Drake's Dream

"Come on! Let's test out your ability!"

Surrounded by his companions, Baiyan came to the deck to try out his new power.

The group laughed and joked, drawing Elena's attention. But because Van had not treated her very well before, she did not dare approach them to make conversation.

"Qiangbalu, go outside and keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't get into an accident."

Van was worried that Baiyan, using his ability for the first time, might lose control and bounce himself into the sea, so he sent Qiangbalu out to watch.

Only he and Drake remained in the dining room, and it became quiet for a moment.

"Is there nothing you want to say?"

"Big Brother Van..."

Drake looked troubled, as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"If you don't say it now, I won't ask again in the future." Van smiled. "Just don't regret it."

Drake hesitated for a while longer. Finally, he took a deep breath, and his eyes became incomparably resolute.

"I want to join the Marines!"

His expression was excited as he repeated, "Big Brother Van, I want to join the Marines. It's been my dream for a long time!"

"Sure!"

The smile on Van's face remained gentle, without the slightest sign of displeasure.

This was different from what Drake had expected. His face filled with astonishment as he hesitantly asked, "You... you're not angry with me?"

"If you become a Marine, will you arrest me?" Van asked in return. "The people outside could become pirates in the future too. Would you arrest them?"

"I..."

On one side was a Marine's professional duty; on the other were companions he had not yet parted from. Drake felt deeply conflicted.

He believed that Marines should uphold justice and make it their duty to capture pirates and stop evil. But he did not think his companions were bad people, even if Van was already a pirate.

"It's right for you to hesitate. I believe you can become a qualified Marine."

Van smiled and continued, "Actually, I already knew what you were thinking. I was just waiting for you to say it yourself."

"So that's how it was?"

Drake let out a long breath, and his whole body relaxed.

"Do you have a more specific plan?" Van asked.

Drake thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "When we reach an island with a Marine branch, I'll get off the ship and enlist?"

"If you enlist at a branch, when will you ever make something of yourself?" Van said disdainfully. "I'll make arrangements for you instead."

Big Brother, do you really have that much influence? You can even arrange for me to join the Marines?

Drake froze for a moment. Then inspiration struck him, and he suddenly thought of someone.

"Big Brother Van, are you planning to ask Rosinante for help?"

He was the only Marine Drake could think of who had a good relationship with them, but Van's connections were even stronger than he had imagined.

"That guy should still be at Marine Headquarters right now, so we can't contact him. But he can look after you in the future."

"Sengoku is about to be promoted to Fleet Admiral. His status will rise with him, and few Marines would dare refuse him."

As he spoke, Van took a sea chart from his clothes and spread it flat across the table.

Pointing to a place marked "Goa Kingdom," he said gravely, "There's a place called Foosha Village here. It's the hometown of the Marine hero Garp, and it's also where we're headed next."

"A Marine hero? Big Brother Van, do you know him?"

Drake's breathing quickly grew rapid, because Garp was the Marines' pillar of strength and the idol of most Marines.

The Marines had developed rapidly over the years and produced countless talents. Garp deserved immense credit for that.

Without him standing there as a living symbol, far fewer young people would join the Marines, and the pirates' influence would definitely be much greater than it was now.

"I don't know him, but you can get to know him. You could even take him as your master."

"With him backing you, no one will question your origins, and your father's mistakes won't affect you."

In the original story, Drake had been rescued by Vice Admiral Tsuru. Although he had successfully joined the Marines, he had not exactly done well.

What captain of the "SWORD" unit? Wasn't that just a temporary job they could discard at any time?

If it truly had prospects, he would not have needed to become an undercover agent.

This time, Van intended to cut off the opportunity of Koby, the "King of Deserters," and let Drake take that position instead.

"Big Brother Van, what exactly should I do?"

Drake was not a rigid person. He was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming Garp's disciple and would not be foolish enough to refuse.

"After we reach Foosha Village, stay there and wait for Garp to return home to visit his family."

"With your talent, as long as you sincerely want to become a Marine, Garp won't refuse."

"As for whether you can become his personal disciple, that will depend on your own efforts."

"You'll find it hard to hide your thoughts from him, so don't deliberately do anything. Just show him your purest, most genuine self."

After hearing Van's arrangement, Drake fell into thought and did not reply immediately.

At that moment, Qiangbalu came in from outside and asked, "Captain, we're already far from Kogia Island. Where are we going next?"

"To the Goa Kingdom!" Van stuffed the sea chart into Drake's hands. "Tell everyone your decision. From now on, you'll be directing the ship's course."

"Big Brother Van... thank you!"

Before he had even finished speaking, tears were already streaming down Drake's face. Qiangbalu had no idea what had happened and scratched his head in confusion.

"Don't thank me. If we meet on the sea in the future, I won't go easy on you!"

With that, Van left the dining room, went up from the stern to the second floor, and entered his room.

His mood was not as relaxed as he appeared, and Blue Moon noticed something was wrong the moment he sat down.

"Lord Van, are you unhappy?"

"Drake wants to become a Marine..."

Van leaned against Blue Moon and slowly explained the situation, including how he had met Drake.

At first, he had indeed only wanted to use Drake to protect himself. But after escaping Minion Island, he had come to see Drake as a true friend.

Precisely because of that, he respected Drake's decision and chose to let him go.

The same went for Law. If Law's wings grew strong enough and he wanted to go out and make his own way, Van would not stop him either.

"Only those with aspirations can become stronger. Forcing them to stay by my side wouldn't be a good thing. There's no need for me to ruin their futures."

Van glanced at the system panel and thought, I hope everything goes smoothly. Let me make a big profit before he leaves.

The reason he had not settled the previous fate event was that he had been waiting for Drake to determine what he truly wanted.

Now that the time had come, once he had arranged Drake's future, he could improve his strength and begin planning the next event.

For some time afterward, Van handed everything over to Drake while he stayed in his room and lived a leisurely life.

Compared with the North Blue, the pirates of the East Blue were not only weaker, but far fewer in number.

Over a month and a half of sailing through several major seas, Van's group encountered only two pirate ships.

Neither he nor Drake made a move. With Qiangbalu merely holding the line, Law led the companions in taking down both groups of pirates.

Of course, the pirates they dealt with were just small fry with bounties below three million, and Baby-5 and Baiyan were the main force in battle.

The two ability users were far stronger than the others. Even Law found it difficult to catch up to them, let alone Shachi and the other two.

"Didn't you want freedom? We've stopped at several islands along the way. Why didn't you get off?"

Seeing that the ship was about to reach the Goa Kingdom, Van summoned Elena and prepared to send them away.

"We have nowhere to go. We want to stay on the ship." Elena bent at the waist in a bow and pleaded, "Please allow it!"

For Reiju's sake, Van would not deliberately make things difficult for her, but he had no intention of keeping these troublesome people either.

"Qiangbalu, come get some money from me later. Once we dock, send them ashore."

Before Qiangbalu could acknowledge the order, Drake suddenly stepped forward from the side.

"Big Brother Van, if we send them away now, Law, Baby-5, and the others will have to take on the ship's miscellaneous work."

"Why not wait until everything has stabilized before deciding? That way, it won't affect their training."