The ship was even more deathly quiet than Noah had imagined.
From the deck to the cabins, he heard no movement and saw not a single light.
T Bone held a saber in his hand and followed behind him. He looked slightly nervous, his gaze constantly sweeping the corners of the surrounding walls, wary of someone launching a surprise attack from behind.
"There really isn't a single person here."
Only after patiently checking every room in the cabins did Noah return to the entrance, frowning.
"But there's no blood, no damage from a fight. Some of the bedding is still pulled back, and the food in the kitchen is still warm..."
That made it even stranger.
Clearly, just a few hours ago, this pirate ship had been full of people. So what had happened afterward to make everyone aboard vanish, leaving only this pirate ship drifting alone at sea?
Whoosh!
Just then, the sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out.
In the dim darkness, a black shadow could vaguely be seen leaping down from the top of the mast, rushing straight toward them.
"Who goes there?!"
Pengen's expression changed drastically. He was about to raise his blade in defense when Noah, standing in front of him, reached out and stopped him.
Plop.
The shadow landed on the deck with a soft thud. Pengen looked closely and realized it was actually a black cat.
The black cat was plump, its fur sleek and glossy. One look was enough to tell that it ate well and had been properly cared for.
After landing, it lazily stretched before raising its head and curiously inspecting the two strangers before it.
"That little thing gave me quite a fright."
Only then did Pengen breathe a sigh of relief. He crouched down and smiled as he rubbed the black cat's head, then turned to Noah. "Mr. Noah, what should we do?"
"If there's no one on the ship, there's no point staying any longer. Let's go."
Noah looked somewhat disappointed. After one final look around the empty deck, he pointed at the pirate flag fluttering from the mast. "Tear that down and bring it with us. It might come in handy."
"Yes, sir!"
Pengen hurriedly carried out the order. By the time he had climbed the mast, torn down the pirate flag, and jumped back down, Noah had already returned to the speedboat, bringing the black cat with him.
"This cat was probably abandoned on the ship by the pirates. You're so kind to have rescued—"
Pengen returned to the speedboat with a smile, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Noah suddenly grab the black cat by the neck and expressionlessly shove it into the seawater.
"Huh?" Pengen was horrified. "Y-you... what are you doing?"
"You're too naive, kid."
Speaking with the grave earnestness of someone who had been there before, Noah said, "This world is dangerous. You never know whether an innocent-looking little kitten might secretly be a Devil Fruit user—"
His gaze sharpened, and his voice suddenly rose:
"For all we know, this little thing might be the mastermind behind that ghost ship!"
"..." Pengen stood there with his mouth slightly open, his thoughts thoroughly tangled by the sea breeze.
Mr. Noah was handsome, kind, considerate toward his subordinates... anyway, everything about him was great. He was exactly what Pengen imagined a superior should be.
But what on earth had suddenly gone wrong with his train of thought?
Why was he harboring such intense malice toward a poor little cat?
Watching the black cat struggle desperately in the seawater, Pengen swallowed after a long while before speaking weakly.
"But it's been soaking in seawater for so long, and it doesn't look weak at all. It... probably isn't one, right?"
"Is that so?"
Noah glanced at the little black cat, which was still resisting fiercely, then hauled it back out and set it on the deck. Casually shaking the water from his soaked right hand, he said, "Yeah, I think so too."
"So it's fine now. Let's get moving."
Pengen: "..."
At around four in the morning, the speedboat carrying two men and a cat finally arrived at Celeste Island.
It was a medium-sized island, long and narrow like a crescent moon. A towering solitary mountain stood in the north, with several towns at its foot and a few small villages scattered sparsely along the coastline.
At the southernmost end was an excellent natural harbor, filled with ships of every kind.
Using the moonlight, Noah searched around and quickly spotted the particularly conspicuous standard-issue warship of Marine Headquarters.
Further away, flames soared into the sky from the towns. Even from several kilometers away, he could still faintly hear waves of battle cries and shouts of killing drifting from the depths of the night.
"Mr. Noah, my mission of bringing you here is complete. It's time for me to head back."
T Bone gave Noah a crisp military salute and grinned. "I had a great time with you these past two days. I hope we'll have a chance to meet again on Gulu Island!"
"Haha, me too. Go on."
Noah cheerfully patted the young man on the shoulder and watched as he drove the speedboat away.
Since T Bone would later become a Marine Headquarters colonel, he had probably trained in Zephyr's Elite Training Camp as well. Noah figured that he would not need to visit the 329th Branch again. Perhaps in a few years, he would meet this kid again at Marineford as his senior.
Only after the speedboat disappeared from view did Noah step onto the dock and rush toward the familiar warship at top speed.
He could hardly wait to take part in the practical combat assessment. But before that, he had to find Aokiji and report in before he could officially join.
Besides, he felt he should report the ghost pirate ship they had encountered at sea a few hours ago. Such a strange incident might be hiding some incredibly important intelligence.
However.
Once he boarded the warship, he discovered that it was like stepping onto another ghost ship. Whether on the deck or in the cabins, everything was empty. Not a single person was in sight...
"What's going on?"
After making a round and returning to the deck, Noah rubbed the stubble on his chin and frowned in confusion. "That's not right. Where is everyone? Where did they all go?"
The more than two hundred trainees from the Elite Training Camp definitely were not on the ship right now; they had all gone ashore for the practical combat assessment. But where were Aokiji and the accompanying Marine Headquarters instructors?
They had left no one on the warship. Weren't they afraid that the pirates on the island would make a desperate last stand, seize the opportunity, and secretly burn it down?
"Hey, what do you mean, where did everyone go?"
Just then, an all-too-familiar lazy voice suddenly came from above, carrying a teasing chuckle. "What, kid? Don't I count as a person?"
Noah froze slightly.
He slowly turned around and looked up toward the second floor of the cabins, meeting a pair of clear, pristine eyes, almost peach-pink in color, from afar.
One stood below, looking up;
One stood above, looking down.
It was strikingly similar to the scene when he had first met the owner of those peach-pink eyes aboard this warship, just after leaving Marineford.
"Commodore Gion..."
After losing himself for a second or two, Noah quickly regained his composure. Looking at Momousagi's exquisite face, which carried a smile, he shrugged helplessly.
"In the middle of the night, could you not suddenly speak from right above my head? It's pretty scary, you know?"
Before you continue