In the latter half of the Grand Line, at Navy G-10 Base in the New World, the first light of dawn glimmered through the lingering morning sea mist.
[My dear wife, Stella, may these words bring me close to you:
Nearly two years have passed since I was transferred with Admiral Gern to the G-10 Unit in the New World to keep the Whitebeard Pirates in check.
During this time, I have often thought of you and our daughter. She must be old enough to start babbling by now, mustn't she? Whenever I think of that, my heart fills with both warmth and guilt.
With me away, every burden has fallen on your shoulders alone. I'm sorry for all you have had to endure. But please don't worry about my safety. Bullet has now joined Admiral Gern's command, easing the pressure on the front lines and giving me a little room to breathe.
Once the situation here settles for a while, I will request permission to return to Marineford on the pretext of "submitting my mission report." I hope it won't be long before I can hold you both in my arms again.
- Your husband, who misses you, Gild Tesoro]
Looking over his letter home, Tesoro set down his fountain pen, gently blew the ink dry, then carefully folded the paper and slipped it into an envelope.
Only after finishing did he raise his head and look at the gray-blue sky beyond the window, tinted by the morning light. Longing for his wife and daughter surged through him like the tide.
Then he stood, pushed open the closed window, and drew a deep breath. "Another new day!"
Clatter! The sudden noise of Tesoro opening the window startled a newspaper-delivery gull resting on a reef outside.
The gull fluttered its