At Marine Headquarters, nearly every officer and soldier had gathered at the harbor, standing in neat formation and eagerly welcoming their Marshal back.
As the massive warship slowly entered the harbor, officers of every rank standing in formation took a step forward almost simultaneously, all raising their heads to gaze at the spirited young commander standing at the bow.
Then everyone raised a hand in salute and shouted in unison, "All officers and soldiers of Marine Headquarters welcome Lord Marshal!"
As the officers' voices fell silent, the soldiers standing in neat ranks behind them, stretching all the way from the harbor to Marineford Square, also raised their hands in salute:
"Loyalty!"
The neat, thunderous chant rang out over Marineford like a sudden clap of thunder. At long last, Marineford had welcomed back a moment of glory.
Akira looked down from the bow at the officers of every rank standing in formation and the densely packed soldiers, their faces alight with fervor after shouting the chant. A smile crept onto his face, and he spoke with boundless pride:
"Everyone, the Navy's glorious moment has finally arrived!"
With that, Akira suddenly turned to look at Strawberry, Bastille, the Three Admirals, and Gion beside him.
As if they knew what Akira was thinking, Strawberry and Bastille hurried a step forward, hand in hand, to stand beside him.
Before either of them could react, Akira reached over and took Strawberry's hand.
Gion understood at once. She walked over to Akira without hesitation, took his hand, and turned to look at the Three Admirals.
The Three Admirals all knew what Akira wanted to do, but they were getting on in years, and at first they seemed a little awkward.
But Sakazuki soon made up his mind. He took Borsalino's hand with one of his own,