Chapter 44: Heading to battle.
The sea was calm, the snow fell quietly. The Marine's battleship was quiet and unnerved. Their current destination was the large Swallow Island, which got its name from the fact that it was shaped entirely like a swallow.
It was a fact that the Marine's needed equipment and supplies for their voyage. And if at all possible, they wanted to gather as many men as they could to come with them. Their goal was to find whatever island Terris was using as his base of operations and infiltrate it, and then if they are lucky take them down in one fail swoop. If not, then they would hunker down until backup arrived in the forms of Vice Admiral Kuzan and Admiral Sengoku.
But until that time, they were all that was standing in between the innocents and an all out war between pirates and Germa.
" Markus."
Markus took his attention off of the sea in front of him and turned around to the voice that called him, which judging by the softness of it, Markus knew was Norin.
" Hey, Norin. We're almost at Swallow Island now." Markus told the woman.
" Glad to hear it. But there's been a change in Dalmatian's condition. He's awake now, and getting his injuries checked out by the doctors." Norin told the man.
" That's good." Markus spoke. He took a deep breath and then turned his vision back to the sea.
" But I don't think he's in any condition to fight."
Markus turned around and started walking towards Norin. " Well, let's see what the doctors say." Markus told the woman. He walked past Norin and headed straight for the medical bay to see Dalmatian and when he got down there, he was in for a treat.
" Gah! You idiots, I'm fine, now move out of the way." Dalmatian grunted. The man was sitting in his bed, with a sling on one of his arms and he was struggling to sit up, while being pushed down by two of the doctors.
Markus couldn't help but laugh a little.
" Sir, you're in no condition to get up!" The captain yelled. " The Lieutenant is already being difficult, I can't in good name allow you to endanger yourself as well."
" It doesn't matter. I need to get up. Now move!" Dalmatian yelled.
" Easy there, old timer." Markus spoke. He placed his hands on the doctors and gently moved them both out of the way, so he could speak with Dalmatian. " Hey old man, you doing okay?" Markus asked.
" I'm alive. That's all that matters. Now, catch me up on everything that happened." Dalmatian stated.
" Well, I was clued in by Norin, but from what she told me, we have the Black Lion to thank for being alive. Apparently after you landed back on the beach, he fought off the people who attacked us, and Norin brought us back to the ship, where the doctors managed to save us." Markus told the man. " In other words, we owe them." Markus said to the man.
" Yeah, but that doesn't change the mission."
" My thoughts exactly. So, if you're ready, then get out of that bed and let's go. I'll tell you all about my plan on the way to Swallow Island." Markus told the man. He extended his hand to Dalmatian and Dalmatian smirked.
" What do you mean, your plan?" Dalmatian asked as he took Markus' hand in his own and used it to pull himself up. He slinked his arm out of his sling and started examining it. " Ah, it's good enough for now. Just bring me some milk, a lot of it." Dalmatian spoke to the crew.
" Yes sir." One of the doctors shouted. She quickly vanished beyond the medical bay and up the stairs to the mess room to fetch Dalmatian's milk.
" Oh yeah, you devil fruit users get better after eating, don't you? Lucky you, huh?" Markus remarked.
" You can become one too, ya know. All you have to do is ask HQ, You have the credentials to pick one now. Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, and I all found ours before entering into the Marines. But Onigumo, Sengoku, and even Tsuru-San all got theirs from Kong." Dalmatian told the man. " What kind of Devil Fruti are you looking for? I'm sure we can get you one within a few weeks."
" Eh, I don't want one. The fruits are crazy powerful, but I like being able to swim, and being out on sea all the time makes it seem like a pretty bad idea." Markus told the man.
Though he turned it down, the idea of a devil fruit had always intrigued Markus. Seeing guys like Kuzan and Borsalino fight was always a sight to see. But knowing his luck, Markus figured he'd probably end up with a useless one.
" Eh, well is you change your mind just let me know. I'd love to see what kind of power you'd get stuck with. Probably something weak. But it'd still be pretty funny to watch you run around as a small cat or something." Dalmatian joked.
" Oh, you're making jokes now, huh? And that's exactly why I don't want a devil fruit." Markus told the man. " Well, anyway, how do you feel? Can you fight?" Markus asked.
" Of course, I can. If I don't who will?" Dalmatian responded.
This confirmation of fighting, visibly upset the doctors of the ship but at this point they knew any arguing was pointless.
" Alright, now explain to me this plan." Dalmatian told the man.
" It's simple. First we need more supplies, the idea is to head to Swallow Island, first and get the necessary equipment to survive another voyage. While we're there, we'll get in contact the Marines on the island and see if they have troupes that can help us." Markus explained. " Then we'll sail to wherever this log pose we were given, leads. I'll go ahead first and try to infiltrate the location, scope out any security details and if at all possible, find a way to hamper our enemies' abilities. And maybe, just maybe we'll catch them off-guard." Markus told the man.
" Okay, but what if things don't go as you've planned?"
" Well, that's the hard part, the worst-case scenario, we'll be drastically outnumbered, at least until Vice Admiral Kuzan and Admiral Sengoku arrive. Unless you have a better idea, there's not much that I can think of to do." Markus told the man.
" I see. Well, it's the only plan we got. So, we'll go for it." Dalmatian stated. "Alright, then, give me the Den-Den Mushi. I'll radio ahead to Swallow Island to let them know we're coming." Dalmatian spoke.
" Right, everyone get ready, we'll be at Swall Island soon." Markus exclaimed.
!!!!!
.............
The Marine's arrived at Swallow Island within an hour. Once there, they quickly restocked on all the food and medical supplies that they would need for the coming battle.
Marine base 78th branch.
" Well, Dalmatian, it sounds like quite the mess we've got here. I had heard the reports of a pirate alliance, but I never thought they would get this troublesome." Vice Admiral Momonga said to the man.
" I know. I wouldn't be here if it weren't. You know me, Momonga, I prefer to handle things alone." Dalmatian told the man. " But we're outnumbered. A little extra firepower could never hurt."
" I don't know, Dalmatian... Things are very turbulent these days. What was supposed to be the signal for the end of piracy only further bolstered it. Pushed it to new heights. I don't know if I can afford to leave right now." Momonga told the man.
" Momonga, I don't know if you know this, but these pirates are trying to overtake the entire north blue. If we don't bring them down soon, then we'll lose our chance, and they'll destroy everything." Dalmatian told the man.
Momonga took a sip from his cup of tea, it was his favorite drink to help relax his nerves after a long day's work. But even it didn't seem to do much to ease the tension in his bones right now.
Momonga reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar case and removed from it, one cigar. He lit the cigar on fire with a match and took a hit from it, blowing his smoke right out in front of Dalmatian.
After a moment, Momonga finally spoke.
" Okay. I can't bring the entirety of my garrison with me, but I can bring some of my units with me." Momonga told the man. " I still need people to defend the island, in case pirates attack while we are gone."
" Understandable. Any amount of help will ensure that this operation goes much more smoothly." Dalmatian exclaimed, the veteran marine breathed a deep sigh of relief and stood up from his chair. " We'll head out sooner, we still have to put our plan in motion. I'll see you again shortly." Dalmatian told the man.
Dalmatian walked out of the Marine base, still wobbling after having just woken up. His mind was the only thing keeping him going.
It didn't take very long for him to return to the ship and once he did, the crew immediately set back onto the sea.
Markus was once again standing on the front mast of the ship, something that Norin found curious.
" Markus." Norin spoke.
Hearing the woman call out to him, Markus turned his head. " Hm?"
" Why do you always stand on the front of the ship? Every time I see you, you're just standing there. Is there any reason for that?"
" Oh! Well, I guess you could say it helps me think. Ya know? The soft snow, the calm sea, the sound of the waves brushing past our hull. It just relaxes me." Markus told the woman.
" Really?"
" Yeah. A lot of the time, these guys depend on me and the Dalmatian-San. I'm always the first one into the battle. Knowing that everyone's lives are in my hands, it can be pretty stressful. This just helps me get in the game." Markus explained to the woman.
" I understand... Where I come... Came from it is the duty of royal family to always protect the people of our city. We become a guardian to all. And sometimes it can be devastating on your mind. It takes its toll... And failing... It hurts. It hurts... So, so much knowing that your weakness is the reason why the people you wanted to protect are gone."
Norin rubbed her eyes to try and stop the tears that had begun to well up from falling. But no matter how hard she tried; they just wouldn't stop falling.
Markus walked over to the young woman and hugged her as she cried.
It took a few moments, but eventually Norin managed to get herself together.
" Are you feeling better now?" Markus asked the woman as she wiped her face.
" Thank you, for that." Norin muttered.
" No thanks, needed. I can't even begin to understand what you feel." Markus told the woman.
" I hope you never do, Markus. You are a very kind person. All of you. You've been understanding and so helpful to me ever since I came aboard your ship. You even offered to let me have my revenge, when you could have easily removed me from the ship. Thank you."
" Don't mention it."
" Do you have anyone special? People who you care for, I mean." Norin asked.
" I do actually. A bunch of people. Everyone on this ship, Aunt Tsuru, My old man and Bogard, and my best friend Brago, and Gion... I love all of them. I think about them every day. You too. You're a part of the family now, and I always look out for family." Markus told the woman. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into another hug.
Norin smiled softly and leaned into the hug. " Thank you."
" Of course. Now, come on. We should get some rest. There's no telling how bad things are gonna be. So, let's try and enjoy the peace while we can, huh?" Markus smiled and walked into the crew's quarters and sat down at the table and started writing.
He started pinning three different letters. It took him quite some time, but finally he finished up the last of the letters and sent them all out by carrier pelican.
" Ah, I can't wait to see you guys again." Markus muttered. His confidence was astounding. Even with the odds against him he still believed he was going to win.
Which to say further only exemplified his strong spirit.
" I'm going to win."
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