Finn's warship slowly entered the port of the 19th Branch of the East Blue Marines.
More than two months had passed since he'd requested leave at Marineford, picked up Gion at G-7, and then wandered all the way to the East Blue.
And many things had indeed happened over the past two months.
Vice Admiral Kuzan of Marine Headquarters had fought a fierce battle with White Hunter Smoker in the first half of the Grand Line, but the two sides had been evenly matched, and Smoker had managed to escape.
Of course, this was all an act.
It was because of this incident that Kuzan was "punished." At the same time, Smoker was officially recruited by the World Government as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea within the next two weeks.
At this point, White Hunter Smoker became the first Warlord since the establishment of the Seven Warlords system.
His bounty had temporarily stopped at 260 million berries.
Smoker's joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea had caused a huge uproar on the seas.
Speaking of which, although the Seven Warlords of the Sea policy had been implemented for a long time, no one had actually joined until now.
There had been rumors before that Craster would become the first of the Seven Warlords of the Sea due to his devil fruit.
As a result, he'd been wiped out by the Marines in the blink of an eye.
Therefore, many people had realized that if they wanted to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they had to get past the Marines.
Before this, many people had been thinking about how to smooth relations with the Marines and gain their recognition, such as Donquixote Doflamingo.
And now, Smoker had proved the feasibility of another method, which was to confront the Marines head-on. As long as the Marines couldn't do anything to you and you delayed for a while, the World Government could arrange for you to officially become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And once you became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Marines would have no reason to take action against you.
At the same time, the incident with Smoker also proved that not everyone who wanted to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea would be targeted by Admirals.
If you were lucky, you might only face a Vice Admiral.
It had to be said that Kuzan had damaged his reputation a little bit this time, and many people had begun to look down on him.
There were rumors that it was no wonder Kuzan hadn't become an Admiral candidate like Sakazuki and Borsalino, because it turned out his abilities weren't good enough.
But it seemed he didn't care about these things.
The higher-ups at Headquarters all knew what was really going on, so naturally no one would blame him for it.
Even the punishment was just for show to the World Government.
The warship slowly anchored at the port of the 19th Branch of the East Blue Marines.
Then a burly figure immediately jumped down from the ship. This guy wasn't Finn, but the old and shameless Garp.
That's right. Although Finn had severely stopped and scolded Garp, and even pulled rank as an Admiral and told him not to come along, this guy Garp had been completely shameless. He'd gotten on Finn's ship by begging and couldn't be driven away.
What could you do with such a shameless person?
The only option was to beat him up, but this guy was so strong that Finn wasn't sure he could win, so he'd had no choice but to accept this bastard.
At the same time, because Garp had shamelessly gotten on board, Hina had found an opportunity. She'd gotten on board as well using the excuse of "I'm going on vacation with Vice Admiral Garp."
Fortunately, Gion didn't care about these things at all. She and Garp were old friends and had a very good relationship.
As for Hina, she was currently considered Gion's little sister and little follower.
The commander of the 19th Branch of the East Blue Marines, a Captain, had been waiting at the port for a long time. As soon as Garp landed, he immediately stepped forward, stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Vice Admiral Garp, thank you for your hard work."
Garp nodded carelessly. "You guys are the ones who worked hard. You did a good job at Oykot Kingdom before. How are things now?"
The branch Captain said with a slightly helpless expression, "Although we won, the losses were quite severe. Speaking of which, the East Blue hasn't seen a battle involving tens of thousands of troops in many years. Many Marines lack relevant battlefield experience, and their mental state isn't great. Many are hoping to apply for retirement."
At that moment, Finn also slowly walked down from the warship, while Gion and Hina whispered something behind him.
"This kind of thing can't be forced. We need to provide psychological counseling first. If anyone still wants to apply for retirement after that, we must take care of their emotions and provide them with all the necessary subsidies. Then we can approve it," Finn said seriously.
The Captain was momentarily stunned, then immediately said, "Yes, Admiral Finn!"
After a brief pause, he continued, "Regarding psychological counseling, we immediately began working on it. Over the past two months, we've seen some results, but there are still many people who hope to be approved for retirement."
"Then do as Finn says," Garp nodded.
This was how it was. In fact, it wasn't just the East Blue Marines. Even at Headquarters, many people applied for retirement every year due to war trauma, most of them psychological problems.
This was a common issue that couldn't be solved.
Therefore, in most cases, psychological counseling was done first. If it was ineffective, then the only option was to part ways amicably.
There was no point in forcing them to stay, and it would also affect the overall morale of the Marines.
"You've done a good job. Are you interested in developing your career at Headquarters?" Finn asked with a smile.
"Me? Is that possible?" the branch Captain said with a delighted expression.
"What's your name?" Finn asked with a smile.
At this time, the branch Captain seemed to realize he hadn't yet introduced himself. This was a major oversight. Maybe it was because Garp's sudden appearance had disrupted his rhythm?
So he quickly stood at attention and saluted. "Excuse me! Captain Brannew, Commander of the 19th Marine Base in the East Blue, sends his greetings!"
Finn was momentarily stunned, looking at his fluffy dark green hair, and then he realized this guy was Brannew, the conference master who would later join Marine Headquarters and rise to the position of Rear Admiral.
It wasn't clear how capable he was in combat, but he often did clerical work at Headquarters, organizing and explaining meetings, reporting situations to various superiors, and so on.
But if Finn remembered correctly, it had been more than ten years later that he'd been promoted to the position of Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters.
It had probably been due to accumulated experience, and the fact that the Marines' style had become more aggressive, that two years later he'd suddenly become a Rear Admiral.
Finn hadn't expected this guy came from the East Blue.
After all, he was a decent person, and Finn had no bad impression of him, so he gave him a hand. "Very good, Captain Brannew. After you finish things here, you can report to Headquarters."
"Yes! Thank you, Admiral!" Brannew responded quickly.
Some people, after taking the position of branch base commander, held great power and didn't hope to be transferred to Headquarters.
But some people's ideal was to join Headquarters.
Obviously, Brannew was the latter.
Afterward, Finn and Vice Admiral Garp visited the wounded from the Battle of Oykot Kingdom. To be honest, it had been almost three months, and many people had recovered from their injuries.
At the same time, Brannew suggested that Finn and Garp could speak with those Marines who'd applied for retirement. He believed that if they could get encouragement from a Marine Hero and an Admiral, perhaps many would be remotivated and give up the idea of retiring.
Finn and Garp had come to support these branch Marines, and they certainly had no intention of rejecting such a sensible proposal.
Soon, the two of them met with many Marines who'd applied for retirement.
It was true that quite a few Marines were re-energized after seeing the two of them.
In a military tent, Finn sat on a simple bench, holding a glass of water, looking at a new Marine who'd just walked in.
What was notable was that she was a woman with long rose-red hair, but the sides of her hair were shaved into a crew cut, making her look very spirited.
Looking at her appearance, although she couldn't be called particularly beautiful, she could still be called attractive.
"Lieutenant of the 19th Branch of the East Blue Marines, Bell-mère, sends her greetings to you, Admiral Finn!" Bell-mère said with a very serious expression.
Finn was momentarily stunned. He'd felt this woman looked familiar from the beginning, and when he heard her name, he suddenly remembered.
It turned out to be her, Bell-mère, Nami and Nojiko's adoptive mother.
In an instant, many details he'd forgotten came to his mind. If he remembered correctly, the Battle of Oykot Kingdom, involving tens of thousands of people, had destroyed all the towns on the island. Although the Marines had won the victory, they'd also paid a heavy price.
It was during this war that Bell-mère had been seriously injured and lost her will to live. At the same time, it was at this moment that she'd seen 2-year-old Nojiko holding an infant Nami and crying helplessly on the battlefield.
This scene had awakened her will to survive, and she'd survived the cruel battlefield and adopted Nojiko and Nami.
"Lieutenant..." Finn murmured softly, then smiled. "Don't be so nervous. Please sit down. You're all heroes of the Marines."
"Yes! Thank you, Admiral Finn!" Bell-mère replied with a smile.
She had a generous and open-minded personality. She sat down without any hesitation.
"You look very young, Lieutenant Bell-mère," Finn said, starting a conversation with her with a smile.
"Well, I joined the Marines when I was sixteen, and I'm just twenty this year," Bell-mère said, scratching her head a little embarrassedly.
Bell-mère would adopt Nami and Nojiko for a full ten years, and when she was killed by Arlong, she'd only been thirty years old.
"In four years, you've already become a Lieutenant?" Finn smiled, then continued, "That shows you're quite talented. I'm sure you'll be able to become a Captain before you're twenty-five. If you can further your studies at Headquarters, reaching the rank of Commodore before you're forty shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Hahahaha! To be honest, I used to want to be a Marine Admiral!" Bell-mère laughed.
"There hasn't been a female Admiral in the Marines for almost a hundred years. I think you still have hope," Finn teased with a smile.
"Really?" Bell-mère smiled, then scratched her head sheepishly. "Well, those were just childhood dreams. I don't think about them much anymore."
"Tsk..." Finn clicked his tongue with a hint of regret, then asked, "Are you applying for retirement? Are you experiencing any psychological trauma?"
Bell-mère waved her hand and said casually, "I am indeed preparing to apply for retirement. I didn't expect to see you in person and talk to you, Admiral. It has nothing to do with any psychological trauma. It's just that I picked up two little ones during the war and plan to adopt them and become a mother to them."
"Hahahaha..." Finn also laughed. "You're only twenty years old, and you're planning to adopt two children?"
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Bell-mère said, pursing her lips. Then she took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and gestured inquiringly.
"Go ahead," Finn said, waving his hand casually.
It had to be said, Bell-mère's personality was truly likable. Perhaps it was because she was planning to retire, or perhaps it was just her nature, but even when facing the great Admiral Finn, she still did things her own way.