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Chapter 120is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
Following his promotion to Lieutenant Commander, Baishui's living quarters were upgraded. His new place featured three bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom—fully equipped with everything they could possibly need. While not exactly a mansion, it was more than enough space for the two of them to build a life together.
"Aki, the only thing left for us now is the wedding, heh," Baishui murmured, staring into her eyes with a dopey, lovestruck grin.
Aki knew exactly what that look meant. Closing her eyes, she whispered timidly, "Be gentle... I just got out of the hospital."
Before she could even finish her sentence, Baishui pounced on her like a starving wolf.
The room was soon filled with the heat of passion.
Baishui could easily swear this was the most wonderful day of his life. Truly, it was absolute bliss. He was realizing, more and more, just how impossible it was to imagine life without Aki. She was a woman worth cherishing for a lifetime.
"We'll get married next year," Baishui said softly, pulling her close and seeking her thoughts. "On Kuro Island. We'll have the mayor officiate, and we'll invite T-Bone and the others. How does that sound?"
"Alright. Whatever you say," Aki replied gently, her cheeks still flushed from their earlier intimacy.
"You're so understanding. God, I love you." Thrilled by her response, Baishui leaned in and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
"Honestly, you're a grown man, but you still act like such a child sometimes," she teased, shifting slightly to rest her head more comfortably against his chest.
"Heh, I can't help it. This is just how I am around you. Even if you wanted to change your mind and return me, it's too late!" He pinched her nose playfully.
Aki couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she was entirely defenseless against his shameless affection. "I'm tired," she murmured. "Let's sleep."
Obliging, Baishui turned off the lights, pulled the covers over them, and closed his eyes. It was only around seven or eight in the evening, but the night passed peacefully.
The Next Day
Baishui looked completely drained. He kept rubbing his lower back, his energy visibly depleted. Most of the Marines in the conference room took one look at him and shot him knowing, ambiguous smirks that practically screamed, Look at this guy go. Anyone who had been around the block knew exactly what was up.
However, not every meeting was a matter of life and death. Most of the time, these gatherings were just formalities, devoid of any truly critical agenda. Baishui kept nodding off, struggling to keep his eyes open. He couldn't help it; last night had been wildly exhausting. Even with his naturally boundless stamina, he was running on fumes.
He didn't hear a single word the Vice Admiral at the podium was saying. Frankly, he didn't want to. Through the haze of his exhaustion, the only word that registered was "dismissed." Like a puppet on strings, he mechanically followed the rest of the Marines out the door.
As the old proverb goes: The tree desires stillness, but the wind refuses to cease.
Ever since Aki had recovered, Baishui had lost all motivation to take on missions. If he had his way, he'd spend every waking second by her side. But evidently, the higher-ups had no intention of letting him slack off.
Just after finishing his breakfast, Baishui received an unexpected summons from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, ordering him to report to his office immediately.
Confused, Baishui arrived only to find three other people already waiting.
The commander of the Loguetown Marine Base in the East Blue: "White Hunter" Smoker.
The future Admiral candidate, currently holding the rank of Rear Admiral: "Momousagi" Gion.
The other future Admiral candidate, also a Rear Admiral: "Chaton" Tokikake.
Baishui blinked in bewilderment. What on earth is going on here? That's quite the lineup.
"Old man Sengoku, what exactly are you planning?" Baishui asked, eyeing the beaming Fleet Admiral. "This is a pretty heavy-hitting lineup."
"Ah, you're here. Good," Sengoku nodded. "I'll get straight to the point. First of all, the four of you represent the most outstanding talents of this current generation of Marines."
He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "To ensure you can better enact Justice—and to keep a certain someone from getting too lazy—I have decided to enroll you four in a special, year-and-a-half-long training program."
"The location will be Level 5 of Impel Down. Your instructor will be Garp."
Baishui rolled his eyes. For some reason, he felt an immediate, instinctual resistance to this sudden boot camp.
"Fleet Admiral, is it possible to opt out?" Baishui asked flatly. "I don't really want to participate." His reason, naturally, was his desire to stay with Aki.
But Sengoku shot that hope down in an instant. "Absolutely not. The other three are permitted to withdraw, but you are the sole exception. You have too much natural talent, kid. I won't let it go to waste."
Those words mercilessly crushed any delusions Baishui had of escaping.
"You can't do this to me, Fleet Admiral," Baishui groaned, his face falling into a miserable scowl. "If I just up and leave for a year and a half, what about my girlfriend?"
"That is not a concern," Sengoku replied smoothly, clearly anticipating the excuse. "You are permitted to contact her daily via Den Den Mushi. I am confident your relationship can survive eighteen months."
This exchange drew the collective attention of Gion, Tokikake, and Smoker. Gion and Tokikake watched Baishui with amused interest, while Smoker's glare was decidedly less friendly.
Of the four of them, Smoker was technically the weakest and the oldest. He only possessed the strength of a Rear Admiral, whereas the other three had essentially surpassed the level of a Vice Admiral.
"Enough chitchat. Sign these consent forms, and you can go pack your things," Sengoku commanded, sliding four sheets of paper across his desk.
Smoker gritted his teeth, snatched a pen, and was the first to sign his name before storming out. He couldn't bear the humiliation of staying in that room a second longer. Excluding Baishui, Gion and Tokikake were only in their twenties. (Though Tokikake looked much older, having aged rather poorly; his actual age was only twenty-nine.)
Gion and Tokikake seemed entirely unfazed by the sudden mandate. They calmly signed their names and took their leave.
That left only Baishui, who dragged his feet for as long as humanly possible. Finally, unable to withstand Sengoku's piercing, expectant glare any longer, he reluctantly scribbled his signature.
"Excellent. That's more like it," Sengoku smiled, wearing an expression that practically said, Glad you know what's good for you.
Baishui returned home in a daze. Looking at Aki's bright, expectant face, the words caught in his throat. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her he was leaving for eighteen months.
"What's wrong?" Aki asked, noticing the conflicted agony written all over his face.
Baishui let out a heavy sigh. "Man, I don't even know how to say this."
He couldn't just blurt out, Hey, I'm leaving for a year and a half. He was terrified she would completely break down.
"Just tell me. I'm listening," Aki said, sitting across from him and giving him her full attention.
"Alright... but you have to promise not to get upset," Baishui pleaded. Seeing how serious she looked, he figured it was best to soften the blow first, giving her time to brace herself so the shock wouldn't be too overwhelming.
"I... I might have to leave for a year and a half," Baishui mumbled, his head bowed as he fidgeted nervously with his hands.
He had never realized that getting a single sentence out could be so agonizing. But as the words hung in the air, a massive weight lifted off his chest.
"Why?"
The focused readiness vanished from Aki's face, instantly replaced by a deep melancholy.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku called me in out of nowhere," Baishui sighed, pulling her into a tight embrace. He held her as if he were terrified she might slip away. "He's forcing me into a mandatory training program. I had no choice but to agree."
"But don't worry," he murmured softly into her ear, his voice carrying a dark, magnetic timbre. "We can still talk on the Den Den Mushi every single day. Wait for me. A year and a half will fly by, I promise."
"It tickles," Aki whispered, shrinking her neck back slightly as a sudden, feverish heat spread through her body.
"You—"
Before she could say anything else, Baishui sealed her lips with his own.
Aki's eyes went wide, but before she could even process the kiss, he had gently pushed her back onto the bed. This time, however, he didn't let his hands wander. Instead, he poured all his emotion into a deep, consuming kiss that lasted for nearly five minutes.
By the time he finally pulled away, Aki's lips were practically numb. A glistening thread of saliva connected them for a brief moment. Her face was flushed crimson, and she lay there, gasping softly for air.
"I have to go. Take care of yourself, remember to eat on time, and call me on the Den Den Mushi if anything happens." Baishui leaned down to press a final, tender kiss to her forehead before turning to leave the room.
The second he turned his back, a single tear slipped down her cheek. Soon, Aki was weeping silently.
They had both thought a wedding was just around the corner. But life was always full of unexpected variables. It seemed the concept of a "perfectly happy ending" was something Baishui was never allowed to fully grasp.
By the time Baishui arrived at the harbor, the other three were already waiting. Vice Admiral Garp stood among them, wearing his iconic dog-head cowl and aggressively crunching on a bag of rice crackers.
"About time you showed up, brat! You're always dragging your feet," Garp grumbled, though he looked secretly relieved that Baishui had actually appeared.
"Let's just go," Baishui muttered, letting out a faint sigh. After a brief nod of greeting to the other three, he boarded the warship.
He immediately found a relatively flat spot on the deck, lay down with his hands behind his head, and began casually bouncing his leg. He hummed a tune only he could understand, the picture of absolute, unbothered leisure.
Impel Down
Chief Warden Magellan welcomed their arrival with the utmost respect. Given that Garp himself was leading the detachment, formalities had to be strictly observed.
They made their way down to the entrance of Level 5.
"Bwahaha! Alright, Magellan, this is far enough. We'll take it from here," Garp announced, halting the Chief Warden at the massive gates.
"Understood. I will take my leave then. Vice Admiral Garp, if you require anything at all, do not hesitate to contact me via Den Den Mushi," Magellan said, delivering a crisp salute before turning to leave.
"Alright, brats, let's go! Your year-and-a-half-long hell starts now!" Garp barked with a booming laugh, striding into the freezing depths of Level 5. Baishui and the others exchanged brief glances before following him into the abyss.
None of them fully understood why Sengoku had orchestrated this sudden operation. In truth, it was a highly specialized elite training program, born from the Fleet Admiral's private concerns over a shortage of top-tier combatants within the higher echelons of the Marines.
Sengoku's hope was that all four of them would experience exponential growth. But as for the final results... that would depend entirely on them.