Chapter 6: A Theatrical Farewell
One hour to prepare for a life-changing voyage was, by any measure, absurdly short. The high-handed style of the Headquarters officers had left a deep impression on Ian, reinforcing his core belief: in this world, power was the only true currency.
He still held a certain fondness for the branch base that had been his home for years. Even with only sixty minutes, he dedicated a full fifteen to a final, rousing address to the three hundred-plus Marines assembled on the parade ground.
According to the intelligence Tina had grudgingly provided, a new base commander from Headquarters would arrive within five days to take his place. The East Blue, now the most pirate-free of all the seas—a testament to his relentless campaigns—was to be maintained as a shining example for the world. While his promotion couldn't elevate all his men, he had the authority to select thirty of his most trusted to accompany him to Headquarters—a small reward for their shared service.
After his fifteen-minute farewell, which touched on themes of duty, honor, and his own undeniable brilliance, Ian felt a genuine, if brief, pang of sentiment. A new adventure was truly beginning.
"Captain Ian, rest in peace! We will miss you forever! Waaaah!" a Marine wailed, his voice cracking with overblown emotion.
"Waaaah! Captain Ian, we don't want you to go! You will live on forever in our hearts!" another cried out, as if at a funeral.
"Once you're our boss, you're our boss for life!"
"Captain Ian!"
"CAPTAIN IAN!!"
"..."
"SHUT UP, YOU IMBECILES!" Ian roared, his moment of sentimentality evaporating instantly. "You're talking as if I'm heading to my execution! All of you, drop and give me fifty! Now! After that, report to Nami and move every single one of my crates from the warehouse onto the ship. Not. A. Single. Crate. Is. To. Be. Left. Behind. This is my final order. Do you understand?!"
Staying here any longer, he thought, would have driven him mad. Instead of becoming proper Marines, they'd all perfected the art of melodrama.
The crates in the warehouse, of course, contained the accumulated "operational budgets" from his years of pirate-hunting in the East Blue. He had supported the local economy and funded his operations all for this very moment. In this world, many things could be faked, but the tangible weight of Berry was always, blissfully real.
One hour later, everything was ready.
"Woo—!"
The deep blast of a steam whistle echoed across the harbor as Tina's Headquarters warship signaled its departure. Following her terse instructions, Ian stood on the deck of his own, smaller branch vessel, which fell into line behind hers. She was his navigational guide to the heart of Marine power.
"That's enough! No more goodbyes! Let's go!" Ian bellowed to the men still waving frantically from the docks. With a powerful and casual leap, he landed nimbly on the railing of his ship, balancing with practiced ease as it began to pull away from the life he had known.
"SALUTE!" a voice cried from the shore.
"SALUTE!" the call was taken up by hundreds of others, a wave of respect and grief for the departure of their eccentric, formidable leader.
"..."
"Captain Ian, bon voyage!"
"CAPTAIN IAN, BON VOYAGE!"
Their voices faded into the distance, swallowed by the sea breeze and the growing churn of the ship's wake. Ian didn't look back, his gaze fixed ahead on Tina's ship, and beyond it, the horizon where the Grand Line—and his future—awaited.
End of Chapter