"And what about you, Vice Admiral?" Fran asked, somewhat worried.
The position of East Blue Marine Commander had originally been held by Saint Roselith Seraphina herself, and she had not formally relinquished the post.
"I have too many responsibilities waiting for me, and I'm already a little overwhelmed, so I'll have to trouble you with the East Blue," Seraphina replied with a smile.
She had already discussed the matter with Sengoku, and the Marine Headquarters had approved the necessary arrangements.
Seraphina indeed had too many things to deal with elsewhere, and remaining in the East Blue while continuing to hold a command position she could no longer personally supervise would inevitably invite unnecessary criticism.
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
Seeing the confidence in Seraphina's expression, Fran understood that she had already made her arrangements and stopped worrying about the matter.
"By the way, take me to inspect the Marine Academy and one of the completed sections of the East Blue railway," Seraphina said.
After all, written reports could never replace seeing the results with her own eyes.
It wasn't that Seraphina distrusted Fran, but the development of the East Blue was too important to be handled carelessly.
The Marine Academy was being constructed near Orange Town, a strategically convenient location in the East Blue.
Since she was already back in the East Blue, Seraphina also had another reason for making the trip.
She wanted to visit Windmill Village and meet the two boys who had been entrusted to Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace were still children, but both had already shown personalities that made Garp's superiors uneasy.
Seraphina wanted to see them with her own eyes.
More importantly, she wanted to determine whether either of them could be guided toward becoming Marines rather than pirates.
"Yes, I'll take you there immediately!" Fran agreed without hesitation.
"No need."
"You're now responsible for the entire East Blue Marine command, and your handover of duties will be extremely busy."
"Just have someone accompany me."
Seraphina refused to make Fran abandon his responsibilities merely to serve as her guide.
Fran had only just accepted his new position, and there were countless administrative matters waiting for him.
"Then I'll ask Captain Hina to accompany you."
Fran thought for a moment before making the suggestion.
"That works."
Seraphina nodded.
She had spoken with Hina several times through Den Den Mushi, and the young Marine officer had complained more than once about how uneventful life in the East Blue had become.
Hina and Smoker had also repeatedly expressed their desire to transfer to the Grand Line.
Seraphina had already intended to make arrangements for them.
The Marine base at Whiskey Peak required capable personnel, and both Hina and Smoker were promising officers who could be put to good use there.
"This time, I'll take both Hina and Smoker back to the Grand Line."
"As for their transfers, don't worry too much about the formalities."
"I've already discussed personnel arrangements with Sengoku."
"With the approval of Marine Headquarters, there won't be any problem."
Seraphina's words carried the confidence of someone who already knew the matter had been settled.
At this point, her influence within the Marines was considerable, although she remained careful not to confuse personal authority with the formal rank structure of the organization.
"Hina-neechan!"
When Luna saw Hina approaching, she immediately called out happily.
A while ago, because Luna had transformed from a Sea King into a human child, Fran had realized that caring for her required someone with experience handling children.
Hina had therefore helped look after Luna whenever her Marine duties allowed it.
"Little Seraphina~!"
Hina hurried toward them after receiving Fran's message and discovering that Seraphina had returned to the East Blue.
"Why didn't you tell Hina that you were coming back?"
"Why did you and Fran keep this a secret from Hina?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
Seraphina smiled.
She genuinely had wanted to surprise Hina.
After all, Hina and Smoker had recently received promotions from Marine Headquarters, and Seraphina had personally spoken with Sengoku regarding their future assignments.
"And you!"
"Why do you call Hina 'sister' but just call me Seraphina?"
Seraphina reached out and gently pinched Luna's cheek.
Honestly, the little orange-haired girl reminded her of what she herself might have looked like as a child.
Luna hesitated.
"Because… because…"
Hina immediately understood what was happening.
Hina had always called her "Little Seraphina," while Luna had become accustomed to hearing herself called "Little Luna."
Therefore, Luna had simply concluded that calling Seraphina by her name was perfectly acceptable.
"That's enough."
"Don't blame Little Luna."
"Come on, I'll show you the progress everyone has made."
Hina quickly came to Luna's rescue.
After all, she had unintentionally encouraged Luna to use such familiar forms of address.
And, admittedly, Hina found the strange feeling of being treated as though she were a generation older than Seraphina rather amusing.
Then Hina returned to the subject of the East Blue's development.
"Although, Little Seraphina, I didn't realize you had access to such enormous funding~."
Anyone familiar with the financial arrangements behind the project could understand how extraordinary the resources supporting the East Blue's development were.
The Roselith family's financial influence was far beyond what an ordinary Marine officer could possess.
The existence of Roselith Bank and its extensive financial network had made it increasingly obvious to Hina that her best friend was not from an ordinary background.
She had long suspected that Seraphina was either the daughter of an extraordinarily wealthy individual or a member of an immensely powerful aristocratic family.
"Hina, don't worry about the money."
"Just make sure the funds are being used properly."
"You don't need to deliberately cut corners just to save me money."
As for her true identity as Saint Roselith Seraphina, Seraphina still wasn't prepared to explain everything to Hina.
Revealing that she was a member of the Roselith Family, a Celestial Dragon family, would inevitably change the way Hina treated her.
Seraphina treasured their friendship too much to allow that distinction to come between them.
"Understood."
Hina smiled.
She had already realized that Seraphina's identity was far from ordinary, but she respected her friend's decision and didn't pry.
"Let's finish the inspection quickly."
"The next special training session at Marine Headquarters is approaching, and I may have to return to Marineford to serve as an instructor."
"Our time is limited."
"I understand."
Hina nodded.
Thus, their inspection of the East Blue began.
The patrol proceeded smoothly.
Several sections of the East Blue railway had already been connected, and the construction teams were making steady progress.
Fran had also devoted considerable attention to the Marine Academy, ensuring that the project remained on schedule.
Everything was developing according to plan.
"Oh, and Hina."
"This time, you and Smoker are coming back to Marine Headquarters with me."
"The Grand Line needs capable Marines."
Hina's expression became serious.
Seraphina continued.
"The balance of power in the New World has changed significantly since Shanks became one of the Four Emperors."
"Marine Headquarters has therefore been forced to reinforce several important areas."
"That inevitably means some of our forces elsewhere have become thinner."
"The Grand Line is where your abilities will be more valuable."
"Furthermore, I'll be returning to Headquarters to serve as an instructor."
"That means I won't be able to personally oversee as many operations as before."
"The East Blue should remain relatively stable, especially with Vice Admiral Garp frequently returning here."
"So I'd rather have you and Smoker transferred to the Grand Line."
"No problem."
"Hina will inform Smoker immediately."
Hina didn't hesitate.
The transfer was something she and Smoker had wanted for quite some time.
"Good."
"Then our next stop is Windmill Village."
Seraphina nodded.
At Garp's request, their next destination was the small village in the Goa Kingdom where the legendary Marine hero had been born.
"Windmill Village…"
"Isn't that Vice Admiral Garp's hometown?"
Hina recognized the name immediately.
As a Marine officer who had served in the East Blue, she knew the area well.
"That's right."
"I'm particularly interested in his two grandsons."
Seraphina's expression became slightly more curious.
Luffy and Ace were the central reason she had agreed to visit Windmill Village.
"What?!"
"Vice Admiral Garp's two grandsons?!"
"Little Seraphina!"
Hina's eyes widened.
She had clearly misunderstood what Seraphina meant.
Garp was an old man, and his grandsons were naturally expected to be much closer to Hina and Seraphina's age.
For a brief moment, Hina's imagination ran wild.
Could Seraphina possibly be interested in one of them?
Absolutely not!
Seraphina was her best friend!
She couldn't allow some random man to…
"That's not what I meant!"
Seraphina quickly realized what Hina was thinking and interrupted her before the misunderstanding could grow.
"Vice Admiral Garp's two grandsons are still children."
"They're both rather rebellious and have apparently been talking about becoming the Pirate King."
"Garp asked me to speak with them and try to guide them before they choose the wrong path."
Hina finally understood.
"So that's what you meant."
"Then those two definitely need some guidance."
As a Marine officer who had undergone rigorous training, Hina understood exactly what Seraphina meant by "guidance."
She couldn't help sighing.
"Vice Admiral Garp is a legendary Marine hero."
"How troublesome would it be if his own grandsons eventually became pirates?"
Seraphina looked toward the horizon.
She knew the answer to that question better than anyone.
Those two boys were destined to shake the world.
One would eventually become the man who carried the name of the Pirate King into a new era.
The other would become a great pirate in his own right and play a crucial role in events that would shake the entire world.
But that future had not yet arrived.
Right now, they were merely two troublesome boys living in the East Blue.
And Seraphina intended to meet them before destiny had completely decided their paths.
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