Fujitora had joined the Marines months ago, but because he was blind, he spent most of his time on standby at Headquarters. Even after staying there so long, he still had trouble finding his way around the fortress. Pekoms, who had never been there before, stood even less chance.
The good news was that Pudding had sent him into an empty storeroom. The mirror had been ordered by a certain Rear Admiral's little-girl boss. Unless she wanted a new one, nobody would dare touch it.
The bad news was that storerooms for everyday supplies tended to be tucked away in remote corners. For an outsider who didn't know the layout, finding anyone in that enormous fortress would be no easy task.
And so Pekoms, too, got hopelessly lost!
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
With his claws hooked into a seam, Pekoms clung to the ceiling and watched the soldiers below run off. He let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"There are so many people. How long is it going to take me to find anyone like this?"
The patrol had passed. Judging by the intervals between the earlier patrols, no one else should come through for a few minutes. He seized the chance to drop down, then crept onward on tiptoe, hunched low.
As he passed a corner, footsteps ahead made him stop short.
"Damn it! Why is someone else coming?"
Sweating profusely, Pekoms looked both ways. The corridor offered nowhere to hide, and despair crept over him. As the footsteps drew closer, he swallowed hard.
"Vice Admiral Fujitora, it's this way."
Corrected by the soldier behind him, Fujitora smiled sheepishly, drew back the foot he had put forward, and turned into the corridor.
The corridor ran along the outer wall and had been left open for people to enjoy