Homeward Journey

The only warship docked at Loguetown belonged to the Loguetown Marines, and Noki had no authority to take it.

Besides, as a rear admiral from Headquarters, the ship assigned to Noki should have been specially outfitted by Headquarters. Its facilities were far beyond those of a branch warship.

Noki and Kuzan had spoken over the phone several times during the past half year. Noki had submitted an application to Headquarters early on to establish a unit, a right that came with being a Headquarters officer.

The warship assigned to Noki by Headquarters would be brought over by Smoker, who was on his way to Loguetown to take over as base commander.

After learning from Kuzan some time ago that he would be transferred to Loguetown, Smoker had departed Headquarters before the transfer order was even issued.

Decisiveness was his style.

Thus, Smoker's arrival in Loguetown was only two days apart from the time Noki received the transfer order.

The southern docks of Loguetown.

A man with short, gleaming silver hair, two cigars clenched between his teeth, an open shirt exposing his chest, and mist curling around his body stepped down from the towering Marine warship. "Noki, long time no see. I heard you made quite a name for yourself in the East Blue."

A faint smile appeared on Noki's lovely face. "Forget the pleasantries, Smoker. There's something that's been bothering me ever since we last met. Back then, you always made me call you superior. Now it's your turn to call me superior. Come on, let me hear it."

"Tch. Boring."

Smoker folded his arms, putting on a cold expression.

The two had crossed paths at Marine Headquarters before. At the time, he had been a colonel while Noki had merely been an insignificant cadet. Times had changed. His rank as a colonel was now two full grades below Noki's rear admiral rank. Though he had never cared much about status, he still found it difficult to save face.

Ain helplessly rolled her eyes at her man. Men really were just children who never grew up. "Colonel Smoker, this is Master Sergeant Carter. He will assist you with all affairs at the base in the days ahead. He is a very reliable officer."

Master Sergeant Carter gave a standard salute and said solemnly, "Colonel, I am Carter. Please take care of me."

"Mm."

Smoker nodded, then looked at the crowd gathered on the docks and the neatly arranged crates of supplies. "Are you leaving today?"

"Yes. Kuzan ordered me to return as soon as possible. Since everything is ready, there's no reason to delay any longer," Noki replied.

"Fine."

Smoker was about to say more.

Then, unexpectedly, a shout came from the distance.

"Wait! We haven't decided the final winner yet!" Ace ran up to Noki with his bandaged arm hanging at his side, limping as he went.

"Who is this?" Smoker asked curiously. He had a feeling that this boy was no ordinary fighter.

"Just a troublesome brat who spends all day indulging in wishful thinking."

Noki's beautiful eyes rested on Ace's face. "You've lost to me more than twenty times in a row. The outcome was decided long ago. I won, without question. I'm returning to Headquarters now and don't have time to keep playing with you. If you insist on following me, I don't mind taking you back to Headquarters with me. I imagine your grandfather would be very pleased to see that."

"The old man?"

Ace suddenly understood. This was the first time Noki had mentioned Garp. He had never understood why Noki had not killed him before. Could it really have been just to humiliate him?

At first, that was what he had thought. Later, however, he gradually realized that Noki seemed to be deliberately training him.

Devil Fruit powers, martial arts, Haki...

Every time Noki beat him black and blue, it seemed as though she was guiding him.

He had thought it was only an illusion, but the moment Noki mentioned Garp, he understood everything.

So it had all been arranged by that old man!

Having pieced together the entire matter, Ace clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "What a meddling old fool. Does he still think I'm a child?! I actually let an enemy teach me for so long..."

Seeing his furious expression, Noki shook her head slightly. He was still too immature to understand the good intentions of his elders.

Teenagers like him always wanted independence, wanted to break away from their parents and elders. Only after they grew up and lost them would they realize how childish their former thoughts had been...

Noki stopped paying attention to Ace.

Noki ordered the Marines under her command to begin carrying supplies and luggage onto the warship, exchanging posts with the Marines Smoker had brought.

When the residents of Loguetown heard that Noki was leaving, they came in droves to see her off. Although they had been afraid of her in daily life, they had seen everything she had done over the past year. She was undoubtedly a fine officer who cared for the people!

Dadi came as well.

"Yo, isn't that Smoker?" Dadi spotted the silver-haired man beside Noki from afar.

"You're here too."

Smoker and Dadi had joined the Marines in the same class, and the two had a fairly good relationship.

"Colonel Dadi, Smoker will be taking over my position from now on. You must be happy to be reunited with an old friend, right?" Noki said with a slight smile.

"What's there to be happy about?"

Dadi let out a long sigh, his face miserable. "Smoker is among the strongest in the East Blue. Whether it's you or him guarding Loguetown, there's no way I'll ever return to the income I had a year ago."

As a bounty hunter, his income came from pirate bounties. With Noki around during the past half year, pirates had barely dared to come to Loguetown. Whenever he finally encountered one, Noki would beat him to it. If he wanted to make money, he had to take a ship out to sea and go through all that trouble.

In the past, he could earn plenty just by wandering around town.

Smoker and Noki had similar temperaments when it came to pirates. Pirates would likely remain too afraid to come to Loguetown in the future.

Soon enough.

Tashigi came to report, "Rear Admiral, everything is ready. We can depart at any time."

"Good."

Noki turned to Smoker and Dadi. "Then I'll be going. Take care of yourselves."

"Take care!"

"Noki!!"

Ace suddenly shouted, "I'll defeat you on the Grand Line!"

Noki ignored him and boarded the warship directly.

"Raise anchor, set sail!"

The residents of Loguetown watched as the warship sailed farther and farther away, waving goodbye.

Ace stared fiercely into the distance. "Old man, I'll definitely prove it to you..."

At the bow of the warship.

Nami held a map of the East Blue. "Sister Ain, are we heading to Reverse Mountain next and entering the Grand Line through the waterway there?"

Ain gently shook her head with a smile. "Ordinary ships do need to do that, but we're riding on a Headquarters warship."

"What's the difference?" Nami tilted her head in confusion.

"This is classified information. Headquarters warships have Seastone installed in their hulls. Since Seastone gives off energy similar to the sea itself, it can completely fool the Sea Kings and keep them from noticing us. That means we can enter the Grand Line directly through the Calm Belt."

"I see."

Through her studies, Nami naturally knew what Seastone was. She could not help admiring the Marines' ingenuity. Ordinary people would never have thought of such a method.

Noki also walked to the bow. "Nami, as agreed, you'll be an indispensable member of this ship from now on. Are you ready to handle the responsibility?"

"Of course. Rather than worrying about that, Rear Admiral, perhaps you should worry about whether your wallet can afford it.

Oh, right. Shouldn't you give me some advance payment first to motivate me?"

Noki glanced at her. "Wages are paid in the middle of each month. You haven't even started working, and you're already asking me for money? Where do you think you are?"

"Oh, come on. I worked hard for half a year to complete your assignment, yet the Rear Admiral won't even give me a reward? So stingy~"

"You may have enough knowledge, but this is still your first time putting it into practice. You cannot afford to be careless. If anything goes wrong, forget about getting paid. I'll deduct it from your original salary."

"Rear Admiral, you're really good at exploiting your subordinates. Sister Ain, hurry up and say something to him."

"I think Noki is right."

"You two officers are ganging up to bully me..."

Even aboard the Marine warship, Noki and Ain's rooms were still arranged together. The two had already grown accustomed to living together.

As the commander of the entire warship, Noki delegated all the work she normally had to do among her subordinates. Free of any concerns, she spent every day sleeping in her room. Whenever something came up, the warship's adjutant, Ain, handled it for her.

The warship safely crossed the Calm Belt and entered the Grand Line.

With her extensive store of knowledge, Nami handled the Grand Line's strange climate and currents with ease.

As junior officers aboard the ship, Tashigi, Dezaya, and Bartolomeo led the Marines under Nami's command in an orderly fashion.

The warship continued onward until it reached the waters near Alabasta.

"Colonel, a ship has appeared ahead! Judging by its flag, it seems to be a pirate ship!"

Ain glanced back at Noki's room. Noki was probably still fast asleep, and there was no need for her to deal with some minor pirates.

"Bring the warship alongside it. Tashigi, Dezaya, lead a team aboard. Make sure every pirate is eliminated."

"Yes, ma'am! (You got it!)"

Dezaya rubbed her fists together. She had long wanted to see just how strong she had become, and at last she had a chance to fight.

Tashigi gripped the hilt of Shigure and muttered, "Pirates of the Grand Line cannot be underestimated."

Once the warship drew close.

Dezaya took the lead, using Geppo to fly onto the pirate ship. Her index fingers shot rapidly toward the enemy with a barrage of strikes.

"The Marines have boarded! Brothers, fight them!"

Tashigi boarded the enemy ship right after her. Shigure danced up and down in her hand, and amid flashes of blades, large numbers of pirates fell one after another.

Bartolomeo led his men in close behind.

This pirate group held out for barely a dozen minutes before collapsing completely.

Dezaya casually kicked down a hulking pirate who had already surrendered, still unsatisfied. "Not enough, not enough. Why are these people so weak?"

"Colonel, what should we do with these pirates?" Tashigi asked.

Ain fell silent for a moment. "Following Noki's usual principles, execute them all on the spot."

"Hey, we surrendered! Aren't Marines supposed to treat prisoners well?" the pirate leader shouted, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

Bartolomeo kicked him in the face. "A mere pirate sure has a lot of demands. If Senior Ain says you die, then you die."

Ain shook her head helplessly. Why did he make it sound like she was the pirate?

The pirates fell one after another.

At last, only a young girl with aqua-blue hair tied in a ponytail and gaudy makeup remained.

With the barrel of a gun pressed against her forehead, the girl finally could not endure the fear of death any longer and cried out, "Don't shoot! I'm not a pirate, I... I'm Princess Vivi of Alabasta!"

Bartolomeo slapped her across the face, leaving a clearly visible red mark. "Pah! These days, anyone dares to pretend to be a princess. You think you're worthy?"

"Wait."

Ain found it rather strange. She had seen many pirates give all kinds of reasons to save their lives, but claiming to be a princess was a first.

"You said you're Princess Vivi. Then do you know Princess Vivi's full name?"

The girl touched the burning red handprint on her cheek as she knelt on the hard deck. Tears welled in her large, watery eyes, making her look pitiful. She nodded forcefully, her voice trembling. "Ne... Nefertari Vivi."

"Hmm!"

Ain felt that things had taken an unexpected turn. She had the girl brought aboard the warship and decided to wait until Noki woke up before dealing with her.

The girl sat alone in a chair, hugging her knees.

Ain prepared a cup of hot milk for her. After all, she really might be the princess herself, so it was better to treat her carefully.

The warship continued toward Marine Headquarters.

By afternoon, Noki finally woke up. Ain explained the girl's situation to her in complete detail.

"Princess Vivi?"

After hearing everything, Noki was fairly certain that the girl was indeed Nefertari Vivi, princess of Alabasta.

As Noki remembered, the original story had explained that Vivi infiltrated Crocodile's Baroque Works around this time to uncover the truth behind Alabasta's internal unrest.

Noki had not expected to run into her, and they had nearly killed the princess as a pirate.

Led by Ain, Noki came before Vivi.

"You say you're the princess of the Kingdom of Alabasta?"

"Mm..." Vivi nodded gently.

"Then why were you on a pirate ship, keeping company with pirates?"

"Because..."

Vivi explained everything truthfully.

This included how she had infiltrated Baroque Works, why she had infiltrated Baroque Works, and how she had become part of a pirate crew.

After listening, Ain sighed. "It must have been difficult for Your Highness to make such a great sacrifice for your country."

People were creatures of perception.

When Vivi saw the extraordinarily beautiful Noki, she instinctively developed a favorable impression of her. "Baroque Works is a criminal organization. The Marines represent justice, so you can't just ignore them, right? Marine officer, could you please..."

Before she could finish, Noki interrupted her. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. Baroque Works is indeed within the scope of Marine suppression, but without orders from Headquarters, I cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another country on my own authority. So please forgive me, but I must refuse."