"Alright, if you have no other matters to attend to, you can depart immediately," Zephyr said with a sigh of relief, finally convincing Yeyin to take action.
"I don't have anything else. Oh, right, I'd like a Devil Fruit. I assume you guys can provide one, right?" Yeyin asked directly.
"A Devil Fruit?" Zephyr was a bit puzzled. Wasn't this kid already a Devil Fruit user? Why would he ask for another one?
"Yes, any power will do. Even an unknown one," Yeyin confirmed.
"No problem, I'll ask Marshal Kong for one right now. In the meantime, go familiarize yourself with your warship," Zephyr replied before leaving.
"Hey, don't just take off like that. I don't even know..." Yeyin muttered, but before he could finish, a navy officer appeared behind him and saluted.
"Colonel Yeyin!" the officer called out.
"You are... Hina?" Seeing the person behind him, Yeyin was surprised. Wasn't Hina still a student? Why was she already wearing a navy uniform?
"Yes, Colonel Yeyin, Hina is your navigator, Captain Hina. Hina is here to take you to your warship," Hina said directly.
"Alright, let's go!" Yeyin said, knowing that Hina was an excellent navigator and also a beauty, which was a nice bonus to have around.
Soon, they arrived at the port.
"This is the warship we'll be using for this mission. It has eight cannons, a displacement of 1,280 tons, and a hundred cabins. The crew consists of 12 gunners, 3 lookouts, 5 helmsmen, 2 navigators, 5 cleaners, 10 cooks, and 40 combat personnel. Here's the roster for your review," Hina said, handing over a list while giving a full report of the ship's details.
"Seventy-seven people, huh?" Yeyin murmured. "We don't need the cleaners. I can handle cleanliness myself. By the way, Hina, you're friends with Gion, right?"
"Yes, Hina and Gion are friends," she replied.
"Good. Let's board the ship. Once Zephyr arrives, we'll set sail," Yeyin said, stepping onto the ship.
Two hours later, Zephyr arrived, carrying a box. He handed it to Yeyin, intending to chat with him, but Yeyin cut him off with a quick "Just throw away some garbage!" Zephyr sighed and quickly made his exit, fleeing the scene.
"Yeyin, you're amazing! Hina really likes you!" Hina exclaimed in admiration after watching Yeyin scare off her instructor.
"Alright, Hina, check where the nearest pirates are. Our target is the West Blue," Yeyin ordered.
As for why the West Blue, it was because someone who piqued Yeyin's interest was there. Additionally, there were many pirates in that region, and those with bounties over ten million were plentiful.
Most importantly, departing from Marineford, they could cross the Calm Belt and reach the West Blue directly, which was even closer than going to the East Blue. The East Blue, with Garp frequently patrolling, had very few big-name pirates. Those with high bounties, like Buggy the Clown, were only at about eight million, so the East Blue was less appealing.
"Hina has already checked. The nearest pirate crew in the West Blue is the Gelas Pirates," Hina reported.
(End of chapter)