The waves churned violently, and the salty sea breeze stimulated every cell in their bodies.
"Renji! Renji! Look over there!" Olga hurried to Renji's side, pointing ahead of the ship they were on.
"Olga, you're over 200 years old. When will you learn to stay calm?" Renji was dragged to the front of the ship by Olga, and when he saw the vessel ahead, he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Damn... finally, a Marine ship..."
A faint silhouette appeared where the sea met the sky.
Gradually, the outline of the ship and its sails became clearer. The Marine emblem was strikingly visible in the glow of the setting sun.
Renji's spirits lifted, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He immediately realized this was their chance to escape this stretch of sea.
They had been drifting at sea for nearly a month. The food they had looted from the pirate ship had long been exhausted, and now they were surviving on whatever fish they could catch from the ocean.
At first, Renji had carried the three of them, along with a few water lizards, through the air at high speed. But after days of flying, they hadn't spotted a single island.
In the end, they had to randomly "select" a lucky pirate ship to serve as their temporary resting place.
Now, the four of them stood on the deck, staring at the distant Marine ship.
Their eyes met, and without a word, they all understood each other's thoughts.
"G-5..." Olga stood on her tiptoes, finally making out the letters on the ship's sails.
"Is that the name of your Marine unit?" Toki asked, not very familiar with the Marines.
"Yes."
Renji returned to the middle of the ship, adjusting the sails with effort, steering the pirate ship toward the approaching Marine vessel.
"We're not going to be mistaken for pirates and sunk, are we..." Aisei looked nervously at the pirate flag fluttering in the wind, his heart trembling along with it.
"Don't worry. The Marines won't just open fire randomly," Renji assured him.
The waves began to churn with white foam, and the shadow of the Marine ship grew closer.
Toki and Olga craned their necks, their hearts racing as the distance closed. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation, knowing they might finally get some fresh food.
"Boom!!!"
A barrage of cannonballs erupted from the G-5 ship, instantly shattering the pirate vessel Renji and the others were on.
"Waaaaah!!!"
Olga and the others screamed, clinging to the railing as they were about to plunge into the sea.
Whoosh...
A gust of wind swept past, gently lifting the three of them into the air, suspending them mid-fall.
The cannonfire from the Marine ship continued, the shells raining down like they were free, instantly sealing off the area where Renji and the others were.
Renji swung his blade, slicing all the cannonballs in half in an instant, sending them plummeting into the sea.
"Hey, Marine ship! We mean no harm! Stop firing!"
His shout echoed across the sea, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
But the silence lasted only a moment.
The Marine ship continued to fire relentlessly.
"They must think we're pirates..." Toki shouted over the sound of the explosions.
Renji knew it was the pirate ship they were on that had provoked the Marines' relentless attack. The only option now was to get closer to the Marine ship and explain.
He stepped on the air, launching himself like an arrow toward the Marine vessel.
He charged at the Marines.
"..."
A short while later.
"I've explained this clearly enough, haven't I..."
Renji looked down at the Marines tied up with ropes, sighing as he repeated his explanation for the fourth time.
"You've tied us up, and now you're trying to trick us."
"Exactly! If you're going to kill us, just do it. Stop wasting our time!"
"If my head rolls, so be it! I won't even flinch!"
The Marines lay on the deck, glaring at Renji and the others.
"I'm a Marine! You were pointing guns at us, so I had to tie you up for safety!"
Renji held his head in his hands, realizing he couldn't get through to these Marines.
No matter how many times he repeated himself, it was useless. What were these Marines even thinking?
The Marines clearly didn't believe him, letting his words go in one ear and out the other.
"Sir, do you know anything about navigation?" Toki emerged from the ship's control room, holding an Eternal Pose.
Aisei shook his head. Though he was a scientist, navigation was outside his area of expertise.
"Oh, an Eternal Pose."
Renji's eyes lit up as he took the Eternal Pose from Toki and examined it closely.
"With this, we won't get lost."
Toki sighed at Renji's words. "But none of us know how to operate a Marine ship..."
"And we don't even know where this Eternal Pose is pointing. If we follow it, couldn't we end up in danger?"
These concerns weren't a problem for Renji. While he wasn't an expert, he knew a little bit about everything.
Operating a Marine ship was child's play for him.
"Leave it to me!" Renji thumped his chest confidently.
If all else failed, he could always use his Flame Clouds to carry the ship. It was an easy solution.
"..."
In the latter half of the Grand Line, at G-5 headquarters.
"Reporting, Vice Admiral! The New World remains calm today," a Marine reported to his superior, who was lounging on a couch.
"Understood," Mardo waved his hand, cutting off the report.
"Any progress on the matter Garp mentioned?"
The Marine stood at attention. "Sir, our patrols haven't found anything yet."
"Just keep an eye out during patrols. Don't forget our mission!" Mardo said sternly.
G-5 was the only Marine base in the New World. Their sole purpose was to eliminate as many pirates entering the New World as possible.
This meant they were often fighting alone, with little support from Marine headquarters.
They faced danger daily, and the base's entrance was littered with the bodies of pirates who had tried to attack.
"Yes, sir!" The Marine saluted and left the room.
"..."
A tired sigh echoed in the dimly lit room.
"Sigh..."
"The sea is getting more chaotic. I wonder how much longer I can hold on..."
Then, the room fell silent once more.
"..."
Meanwhile.
"Marines, time to eat," Olga skipped over to the tied-up Marines.
A pot of fragrant mixed stew sat on a cart behind her, its enticing aroma filling the air.
The Marines' noses twitched involuntarily, the smell of the food tantalizing.
"Move that food away! Who knows what you've put in it!"
"Yeah! We'd rather starve to death or jump off this ship than eat anything you've made!"
Olga ignored them. She wanted to get back to eating herself.
After placing the cart in front of them, she eagerly ran back to the kitchen.
"Hey! Little girl... if you don't untie us, how are we supposed to eat..."
.....
...
(TL/N): If you are intressted you can read up to 30 chapter on patreon.com/Yanet96 search with this link.