The morning was bright and sunny.
Gurd strolled around Hoenn Fortress with Drake in tow.
"How do you find this place?"
"Very impressive."
Drake answered honestly.
It was a remarkably well-built military fortress, comparable to the Navy's G-series fortresses, which left him somewhat stunned.
He truly hadn't expected the Beasts Pirates to have developed to such an extent.
At the same time, he couldn't help but question his life choices.
He had turned to piracy to infiltrate the Beasts Pirates, finally made it to Oni Island, and before he could even settle in, he was summoned here.
According to Gurd, he would now be stationed at this fortress, serving as an upright Amity General in the future.
But this wasn't right!
His mission was to be an undercover agent, to uncover the secrets of the Beasts Pirates—how had he ended up back in a military base after all this?
Drake hesitated before speaking.
"Lord Gurd, I'm a pirate!"
"Not anymore."
Gurd responded nonchalantly, "From now on, you'll be the commander of the First Legion of Hoenn Fortress, responsible for safeguarding the Amity Allied Nations of the North Sea!"
"..."
Drake took a deep breath.
Stay calm!
This was still Beasts territory, and it held plenty of secrets too!
"By the way, Drake."
Gurd probed casually, "Do you remember that Whip Girl and the Clay Commandant who worked with you before?"
"Kujaku and Grus?"
Of course Drake remembered.
Both were part of Sword, his direct subordinates.
"That's right, them."
Gurd smiled and asked, "How's your relationship with those two?"
"It's... decent, I suppose."
Drake chose his words carefully.
He had failed his mission and fled—he couldn't make his past relationships sound too bad, or it might raise suspicion.
Gurd nodded with a grin.
"Then, do you think you could find a way to recruit them from the Navy to work under me? The pay will be triple what they're getting now!"
"..."
Drake was dumbfounded.
Huh?
Poaching from the Navy?
Drake replied nervously, "Lord Gurd, I've already left the Navy. I can't contact them. Even if I could, we'd be enemies now."
"That is a problem."
Gurd rubbed his chin. "I remember they're stationed at G-14. What if I capture them—could you persuade them to surrender?"
"I can't do that. Kujaku and Grus are strong-willed—they'd never betray the Navy so easily!"
Drake broke out in a cold sweat.
Wasn't this topic getting a bit too dangerous?
"Haha, don't worry. I was just joking."
Gurd patted Drake on the shoulder.
Navy G-14 was located in the waters near Egghead, the only Navy fortress deep in the New World.
Sooner or later, it had to be taken out.
After wandering around a bit longer,
Speed appeared beside Gurd and reported in a low voice, "Gurd, we've found Aokiji. He just entered the New World."
"Good, prepare to set sail."
Gurd perked up.
As long as he was in the New World, he couldn't escape Gurd's surveillance.
"Drake, we're heading out!"
Time to give the undercover agent a little excitement.
New World, a resort island.
At the entrance of Fortuna Community,
A security guard was arguing with an outsider.
"Come on, man, cut me some slack. I was a Navy Admiral, after all!"
"Pfft! I don't care if you were an Admiral—even if you were the Fleet Admiral, no entry without a pass!"
The guard scoffed.
"Look at your sloppy appearance, like a tramp. And you call yourself a Marine Admiral? This is a high-end establishment—the cheapest suite here costs at least 5 million Berries !"
"Here, take this 200 Berries ."
"Go buy yourself some food and stop ruining our community's image!"
Kuzan walked away, holding the 200 Berries , torn between laughter and frustration. He had long heard of Fortuna Community's reputation and wanted to see it for himself, only to be turned away at the gates.
How embarrassing.
"Ah, well... guess I'll go for a drink."
Kuzan scratched his head in confusion.
"Where was that tavern again?"
Half an hour later, at the tavern.
"Boss, a drink."
Kuzan sat at the counter and picked up an old newspaper, which just happened to feature the news of his departure from the Marines.
His mood soured further.
After spending most of his life in the Marines, he left like a failure.
Nothing drowns sorrows like alcohol.
"Gulp, gulp—"
Kuzan downed the bottle in one go. Just as he finished, someone slid another bottle toward him—his favorite, Sherry.
"Ah, thanks."
Without hesitation, Kuzan took a swig, then turned around, leaning back against the counter with one leg crossed over the other.
His hand rested on his right leg as memories of Punk Hazard resurfaced.
"A notorious scumbag treating me to a drink? What a surprise!"
"Scumbag?"
Gurd pointed at himself and glanced at his subordinates.
"Do I look like a scumbag?"
"Not at all! Lord Gurd is a good man!"
Chikara answered earnestly.
Beside her, Drake's face darkened. He desperately wanted to correct Chikara's choice of words—this man wasn't worth a single Berries of "good."
And besides—Admiral Aokiji!
"Ze hahaha! Well said."
Gurd laughed heartily as he turned to Aokiji.
"Long time no see, Aokiji—no, Kuzan, old friend!"
"Calamity Gurd."
Kuzan touched his missing leg, his gaze icy.
"Hey now, no need to be so hostile."
Gurd raised his glass with a grin. "I was worried when I heard you left the Marines. Came all this way just to share a drink with you."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Kuzan scoffed.
"I don't believe it either, but that's not the point."
Gurd shrugged and lifted his bottle.
"The point is—let's have a toast first."
"..."
Kuzan hesitated for a few seconds before clinking his bottle against Gurd's. He was no longer a Marine—no reason to treat the man as an enemy.
After a few drinks, the atmosphere eased.
Gurd extended an invitation. "How about visiting my fortress?"
"Your fortress... Hoenn Fortress?"
Kuzan was surprised.
He had heard of the Golden Route and Hoenn Fortress, but he never expected Gurd to invite him there. If a fight broke out, the entire fortress could be destroyed like Marine Headquarters.
"Exactly."
Gurd nodded. "You're unemployed now, with nowhere to go, right? Why not check out my turf? If you like it, you can stay."
"Don't joke around!"
The drink in Aokiji's hand began to freeze over.
"Just because we shared a drink doesn't mean I'll stoop to your level of scum. How could I ever trust you?"
"No, you will trust me!"
Gurd replied with absolute certainty.
"The Marines should know my goals well. And you didn't leave just because of some petty feud with Akainu, did you?"
"I'm certain our objectives aren't just similar—they're nearly identical. But I won't try to recruit you just because our interests align."
"Once you've witnessed the full scope of our Hoenn Government, you can decide whether to stay or leave—you're free!"
"..."
Kuzan fell into silence.
After a long pause.
"You want me to become your Admiral?"
"No!"
Gurd shook his finger, his eyes blazing with intensity.
"I'm not that shortsighted. The position I need you to fill is—"
"Hoenn's—Fleet Admiral!"
(End of chapter)