Sorry for the delay! Since the chapter was getting too long, I decided to split it into parts. Hope you enjoy it!
A year has passed since Garp decided to take our protagonists with him to Marine Headquarters to be trained by Zephyr.
And in this one year, our protagonists have been through a lot. Take Damian, for example—after an entire year of pestering Garp, he ended up forming a bond of friendship, or perhaps even family, with the Marine Hero. It even got to the point where Damian visited Fusha Village to meet Garp's grandsons... but that's a story for another day.
Putting that aside, let's continue…
In a classroom, we see several young recruits—some we already know, like our protagonists Anya, Kalev, Esmé, Shanthi, Smoker, and Hina, and others who have yet to be introduced to us, the readers. But these young recruits are not the focus right now. The man giving the lesson is.
??????: "That's it for today's lesson. See you next class."
He was a tall man, possibly over 3 meters in height. His skin was bronze, his hair relatively short and dark purple. His physique could be compared to Vice Admiral Garp's, and his outfit was simple, considering the importance of this man. After all, he was an Admiral—one of the strongest people in the world.
Everyone: "Yes, sir! Instructor Zephyr!"
Zephyr: "And before I forget—Sergeants Anya, Esmé, Kalev, and Cadets Damian, Mirage, and Allana, meet me later in the mission room. Don't be late!"
The six: "YES, SIR!"
After that order, everyone in the room stood up and left.
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Mission Room
When the six entered the room, they saluted Zephyr, who was standing near a Den Den Mushi projector displaying an aerial image of an island.
Zephyr: "Take a seat, Marines. We'll be here for a while."
As soon as they sat down… out of nowhere, Allana, with the most innocent expression possible, dropped a bombshell.
Allana: "Instructor Zephyr, why were we called here?"
Hearing the blonde's question, everyone (except for Kalev) made a 'Seriously?' face, but Instructor Zephyr remained calm.
Zephyr: "Cadet Allana, if I called you to the mission room, it must be because I am assigning you a mission."
Without a hint of embarrassment, Allana just smiled and nodded.
Allana: "Makes sense… Thanks for answering, Instructor Zephyr."
Zephyr: "Any other questions?"
Esmé: "I have one, Instructor Zephyr."
Zephyr: "Go ahead, Sergeant."
Esmé: "Will it be just the six of us on this mission?"
Zephyr: "Good question, Sergeant. The answer is no. You will be going with Rear Admiral Bagness. He will be supervising you. Any other questions?"
Silence.
Zephyr: "I'll take that as a no. Moving on…"
Zephyr then pointed at the island displayed on the projector, specifically at the massive city in the middle of it.
Zephyr: "Your next mission will take place on this island, called Flying Fish. It got its name because its population consists mainly of Skypians and Fish-Men."
The image on the projector changed to show the city's residents living peacefully.
Zephyr: "As you can see, the city is quite peaceful…"
Mirage: "I have a feeling that didn't last, huh?"
Zephyr nodded and changed the image again. Now, a Skypian was using air manipulation to create a wind blade, decapitating a Fish-Man. In the background, a Fish-Man was using Fish-Man Karate to pierce through a Skypian's chest.
Anya: "What happened?"
Zephyr: "We don't know much, but apparently, the conflict started a week ago due to political disagreements between the island's factions. And before you ask, we have no images of the faction leaders—this island is not affiliated with the World Government. Your mission is to find out the cause of this civil war and, if possible, put an end to it."
Kalev: "…So it's a diplomatic mission, then?"
Zephyr: "That's what we're hoping for, Sergeant Kalev. Do you think you can handle it?"
The young recruits stood up and saluted again.
The six: "Yes, sir!"
Zephyr: "Good. You'll meet Rear Admiral Bagness tomorrow morning at the port."
Once the recruits had left, Zephyr stood in front of the projector, watching the scene and pondering how the Cadets and Sergeants would handle this kind of pressure. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Damian's voice. The cadet was standing at the door, waiting for the others to leave.
Damian: "Before I go, sir, can I ask two questions?"
Zephyr: "Go ahead, Cadet."
Damian: "How did you obtain images of the island before and during the conflict? You mentioned that we don't have much information since the island isn't affiliated with the World Government."
Zephyr: "The images of the island before the civil war started were obtained precisely because it is not affiliated with the World Government. The Marines have a way of getting aerial images of such islands, and the reason is security. We use these aerial images to check for anything suspicious happening on the surface of non-affiliated islands."
Damian: "So the Marines… spy on islands that aren't part of the World Government?"
Zephyr: "Simply put? Yes. In detail? Also yes."
Damian: "Right… but what about the images taken during the city's destruction? From what I understand, the Marines only have aerial images of these islands."
Zephyr: "The images of the conflict were sent to the Marines by an unidentified group. That's why you're being sent to investigate."
Damian: "It wasn't one of the factions?"
Zephyr: "If it was… they chose not to inform us."
Damian: "Interesting…"
Zephyr: "Anything else, Cadet?"
Damian: "Just one more thing. Do you have any images of the island after the war broke out?"
Zephyr: "We do, Cadet."
Zephyr changed the projector's image once again.
Damian: "Tcharara... how interesting…"
Zephyr: "Interesting?... That's one way to describe this horror."
The projector now showed the same image from before, but where the city center once stood, there was now a trail of destruction. Buildings had been torn apart by hurricanes, leaving the lucky ones in ruins. The streets no longer existed, replaced by rivers that were a mixture of water and blood.
After seeing the devastation, Damian left the room, leaving Zephyr lost in thought once more.
Zephyr: "Can they handle this?"
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To Be Continued…