" Rebecca, hold Ain, let's go to the assembly point, don't keep the teacher waiting!" Vic said to Rebecca as he was getting dressed, and Rebecca nodded without saying a word.
Just as Rebecca was about to hug Ain, Ain's little legs kicked twice under the blanket, and Rebecca's outstretched hands froze.
"Hahaha!"
"This little girl is so cute!"
Wendy and Barnett couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter. Even Vic's lips curled up. Rebecca's expression was rather unpleasant; it was strange that Ain hadn't woken up despite the loud laughter.
"Never mind, I'll do it. Rebecca, you take Ain's clothes and let's go out!"
Vic was also somewhat helpless. What could he do if the child pretended to be asleep? He might as well just hold him. Rebecca stormed back to her room to Ain's clothes, which had been in Rebecca hands all day.
The group went downstairs. Vic paid extra for the blankets; the accommodation was paid for by the company, but he bought the blankets himself. After everything was explained, they left the hotel, where Zephyr and the other students were waiting for them at the entrance.
"Let's go, Vic, let's go straight back to the warship. We'll eat there. I've already spoken to them. Haha, not bad, you're holding the kid well!"
"Hahaha!"
Zephyr praised Vic, and the other trainees burst into laughter. They all knew that morning that Vic had left behind a child, meaning he would have to live a life of raising a baby at such a young age.
"Teacher Zephyr, it's not what you think. This child is an Ability User. I want to take her back to headquarters so she can go to school and become a Marine in the future!" Vic explained somewhat awkwardly.
"Hmm, no need to explain to me. I won't interfere with what you want to do. Just do as you please. Everyone, let's set sail and return to the warship!"
Zephyr took the lead and walked at the front, followed by the others. Vic and his group followed at the back. The town wasn't far from the sea, and it wouldn't take long to walk there.
Vic carried Ain as he walked, and Ain fell asleep again as Vic swayed with each step, a drop of drool still clinging to the corner of her mouth.
The Elite Camp quickly arrived at the seaside, where Bastille and some officers were waiting. Upon seeing Zephyr leading the way, they immediately came to greet them.
" Zephyr, it's my fault. I haven't even managed the island where the base is located properly. Please punish me!" Bastille said sincerely, bowing his head like a student about to be criticized, and indeed he was a student.
"I'm an instructor in the Elite Camp now, what right do I have to manage you! Report to headquarters yourself, and stop looking for girls, you're embarrassing me!" Zephyr walked past Bastille toward the warship, Bastille immediately became dejected.
The other trainees also headed towards the warship. When Vic passed Bastille, he didn't leave immediately but whispered something in his ear before continuing on his way.
" Commodore, you need to thoroughly investigate your base. These human traffickers have been wreaking havoc in this town for over a decade. There's definitely a mole tipping them off. Catching him might even get you some credit!"
Vic reached out and patted him on the shoulder, then walked toward the warship as well.
Bastille stared blankly at Vic's retreating figure. He hadn't realized there was a mole in the base before, thinking this incident was just a coincidence. He didn't expect it to have been going on for over ten years. How many people must have been trafficked? It started before he even came to the base. He must be a veteran of the base. It shouldn't be too difficult to investigate.
When Vic spoke, only Bastille was nearby; the others were far away, allowing him to investigate secretly without alerting the enemy. Vic had done him a great favor.
Bastille couldn't help but think of the scene they witnessed last night at the human traffickers' hideout. It was too brutal; each person was taken down in one move, clean, efficient, and merciless. It was a stark contrast to Vic's usual gentle demeanor.
The Elite Camp, however, was not delayed at all. This was just a temporary stop. The pirates had all been handed over, and if there was nothing else to do, they would return to training. After all, the Elite Camp's main focus was training, and these people were currently just trainee recruits.
The modified warship left the dock directly under Zephyr's orders, while the Marine Base remained, watching the former Admiral go.
Bastille's feelings were complicated. He had thought it would be a normal pirate handover, but he didn't expect his mentor to come. He was overjoyed and even had a sparring match with his fellow disciples.
Everything was perfect, the atmosphere was great, and all that was needed was to get them off safely. But then things took a sharp turn for the worse. A powerful human trafficking ring had emerged in his jurisdiction, operating covertly for a long time. And his junior brothers and sisters, who had only been there for half a day, had uncovered it. He was humiliated beyond belief, and he vowed to find the mole and avenge this.
Vic carried Ain as the last to board the warship. After the warship started moving, he glanced back, thinking the mole must be among this group. Then he ignored him and took Ain to the warship's dining hall, intending to eat what was served there.
When Vic arrived at the restaurant, he saw that a simple breakfast had already been prepared. He found a table and sat down. He didn't bother to get the food himself, since he had a child in his arms.
" Rebecca, could you go and get some breakfast? It's not convenient for me here!" Vic said to Rebecca beside him.
The Elite Camp's cafeteria offers free and unlimited food. The training is already tough enough; how can they not let people eat their fill?
"Why don't you wake her up? Do you think she can eat while she's asleep?"
Rebecca was a little annoyed. Ever since Ain came into her life, Vic's attention had been entirely focused on Ain, and he hadn't paid much attention to her at all.
"That's actually quite possible, hehe!" Wendy's voice rang out at an inopportune moment, because they all knew that Ain had pretended to be asleep for a while earlier in order to get a hold of Vic's embrace, and they might do it again later.
"Just go when I tell you to. Why are you arguing with a little kid? How can I feel comfortable letting Ain sleep with you like this? How can I feel comfortable letting you take care of him?" Vic scolded.
But Rebecca wasn't angry at all; instead, she became happy and immediately ran off to get the food, with Wendy following behind. Barnett gave Vic a thumbs up.
" Ain, wake up, time to eat!" After Rebecca and Wendy brought over the food, Vic was about to wake Ain up. He couldn't actually perform eating in his sleep; that was King Luffy's special skill.
"Um?"
Ain murmured something, rubbed her eyes with her little hand, and gradually woke up. When she woke up, her body suddenly stiffened, and she relaxed after seeing the people around her.