After nearly four days of boring sailing, Figo returned to Marine Headquarters aboard a warship.
This was also his "first" time at Marine Headquarters, Marineford. As soon as the island appeared on the distant horizon, he'd gone up to the deck to look around at the Marines' reminder.
It was a crescent-shaped island, with buildings rising in tiers along the mountainside. The blue symbolizing the vast ocean and the dove symbolizing peace stood out from far away. Most eye-catching of all were the two characters for "Marines" on the building!
Just like in the anime, it seemed Marine Headquarters didn't move very often. At least in the past hundred years, it hadn't been forced to relocate.
As the warship drew closer to the pier, Figo suddenly noticed another warship approaching the headquarters dock from the other side of the crescent-shaped island. It was much larger than the one he was on, perhaps twice its size. The large-caliber cannons lining both sides of the ship looked like a clear show of strength.
"Th-that looks like Rear Admiral Miya's ship!" a Marine shouted.
"Really? Really?"
"It is! What incredible luck!"
"Will we get to see Rear Admiral Miya?!"
One Marine after another ran onto the deck, gazing at the other warship in excited anticipation.
Figo scratched his head. Miya? The name sounded a little familiar. His previous self should have known her, so he searched through his memories.
"Mm, the Flower of the Marines?"
The most beautiful woman in all of Marine Headquarters... at least, the most beautiful among the exceptionally talented female Marines. She'd made Colonel at just twenty-two.
But that flower was thirty now and had been promoted to Rear Admiral. She was still this popular?
Looking at the excited Marines, Figo waved an arm. "Men! Bring the ship alongside!"
The Marines hesitated, then asked in surprise, "M-Mr. Figo, are we allowed to do that?"
"Who do you think I am?" Figo said with a laugh. "If there's a problem, I'll take responsibility!"
"Yeah!" The Marines sprang into action.
They worked the levers and helm, adjusting the warship's course and slowing it down. The two ships gradually drew closer.
Perhaps she'd heard the commotion, because a female Marine in a Rear Admiral's uniform stepped out of the cabin on the other ship. She stood about 1.9 meters tall, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. Her black bangs swept diagonally across her forehead, with two strands sticking out noticeably, giving her a playful look. She didn't look like a thirty-year-old woman at all—more like a young girl.
Her neat uniform and brisk stride, though, gave her an added air of spirited confidence.
A mature woman's figure with a young girl's face—at a glance, she was stunning, leaving Nun in the dust. No wonder she was so popular.
She looked over at them in puzzlement, then paused when she saw Figo standing at the bow.
"Are you... Figo?"
They weren't close, but they knew each other. Otherwise, Figo wouldn't have brought the ship alongside for no reason.
According to his previous self's memories, they'd both been outstanding recruits who'd stood out in the new recruits' camp and trained together at the Elite Training Camp. Miya had continued to excel there, while his previous self had been stuck among the last few. As a result, they hadn't actually spoken much.
Fortunately, his previous self hadn't left behind any memories of "a young man's crush" or "secret admiration." Figo could meet Miya again without any awkwardness and take the first step toward reconnecting with his previous self's circle of friends.
"Long time no see, Sister Miya." Figo waved in greeting.
Miya smiled slightly. "So it really is you. It's been years..."
Halfway through her sentence, an eerie ripple suddenly emanated from her warship!
It was hard to describe the sensation. It was like being stared down by the most vicious wolf, gazed upon by a higher form of life, and crushed by the presence of a powerful warrior. Figo's Observation Haki sensed an unknown, pale-red aura sweeping over him. A heavy discomfort rose in his chest, and his brow furrowed. He had to crack the deck beneath his feet before the feeling finally faded!
"What is this?"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One after another, Marines collapsed beside him. All of them had been captivated by Miya's beauty; their eyes rolled back and their mouths hung open as the sudden wave of pale-red aura knocked them unconscious!
The Marines aboard Miya's ship were affected the same way!
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Figo's heart jolted. Then came a deafening crash. A huge hole burst open in the cabin of the other ship, and a black-haired youth, tightly bound in chains, came crashing through along with the cell he'd been locked in, flipping right into the sea!
Miya staggered. "Oh no!"
Even before she cried out, Figo had leaped into the sea. The black-haired youth had his hands and feet bound in chains and was locked in a cell, so he couldn't break free or swim. But it seemed he had no intention of swimming away. Instead, he opened his mouth wide and kept gulping down water, clearly trying to kill himself!
He looked like a captured pirate. There was no way Figo would let him get away with it. With a single twist of his body, he shot forward, quickly hauled the cell out of the water, then swung an arm and hurled the man and his cell back onto the warship!
Miya's face lit up with joy, but then she shouted:
"Figo, the ships!"
Figo had already noticed.
The Marines had all been knocked unconscious by the earlier burst of Conqueror's Haki, leaving both warships out of control. They were drifting forward on momentum and would collide before long, causing a shipwreck.
He swam over quickly and braced both arms against one warship. Just as the two ships were about to scrape against each other, countless fair-skinned arms sprouted across them, bracing against both vessels. Working together with Figo, they pushed the ships apart and kept them from colliding!
Miya wasn't known as the Flower of the Marines just because she was beautiful. She'd also eaten a fruit Figo knew extremely well—the Flower-Flower Fruit!
Once he was sure the two warships wouldn't collide, Figo climbed up using both arms and sprang onto Miya's ship.
"Thank you, Figo. If you hadn't been here, he really might have managed to kill himself." Miya checked the cell and thanked him.
"No, if I hadn't brought our ship alongside, he wouldn't have had the chance to try."
Figo shook his head, refusing to take credit. He gestured toward the black-haired pirate inside the cell. "Was that the legendary Conqueror's Haki?"
"Probably. I didn't know he could use that power either." Miya nodded gravely, then looked at the unconscious Suicide Man and sighed. "As expected of Jellal, captain of the Laughing Pirates—a Great Pirate with a bounty of 630 million!"
How much? 630 million Berry?
Figo had thought he was some rookie pirate who'd awakened Conqueror's Haki, had the qualities of a king, but was unlucky. But... how had Miya captured him?
Seeing Figo's confusion, Miya shook her head and explained, "Admiral Moka just captured him personally. Admiral Moka was pursuing the other pirates in the Laughing Pirates, so to stop them from using a diversion to rescue him, he asked me to bring Jellal back first. We nearly had a serious mishap!"
An Admiral captured him? Figures.
Wait?
Did his jump into the sea just now count as escaping prison?
Had he just participated in the capture?
Figo felt a sudden surge of excitement.
The beautiful Rear Admiral was still telling Figo about the Laughing Pirates. Her voice was lovely, but Figo wasn't in the mood to listen to her chatter.
This pirate might be...
The Prison Archives appeared in his mind. A blank page turned, and the image of the black-haired youth was branded onto it!
[Prisoner: Jellal] [Level: SSR1] [Status: In Custody] [Crime Index: 25] [Capture Participation: 35%] [Available Rewards (Choose 1 of 5): Merchant, Swordsmanship, Chef, Childcare, Navigation] [Character Event 1: Available to Activate] [Character Event 2: Not Yet Available] [Core Event: Not Yet Available (Complete all of the character's Character Events to unlock the character's Core Event. Complete the Core Event to choose any three rewards from the character's ability list)]
It really counted as taking part in the capture?!
How was 35% participation calculated?
No, no, no—the important thing was that before returning, Figo had still thought he wouldn't get the chance to lock up an SSR-level prisoner anytime soon. And today, on a single return trip, from a chance encounter...
He'd picked up an SSR?
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