As the warship slowly sailed into the inner port, the G-17 Branch finally came fully into view for Zephyr and his group.
If the outer steel walls showed military strength, then the inner living area showed how wealthy the base was.
The wide streets were paved with clean stone, and every streetlamp had been wiped spotless. Even though this was an important military base, there was no oppressive atmosphere here. Instead, everything felt busy and orderly.
"This way is the living area, and over there is the commercial street. All the soldiers' families are settled in the back."
Smoker walked in front to lead the way. He had two cigars in his mouth and looked proud enough to show the place off to everyone.
When they passed a building with a giant sign, Hina stopped walking. She stared through her sunglasses.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, she could see hot food steaming inside. A huge sign hung outside: [24-Hour Free Supply].
"Is this... a cafeteria?"
Ain looked inside in disbelief.
The constant steam, along with the strong smell of meat she could faintly catch through the glass, told her that the food here was much better than normal.
At Headquarters, even in the Elite Training Camp, you could only go to logistics to get cold food if you missed mealtime. But here, they actually provided hot food around the clock?
"Stop staring. This is just a normal cafeteria."
Smoker blew out a smoke ring, acting as if it was nothing special.
"Aiden said it himself. Soldiers get hungry easily after late-night patrols or training, and how can they hold a gun on an empty stomach? At Headquarters, applying for an extra box of meat requires three stamps, and you have to put up with the logistics department's attitude. But here?"
He pointed at the patrol soldiers eating inside.
"As long as you can eat it, you can have as much as you want. I remember when I was in the Headquarters' Elite Training Camp, I was so hungry in the middle of the night that I couldn't sleep, and I had to..."
Smoker's words suddenly stopped halfway. He seemed to remember the embarrassing time he and Aiden went to the kitchen to steal food in the middle of the night and were caught by Gion. His voice trailed off, and he coughed twice to cover it up.
Zephyr walked in front in silence. He didn't speak. He only observed everything around him.
As a former Admiral, he knew very well that Marine Headquarters was the greatest military force on this sea. Although the military funds they received every year were huge, the expenses were even heavier. To maintain the massive fleet and the branches all over the world, every cent of the budget had to be carefully calculated. Many times, they even had to act according to the moods of those World Government officials.
But here...
This place felt almost independent.
Zephyr shook his head gently, his thoughts growing heavier.
After they passed through the living area, the sound of metal and shouting came from ahead.
It was a huge courtyard.
Dozens of Marines wearing dark blue work clothes were sitting in the yard. Some were wiping gun barrels, some were counting ammo boxes, and others were loudly explaining artillery disassembly techniques to a group of new recruits.
Zephyr's footsteps suddenly stopped.
His eyes passed through the crowd and locked onto a man who was using a wrench to knock on a recruit's helmet.
That man was around forty years old, with graying temples and an empty left sleeve that swung with his movements. But he didn't seem to care at all. He operated complex machinery with one hand.
"Is that..."
Zephyr's eyes narrowed. He remembered this face.
About five years ago, this man had also been a student who graduated from the Elite Training Camp. His name was Jack. Even though his talent was average, he was honest and upright. He was later assigned to a branch in the first half of the Grand Line.
Zephyr had heard that during a mission to protect civilians, Jack's arm was blown off by a pirate cannon. According to Headquarters' disability evaluation standards, he was given a small pension and then forced to retire.
On the sea, a disabled veteran who lost an arm usually only had two outcomes: starve to death in the slums, or become a beggar.
But right now.
"Idiot! Are you stupid? The firing pin goes in like this! If you mess this up one more time, I'll make you drink this bucket of lubricating oil!"
The one-armed veteran named Jack had a red face and a loud voice. He looked confident and full of life, stronger than many men who still had both arms.
And around him, Zephyr saw more people like this.
Men with broken legs, missing eyes, or severe burn scars on their faces...
There were actually dozens of disabled veterans gathered here.
"Aiden."
Zephyr turned his head. His voice was a bit low as he pointed at the people in the yard. "Who are these men?"
Aiden stopped walking. He followed Zephyr's eyes and nodded openly.
"Oh, them. They are all retired veterans I requested from various branches. I thought they were still useful, so I brought them back."
"You brought them back?" Zephyr frowned.
"Yeah." Aiden's tone was calm and serious.
"Instructor Zephyr, you know it too. Headquarters' pension is only so much. These men were injured for the Marines' justice, and after leaving the Marines, none of them had an easy life."
"So you decided to support them all?" Hina was a little moved on the side.
"I wouldn't say I'm just supporting them."
Aiden shook his head and explained calmly.
"I'm actually quite a realistic person. I never make deals that lose money. These guys really do have skills."
He pointed at Jack, who was currently lecturing the recruits.
"Take these recruits, for example. Even if they train their bodies well, they haven't seen blood. If a gun chamber explodes, they might just wet themselves in fear. But these veterans are different. They know if a gun barrel is overheated just by smelling it, and they know if a bullet is jammed just by listening to the sound."
"Some of them lost legs or hands, but they didn't lose their experience."
Aiden sounded approving.
"I pay them double the salary, and they help me train recruits, fix equipment, and watch the warehouses. It's a win-win, isn't it?"
"As long as they are still willing to work, I will keep employing them."
As they spoke, the one-armed Jack seemed to notice something. He looked up and saw Aiden.
He didn't stand at attention like a regular soldier. Instead, he waved the wrench in his hand from afar, grinned, and shouted loudly.
"Yo! Base Commander! The quality of this batch of recruits is no good! They're too dumb! Can we get a little more alcohol next month? My throat is getting tired from talking to them!"
"Cut the crap! If you don't train them well, forget about alcohol, you won't even have water to drink!"
Aiden cursed back with a laugh. He didn't stop any longer and continued walking toward the core of the base.
Zephyr stood there for a long time. He looked at the veteran's smile, then looked at Aiden's straight back.
A win-win?
What a simple phrase.
But Zephyr knew better than anyone that for these veterans who were injured for justice, what they truly needed, aside from money and support, was recognition.
Aiden bought their experience with money and gave them back their dignity.
The sky gradually turned dark.
Since the warship they arrived in had been "accidentally" split in half by Aiden, everyone naturally had to rest inside the G-17 Branch tonight.
"Smoker, go arrange the accommodations for the young recruits."
Aiden gave Smoker a look and lowered his voice.
"Take them to our best dorms, then go show them the armory. These are good recruits from the Elite Training Camp, and their quality is pretty good. Once they graduate..."
Smoker instantly understood.
Aiden was planning to poach them.
Letting these inexperienced new recruits experience the comfortable single rooms and excellent equipment of the G-17 Branch. When this group returned to Headquarters and saw those crowded four-person dorms and old standard-issue rifles, wouldn't they be hoping to apply for a transfer to G-17 every day?
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Smoker grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. He turned around and shouted to the group of recruits who were still looking around the place.
"Alright, alright, everyone come with me! I'll take you to see what a real Marine base looks like! The dorms over there have 24-hour hot water, and the cafeteria has saved spots for you. You'll get all the roast meat you can eat!"
Watching the recruits cheer and follow Smoker away to enjoy the comfortable life here, Aiden finally turned his head, looked at Zephyr, and made a "please" gesture.
"Instructor Zephyr, let's go eat too."
Zephyr didn't object. He just looked at Aiden helplessly. How could he not see this kid's little schemes?
But here...
This truly was the best place for these kids to end up.
Aiden then accompanied Zephyr to the base's senior officer cafeteria.
The interior was still luxurious, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
The moment Zephyr stepped into the cafeteria hall, he paused for a moment.
Even though the hall smelled of good food and the atmosphere was relaxed, Zephyr felt a strong presence from the corner.
"Hm?"
Zephyr's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked over, following that feeling.
Over there, at a table by the window.
A man in a purple coat sat with his back to them.
Seven or eight empty bowls were stacked on the table in front of him. He was still holding a giant ramen bowl in his hands, eating large mouthfuls. He seemed completely unaware of everything around him.
But in Zephyr's eyes, even from behind, the man felt hard to move.
As if he noticed Zephyr's gaze, the man in purple paused slightly.
He put down the large bowl in his hands, wiped his mouth as if he still hadn't had enough, and then slowly turned around.
It was a middle-aged man with short hair and stubble.
"Oh? An incredible guest has arrived..."
The man in purple slowly stood up.
He tilted his head slightly and looked toward the door.
"You must be Black Arm Zephyr, the instructor Aiden mentioned."
His voice was low and calm.
Zephyr looked at this unknown man who wasn't wearing a Marine uniform but had appeared in the core area of the base. He frowned and turned to Aiden.
"Aiden, who is this?"
Seeing this, Aiden walked forward with a smile. He reached out and patted the man in purple on the shoulder.
"Don't be tense. He's one of us."
"Let me introduce you. This is the Special Advisor of the G-17 Branch, Mr. Issho."
"Issho?" Zephyr frowned. He searched his mind for this name, but found nothing.
When did a man this strong appear on the sea?
"Did you pick him up and bring him back too?" Zephyr looked at Aiden, his eyes full of disbelief.
"I didn't pick this one up." Aiden shrugged. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "I made a bet with him a while ago. I had good luck, and I won him back."
"You won him back?" Zephyr's eye twitched.
"You must be joking."
Issho let out an honest laugh. He bowed slightly to Zephyr in greeting. His attitude was humble, and he did not act arrogant at all.
"I was once a foolish man who nearly ruined his own eyes because I could not see the ways of the world clearly."
"It was Mr. Aiden who stopped me before I made a mistake I could not take back. He even dared to place his own life on the gambling table, just to invite me to join a bet about the future."
"Having lost the bet, and owing him a favor, I have entrusted myself to Mr. Aiden."
Zephyr looked at the man in front of him.
Although Issho did not say everything directly, Zephyr understood the weight behind those words.
This wasn't a simple relationship between superior and subordinate. It was more like a promise to stand by him.
Aiden hadn't just won against the man using strength. He had won his trust.
To make a man this strong accept defeat and stay by Aiden's side...
It could only mean one thing.
Aiden was more capable than Zephyr had thought.
"Alright, alright, how about we order food?"
Aiden pulled out a chair and called for the still-stunned Zephyr to sit down. Then he ordered the waiter soldier standing to the side.
"Go tell the kitchen to bring out all of today's signature dishes. Didn't that chef from the West Blue just invent a new dish? Bring one of everything."
At the dining table, the topic naturally shifted to their plans.
Even though Aiden asked him to stay multiple times, Instructor Zephyr, who treated his teaching schedule as a strict rule, still refused the proposal to stay a few more days.
To him, there was no reason to interrupt the training, not even if his flagship was destroyed.
Aiden, knowing full well the low efficiency of Headquarters' transfer orders, didn't try to persuade him any further. Instead, he transferred a fast, well-built spare warship from the G-17 port and lent it to Zephyr for emergencies, sparing him a long wait.
As for the warship Aiden had destroyed, he promised to rebuild an even better one as an apology gift for his instructor.
Late at night.
The banquet had ended. The noisy base gradually returned to peace. Only the occasional sound of a ship horn from the distant port remained.
Zephyr had refused the luxurious suite Aiden arranged and insisted on staying in a regular Marine dorm.
He stood by the window, looking out at the base that remained orderly even late at night.
His mind kept replaying every scene he had seen during the day.
The thriving G-17 Branch, the one-armed Jack laughing as he waved a wrench, Issho, whose strength he still could not measure...
Zephyr pulled out the photo of his family that he always carried close to his chest.
It was the last soft spot in his heart and the original reason he upheld justice.
He looked at it for a long time. His fingers gently rubbed the edges of the photo, and then he carefully put it back into his pocket.
"Is this your justice... Aiden?"
Zephyr muttered in a low voice. He turned around, lay on the bed, and closed his tired eyes.
"...Not bad."
To Be Continued
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