and answered loudly.
"I willingly chose to follow Lord Yaen, and I was also the one who took the initiative to ask Fleet Admiral Sengoku to appoint me as Lord Yaen's adjutant. As long as I can remain by Lord Yaen's side, a mere military rank is nothing."
For a moment, Hope's voice grew so loud that all the Marine Soldiers on the warship and at the port turned to look toward Yaen and Hope.
The countless curious and astonished gazes made Yaen inexplicably feel as though he had publicly humiliated himself.
Yaen's temple twitched slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Stop, stop talking. Set sail!"
"Yes, Lord Yaen."
Under Hope's command, the medium-sized warship set sail and began heading toward the Gate of Justice.
It had to be said that Hope, as a former subordinate of Fleet Admiral Sengoku's who had fought and clawed his way up from the ranks of ordinary soldiers, was quite capable.
He might have lacked decision-making and strategic abilities, but he was fully qualified when it came to operating warships, directing personnel, reading the sky and weather, and fighting.
"Forget it. Hope is Hope. At least, with Hope as my adjutant, I won't need to spend much energy on all the other trivial matters."
Yaen sighed softly and consoled himself.
"Still, this makes the trip to the North Sea feel even more like a vacation. Hope's strength alone, as a Marine Headquarters Colonel, already completely surpasses the level that the North Blue Navy should possess."
Under the Marines' current rank system, the highest rank was Fleet Admiral of the Marines, followed in descending order by flag officers, senior officers, junior officers, and soldiers of various ranks.
Among the Four Seas' navies, the highest rank was only colonel. There were no flag officers or anyone above that rank. Moreover, the ranks directly under Marine Headquarters carried far more weight than those of the Four Seas' navies.
In other words, Yaen, as a Marine Headquarters Captain, was equal in status to a North Blue Navy colonel.
Perhaps that was precisely why Fleet Admiral Sengoku had set the rank for the Inspectorate Division's head at captain when he established the Inspectorate Divisions of the Four Seas.
Generally speaking, in this sea where strength reigned supreme, one of the hard requirements for promotion within the Marines was one's personal strength.
That meant that if former Marine Headquarters Colonel Hope went to the North Sea, there would basically be no Marine there capable of defeating him.
"Tsk. With Hope by my side, it seems I can't be too reckless in my future actions. Otherwise, Old Man will definitely find out. This is practically blatant surveillance..."
As Yaen muttered, he suddenly realized something and mocked himself.
"If Old Man really wanted to watch me, he wouldn't need to deliberately send Hope, whom I know so well. Any trusted adjutant would be enough, so..."
Yaen turned his head toward the increasingly distant Marineford. Vaguely, he seemed to sense a concerned gaze watching him. He murmured,
"Old Man is so stubborn on the surface, but he probably doesn't feel at ease about my health. That's why he specifically sent Hope to protect me. Honestly..."
By the end, a smile appeared at the corner of Yaen's mouth. He said softly,
"But I'm sorry, Old Man. I'm still too weak right now. So stay busy in Marineford. I'll go out and have some fun for a few years first..."
"No, would Old Man really think I'd come back without a decade or two?"
After directing the warship to maintain its normal speed, Hope hurried back to Yaen's side and called out,
"Lord Yaen, sorry, I forgot to take you to your room to put away your luggage... Huh? Lord Yaen, you didn't bring any luggage?"
Yaen smiled and spoke to the Goldfinch perched on his shoulder. "On my way to the beautiful and peaceful North Sea, all I need to bring is my bird."
"Bird?" Hope looked in the direction Yaen indicated and only then noticed the Goldfinch standing motionless on Yaen's shoulder.
What puzzled Hope was that human-like glimmers occasionally flashed in the Goldfinch's eyes, even giving Hope the inexplicable illusion that this bird was smarter than he was.
"That's right. Its name is Xiao Jin. Say hello," Yaen said.
Xiao Jin raised one wing and waved it at Hope in a gesture resembling a military salute. "Chirp, chirp."
Seeing this, Hope hurriedly returned the salute. However, he found himself at a loss as to what he should say.
After standing there blankly for a moment, Hope suddenly remembered something and reminded Yaen, "Lord Yaen, you didn't tell us beforehand that you were bringing a bird. The ship didn't prepare any special bird food."
Yaen replied, "Don't worry. Xiao Jin is a Castle-Castle Fruit User. Its body contains bird food it likes, as well as dozens of different snacks."
"Huh? A bird, and a Castle-Castle Fruit User?" Hope said incredulously.
"That's right. Although it's a relatively rare occurrence, animals can also become Devil Fruit Users. Xiao Jin is a Goldfinch that accidentally ate the Castle-Castle Fruit," Yaen explained.
Of course, the truth was that Xiao Jin had become a Devil Fruit User because Yaen had forcefully fed it the Castle-Castle Fruit.
Furthermore, Xiao Jin had shown an extremely strong will to resist while being fed it, as though it knew Yaen was feeding it a pile of garbage.
However, Yaen had had no choice. The Devil Fruit he had eaten would transform into the Void Soul Reaper Blade, so he himself had no way to become a Devil Fruit User.
And for the time being, there was no one around Yaen whom he could completely trust.
After some thought, Yaen remembered Chopper, who had originally been an animal that accidentally ate a Devil Fruit, as well as the Sky Point Bird from Sky Island that had eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit.
After eating Devil Fruits, both of them had displayed extremely high intelligence. Chopper had even mastered medicine.
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