"Commander, everything is ready. Shall we depart now?"
At the port of Baron, the G8 fortress, after Rayke's command men had loaded all the luggage onto the warship, they ran to report to Jonathan.
"Okay, let's go! We're going to see some colleagues we haven't seen in ages. Let's go!!"
Jonathan nodded and gave the order, then walked straight onto the warship.
"Are we finally leaving? I've been waiting for so long..."
As he boarded the warship and stood at the bow to inspect it, Luo Chen appeared beside him in Extreme Speed, looking at the islands and crowds below with some excitement.
"Oh, you've finally shown up! I hadn't seen you since then, and I was worried you weren't coming with me!"
Hearing that familiar voice beside him, Jonathan turned to look at Luo Chen and said,
For the past two days, Jonathan had not seen Luo Chen, leading him to believe that Luo Chen had changed his mind and was no longer going to headquarters with him.
"Hehehe, how could that be? I won't go back on my word. I just wanted to take a few more glances here, that's why I didn't appear in front of you before."
After all, I might never be able to come back here again.
Upon hearing Jonathan's words, Luo Chen shook his head and explained.
"Really? Then take a few more looks while you can, since we'll be parting ways at headquarters anyway, and I doubt you'll be coming back here!"
Jonathan nodded, turned his gaze to his wife, and spoke to her calmly.
"Let's set off!!"
The soldiers in the port below shouted, then pulled the gate, and the warship quickly entered the sea, gradually moving away from Navarone under the crew's control.
Take good care of yourself, I'll be waiting for you to come back...
Jonathan's wife Jessica, shouted at him from the shore.
"..."
Jonathan didn't speak, but waved to her to indicate that he understood, and then waved goodbye to the fortress.
"Commander, it's windy outside. Please come inside the cabin and take a seat..."
A soldier ran over and asked with concern.
"Okay... I understand, let's go!"
Jonathan waved to him and then followed him into the cabin.
After glancing at them, Luo Chen followed them inside.
"Hey!! Isn't this Commander Jonathan? Are you also taking this ship back to headquarters to resume your duties?"
Just as Jonathan and Luo Chen stepped into the cabin, an annoying voice rang out.
Then Colonel Shepherd from headquarters walked over, accompanied by two of his men, and said to him in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh... it's you! Colonel Shepherd, you're with us too? It's an honor. By the way, has your injury healed?"
"I'm so sorry, it's all my wife's fault. She loves me too much and can't stand anyone disrespecting me, which is why she attacked you. Please forgive her this time, for my sake."
When Jonathan saw him, he greeted him first, and then told him about Jessica beating him up, which made Shepherd very embarrassed and he looked at him with shame and anger.
"Shut up, don't mention that again..."
When Shepherd heard Jonathan bring it up again, his head throbbed at the mere thought of it, and he shouted angrily.
"You're going back too, aren't you? Just you wait. I, Shepherd, won't let you get away so easily. Let's go..."
After shouting, he remembered what Jonathan was going to do when he returned to headquarters, so he said some harsh words to him, then turned and left with his men, not wanting to be associated with him anymore.
"What are we going to do now, Vice Admiral Jonathan? As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake. It seems your journey this time is going to be very difficult."
Luo Chen watched them leave angrily, then turned to Jonathan and said to him with a hint of amusement.
"Hmm, don't worry about that. He can't cause any trouble anyway. Alright, I'm hungry too. Want to go to the restaurant together?"
Jonathan shook his head, completely ignoring Shepherd's harsh words, and then changed the subject, asking Luo Chen if he wanted to go to a restaurant with him, clearly not wanting to talk about the matter anymore.
"Alright, since you don't want to talk, I won't provoke you any further. Besides, I'm hungry anyway, so let's go see how delicious the food in the Navy's dining hall is..."
Luo Chen watched his departing figure and followed after him, replying.
At the same moment, on a luxurious warship that departed from Mary Geoise, a handsome young man wearing soap bubbles in his hair and extravagant robes stood at the bow, gazing at the scenery ahead.
" Saint Orange, is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?"
Behind him, a middle-aged man in Vice Admiral general's uniform respectfully asked him a question.
"Hmm... Vice Admiral Califo, no need for such formality. I called you here because I have something good for you..."
Saint Orange spoke, he gestured for two servants dressed in black suits to carry a treasure chest over.
"Please don't say that. Maintaining a respectful attitude towards you is our duty as subordinates..."
Califo replied respectfully as always.
"Alright, come and take a look... This is a gift from your family... Open it and see if you like it!!"
Saint Orange didn't dwell on it after hearing this, and then pointed to the treasure chest next to him and said something.
"Hmm... is this... Devil Fruit? And a treasured sword?"
Califo walked over, opened the treasure chest, and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing what was inside.
"Excellent, this was specially chosen for you by the family as a reward for your diligent protection of the Gustav Family over the past ten years..."
Eat it and see if it suits your taste...
Orange nodded and explained to him.
"Yes..."
With a look of deep emotion, Califo swallowed the entire Devil Fruit whole, then closed his eyes to experience the changes within his body.
rustle...
In no time, Califo's body underwent a sudden change. His size increased rapidly, and his body hair grew exponentially. Soon, a lion-shaped orc appeared before everyone's eyes.
"How about it? Are you satisfied? This is one I specially picked out from the family treasure chest— Zoan —common Lion-Lion Fruit!!"
Orange looked at the lion-man before him and smiled.
Click click...
Califo clenched his fist, making a cracking sound, then swung it, feeling the powerful changes it brought him.
"Very satisfied... This is fantastic! Thank you, Saint Orange. I love this ability. Thank you for this gift."
After testing his abilities, he transformed back to his original form, knelt on one knee, and thanked Saint Orange.
"No need for that, get up quickly... Oh, by the way, there's a Skillful Grade Sword sword in the box— Red Mist hopes you'll make good use of it..."
Alright, now that you're heading to Marineford, make the most of your abilities; you might need to step in later.
If there's nothing else, you don't need to come and greet me anymore. You can go now...
Saint Orange looked at Califo's excited expression, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, but he said the words aloud.
"Yes... then I won't bother you any longer. I'll take my leave now..."
Califo withdrew happily.