Sorry, I'm an agent. (Please keep reading!)

That day, the afternoon sunlight filtered through the clouds and spilled across the waters of the Sabaody Archipelago. It was a rare stretch of good weather.

Beiyuan Heng finished instructing the Marines. Watching the soldiers drenched in sweat, he gave a slight nod.

He was about to follow his usual routine and patrol the Sabaody Archipelago when the Den Den Mushi on him suddenly began to buzz.

The call came from a messenger at Marine Headquarters.

"Commodore Beiyuan Heng, the admiral candidate assigned to the Sabaody Archipelago is already on the way. Admiral candidate 'Aokiji,' Kuzan, will be taking over Kizaru's duties, stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago and coordinating the Marine defenses throughout these waters."

Leaning against the railing, Beiyuan Heng replied calmly, "I see. Understood."

No wonder it had been delayed for so many days, Beiyuan Heng thought to himself.

He had learned about the replacement of the admiral candidate several days ago.

Yet there had been no further developments over the past few days, which had left him somewhat puzzled.

But if it was Aokiji Kuzan who was coming, then there was nothing strange about it.

That admiral candidate believed in "Lazy Justice." He had probably spent the last few days racking his brain for ways to turn down the assignment.

He had likely delayed until the very end, only setting off reluctantly after realizing he could not refuse it.

Just as he thought the notice was over, the voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi sounded again, more solemn than before.

"Commodore Beiyuan Heng, Headquarters has another order. You are invited to return to Marineford immediately for an important meeting."

Beiyuan Heng raised a brow, surprise flashing through his eyes as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

A moment later, he slowly sorted things out. Kizaru must have recommended him after returning to Headquarters.

And this so-called important meeting was most likely to arrange for him to meet Zephyr, one of Marine Headquarters' current admirals.

He cleared his throat. "Do I have to leave right away? I still have some matters to wrap up here."

There was silence from the Den Den Mushi for a moment, as though the other party was confirming the details. Then a response came through.

"You need not depart immediately. Arrive at Marineford within three days. Be sure to attend on time. Do not delay."

"Alright, understood."

Beiyuan Heng answered gravely and hung up the Den Den Mushi.

After the call ended, he pondered for a moment, lightly tapping the railing with his fingertips as he looked toward the other side of the warship's deck.

There, Colonel Hina was leading a group of soldiers through hand-to-hand combat training.

He straightened his uniform and strode toward Hina.

Hearing his footsteps, Hina stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the approaching Beiyuan Heng.

Beiyuan Heng got straight to the point. "Colonel Hina, prepare to set sail."

A trace of surprise flashed through Hina's eyes as she asked,

"Commodore, has Headquarters issued any new orders recently?"

"Yes. Headquarters just sent orders for me to return to Marineford."

Beiyuan Heng offered a simple explanation without revealing too many details.

Upon hearing that, Hina gave a slight bow. "Hina understands."

However, Beiyuan Heng changed the subject. "Before that, I need to go somewhere else.

"You wait here for me a moment. I'll be back soon."

Without waiting for Hina to react, he lightly tapped the deck with his foot and vanished from the Marine warship.

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

This area had originally been a lively place frequented by pirates and merchants, but it had become unusually deserted these past few days.

Not only that, most of the surrounding shops had shut their doors. There were hardly any pedestrians, and all of Grove 13 carried a silence entirely unlike its usual atmosphere.

In the open space outside the bar, Hancock was undergoing basic training with Shakky.

Not far away, Hancock's two younger sisters were squatting on the ground, cautiously trying to draw upon the Devil Fruit powers within them.

Both of them had Zoan Devil Fruits, and their talent was far inferior to Hancock's.

Even while wearing Seastone, Hancock could already skillfully control her Fruit powers, while the two sisters remained extremely clumsy even with the most basic transformations.

They knew even less about developing their Fruits and could only explore bit by bit on their own.

Neither Shakky nor Rayleigh had Devil Fruit powers, so they truly had little experience with developing Devil Fruits. They could only let the girls slowly figure things out themselves.

At that moment, Beiyuan Heng appeared near the bar.

Rayleigh drained the last mouthful from his bottle, tossed the empty bottle aside, and spoke.

"Is it time? Looks like we can set off."

Beiyuan Heng walked over at an unhurried pace, his gaze sweeping over Hancock and her two sisters.

"Yes. I just received orders from Marine Headquarters to return to Marineford within three days. I can take this opportunity to send you back to Amazon."

Hancock and her sisters' eyes instantly lit up. Their faces were filled with irrepressible joy and excitement, and their gazes toward Beiyuan Heng brimmed with gratitude.

Ever since escaping from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, they had drifted from place to place, surrounded by danger.

And Beiyuan Heng was one of the few people from whom they had felt kindness.

However, Shakky stepped forward and poured cold water over them. "Although I haven't returned to Amazon in a long time, if I remember correctly, even sailing from the Sabaody Archipelago to the Calm Belt closest to Amazon takes at least three days at the fastest."

"You only have three days to get back to Marineford. Is there enough time?"

Beiyuan Heng smiled faintly. "It's alright. Helping civilians is the Marines' duty."

"Even if Sengoku finds out, I doubt he'll blame me."

"You think too highly of him," Rayleigh said from the side. "That guy Sengoku hates unexpected complications most of all."

"He wants everything firmly within his grasp."

He had been a pirate for so long and had encountered Sengoku more than once or twice. Naturally, he knew the man's temperament.

"Is that so?"

Beiyuan Heng fell into thought.

Hancock and her sisters did not feel good after hearing Rayleigh's words.

Beiyuan Heng had already helped them this much, yet he might still be punished for it.

Why did it have to be this way? If that was truly the case, they would rather wait a few more days and return to Amazon later than let Beiyuan Heng be punished.

Hancock voiced her thoughts, and Beiyuan Heng was briefly touched.

But in the end, he pulled a small booklet from beneath his suit.

It read: CP9 Agent ID.

Opening the small document, he revealed Beiyuan Heng's photograph, along with the title "CP9 Agent Captain" and CP9's conspicuous, distinctive departmental seal.

"To be honest, aside from being a Marine commodore, I'm also a CP9 agent."

The corners of Beiyuan Heng's lips lifted, revealing his usual gentle smile.