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This chapter was edited by Gladiusx and Reiter.
G-14
Commodore Doll watched curiously as the cruiser returned to port, followed by the ship carrying the Vice Admiral's grandson. It was a surprise to hear from the patrol cruiser about a ship requesting clearance to enter the waters of G-14; the marine base was not on any civilian maps, and even Marine maps did not include any of the bases of the New World. The risk of those maps falling into pirate hands was too great, with catastrophic consequences, considering how weak the Marine presence was in this sea. Only those on a need-to-know basis would receive special maps and navigation tools to arrive here.
How the supposed grandson of Vice Admiral Zephyr managed to procure a method to navigate here was something Doll was duty-bound to investigate. On the bright side, this incident had finally broken the tedious monotony of the past few months; Doll was going mad from boredom and could do nothing but train to alleviate the drudgery of commanding a marine base in the middle of nowhere.
If only the promised supply and rotation ships would arrive with the latest records of her favorite bands…sadly, the only other visitor they had was quite the annoying one that Doll had no wish to interact with any more than necessary.
Beside her was a squad of marines led by an ensign who was far too young to be stationed at a dangerous place like G-14, yet considering who her grandmother was, the expectations were far too high—perhaps that hag Tsuru thought Zephyr would take her under his wing yet Kujaku ended up sticking to her instead. Maybe because they were the only two female commissioned officers in the base, but Doll didn't mind having a young and talented minion, even if she did not like her grandmother.
Then again, Doll herself had been in the Marines since she was thirteen, and now, fifteen years later, she had climbed her way up the ranks to reach Commodore, despite all the hardships she faced and nearly being blacklisted for being a direct subordinate to Jaguar D Saul. She owed it to Zephyr for seeing her potential and taking her under his wing, and perhaps that was why she was intrigued by this grandson of his who came out of nowhere.
Captain Sicily barely waited until his ship was docked before jumping on the pier and hurrying to salute her.
"Commodore! Prince Lionel shall dock momentarily!"
"Thank you, Captain. At ease."
The overly exuberant captain relaxed and stood beside her, yet his hands were still clasped behind his back in attention. Doll sighed inwardly at how all her subordinates were so high-strung, but it was definitely preferable to having incompetent ones like the ones she had been saddled with during her first year in Paradise.
Speaking of incompetence, another Marine officer approached from the base and saluted, "Commodore Doll! The Doctor is again asking when you will provide him with the promised escort to Punk Hazard."
Doll pinched the bridge of her nose. Her hands went to her marine coat and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, picked one at random, and tapped the base before putting it in her mouth. Captain Sicily instantly had a lighter and lit the stick for her. The commodore nodded in thanks before turning to the officer. "Commander Ratel, I have given you orders to stick to Vegapunk like a bad rash and not let him leave your sight. Am I correct?"
"Yes, Commodore!"
"Then why, pray tell, are you here and not on his ship, making sure he and his crew aren't doing something crazy like turning the island into a bomb?" Doll turned her gaze to the large, strange hauler docked at the far end of the harbor; it may give the impression of a defenseless cargo ship to an unaware observer, but it was anything but that—a floating fortress that doubled as a lab. "I can see activity; go and remind the good doctor that the World Government values him far too much to allow him to leave without an escort and that if he insists on leaving, I have the authority to vacate him from his vessel and hold him in custody, regardless of what protests his Cipher Pol agents may have. Well, why are you still here?"
The rat-faced commander flinched before hurrying with a squad to Vegapunk's ship. The world-renowned scientist had arrived a month ago to visit the Marine Science Division: Lab 8 for some reason that was above her pay grade. Vice Admiral Zephyr was supposed to meet with him, yet he had been called to a sudden assignment by the World Government, and now Doll was stuck babysitting an overgrown manchild with no respect for people's personal spaces. She had hoped Vegapunk would take longer at Lab 8, at least long enough for the Vice Admiral to return and take care of him, yet for the past three days, the mad scientist had made it his life's mission to annoy her to death.
Doll was sorely tempted just to let him go and be damned with the consequences, yet that would destroy her career at best or have her tried for treason at worst. She took a deep drag from her smoke as the ship flying the Ilisia colors eased into port, and the dockworkers hurried to secure the vessel.
"What do you think about them, Captain?"
"Commodore! I sensed no deceit in the prince's desire to meet his grandfather, yet I still wonder why he left his home and traveled so far away just for a courtesy visit."
"Beats me." Doll abandoned decorum as she inhaled her cigarette once more, feeling the nicotine rushing through her veins and calming her racing mind. "Protocol dictates we detain anyone who approaches a marine base for no reason, yet they are here to cash in bounties and deliver a prisoner. I suppose we can make an exception for Zephyr's sake. I am more interested in the crew and the ship; I didn't see any sailors, but the ship seemed to sail just fine. Thoughts?"
"None, Commodore. It is a mystery to me as well."
Sicily was a good subordinate, yet that was all there was to him. His strength, general competence, and unwavering obedience barely made up for his complete lack of cunning and flexibility.
She focused on the four figures that jumped on the pier and approached them. One of them, a young female knight armed to the teeth, was dragging the promised prisoner, a cat mink, using shiny bronze chains that gave her a strange feeling. Another woman followed on the prisoner's other side, dressed in a crisp uniform that reminded Doll too much of the Marine legal team, especially with the briefcase she clutched in her hands.
Finally, the Commodore inspected the two men leading the procession. The prince had a stoic and serious countenance, yet it was the other man who grabbed Doll's attention. He stared intently at her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly gaping, though he quickly recovered before adjusting his grip on a cooling box.
"Good morning," the prince began with a charming smile. "I am Prince Thalassa Lionel, and this," he pompously waved at the young man who looked like the most dangerous country bumpkin Doll had seen or felt, "is the captain of my escort, Perseus Jackson, and behind me is his quartermaster, Hylla, and my knight Gwendolyn. It is an honor and a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The honor is all mine. I am Commodore Doll, and I welcome you to G-14."
…A few more minutes of boring pleasantries later, with the young captain still staring at her weirdly, Doll got to the crux of the matter. "As this is a Marine base, there are several rules that you must follow, or else we shall be forced to detain you. First, all crew members shall be confined to the dock and its rest area, though sadly, we do not have any shops or stores currently open. Second, your gunports are to remain closed at all times, and if even one of them opens for whatever reason, my men have permission to treat you as hostile."
Doll glanced sideways at the gun battery built on the walls to hammer her point across. The prince nodded along, elbowing his captain as he finally seemed to break out of whatever daydream he was having. Doll smirked inwardly—was the young man besotted with her beauty? Her pretty face and revealing outfit, which failed to comply with the marine standard uniform, were definitely eye-catching.
"Lastly, I shall have Ensign Kujaku do a general inspection of your ship for contraband or anything illegal. It won't take long, as it's just standard protocol, but I suggest the rest of your crew present themselves on the deck during that inspection."
This was the moment when any captain would be freaking out if they had anything to hide, and Doll stared intently at the young captain. Thankfully, she did not detect anything malicious, and Perseus merely nodded and turned to his wrist. Oh? That was an interesting watch. It looked—
"You heard all of that, Rachel?"
"Yes, Captain. We are moving on deck now."
Doll and the rest of her marines stared with wide eyes at the voice coming from the watch. It was not a mini-snail, just a regular watch, yet it was clearly a communication device. For a moment, Doll entertained the idea of confiscating such a listening device, yet she swiftly changed her mind. While it was possible it could be used for spying, there was no exact protocol for a situation like this, nor did she really want to come out as bitchy. Besides, Prince Lionel would practically be in their custody during their talk, and she had full confidence in her abilities, and her Observation had not failed her yet.
"Whenever you're ready." At the young captain's agreement, Doll signaled to the orange-haired Kujaku, and the girl purposely marched to the pier with her squad and climbed aboard. But the stiffness of her movements betrayed her nervousness.
Her gaze settled on the young captain. There was a sense of…something weird about him. And danger, a lot of danger, but Doll couldn't take him quite seriously as he gawked like a village fool seeing a pretty face for the first time.
"In the meantime," Doll began, trying to hide her amusement and only partially succeeding. "Shall we proceed with the bounty matter while we wait? I need the prince and the captain to remain until the inspection finishes. Captain Sicily will gladly escort your Quartermaster to the bounty office and supply depot if you need to restock."
The prince glanced at the captain, who coughed before handing the cooling box to the well-dressed woman. "Sure. Hylla, take Gwen and finish up with the matter. You know what we need."
"Understood, Captain." Hylla accepted the box that Doll realized must contain the bounty heads. The quartermaster then moved next to Sicily, who immediately saluted and turned about to lead them deeper into the base. Meanwhile, the so-called Gwen first turned to the prince for orders, but Lionel waved her away, and the knight dragged the bound prisoner after the officer.
Now, it was just the three of them waiting on the pier for the inspection to finish, and her lips curved with amusement. "You have been staring at me a lot, Captain Perseus. While I appreciate the attention, that is unbecoming of a naval officer."
"Yeah, sorry about that. You just remind me so much of a dear friend of mine, only older and a lot taller." The young man chuckled awkwardly. Now that Doll inspected him closely, he was indeed quite younger than the prince, looking no older than seventeen. It was rare for someone so young to give her such vibes of danger. "And call me Percy, please."
"Oh, I suppose you can call me Doll, then." The Commodore finished the last of her cigarette as she smirked inwardly; it was a good thing none of her subordinates were around, as such a break in decorum would have had Sicily fussing like a mother hen.
"Sweet, by the way, do you happen to listen to Rock and Roll?"
Doll's eyes widened as an unbidden smile came to her face. "I do indeed. Rock is life, especially Punk Rock! What gave it away? The kickass collar? My badass style?"
"That certainly helped, but you're just so similar to my friend that I just assumed you must also have similar taste in music."
"Interesting," Doll muttered, now genuinely interested in Percy and that friend of his—all her fellow marines were either old timers or hardasses with no taste in music. Even the newer generation preferred things like Pop or whatever it was called these days. "What's your friend's name? Who knows, she could be a long-lost sister if we're so similar."
"Thalia, though I know her parents, and I highly doubt you would ever meet. She's gone now."
The sad undertone did not leave room for confusion, and Doll felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped on her. "My condolences."
"Thank you. But she's definitely in a better place now, so no use thinking about it much." After rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, the young man coughed, attempting to break the solemn atmosphere. "So, what kind of music do you listen to? We can exchange tracks to change up the—"
"Commodore Doll!" A petty officer interrupted as he dashed towards them from the far side of the harbor and saluted. "Commander Ratel sends a message."
Doll barely stopped herself from clicking her tongue in annoyance, hurt not the messenger, and all that. "What is it?"
The officer saluted again, "Since he will be forced to wait here indefinitely, Doctor Vegapunk requests shore leave. He demands complete access to all the facilities."
Prince Lionel's breath hitched, and Doll groaned inwardly. Of course that annoyance would make a nuisance of himself. "Granted, tell Ratel to shadow him at every step or face censure. I want no problems in the base, or…at least none we are not aware of. You're dismissed."
The officer saluted one last time before dashing away towards the large ship docked at the far end of the harbor. A commotion down the pier grabbed her attention. Grumbling inwardly at yet another distraction preventing her from scoring a new album to listen to, she found Kujaku and her squad hurrying towards them with strange looks on their faces.
"Ensign Kujaku, report."
The girl flinched, her rosy skin blushing madly for some reason, the same with the rest of her men; all of them looked like young children who had just seen something amazing for the first time in their lives, even the oldest one, who was twice her age.
Doll coughed, causing Kujaku to clear her throat and salute, "T-The vessel is secure, and the crew is clear."
The Commodore raised an eyebrow when one of the men behind the ensign muttered something about "So beautiful" and another said "Goddess, she has to be!" but decided she had stood on this dock for far too long already.
"Very well, at ease, Ensign. You are to remain here with your squad in case the crew needs anything." The young girl's blush turned even redder before nodding solemnly. Doll turned to Percy, "Follow me."
She turned around and led the way deeper into the base. They passed by the bounty office, and Doll grimaced at the sight of the overly massive head of Vegapunk as he annoyed the Salty Jackson's quartermaster over something. He seemed interested in that chain holding the mink, but thankfully, Captain Sicily was there to curb his worst tendencies and managed to shoo him away. Doll sighed in relief and continued up the stairs to her personal office.
As they entered, Percy whistled in appreciation, "Damn, you really are a hard rock kind of girl."
Her office had all kinds of rock and roll paraphernalia, from posters, record players, vinyl discs, and many more.
Doll couldn't help but turn around and grin, giving him a punk sign with her hand. "You got that right, buddy! Now, you were saying something about trading albums?"
"Oh yeah, they're all back in the ship, though I can get one of my crew to bring over a music player, and we can sift through until Hylla finishes resupplying."
"Sweet! So what else do you–"
An awkward cough interrupted them, and Doll turned to the prince in puzzlement, having completely forgotten he was there. She cleared her throat, took off her marine coat, and moved to sit behind her desk. "My apologies, Prince Lionel. I let my excitement get the better of me. Please, have a seat, both of you, and we shall discuss the reason for your visit."
Lionel smiled sardonically at his captain, muttering something about a lady's man, while Percy merely shrugged—Doll pretended not to hear him. Once seated, the prince began his tale, and Doll listened attentively. To tell the truth, she couldn't care less about the internal politics of some far-flung nation from West Blue, yet she listened patiently as it was still her duty to listen to the woes of the people. Besides, Prince Lionel struck her as a decent sort compared to the many other noble brats she had to deal with; otherwise, he would not have made such a long and dangerous trip for the sake of his people.
Not to mention, he was still Zephyr's grandson. She was one of the few in the know about the Vice Admiral's family, and Zephyr even mentioned his grandson occasionally, usually when he talked about his deceased daughter. It was still a surprise to learn the elusive grandson really was a royal; everyone just assumed Zephyr was pulling their legs or Prince was just his name—the Vice Admiral was surprisingly tight-lipped about the specifics of his family and for good reason; no Marine officer wanted their family to be targeted. It was also the first she heard of Zephyr planning to retire though he was getting on with the years.
Finally, Lionel finished his tale, though she could tell he had not informed her about many things, particularly in relation to Percy and his ship.
"So, is there any possibility I may get in contact with my grandfather?"
Doll hummed for a moment. "Unfortunately, the Vice Admiral is on an important mission from the World Government, one that has taken him to North Blue. I am not at liberty to discuss the exact details with civilians, but I can tell you that there is no guarantee he shall return here anytime soon, and no unauthorized calls are allowed. Any attempt to contact him from here would implicate me and every other Marine in the base."
"I see, so I came all the way here for nothing." The prince looked despondent, and Doll felt pity for him.
"However, while I cannot offer you a method to communicate with him, there is a method to track him." Doll knew that what she was doing was highly irregular, that she could get in a lot of trouble for this, yet her instincts never failed her—the same instincts that had saved her countless times in battle and from certain creepy superiors. She opened her drawer, withdrew a blank sheet of paper missing a few of its corners, tore a piece of it, and placed it on the desk; instantly, the paper started moving, and she had to place a paper weight to keep it in place before storing away the sheet. "This is a vivre card, a product of the New World that is completely fireproof and waterproof. I won't get into the details on how they are made, but it has one feature that helps navigate the Grandline without needing a log pose. It will always move towards its owner."
To demonstrate, she removed the weight, and the piece of paper slowly moved somewhere towards the northwest. Lionel and Percy stared in wonder at the paper, the prince moving his hand to grab it, only for Doll to retrieve it first.
"You understand who this belongs to, correct?"
"My grandfather."
"Indeed, he placed a great deal of trust in me by leaving this in my custody. Now, I am willing to part with it so you could track him, but there are a few things I need you to do for me first."
"Name them. We will do anything to—" The prince blurted out, only for Percy to elbow him.
Something seemed to pass between the two men as they stared at each other, clearly some silent conversation, but surprisingly, the prince nodded and relaxed in his seat, allowing the captain to speak.
"What my friend meant is that it will depend on what you ask in return."
Doll folded her arms under her chest as she leaned back on her seat; despite her easy rapport with Percy, she still kept her eyes peeled, and now she realized the power dynamics between the two were reversed. At first, she thought the prince had complete control, with Percy being a hired hand, but it appeared she had underestimated the dark-haired young man. She already knew he was the owner of the ship, but how such a young man came to be captain was a mystery, one that she was curious to solve.
"As I said, I have several conditions. First, you must relinquish whatever method you have used to navigate your way to this base. G-14 is a marine base, and no matter the reason, civilian ships are not allowed to sail here unless led here during emergencies."
Percy nodded as he withdrew an eternal pose from his pocket and placed it on the desk. "That's understandable. Here you go."
Doll hid her surprise at how easily he handed over such a valuable treasure. Still, she calmly accepted the eternal pose, coated in a strange shiny material similar to the chain holding the prisoner, and placed it on the desk before realizing she had no other conditions. Damn, she did not actually expect it to be so easy, but it would be strange if she suddenly waived away the other conditions. Hmm, what to do?
Excitement flooded her veins as she grinned at Percy. "As for the other things…"
P*O*D
With Hylla
"Please! Sell me that chain! I shall pay you riches beyond your dreams! QUASAR!"
Hylla grimaced at the tall weirdo with an utterly ginormous head kneeling on the ground and begging her to sell him the Celestial Bronze chain. She already had the displeasure of meeting him earlier with Captain Sicily, but the marine officer managed to send him on his way. Now that she had finished cashing in the bounties and purchasing supplies for the ship, the weirdo once again waylaid her at the pier to the Sally Jackson. With Sicily busy with something, they were on their own. Gwen clutched the chains that grabbed his attention so much in her hands while several marines awkwardly stood to the side, unwilling, or perhaps unable, to interfere.
"For the last time, this is NOT for sale. Who the hell are you anyway?"
Hylla felt aggrieved and unconsciously touched the bracelet on her left wrist—her weapon; it had already been a long day as she went through the supplies needed for the ship, as well as the crew's requests. Rachel wanted any kind of media or books she could find (which there were hardly any), Tyson desired more seastone (which the supplies officer had told her a firm no) and any other metal the marines were willing to sell, and Calypso was more interested in any precious gems or strange ingredients that could be used for her magical experiments… the list went on.
At least Lily's items were far more realistic and essential, so much so that none of the crew would dare complain that Hylla focused more on their cook's supplies first, even if the supplies officer was reluctant to sell them more than the absolute minimum.
"Ah, my apologies. I am Doctor Vegapunk, the foremost scientist of the World Government." The massive head nearly hit her chin as the man raised it. "I'm sure you've heard plenty about me. I'm quite famous, after all."
"Never heard of you." Hylla's instant rejection had the weirdo gawking. She glared at the nearby marines, "Now, could someone take this weirdo away from here? If he tries to follow me aboard my ship, I shall be forced to treat him as a thief."
"Hey, how dare you call the greatest mind in the world a thief!" One rat-faced marine officer shouted as he approached from the pier. "You should be honored the Doctor has decided you are worth the trouble of talking to, let alone being so generous to offer you whatever you want for some—Hey! Don't ignore me, woman!"
Hylla, who had decided 'ratface' was not worth her time, walked around the still kneeling Vegapunk and jumped onboard the ship, Gwen following right behind her. There were a few dockworkers operating the winch on the other side of the pier. Rachel and Tyson lowered the supplies from the winch, the cyclops hiding his single eye behind his ever-present reflective goggles, while Lily sorted them in the hold. All the workers were distracted, however, as they were utterly enamored with her mistress, who had decided to enjoy the rare afternoon sun by sunbathing on the deck in a flimsy bikini that barely left anything to the imagination.
"You fool! I did not tell you to interfere, and now look what you've done?!" Vegapunk started roaring, making Hylla grimace. "You pissed them off, and now I will never be able to research that fascinating metal!" A muffled apology was followed by that damned voice shouting again. "Crew members of the Salty Jackson! Please! Don't leave me hanging, QUASAR! I am willing to part with anything for just a small sample! PLEASE! DO IT FOR THE GOOD OF THE WORLD!"
"What's with the racket?" Rachel asked as she and Tyson approached; the mad scientist was so loud that even Calypso pulled down her shades and looked at her questioningly.
"Just some madman." At the blank looks she was receiving, Hylla hastily elaborated, "He wants to buy the chain that kept the mink captive. As you can hear from his shouting, he is willing to pay anything for a sample."
"Anything?" Reyna dropped from the rigging and joined Rachel as they both stared at her with gleaming eyes.
"Yes…anything. Apparently, he's a big shot in the World Government or something."
"I see." Calypso stood from her beach chair and stretched before glancing at the remaining dockworkers operating the winch. "Thank you for the help, my dears. You may go now."
The dockworkers dumbly nodded before they withdrew the winch and left. Hylla huffed inwardly, "No wonder that poor girl failed to notice anything strange about the ship. You kept her attention all on you, right, mistress?"
Calypso giggled before wrapping herself in a shawl. "That, and a couple of charms that kept their attention away from anything they may think is weird—something that you girls will need to learn, especially when you dress to impress. A woman's beauty is a sharper weapon than most think, and you all are beautiful." Hylla nodded seriously, but sighed at Rachel and Reyna's dopey grins. "Moreover, it would be inconvenient if they noticed how large the ship is on the inside than out, after all."
"True." Hylla looked around, noticing that Percy and the prince were still missing. "Percy still with that Commodore?"
"Yeah, he came by with Leo to collect some stuff before returning to the base," Rachel explained. "Leo said he will go exploring after dropping Percy off. Apparently, he and that Doll woman hit it off really well, but the prince said he needed to check on something."
"Is it wise to leave such a pretty older woman alone with Percy?" Hylla blurted out the question plaguing her mind since she laid eyes on the tall woman. Even she could reluctantly admit that the Marine Commodore was quite charming.
Calypso's smile remained serene, and her eyes were filled with mirth, as if the idea that her lover had left with some woman was the funniest joke she had heard. "Don't worry about Percy, my dear. Now, let's see what this gentleman wants."
Hylla and the rest of the crew followed Calypso to the rails, giving them a full view of the pier. By now, many marines were watching with interest, including that Kujaku girl and her squad, who seemed to be arguing with Ratface. Commander Ratface suddenly stormed off, the girl scowling after him, only to notice them staring, and her face turned burning red as she caught Calypso smiling at her.
"Ah! Have you changed your mind? I promise you any payment for a sample of that metal. Even any information you can give would be great, I will pay handsomely. QUASAR!"
"Why does he keep saying that?" Reyna muttered.
Their mistress, however, raised her hand, forcing Hylla to swallow her response—there went her joke about thickheaded morons.
"Hello, I am Calypso. You can consider me the second in command of this vessel. I'm afraid we cannot sell that chain to you. It's a family heirloom, you see. However," Calypso added before the scientist could protest, her hand snapping a finger towards Rachel, who struggled to hold in her laughter before handing her something. "I am in a generous mood today and am willing to sell you a small sample. You said you would pay anything, right?"
"Indeed!"
Calypso raised her hand, holding a single bullet between her fingers. The marines on the dock suddenly stiffened, broken out of the lust that clouded their minds as they stared at her mistress. Their hands trailing to their weapons, but her mistress had eyes only on the man with the massive head, whose eyes shone as he stared at the celestial bronze bullet. It was utterly surreal that the man did not once blink at her mistress' beauty, yet looked close to hyperventilating at a mere bullet.
"One hundred million Beri, and this could be–"
"Done!"
Silence as everyone gawked at the mad scientist; the marines in shock at the ludicrous amount that would most likely require them to work for decades to earn, and the crew at how swiftly Vegapunk agreed. Even Calypso was shocked as the man withdrew a mini snail and called for someone to bring the money. Not even a minute had passed before a man in a dark suit and shades suddenly appeared on the pier, holding two briefcases that Vegapunk opened as he placed them on the ground.
"One hundred million Beri, as you said. Now, give me! QUASAR!"
P*O*D
Leo
"Thank you for the help. You have done me a great service."
"Don't mention it, prince. Seriously, don't mention it. I'm only doing this because I owe too much to Vice Admiral Zephyr. If anyone learned what I told you…"
"Do not worry, none shall know. Thank you again."
Leo walked away from a secluded corner of the base's shipyards, the man he had just talked to returning to his work, sorting through work orders. After realizing that he would not be able to learn much from Commodore Doll or the rest of the marines on his grandfather's mission, or how to contact him, he resorted to the talents he had gained after years of rubbing elbows with the commoners.
Information gathering.
Even in a Marine base, there were civilians such as dockworkers, shipwrights, logistics officers, cooks, clerks, custodians, and many more. Many of the staff had no military training but were contracted through the Marines' logistical offices from neighboring affiliated nations to work in Marine bases for a set time before being cycled out for others. Some of them were lucky to land a long-term contract, usually those who managed to land a critical job where it would be safer for them to remain on the base than transfer somewhere else. Leo had abused the free rein given to him by Doll to explore the base and speak to many of those people.
First, he started with the nursery, where the officers kept their children and befriended the nurses and caretakers. By the simple virtue of being an outsider, he was already an intriguing figure, and many asked him about the outside world. Leo gladly told them all sorts of tales from West Blue and even on the journey here. Having charmed them and even showing his skills of dazzling children, the people trusted him enough to point him to other people who would help him with what he needed. A good word here, a reference there, a friend of a friend here, a Jerez Beer to loosen some tongues, and within a few hours, Leo was invited to two parties and three weddings; most importantly, he had managed to learn everything he needed to finally search for Zephyr.
True, the vivre card was a fascinating invention, and he was confident in Percy's ability to navigate the New World using it, but one could not be too careful. Leo left the shipyards and headed back to the base, his mind whirring over all that he learned, from the number and types of ships his grandfather brought with him, the transponder identification that could be used in short-distance open communications, to the mission itself.
Escorting the Heavenly Tribute Fleet from North Blue to several nations in the New World before heading to the Holy Land Mariejois.
Leo had already seen off the tribute fleet of West Blue when he was still in Ilisia, so he had an idea about how massive such a fleet was. There were nearly two hundred nations affiliated with the World Government, some of them so massive and rich that they controlled several islands and had nations of their own as vassals. Their tribute could require twenty merchantmen to carry, while others were small enough only to need a single galleon. Zephyr was but one of five Vice Admirals escorting the Heavenly Fleet from North Blue, which would be split into five different fleets spread all over the New World, each commanded by a Vice Admiral. If the intel was correct, there were about fifty ships in each fleet; only a third would be warships, but that was still a significant force.
How he would be capable of approaching them was something he was truly lost on, but he could not just wait until Zephyr returned from Mariejois.
That could take at least a year!
The tribute was collected once every four years, timed so it would arrive in Mariejois two years before the Reverie; those who pleased the Celestial Dragons with their tribute would gain preferential treatment during the World Summit, while those who failed to meet the tax may not even be invited or worse, declared as rebels.
Leo sighed as he returned to the base, returning the salutes of several marines. He was not naive enough to believe that the Marines did not notice him snooping around, and he was confident he had a few shadows tailing his every move. Commodore Doll may appear lackadaisical, yet it did not mean she was incompetent.
Now, what was the beautiful marine officer doing with their young and dashing captain in private?
He chuckled inwardly as his imagination ran rampant. Leo had heard all sorts of tales about women in power seducing young and impressionable men. However, he doubted Percy could be easily seduced when he had a goddess in human form like Calypso for a lover. Still, there were not many women in the Marines, just as in any military organization; a woman would need to have a lot of personal power as well as backers to rise high. He had heard horror stories from his fellow naval officers of the fates that some of their female colleagues faced if they were ever captured in battle. Normally, a soldier would either be ransomed, executed, or put to work until a prisoner exchange happened…if they were male. A female's fate was far more terrible, and they would rarely be found or heard from again.
Even Gwen confessed that she had been warned several times of the fate that awaited her if she was ever taken prisoner, and how to be prepared to do what was necessary if she ever fell. It took significant effort from Leo to convince her not to throw away her life so easily; he would do his damnedest to save his precious knight, no matter what. Was it naive? Perhaps so, but he cared not.
"Leo! There you are." Leo was broken from his morbid thoughts as he noticed Rachel approach, followed closely by that young ensign—his earlier thoughts had him staring in pity at the girl, she couldn't be older than sixteen, yet was quite pretty. Such beauty was a curse in her line of work.
"Miss Dare, I'm surprised to see you here."
"Still with the miss? Just call me Rachel already."
"Very well, Rachel." Leo chuckled as the girl joined him, and his heart felt for her, even younger than the ensign trailing them. He was certain the redheaded girl had no combat training to speak of, yet she had still proved herself to the crew. Not to mention how close she was to the two powerhouses of the crew, Percy and Calypso, especially Calypso, after she unleashed that powerful burst that made his mind dizzy.
Leo was still reeling from learning about Haki; he had spied on the marines training here, but none of them seemed capable of showcasing the ability, though one of the officers, a Lieutenant, gave him a brief explanation of them. Or at least how the Marines understood that elusive power, for it seemed different from what he learned from Lily. The Marines relied more on tactics and military superiority when dealing with pirates. Still, in the rare cases where they had to fight a Devil Fruit user, special teams were equipped with rare seastone weapons and munitions. Then, there were the higher ranks, specifically those from Captain and above, who were trained in the Six Powers, which Leo was already familiar with, thanks to Gwen.
Finally, there was that elusive power, Haki. Even now, Leo did not understand how it worked; the lieutenant he talked to simply repeated what one of Zephyr's subordinates told him when the Vice Admiral mentioned it. Willpower manifested…how such a thing could be quantifiable or weaponized was a mystery Leo eagerly wanted to explore. For now, though, they needed to finish up with their little detour and return to the sea.
"So, what brings you here, Rachel? Are the preparations to set sail completed?"
"Yeah, Hylla cashed in on the bounties and secured the supplies we needed—even if it was barely enough. Too bad there are no shops here, and I'm dying to shop for new clothes." Rachel glanced at the ensign who shadowed them. "What do you think, Kujaku? Got any idea where we could buy clothes in this sea?"
The young marine narrowed her blue eyes. "Couldn't tell you. I only transferred here a week or two ago."
"Shame. Anyway, aside from this weirdo with the massive head making a scene, we're ready to sail as soon as Percy is done with whatever he's doing."
"Weirdo?"
"Apparently, he's some bigshot in the World Government. I think you actually mentioned him once, Doctor Vegetable Punk?"
Leo barely swallowed his bubbling laughter and asked the ensign, "What is the greatest scientist in the world doing in some Marine base in the middle of nowhere?!"
"Dunno. Above my pay grade." Kujaku shrugged as she clutched her strange floppy sword.
"What did he want from you so badly, Rachel?"
"Nothing important, just curiosity. Anyway, let's go pick up Percy and leave. I'm still unsure why he wanted all the tapes and CDs for Green Day and even grabbed my boombox. He better not have damaged them!"
Leo nodded as he hid his confusion, and before they knew it, they were outside the Commodore's office, where the sound of singing and music playing could be heard. They knocked on the door and entered, and Leo found himself smirking at the sight before them.
The sound of drums and singing came from a device that he had seen Rachel use on the ship to play her music, the aforementioned boombox he wagered. Yet his eyes were fixed on Percy and Doll sitting closely on a couch as their captain tried to play the guitar while the Commodore patiently taught him. Any worry about the older woman seducing their young captain evaporated at the endearing sight before him. They were like a pair of siblings, utterly focused on a shared hobby, and Percy managed to play the guitar for a solid minute so smoothly that one could mistake him for a musician.
While Leo would admit that he was not the biggest of connoisseurs of music, yet as a royal, he had access to plenty of vinyl records of renowned musicians and opera singers. His mother had forced him to learn to play the piano and violin since he was young, and was quite adept at both. Nevertheless, they could not compare to the upbeat songs the crew liked to listen to.
"Oh wow, that was cool, Percy!" Rachel clapped once he finished, causing him to perk up and grin.
"Hey, Rachel. Come to help me poach our latest crew member? Doll here is a real talent. I asked her to join the crew as our musician, but she's playing coy. Help me out here."
"Don't joke about that, Perce. I can hardly call myself a musician when the guitar is the only thing I am confident in playing." Surprisingly, the Marine officer giggled as she messed the captain's hair—she was nearly an entire head taller than Percy, giving her a lot of leverage to tease him to his chagrin. "I'm too young to retire from the Marines, and my career is far from stalled. In fact, I should be getting a promotion soon, if all goes well."
"Oh? That wasn't a rejection," Rachel chimed in as she hopped on the couch next to Percy. "Does that mean you would be willing to join us in the future?"
"Hey now, hold your horses, kiddo." Doll's husky and smoky voice was full of amusement. "Who are you again?"
"Oh, I'm Rachel, Percy's best friend and the one who lent him this boombox." Rachel reached over to turn off the device and slyly held it on her lap. "What do you think? It's an intriguing device, right? Capable of playing cassette tapes and CDs—think of them as mini vinyls. There's a lot more where that came from, including a vastly more diverse collection of songs and music of all kinds."
For a moment, Leo looked in wonder as Commodore Doll's eyes widened, and bit her lips as if seriously considering abandoning her career. Even Ensign Kujaku gawked beside him, and she coughed loudly and broke the busty base commander from her trance.
"Tempting, sorely tempting, but I will have to pass." Doll sighed as she stood and stretched, Leo appreciating how beautiful the woman was, yet also noticing her powerful physique—it took a special kind of training that was connected with the Six Powers that allowed a woman to maintain a healthy and beautiful figure while hiding great power in her body. He should know all about it, as he was constantly trounced in every spar he had with Gwen despite her beauty.
And god, her chest… it was even bigger than Calypso's!
"Aw, pity. I could tell you would have made life interesting on our ship. Well, Percy, I tried, but it was not meant to be…for now." Rachel winked at their captain, whose eyes widened and nodded—Leo felt as if he had missed some secret conversation—the red-haired girl leaned over Percy and talked to the commodore in an innocent tone that sounded more like a devil promising untold riches to her victim. "I'll leave you this boombox along with the Green Day albums; that's Kerplunk, Dookie, and Insomniac. Good stuff, though there's more where that came from. That band is out of this world, and I'm sure you will enjoy listening to them for a long, long time."
"Oh. That's a great gift, in fact, too great of a gift, I couldn't—"
"Please accept it, Doll. I enjoyed my time here, and you made me recall fond memories of my old friend." Percy insisted, grabbing the device and handing it to the flustered commodore. "Take good care of it and don't forget to adjust the electrical volts when you charge it. Don't let anyone else tamper with it. This is our gift to you, not anyone else."
Doll smiled gently as she accepted the boombox. "Thanks, you have no idea how much this means to me."
A comfortable silence filled the office, but Leo felt he was intruding on a touching moment. He had no idea why Rachel was suddenly so generous with her gadgets, as the girl would normally not allow anyone to touch them without her permission. Yet, here she was, giving away a precious tool from her own world to some stranger she had just met; Percy could not have had a chance to tell her about Doll, yet Rachel easily trusted him and immediately hopped on his quest to recruit a Marine Commodore into their crew.
That sounded even more insane the more he thought about it. Even hours later, as they sailed away from the base and followed the vivre card to his grandfather, Leo still felt confused at the actions of this otherworldly crew he found himself allying with. Nevertheless, he could not imagine anyone else he would rather sail with than Percy and his merry band of young monsters.
Now, he needed to hurry to his room and write down all he had learned from the base's residents.
P*O*D
Back in G-14
"And off they go." Doll stared fondly as the ship sailed away before giggling as she eyed the transom, "Percy wasn't kidding—he really did mess up his ship's name."
"Commodore?"
"It's nothing, Ensign." Doll plastered back her serious frown on her face, lit a cigarette, and turned to the young girl who looked like she was ready to fall asleep—it had been a long day, and the girl was forced to stand at attention for most of it. "You are dismissed for today."
"Thank you, Commodore." Kujaku barely stifled a sigh of relief before walking off to her dorm.
Meanwhile, Doll speed-walked through the base, barely stopping herself from simply using Shave to hurry to her office. Before long, she was relaxing in her armchair, her legs on a settee, and a bottle of Jerez Beer, courtesy of the prince, was nearby in case she desired a drink. She busied herself reading over reports. All the while, she listened to that alien device playing an assortment of amazing songs she had never heard from bands she was sure did not exist in the four seas or any of the known kingdoms.
This world…Percy had let slip a couple of times how he talked about this world as if he were not from here. Even that young redhead, who, for some reason, Doll could not sense at all with her Observation, hinted heavily at it. She could tell they were special, that if she had dug a little deeper, they would have told her of their mysterious origins—something that she felt glad she did not learn, for there was that looming shadow of the World Government who would be overly interested in such strange people.
Could it be they were not joking when they offered her a place in their crew?
Privateers inviting a high-ranked Marine officer to their crew was simply not done, for who would abandon their career over a whim of fate? True, most privateers were either former Marines or naval officers, yet Doll had never heard of a Marine of Lieutenant rank or above retiring from the Marines to become a privateer.
Still, for the orphan girl who did not know her family or where she was born, the idea of roaming the seas freely, working for random royals to pay the bills while listening to music and adventuring, greatly intrigued her. At no point did Doll even consider Percy to be a pirate; he simply lacked the disposition to steal and rob people shamelessly. But alas, one of the hounds of the marines could not so easily drop her position for what her heart desired.
Dohle…Vice Admiral Zephyr had jokingly called her as such due to her choice of collar and her ambition to rise in the ranks. Half the current generation of Vice Admirals changed their names to a canid of some sort to show their loyalty to the World Government, to show that they were the Attack Dogs of the World Nobles.
Doll's mood soured, and she took a deep drag from her cigarette before dousing it in an overflowing ashtray. It had been a few hours since she could indulge in nicotine. Percy did not seem a fan of the stuff, and out of courtesy, she refrained from smoking during their impromptu lesson.
Why did she care about the young man in the first place?
She did not know, but she wondered if that was what it felt like to have a brother. He was cute, and she enjoyed how he pouted when she ruffled his hair. He might be tall and powerfully built for a fifteen-year-old, but with a baby face like his, none could confuse him for someone older.
She chuckled as she enjoyed the next song, 'Welcome to Paradise,' and her gaze wandered towards her guitar leaning on the wall near her quarters. Perhaps she could have made a career as a musician instead.
A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. "Enter."
Captain Sicily entered the office and saluted. Doll paused the song and sat straight. "Report."
"Commodore! Vegapunk requests leave to travel to Lab 8."
"Huh? Wasn't he just there a few days ago?"
"Yes, ma'am. I suspect it has to do with whatever he purchased from the visitor's ship."
Doll frowned as she recalled what Kujaku reported, that annoying scientist had lusted after the bronze-like metal that Percy and his crew seemed to favor. Percy had explained that the eternal pose was coated with the stuff, but was tight-lipped on what else it could do. Considering her suspicions about the young man and his origins, it may very well be some sort of revolutionary metal that could send shockwaves across the world. And now, a sample of that metal was in the hands of Doctor Vegapunk.
She dearly wished she could just refuse the man out of sheer spite, but she could not. Lab 8 was a week away and obscure enough that no pirates ever operated there. A single cruiser as an escort would be more than enough to send him along, and the idea of not having to deal with that man anymore appealed to Doll too much to pass on.
"Very well, I take it he has already secured Ratel's help?"
"Indeed, but…"
"What is it, Captain?"
"Commodore, it is unseemly of me to speak about my fellow officers, even one of lesser rank, but I have heard disturbing rumors regarding that man."
"Believe me, Captain, you would not be the first one. But it would not do to accuse our fellow Marine Officer based solely on rumors. Not to mention, he has support in the higher echelon of the Navy, with plenty of family members all over the organization." Doll turned to arguably her best subordinate, "Have you caught him doing something he should not?"
"Not exactly, but I have learned he approved the transfer of the new prisoner, the cat-mink known as Nina, to Doctor Vegapunk's ship. He filed it at the request of the Doctor and the auspices of the Special Science Group, and the woman had just been escorted away when I came here to report."
Doll clicked her tongue in annoyance. Just like Vegapunk himself, the SSG was under the direct jurisdiction of the World Government, and while nominally allied with the Marines, they did not take orders from them. She did not know why Vegapunk would request some mink to be transferred to his custody, but considering the mad scientist's history of experimenting on humans and other races, he might have found himself a new toy.
Yet, something bothered her. It was too sudden how Vegapunk swiftly transferred the cat mink, just after he gained that piece of metal from Percy's crew. The madman paid a hundred million Beri for a single bullet made from the stuff, so it had to be far more important than she realized. And now, he had access to the only one who had traveled with that strange crew and possibly knew more about them than anyone else.
Kujaku had shamefully reported that she did not remember what she discovered when she inspected the Sally Jackson. Perhaps Doll should be more worried about the idea of Percy and his crew having the power to tamper with memories, but after interrogating the rest of the squad, she learned that they were merely distracted by someone on the crew. It must be that Calypso woman that Percy mentioned; my, just fifteen and already has a lover.
Still, Vegapunk and his antics were far too annoying to deal with. All Doll wanted was to sit back, relax, and enjoy her new music player.
"Don't worry about it. If the SSG claimed the woman, then there's nothing we can do about it. Just file it as usual and let the higher-ups deal with it."
"Yes, Commodore! Furthermore, regarding the issue with that visiting ship…"
"Yes, what about it?"
"I regretfully have to inform you that records have already been reported, signed, notarized, and filed under their name and designation in the archives. To attempt to fix the Salty Jackson to its proper name Sally Jackson would cause too much trouble, and the lieutenant in charge was reticent to go over it once more, especially for a civilian ship. Especially when Prince Lionel's letter of Marque designated it as the Salty Jackson."
Doll sighed and rubbed her messy hair; at least she tried, and Percy couldn't blame her for his mistake. "Fine, don't worry about it, then. You're dismissed."
Sicily saluted and excused himself. Doll turned on the player again and calmly listened to the songs; at least she gained something from this annoying mess. Her eyes drifted back to the guitar: Perhaps she should expand her music talents beyond the guitar. Wasn't there a piano in one of the meeting rooms?
The technological advancement of the One Piece world is so erratic, it's not funny. I doubt I can ever standardize anything in this world, considering how huge it is and its future islands.
Nevertheless, I won't focus too much on rationalizing them. There are no cassettes or CDs in this world, yet there are vinyl records and players. Classical music like Mozart and Beethoven exist, and so do the more modern equivalents like Rock, Metal, and Pop.
There are no streaming services like what they came up with in the movie Red; that part was cringeworthy as hell. Attempting to forcefully introduce a modern phenomenon in a world that did not need it is just silly.
Most of the named characters I use are canon. I suggest having the wiki open when reading my story, but I will let you know if I introduce any OCs. This chapter had zero new OCs. Oda introduced so many characters that it's so convenient to grab any of them for something rather than create one from scratch.