"Ryan, sound the assembly whistle! Get every last bastard running wild in the woods back on deck!"
Lorne's voice thundered over the valley, startling the seabirds around him into flight.
"Yes, boss!"
Ryan shouted back, pulled a specially made metal whistle from behind his waist with his right hand, puffed out his cheeks, and blew hard.
The piercing whistle instantly cut through the thin mist that shrouded the Island of Misfortune year-round.
A series of dull crashes came from deep in the jungle as heavy objects hit the ground and trees snapped.
In less than five minutes, fifty elite Marines, bare-chested and covered in scars and sweat, burst out of the dense woods from every direction like beasts released from their cages and lined up in perfect formation on the beach below the Fearless.
Bakel wiped the muddy water off his face and was the last to clamber onto the deck, taking his place beside Ryan.
Kuina also sheathed Wado Ichimonji, her cool gaze settling on Lorne.
Lorne stood at the bow, his right hand resting on the railing at his waist, his fingertips leaving several shallow prints in the alloy.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku just called me."
Lorne looked over the Marines below, his tone betraying neither joy nor anger.
"I have some news for you. I've been dismissed."
The already tense atmosphere on deck froze in that instant.
Ryan's eyes widened, and a low growl rose from his throat. "Dismissed? Has the Fleet Admiral gone mad? Or have those old men lost their minds?"
"Boss, are you saying you've been stripped of your rear admiral rank?" Bakel clenched his fists tightly, anger flaring in his eyes behind his goggles.
Lorne nodded, his expression unchanged.
"Not just me. The same goes for all of you. From now on, every one