Hina stood outside Zephyr's office, feeling uneasy. The office was soundproofed well, so she couldn't hear what was being said inside. But a moment ago, she had heard Smoker yelling, "Even if you're a Marine Vice Admiral…" This made Hina very worried.
She was afraid Smoker had gotten into a conflict with Vice Admiral Diarmuid. After all, while she couldn't say for sure about anyone else, when Smoker's fiery temper flared up, he would challenge anyone. Her worry wasn't unfounded.
But soon, it became quiet again, and she couldn't hear anything, which only made her more anxious.
Just as Hina was lost in her thoughts, the office door suddenly opened. Smoker walked out with a furious expression. He was surprised to see Hina there, but before he could speak, Diarmuid's roar came from inside the office.
"Get out! Just get out! The Marines don't need a punk like you with no discipline! I'm telling you, Smoker, as long as I'm in the Marines, you can forget about coming back! You're fired! Get out!" Diarmuid bellowed.
Next to him, Gion was holding him back, as if he were about to come out and beat Smoker to a pulp. Even Zephyr was on the side, trying to calm him down.
Hina was stunned. "What did Smoker do to make Vice Admiral Diarmuid so angry?!"
But before Hina could recover and apologize on Smoker's behalf, Smoker had already snapped back. He turned around and pointed at Diarmuid. "It's a disgrace to the Marines to have someone like you in their ranks! I used to look up to you as my idol, but you have disappointed me! Diarmuid, let me tell you something: you didn't tell me to leave, I'm leaving on my own accord! I'm done with the Marines! My fate can change, and you won't look down on a young man forever. You'll see!"
"Insolence!" Diarmuid roared, tearing free from Gion's grasp. He shot forward like a tiger, grabbing Smoker by the collar and yanking him close. "Who do you think you are?"
Just as Diarmuid was about to punch Smoker's head in, Zephyr roared from inside the office. "Diarmuid!!! That's enough!!! Remember your rank! Are you going to kill someone in front of your teacher?"
The enraged Diarmuid seemed to calm down a little. He violently threw Smoker far down the hallway, pointing at Smoker as he got up. "Don't let me see you on the seas again, or I'll make you regret it! Now get out!"
Smoker scrambled to his feet, glaring at Diarmuid. But he didn't say anything else and just walked toward the end of the hallway. Only then did Hina recover. She also noticed that at the end of the hallway, a lot of students were watching.
She quickly said goodbye to Diarmuid and the others and ran after Smoker's defeated figure.
"Hey, Smoker, what's going on? Isn't Vice Admiral Diarmuid your idol? Why did you get into a fight with him? When are you going to change that nasty temper of yours? Come back with me! I'll go with you to apologize to Vice Admiral Diarmuid, I'm sure he'll forgive you." Hina asked, catching up to Smoker.
Smoker rubbed his chin, wondering if his acting had any flaws. He was going to be a pirate, after all, and bad acting would not do. Hearing Hina's words, he quickly composed himself and put on a look of frustrated embarrassment. "What do you mean, 'nasty temper'? I didn't provoke that bastard at all! He was trying to prove his loyalty to the Chief Instructor by saying I walked into the office with my left foot first, as if that was an insult to the Chief Instructor! He wanted to use that ridiculous excuse to expel me! Was that my fault? And the Chief Instructor, too! He just defended that bastard Diarmuid! Am I not a student, too? I'm done with the Marines! It's all a bunch of hypocrites! I'm out!"
Hina was astonished. 'Is Vice Admiral Diarmuid really that unreasonable? He seemed like such a gentle person when I talked to him at the door.'
But then she thought about it. Vice Admiral Diarmuid was called the "Ferocious Tiger of Marine Headquarters," and it was said that when he was younger—well, he was still young, but in his earlier years, his temper was incredibly volatile. He had supposedly punched a Fleet Admiral and slashed Garp. With that in mind, it wasn't impossible for him to be so temperamental.
For a moment, Hina didn't know how to persuade him.
Smoker didn't say anything else to Hina. He knew that he couldn't tell a student like her about this. When she was qualified to know, she would find out. But then he thought, 'It's only for three years. Maybe I won't even have to wait for her to be qualified. I, Smoker, will already have made my triumphant return!'
Then he would be a twenty-year-old Rear Admiral, or even a Vice Admiral. Wouldn't he be a big deal? He could make his good friend Hina see him in a new light! The thought was a little thrilling!
With Smoker scowling and Hina lost in thought, the two walked one after the other to the dorm building, attracting many puzzled stares from the other students.
Hina was still dazed, trying to figure out what to do. When she came to her senses, she realized she had unconsciously followed Smoker back to the dorm, and he was already tidying up his belongings.
"What are you doing?" Hina exclaimed in shock.
"Didn't you hear me? That bastard Diarmuid told me to get out, and the Chief Instructor didn't tell me to stay. So why should I stay here and be embarrassed? The seas are vast. I refuse to believe that I'm nothing without the Marines! I quit this Navy!" Smoker said bitterly.
"What will you do if you're not a Marine?" Hina asked in a panic.
"I…" Smoker stopped himself and then gave a cold snort. "None of your business!" With that, he hoisted his packed bag onto his shoulder and strode out of the dorm, ready to force a withdrawal from the academy.
But as he was about to head down the stairs, Smoker couldn't help but turn around and look at the helpless Hina. "Hina, you're my only friend here, so… even if it's just to prove it to you, I will make something of myself. You be a good Marine. Maybe we'll meet again someday!"
Then, without waiting for Hina to reply, Smoker left proudly, a stubborn young man to the very end.
At the port, on the deck of a warship, Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong stood, preparing to leave for Mariejois to talk with the Gorosei.
Just then, Admiral Sengoku saw Smoker alone with a bag, looking for a warship to hitch a ride on to get out of Marineford.
"That kid with the white hair must be the Smoker that Zephyr and Diarmuid were talking about. A problem child…" Sengoku said softly.
Kong also looked at Smoker. He saw Smoker standing at the port, unsure of which ship to take… or where to go. He seemed lost and helpless. As he looked around, he saw Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong on the warship nearby.
Smoker's eyes reddened with a hint of sorrow. He straightened his back, still carrying his bag, and from a distance, he saluted both Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong. After this salute, he wouldn't be able to display this kind of posture so openly for another three years, if ever.
Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong were surprised at first, then they both gave a serious salute in return.
Afterward, Kong said, "Someone!"
"Fleet Admiral!" a Marine Rear Admiral quickly came to his side.
"Send someone to see that boy off. Ask him where he's going. If he doesn't have a destination in mind, take him to the Sabaody Archipelago," Kong ordered, pointing at Smoker.
"...Yes, Fleet Admiral!" the Rear Admiral quickly responded.
"Did you see that, Sengoku? The future of the Marines, the pillars of the Marines, lies with these young people!" Kong said with emotion.
"Indeed," Sengoku said, also nodding with feeling.
"I've decided. When I go to Mariejois, if I can't get an Admiral position for Diarmuid, I won't come back!" Kong said firmly.
At the same time, in Zephyr's office, Diarmuid slowly poured a cup of tea, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip. He looked toward the port, though his vision couldn't penetrate the wall.
"I bet Smoker is on his way out now," Diarmuid murmured softly.
"Do you think he'll hate you after this?" Gion asked after a moment of thought.
She was thinking carefully. From what she could see of Smoker, even though he was a bit of a hot-head, he was a genuine top student of the 1500 Class. With his Logia-type Devil Fruit ability, he would definitely become a powerful Marine officer in the future.
To put it optimistically, he might even become an Admiral candidate, and with a little more hope, he could even become an Admiral. No one right now would have thought that with Smoker's current performance, he would still be a Marine Captain twenty years from now.
By all accounts, based on his experience, he should have easily been a Vice Admiral by then. Diarmuid and the others' plan would essentially take Smoker out of the Marines for twenty years, and he would have to spend the prime of his life as a pirate.
"If this had happened a few years ago, I wouldn't have hesitated to do it myself," Diarmuid said softly.
If the Marines had made such a plan for him a few years ago, he would have followed orders without hesitation and become a pirate. He had to admit, he was a little excited about it.
It was just that no one would believe him if he tried to be a pirate now, or maybe he would have acted on a whim and become a Warlord of the Sea.
"Being soft-hearted isn't a sign of a mature Marine, Gion," Zephyr said, advising her.
"He's right, Gion. A compassionate person can't command troops," Diarmuid said with a smile.
"Since it has come to this, the only thing we can do is fully support him in becoming a Warlord of the Sea so that he can achieve his goal as soon as possible and break free of his shackles. Only then can Smoker return triumphantly," Zephyr said with a sigh.
"That day will come, Sensei. When he returns, I will do my best to get him an Admiral candidate title. That will be the least I can do for him," Diarmuid said with a serious expression.
Even though he had tricked Smoker out of the Marines to become a pirate and a Warlord of the Sea, he wouldn't shortchange Smoker if he came back alive.
"Well, let's not talk about that anymore. Speaking of which, who should we find for the next candidate? It's giving me a headache," Diarmuid said helplessly.
May you go out into the world and return still a young man, Smoker.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!