As soon as Sifa stepped onto the deck, he saw the sailors washing it down. They had created a great deal of foam, then used iron buckets to draw water from the sea. When they splashed it across the deck, the filthy water mixed with foam and surged toward the rails, returning to the ocean.
"Mick, is Navigator Mick here?"
Quincy's voice rang out, his powerful voice echoing across the deck.
"I'm here."
A calm voice came from above. Sifa raised his head and narrowed his eyes slightly against the sunlight, then saw a figure slide down from the mainmast.
Soon, a man landed on the deck. He was around thirty, wearing a white shirt with wide-legged trousers in a somewhat unconventional style.
His dark-brown hair was cut very short, and he seemed to be growing a beard, though only sparse stubble covered his chin. He bit down on a fountain pen and held a notebook in one hand, as if he had been drawing something just now.
Quincy nodded and introduced him to Sifa. "Mick Jola, the ship's navigator and a Second Lieutenant of the Kingdom Navy."
He then introduced Sifa. "Second Lieutenant Mick, this is Major Sifa, the captain of the Explorer."
Mick nodded and extended his hand. "May I see your appointment letter?"
He's a cautious man. Sifa turned his head and glanced at his adjutant.
O'Neill, who was also a Second Lieutenant, immediately took out the documents he had prepared in advance and handed them to the navigator. After Mick accepted them and finished reading, he promptly brought his legs together and saluted Sifa.
"Good afternoon, sir!"
Sifa smiled and nodded. "There's no need to be so formal. From today onward, you must keep your identities as members of the Kingdom Navy in mind rather than