"Bang!"
The loud thump of a desk suddenly echoed, and the Den Den Mushi's face twisted with anger, shouting:
"Who's this so bold! Not recognizing even an ID from Marine Headquarters—are you trying to foment a rebellion!"
Captain Nezumi recognized this as a Marines' Den Den Mushi; hearing who was on the other end, he panicked, scrambling to his feet and stammered:
"Sorry! The sun's too bright, I didn't see clearly. I'll leave now, I'll leave now."
And with that, he didn't even report his identity properly, fleeing in a panic and scrambling away.
World Government is a strict, hierarchical place; unless you have absolute power, those at the top hold the real say.
Captain Nezumi is only a branch captain; at headquarters he'd be demoted at least one rung, not to mention this is East Blue, the weakest area—dropping two ranks wouldn't be unreasonable.
So as the HQ captain, Hina is a presence Nezumi would never dare provoke; hearing her name, the hat she had on naturally came back down as he fled in fear.
"The sharp voice you heard—was the one causing trouble the rat guy?"
"Yes," Arion said, returning to the inn with 2B, "and he tried to smear me as a pirate or something, so I punched him once."
"That guy is a bit sleazy," Hina replied, "the sea area you're in now is under his watch. If you offend him, when you go to sea later, be careful of his retaliation, of him throwing you a curveball."
"Offending him is a given. Facing a cordon, you think I'll just roll over? And as a Navy Branch Captain, even if he's crooked, he wouldn't dare come at me openly."
"Hard to say."
"As long as I don't collude with pirates, I'll just lie in wait at sea."
Arion spoke in a light tone, but it wasn't something he treated as a joke.
Right now East Blue hasn't wiped out the big boss Arlong Pirates yet.
If we run into them, that'll be trouble.
They're Fish-Men, moving freely in the sea, elusive. Facing them on a ship can be a real headache, especially if they wreck the vessel.
But regardless of whether they offend or not, in East Blue—especially in this sea area—meeting the Arlong Pirates is a high-probability event.
Hina didn't argue with Arion's "joke," after all, corruption like Marines colluding with pirates for profit is not exactly new, even if it isn't always reported.
Just like the Eel Village guard squad had just gone to the branch for training, only for pirates to raid the village right after, Hina wondered if Captain Nezumi was colluding with pirates.
And now this pirate who's accusing Arion of entering the village—could Captain Nezumi be aiming to brand him as an illegal going-to-sea pirate to seize the Belly in his hand?
But things involving fellow officers require solid evidence; without concrete proof, mere conjecture won't prove Captain Nezumi's guilt.
"Be careful then," Hina warned, "if you run into trouble at sea, contact me. I'll have Marines from the nearby division head over."
"Thanks."
Up on the docked warship, Captain Nezumi—who had just been scared stiff—put on a different face, his gaze turning cold and vicious as he looked toward the village and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Captain, is that it?" he asked.
"Is that it? My face still hurts," Captain Nezumi sneered, "I thought I was dealing with a nameless little swordsman who only lucked out beating that scar-faced guy, and that I'd come by and squeeze a little more while Hina was gone. I didn't expect he'd be a true Swordsmen powerhouse in hiding."
"Thinking you've got backing and can swagger around like this, you won't be safe if I don't treat you seriously… Let's move out. Head for Cocoyasi Village!"
Beside him, the adjutant swallowed hard but still saluted and said, "Yes, sir."
After Captain Nezumi's little run-in, Arion's days returned to normal.
As time passed, the sailboat in the shipyard grew ever closer to completion. With the fishermen's help, Arion and 2B's sailing skills improved, and they were already ready to go to sea.
Two weeks later, on a sunny morning, a deckhand from the yard found Arion at the tavern enjoying breakfast and exclaimed, " Mr. Arion , your ship's finished. We can hold the launching ceremony."
Arion, after a quick bite of toast and finishing a big glass of milk, replied, "Let's go. We'll hold the launch ceremony for the sailboat."
Three weeks had passed since construction began—five days past the planned time.
The system had given them a month; only a few days remained. If they hadn't finished in time, they'd be stuck with a fishing boat heading to sea, reeking of fishy gasoline.
Luckily, they made it in time.
Approaching the dock, unlike the initial pile of building materials, in the center stood a sailboat that rose from the hull to the mast, at least ten or so meters tall. By the standards of this world, it was a double-masted small sailboat.
The sailboat's exterior wore a fresh blue-black waterproof coating. The hull was slender and streamlined, promising good speed, and the lowered center of gravity ensured stability.
"Kid, you satisfied with this ship?"
"Satisfied," Arion replied with a smile, bumping fists with the shipwrights. "You folks have really worked hard."
"No problem. You did a great favor to our village first; this little bit of hard work is nothing."
"Time for the launch ceremony," the village chief said. "Per tradition, we name the ship first, pop the champagne, then push it out from the dock into the sea… have you thought of a name?"
"A name?" Arion considered it. "Let's call it Lexington."
The name held a special meaning for Arion, and it carried a wish that, if the ship ever gained a soul in the future, it would be a flax-haired, blue-feather-adorned, sailor-uniform-wearing black-stockings big sister.
"Lexington? Nice name."
"Right?"
Having chosen the name, the ritual required writing it on the stern walkway.
Arion took charge of that, grabbing a paint can, stepping down from the gangway, and inscribing the word "Lexington" on the stern in both the local script and English.
As for why Arion can read and write in this world's language—well, that's just the oddity of crossing dimensions.
With the ship named, champagne burst on the hull, and the vessel was launched into the sea amid cheers. After a swell of waves, the ship floated smoothly on the surface.
A successful launch.