At the Marine Headquarters, Marineford Harbor:
This was Wood's second time returning to Marine Headquarters since he first came here from Maple Island. Over the past six months, the headquarters hadn't changed much. If there was any difference, it was that the number of Marines at the port had significantly increased.
Wood had been living quite comfortably in Impel Down, having built good relationships with several members of the management. He had carved out a decent place for himself there. However, just yesterday, while he was working with Little Sadi to discipline some prisoners on the fourth level, he suddenly received a call from his squad leader, instructing him to return to Marine Headquarters.
When he first heard the order, Wood was clearly confused. But he quickly came to his senses, his face lighting up with excitement as he looked at the squad leader, who held the rank of Marine Captain. Previously, the squad leader had mentioned that he would commend Wood's exceptional contributions to the higher-ups. Wood had thought it was just talk, but now it seemed that the squad leader had actually followed through!
Although staying at Impel Down allowed him to continuously train against prisoners, Wood had always felt that staying there was too dangerous, especially if something like the escape of the Golden Lion happened again. So, he had been looking for a way out.
When he heard that he was being summoned back to Marine Headquarters by order of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he was sure that this meant a promotion!
Today, as a warship arrived at Impel Down to escort prisoners, Wood took the opportunity to leave with it.
As they watched the departing warship, some members of the Marine squad stationed at Impel Down were less than pleased.
"Captain, did you really commend that guy Wood to the higher-ups? Why? He hasn't even been here that long. I've been here for two years! If there's a chance for promotion and leaving this place, shouldn't we be considered first?"
The dissatisfaction wasn't just from one person; several others shared the sentiment.
While working at Impel Down was relatively easy, it was also extremely dull and boring. Impel Down was surrounded by the Calm Belt, filled with Sea Kings, with no other entertainment options on the island. The place was either filled with prisoners or monstrous jailer beasts.
For the Marines stationed there, it felt like a prison as well. The only difference between them and the prisoners was that they didn't have to endure punishments or be confined to a cell every day.
Not everyone could be like Wood, who managed to coexist peacefully with the non-human jailer beasts and found daily amusement by sparring with the prisoners.
While Wood found his life at Impel Down fulfilling, for others, the routine was mind-numbingly boring.
"Shut up. If it weren't for the higher-ups mentioning Wood's name, I would've forgotten we even had someone like him here. If simply commending someone to the higher-ups could get me out of this hellhole, I would've done it myself ages ago. You think I want to stay in this godforsaken place?"
Hearing the squad leader's words, the other Marines stationed at Impel Down were taken aback. Now, the question was, if it wasn't because of the squad leader's commendation, why had Wood suddenly received orders to return to Marine Headquarters?
If they remembered correctly, Wood was just a third-class seaman, basically a low-ranking grunt. How could the Fleet Admiral even remember his name, let alone specifically call him back to headquarters?
"Maybe he's some hidden big shot, or perhaps he has connections at Marine Headquarters. Damn, if I had known Wood had such a complicated background, I would've gotten closer to him. Maybe I'd be getting promoted and leaving this place with him."
The Marines at Impel Down all assumed that Wood was being promoted and leaving, and even Wood himself thought the same. However, when Wood noticed that the Marine escorting him wasn't leading him towards the Fleet Admiral's office but instead towards the living quarters of senior officers, he began to find the situation odd.
"Hey, wasn't I summoned back to headquarters by Fleet Admiral Sengoku? So why are we heading to the residential area instead of the office?"
Marineford was a large island, with a market and towns to support the daily needs of the stationed Marines. Besides the towering central headquarters and its imposing walls, the island also had several residential areas.
These were where the senior officers of Marine Headquarters and their families lived.
The Marine escorting Wood held a similar rank to him, yet instead of leading him to the towering headquarters building, he was taking him to the residential area, prompting Wood to ask the question.
"The Fleet Admiral summoned you back to headquarters at the request of our Captain. So, we're going to see our Captain, not Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Captain?" Wood was puzzled by the escort's explanation.
Although he had been a Marine for two or three years, spending two of those years at Marine Headquarters, he knew very few senior officers. Excluding Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Zephyr, the only Marine Captain he knew was the one who had taught them basic training.
Was it really this Captain who had asked the Fleet Admiral to summon him back to headquarters?
Setting aside the question of whether a Marine Captain could pull such strings with the Fleet Admiral, Wood distinctly remembered that this Captain hadn't held him in particularly high regard back then.
Full of questions, Wood was eventually led to a modest-looking house. The Marine escort announced his arrival to someone inside, saluted, and left.
As Wood hesitated, wondering whether he should report in before entering to see who was inside, a tall figure slowly emerged from the house.
Since it wasn't an active duty time, the person wasn't dressed in a Marine uniform but in a loose-knit sweater.
Despite the loose clothing, it was impossible to conceal her impressive figure, and her long, ivory-like legs were fully exposed to the air.
"It's you! It's only been half a year, and you've already become a Marine Captain at headquarters!"
Half a year isn't a long time, but it's not short either, yet it was clearly not enough to drastically change someone's appearance.
So as soon as the person appeared, Wood immediately recognized her as Gion, whom he hadn't seen in half a year.
He had been puzzled about why Marine Headquarters suddenly remembered someone as insignificant as him after six months of idling at Impel Down. It turned out that it was all Gion's doing.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 126 at patreon.com/Betek.