Chapter 45: The Target is Water Seven, a New Warship
Inside Zephyr's training camp.
"Water Seven."
Inside his dorm room, Loy, who had just finished a day of training, mumbled to himself the information he'd recently received from Dragon.
The Devil Fruit he needed, and Vegapunk's laboratory, which he'd unexpectedly learned about. This solidified his determination to make a trip to Water Seven.
But the problem was, how to get there?
"Should Kizaru and Dragon go? Not ideal; the repercussions from their actions haven't died down yet."
"Creating another set of Clones? That's also not appropriate––the Three Admirals' Joint Exercise is approaching soon, and Marine Headquarters is under strict martial law. Even if a Clone had flying abilities, it would be difficult to leave."
"And Water Seven is basically CP9's old haunt, with eyes everywhere. It's also close to Enies Lobby; if something goes wrong, it'll go very wrong."
Loy pondered.
Ultimately, he came to a conclusion.
The best option, in fact, was for him to go himself—CP9's informants wouldn't be wary of the Marines, so he wouldn't risk exposure.
And once he acquired the Devil Fruit he wanted, subsequent matters would become much simpler.
"Loy!"
While Loy was deep in thought, Hina's voice made him flinch.
He then took a deep breath: "Hina, I know it's time to prepare for training."
As he spoke, his voice held a hint of solemnity.
Yes––although Loy possessed the determination and perseverance to become stronger, it had to be said that the daily training intensity, diving into the deep sea and battling the strong currents, was indeed a bit much.
Even Loy, after a month of continuous training, felt like he couldn't take it anymore.
"No, that's not it."
But to Loy's surprise, Hina spoke: "Teacher Zephyr went to SSG today to test the 'Smasher.' He won't be back for a few days."
Hearing this, Loy was also taken aback.
The 'Smasher'––he, of course, knew what that was.
After Zephyr's arm was severed by pirates, SSG had been researching how to restore the former Admiral's combat capabilities.
And thus, the 'Smasher' was born.
It was a massive steel arm, constructed from the special 'Z Alloy' and inlaid with Seastone to counter ability users.
According to SSG's estimation, this arm, with its special structure and power, would possess the strength to crush anything.
When they reattached this arm to Zephyr's body, the Admiral would return to his peak.
Of course––Loy, who now fully understood Zephyr's power, knew very well that this estimation was nothing short of a joke.
Zephyr's 'Black Armament Style' required the tempering and control of every part of the body, and a mechanical arm could never replace his original limbs.
However, he didn't say much, merely looking at Hina with some confusion.
"Then why are you looking for me?"
"Oh, it's those two subordinates of yours. Hmm, the ones named Far and Hannes––they came looking for you."
Hina scratched her head: "They said their leave has ended, and Vice Admiral Bilos has assigned them a mission. They asked if you want to go with them."
At this point, she also looked at Loy.
To this day, she still remembered the 'ambition' Loy had told Zephyr about.
"I will always remain in the Escort Unit, and I will change the Escort Unit––it is an indispensable part of justice."
Those words, for Hina, were nothing short of deafening.
And now, it had spread throughout the entire Marine Headquarters.
Former Marine Admiral, 'Black Arm Zephyr,' one of the legendary figures of the Marines, had officially taken Loy as his disciple.
It could be said that if Loy was willing now––he could join any direct subordinate unit under a Vice Admiral or even an Admiral at any time, and would undoubtedly hold an important position in the future.
So Hina was very curious.
Could the current Loy still adhere to his original ideals?
Then, he heard Loy's answer, devoid of any hesitation.
"Of course!"
His voice was clear and resolute.
"Of course I'm going!"
Thus, Hina's heart stirred with approval.
Loy Amos, what an upright and loyal man!
But quite obviously, Loy himself wasn't thinking that way at this moment.
"It's truly a pillow arriving when one is sleepy––Hannes, Far, and old man Bilos, you've done well!"
He was just fretting about not having a suitable reason to leave Marine Headquarters––and hadn't this opportunity just presented itself?!
Not long after, Loy returned to the long-unseen Escort Unit port.
Then,
"Boss!" *2
He heard two excited shouts and saw two familiar figures.
"I told you Boss would definitely come!"
"Hey! Hannes, what do you mean by that––do you think I don't trust the Boss? I merely said that Admiral Zephyr's training is very rigorous, and he might not allow the Boss to come."
Needless to say, the ones speaking at this moment were naturally Far and Hannes, those two rascals.
And besides them,
The other Marine Soldiers of Loy's Escort Unit were also all standing not far away, cheering.
"Long live the Boss!"
"Long live Boss Loy!"
"Although the officer wasn't here, we lived quite comfortably, but it really feels right with Officer Loy around!"
Clearly––Hina's recent thoughts were not exclusive to her alone.
And watching this scene, a smile also played on Loy's lips.
It was still the same sentiment.
He didn't feel much belonging to the Marines.
But he didn't dislike these Marine Soldiers he had spent six years with.
However, it was precisely at this moment that Hannes and Far sidled over again.
"By the way, Boss––we've also prepared a surprise for you!"
Hannes had an excited look on his face, while Far's expression was a little subtle.
"A surprise?"
Loy naturally raised an eyebrow.
"Mm!"
Hannes nodded proudly, pointing his thumb at himself: "It was my suggestion, 'Sergeant Hannes,' and then everyone prepared it together. It's your favorite thing, Boss!"
"Oh!?"
Hearing this, Loy grew expectant.
His favorite thing couldn't possibly be a Devil Fruit, could it?
Filled with anticipation, Loy followed Hannes and Far and quickly arrived at the berth in the port.
From a distance, he then saw the unique ship docked in the berth.
...
Then, Loy fell silent.
At the berth, a warship with flowing lines but an extremely peculiar design floated silently on the sea surface.
The warship still showed the outline of the previous 'DT-31' warship, but the hull itself had been thoroughly renovated.
From bow to stern, it was arced, coupled with the ship's black color scheme, and its unique bottle-cap-like figurehead and straw-like mast.
It clearly resembled––no! It was a bottle of cola!
And the sail hoisted on the mainmast made Loy doubt his own eyes even more.
Because on the sail, a name was actually written.
Loy Amos
"How is it, Boss?"
Hannes said smugly: "Aren't you satisfied? I told you you'd like it, didn't I?"
Just as previously mentioned.
After being promoted to a commissioned officer, Loy could theoretically own his own warship, with the right to carry out some basic modifications and renovations, officially becoming the 'captain' of this ship.
Hannes's pride stemmed from this.
After Loy was taken as Zephyr's disciple, he was extremely busy and impossible to contact.
But thankfully, he still remembered what Loy had said before.
"You said back then that if you had your own ship, you would definitely make it look like your favorite thing. Hahahaha!"
"Still laughing!?"
Then, Loy punched him on the head.
He winced, covering his face: "How could my favorite thing be cola––even if it was good, I was clearly joking at the time––"
Halfway through his sentence, he couldn't help but laugh helplessly himself.
"Hahahahahaha!" *N
The Escort Unit Marine Soldiers present, except for Hannes who had taken a punch, all burst into laughter.
And so,
"Alright then."
A moment later, Loy stopped agonizing over it.
Anyway, there were all sorts of strange ships on this vast sea; one more of his wouldn't make a difference.
Besides, this ship... he genuinely didn't dislike it.
So he strode onto the warship and looked down at the Marine Soldiers below.
"Lads,"
"Prepare to set sail!"
And his command was, as expected, met with a response.
"Aye, Captain!"
(end of chapter)
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