I Am Already on the Right Path

Five days later.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

"Hey! Fal, did you hear?"

Fal, who had been working out with two dumbbells, heard someone calling out.

He turned around and saw Hans eagerly approaching with a cup of coffee.

"Keep it down!"

Fal lowered his voice and pointed into the distance. "The boss only got back from Master Port yesterday and he's catching up on sleep—you know what happens if he gets disturbed while sleeping..."

"And what if he gets disturbed?"

Hans snorted. "That bastard Luo Yi acts however he wants just because he's got some skill. He went off to do an extra mission this time without taking us—if you ask me, we should join forces and take his damn position sooner or later."

Though he said that, he honestly lowered his voice anyway.

"..."

Fal shot him a helpless look, thinking, Who was it that cried his eyes out on the warship when Luo Yi volunteered for that dangerous mission at Master Port? And who was the first to greet him when he returned to Marineford last night?

"If you've got something to say, say it."

Still, Fal did not expose Hans and merely spoke impatiently.

"It's about that huge incident in the Kingdom of Nysmal. I found out a bit more!"

Hans muttered, "I heard that the guy who stole the Celestial Gold and left Commodore Lan Li gravely wounded and near death was apparently wearing a Sea Beast Mask unique to our South Blue."

There was unmistakable excitement in his voice.

"That means he may very well be from our South Blue."

"...That's not something to be excited about."

Upon hearing that, Fal grew serious as well.

That was right.

If there was one recent event that had shocked the entire world, then the incident on Arashit Island undoubtedly came first.

This year's Celestial Gold from the Kingdom of Nysmal—treasure worth a full five billion—had been stolen.

The attacker had directly destroyed four Marine bases and a watchtower on Arashit Island, then defeated Commodore Lan Li, hailed as a Marine Supernova, head-on with overwhelming strength.

There were far too many mysteries surrounding the matter.

For instance, the attacker's identity remained unknown. How the attacker had moved that massive amount of treasure in such a short time was also a mystery—after the attack, no suspicious ships had been spotted nearby.

But one thing was certain—this incident carried an influence beyond imagination.

After all, stealing the Celestial Gold was equivalent to directly robbing the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.

"Also, keep your voice down—haven't you heard? The higher-ups have ordered us not to discuss any related information in private."

That was why Fal spoke so cautiously.

"What's there to be afraid of? What's the point of a blackout when the World Economic News Agency has already spread the news everywhere?"

Hans, however, did not care.

Fal could only shake his head helplessly.

Still, he knew Hans was actually right about that.

Though the government's higher-ups had flown into a rage over the matter, and it was even said that Fleet Admiral Sengoku had been reprimanded because of it—

it was clearly already impossible to suppress the news.

"I heard the headquarters higher-ups are already discussing that person's bounty. His first bounty might even exceed a hundred million. It's a good thing we missed someone that dangerous back at Master Port."

Hans sighed emotionally.

Fal felt a lingering sense of fear as well.

That was right.

For members of the Detention Unit returning from Master Port, this incident was even more terrifying.

It was not hard to guess that the attacker on Arashit Island and the people who attacked the G-51 Branch were likely the same person, or at least from the same group.

If they had encountered such a strong person, the consequences would have been too horrifying to even imagine.

"Hey, do you think the boss might know more? He investigated at Master Port for several days, after all."

At that moment, Hans suddenly had another idea.

"...What are you thinking?"

Fal found him even more absurd.

But Hans spoke with conviction. "Why not? With the boss's strength, he definitely could have escaped from them in a sorry state, right?"

"Cough, cough!"

Just as the two were passionately discussing it, a light cough from behind them interrupted them.

Thus, the two of them stiffly turned their heads and saw Luo Yi walking out of the room with a dark expression.

"Boss!?"

Hans tensed all over. "You're awake."

"Yes, my Source of Life is gone."

Luo Yi said grimly, "I was just about to head into town to restock."

"Th-then take care!"

As if granted a pardon, Hans hurriedly bowed and forced a smile.

"Mm."

Luo Yi waved a hand and strode away.

But before Hans could breathe a sigh of relief, Luo Yi's voice reached his ears. "By the way—the phrase 'escaped in a sorry state' wasn't well used. I don't like it."

"Come to the Training Ground tonight. I want to see whether you've been training hard enough lately, and how exactly you plan to take my bird position!"

Hans's face instantly fell.

Meanwhile, having prepared the punching bags for tonight, Luo Yi made his way without incident into Peace City, the town on Marineford.

This was the town where the families of Navy personnel lived.

Luo Yi, meanwhile, made his way with practiced familiarity to a shop called Xianxian Department Store.

"Granny Kala, I'm here to restock!"

Luo Yi called loudly into the shop.

"Coming."

A moment later, a kindly old woman emerged from inside the store.

"It's Luo Yi. Three cases of Cola again?"

She looked at Luo Yi and asked cheerfully.

"That's right."

Luo Yi said solemnly, "And open a chilled bottle for me right now, please."

Before long, Luo Yi was leaning against the counter, holding a bottle of Cola and gulping it down.

"Ha!"

After chugging a third of the bottle in one go, Luo Yi let out a satisfied breath of Carbon Dioxide. "That hit the spot."

"You're as carefree as ever, Luo Yi—Hina is very disappointed."

The voice from behind nearly made Luo Yi spray his Cola.

With that signature way of speaking, Luo Yi knew who it was without even turning around.

"Hina?!"

He immediately turned his head and, sure enough, saw the pink-haired Colonel Hina walking into the store.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me!?"

Luo Yi instantly grew wary and began looking around for a suspicious smoky cigar man.

But seeing his reaction, Hina rolled her eyes at him. "Stop looking. Smoker is still in confinement—you forgot?"

"..."

Only then did Luo Yi realize that seemed to be the case.

Still, he cautiously said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. The incident involving the destruction of the headquarters' public pavement last time had nothing to do with me. Cough, cough—I mean, I only heard about it too."

Seeing Luo Yi's guilty expression, Hina could only shake her head helplessly. "Hina is speechless."

As she spoke, she walked up to the counter. "Granny Kala, some Source of Life."

"Got it, got it. Phil Brand ladies' cigarettes—I'll go get them now."

Granny Kala said with a chuckle.

After Granny Kala left, Hina and Luo Yi began talking.

"Don't worry, Smoker has already given up on making you his subordinate—he chose that girl you recommended, Tashigi."

Hina said.

"Oh?"

Luo Yi's expression brightened. "That's great—so that stubborn guy finally came around? I told you, blockheads only start thinking straight after being put in confinement, right?"

But after hearing Luo Yi's words, Hina gave him a strange look. "Hina is surprised. It seems you still don't know?"

"...Know what?"

Luo Yi looked utterly confused.

"Nothing. I only heard about it too—but if it's true, Vice Admiral Billoss should notify you very soon."

Hina shook her head, no longer dwelling on the matter.

She merely looked at Luo Yi solemnly. "But when it comes to you, Hina thinks Smoker is right."

"Someone like you truly shouldn't remain in the Detention Unit."

Luo Yi showed no surprise. He simply took another sip of cola. "Burp. Why do you say that?"

"This sea is growing more and more chaotic. It needs the power of justice."

Hina spoke calmly. "What happened on Arashit Island this time is proof enough."

As always, Luo Yi gave his standard reply. "The Detention Unit is justice too."

"But Hina believes that, with your strength, you should want to change more things."

Hina spoke softly.

"For example, five years ago, if you hadn't joined the Detention Unit and had instead entered the 35th Action Detachment according to the original plan, then Vince wouldn't have died."

Luo Yi fell silent.

Vince Sita had been a Marine soldier of the same generation as Luo Yi and Hina, as well as the son of Granny Kala, the owner of this shop.

After graduating from the training camp, he and Luo Yi had originally both been assigned to the 35th Action Detachment, but Luo Yi had voluntarily joined the Detention Unit.

Vince, meanwhile, had died during a mission five years ago.

Of course, no one blamed Luo Yi for it, and Hina was no exception.

Luo Yi understood that Hina was merely explaining her own thoughts.

"Hina believes that capable and virtuous people should hold high positions. Only then can they change everything."

Just as Hina said this, Granny Kala emerged with the cigarettes.

"Let's get together sometime."

So Hina said nothing more. She merely waved at Luo Yi, paid, then picked up the cigarettes and left the shop.

Luo Yi watched Hina's departing figure and silently took another sip of cola.

Yet at that moment, his heart did not waver in the slightest.

Change the world? Change everything?

At least for now, he did not possess such grand ambitions or desires.

He only wanted strength and freedom—the freedom to live the life he wanted.

He wanted to see the strange sights of this world he had once longed for, unrestrained and unfettered.

But without a doubt—

Whether it was the former or the latter, the right path to achieving them would not be the one Hina had described.

"Join the Marines, sincerely capture criminals, and devote everything to my own justice?"

"Even if I rose smoothly through the ranks to the very top, becoming an Admiral or Fleet Admiral—I'd still be the World Government's dog."

A promotion and a pay raise were certainly nice. He did not dislike them, but they would never be the foundation of his path.

Because that would bring neither freedom nor the power to change anything.

Muttering inwardly, Luo Yi drained the last of his cola in one gulp.

"I have my own path."

"And I'm already walking it."