Chapter 7: The Unyielding Path
"Lift it higher! Lift it up!" a voice cried from the shore.
Ian, balancing on the ship's railing, turned his head in surprise at the commotion.
There, held aloft by the crowd on the receding coastline, was his majestic tiger-skin chair, raised high above a sea of familiar faces. The Marines who had served under him for years, their cheeks streaked with tears, shouted with every ounce of their strength:
"Captain Ian!!"
"This will always be your home! You will always be our boss!"
"Don't forget us!"
"Come back anytime!"
Fragments of memory flashed through Ian's mind—the grueling training under the scorching sun, the uniforms soaked with sweat, the taste of cheap victory wine, the roar of triumphant cheers. It was all being carried away now, scattered by the strong sea breeze, yet the soldiers' heartfelt cries still echoed within it.
"Woo... Captain Ian," Nami sniffled, her eyes red-rimmed as she stood beside him, constantly wiping away tears. "It turns out... you can cry, too."
Hiss.
Ian tilted his head back, looking up at the vast, blue sky. "Cry? Like you? Don't be absurd," he retorted, his voice a low grumble. "It's just... today's sea breeze. It's so damn salty!"
…
Later that afternoon, the sea was calm. Having just completed his daily task of 5,000 practice sword swings, Ian lay drowsing on a bench on the deck, a newspaper draped over his face.
The journey from the Four Blues to the Grand Line was far simpler for a Navy vessel than for a pirate ship. There was no need to sail all the way to Reverse Mountain; they could use the Marines' superior navigation technology to cross the Calm Belt directly. At their current speed, they would likely reach its periphery by nightfall, and Marineford itself in a matter of days.
For now, both Tina's ship and his own were still within the safe, marked Navy waterways of the East Blue. It was a straightforward route, requiring little of his attention.
Nami, however, was buzzing with excitement. Perched high in the rigging, she was meticulously recording their course and drawing new charts by hand. For the first time, she was leaving the East Blue, her childhood dream of charting the wider oceans finally within reach.
"Hmm?" she murmured, her navigator's instinct kicking in. "Captain Tina's warship... it's deviating from the course."
According to her calculations and the log pose, their route should have been a straight line. Yet, the vessel ahead was adjusting its bow, veering towards the ten o'clock direction.
As the appointed navigator, Nami took her responsibility for their course deadly seriously. This was no minor adjustment. Grabbing a telescope, she focused on the path now opening ahead of them.
Her body went rigid with shock. "That's... a Jolly Roger! A pirate ship!"
As Tina's warship moved fully aside, it revealed a pirate ship sailing directly towards them on a reciprocal course, still over ten nautical miles away. A Navy warship, commanded by a Headquarters Captain, was yielding the right of way to pirates? It was unthinkable!
A dreadful suspicion dawned on her. She scrambled down from her perch and rushed to a file box on the deck, frantically rifling through the documents Tina had provided before their departure. Her fingers finally closed around a specific intelligence booklet.
"That's the flag... that's it!" she whispered, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. "The Shichibukai... the Don Quixote family!"
She couldn't believe it. They had encountered a vessel belonging to the Seven Warlords of the Sea here, in the East Blue! She didn't hesitate, rushing to Ian's side and shaking his shoulder.
"Captain Ian! Wake up! This is urgent!" she reported, her voice tight with anxiety. "Ten miles ahead, it's a ship from the Don Quixote family, one of the Shichibukai! Captain Tina's warship has already given way. Should we alter our course immediately to avoid them?"