MARINES - A ONE PIECE story (ENGLISH) - Part I

CHAPTER LVIII - Marineford

- Headquarters in sight ! shouted Haru from the crow's nest.

Arthur and Zell rushed to the deck to admire the view : in front of them stood a gigantic fortress, a crushing edifice representing the full power of the Marine. The white stone walls reflected the sun's rays. A myriad of cannons, ready to fire, covered it, and just as many sentinels ready to give the alert. Faced with this impressive gigantism, the Cormorant was hard to see, with its yellowed sails and its rusty cannons...

Arthur was boiling with excitement and could see from Zell's shakings that it was the same for him. Everybody had paused their activity to fully appreciate the discovery of their new home, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that few soldiers had the chance to have. In a few moments, they would set foot in Marineford.

The wilderness island and newfound training already seemed like ages ago. When they had set sail, they could hear, in the distance, the cries of the recently tamed ferocious beasts, like a heartbreaking farewell. A page had been turned for each of the students : they were no longer recruits, they were now the Marine future. The only thing they still had trouble grasping was the chasm of time that separated them from the rest of the world : for six months, their lives had been at a standstill, they had ceased to exist. To find again the society and its rhythm after such a pause would not be easy.

...

When they dropped the anchor in Marineford's large bay, the students remained speechless for a few minutes, scanning the immensity of the base with their eyes. The G2 now seemed so small...

Myr informed the outpost of their presence, and they bid farewell to the Cormorant without much emotion : it was only a loaner ship, a ridiculous one, and they were looking forward to find back their beloved Seagull, freshly restored.

After a few minutes of waiting at the outpost, a young man introduced himself to them under the name of Clead : he was a young clerk attached to the administration of the base, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, just like his beard. At the opposite, the A team, whose members had not had the luxury of a proper shower for at least six months, looked like a group of scum. Yet he humbly greeted vice-admiral Myr, then the rest of the team, and invited them to follow him to show them to their quarters.

When they arrived at the foot of the West Tower, he entrusted Jun and Haru to one of his colleagues : the two young women would be taken to their rooms, could shower, and then meet the group in the central square at noon to see the Seagull. The group of boys was taken to the East Tower. Myr stayed behind and said to her three boys :

- I already have my quarters here. After all, this is my home ! Enjoy the shower, guys, and we'll meet at noon to go see Gully.

So he took another direction and left his students with Clead.

...

The room was beautiful : located on the third floor of the West Tower, it had a view on the sea. Three beds were arranged in it, two of them bunk beds : the boys understood that they would have to share the room, but this did not affect their pleasure. The closeness with which they had lived for six months had accustomed them to sharing, and the room was so much more comfortable than their previous ones that they were bound to find it pleasant. In a separate room, a spacious shower guaranteed them access to hot water. What luxury !

Clead left them alone and they took the opportunity to wash, shave and change. After six months of living in filth, without soap, razors or toothbrushes, the time spent in the bathroom was not too much... Their new clothes were slightly lighter, going from a very pale blue to an almost absolute whiteness, and their new scarves were still soft and perfumed. A whole panoply of caps, capes and jackets was also waiting for them in a cupboard, near the entrance. Arthur, lying on his bed, could see the blue sky through the window. What a beautiful life they had...

...

At noon, they found Myr, Haru and Jun in the central plaza, although they had trouble seeing them because the crowd was dense and lively.

- Ready to meet Gully ? Myr asked with a bright smile.

They all nodded in excitement and followed him into the large bay. Countless ships were anchored there : schooners, battleships, merchant ships... In front of each pontoon, a sign with a number allowed them to find their way.

- We've got slip number 248, said Myr, hurrying ahead. How far are we from there ? 291 ? We must be close, now. Here it is !

Then they saw it. Revamped, resplendent, imperial. The Seagull was as if brand new, seemed bigger, more majestic, more imposing, so much that they even had trouble recognizing it. Yet the pleasant, accomplice eye of Gully, the figurehead, still shone as brightly as ever, and everyone was genuinely moved to find it back after six months.

The whole crew rushed aboard to discover the secrets of the ship. The deck had been repaired, and no trace of its past injuries remained visible, nor on the masts. The sails had been changed and their bright whiteness reflected the hot sun. The cabins also seemed more spacious, and although they were still shared, a thick partition once again separated boys and girls. The kitchen was equipped with various new utensils and gadgets, and the crow's nest was now cozier. Three more cannons were now ready to fire, and the damaged ones had been replaced.

As he gazed dreamily at the refurbished stern, Arthur's attention was drawn to a curious feature. A thick chain was attached to the railing, though it was not clear to what.

- Vice-admiral ? What's that ? he asked, pointing at the thing.

Myr approached with a smile and pulled the chain with all his might to extract the attached thing from the water. Immediately, everyone let out long, admiring "oh" and "ah", full of excitement. At the end of the iron chain hung a small submarine, whose head also had the appearance of an adorable bird.

- Here is the greatest novelty of all ! exclaimed Myr, visibly delighted. It's a little surprise that I reserved for you, paid for with what was left of the money after the repairs. This two-seater submarine can descend to a depth of 2,000 meters, and it is extremely fast since it is powered by a latest generation engine. It is stealthy, lively and well equipped... In short, it will be very useful to us, I think.

- And what is this bird ? asked Jun, looking at the small figurehead.

- It's inspired by Lotta divers, commented Myr, birds that can submerge themselves completely to catch fish, and even walk on the bottom of the water ! Not bad, eh ?

He observed the submarine with passion, then, after an awkward silence, whispered :

- Lolo. That's how we're going to call it.

- You could ask for our opinion ! cried Jorge and Zell in unison.

...

Still in shock, thrilled to have found their ship and to set foot on the legendary Marineford base, the team headed for the dining hall to have a well-deserved lunch. Jorge seemed visibly pleased, and Jun threw herself on him to pinch his cheeks :

- My delicious meals weren't good enough for you, you ungrateful bastard ?!

While the two of them were bickering, and their friends were laughing at their childishness, Arthur discerned a familiar face in the crowd, walking against the flow. It was a young woman of cold beauty, with very pale hair and an icy gaze, walking elegantly, a large white coat thrown over her shoulders. Four soldiers accompanied her, and, walking in front of them, a plump man whose bald head shone in the sun.

- But it's... Arthur stammered, turning to Myr.

- Yes. Wilelm and his team. The young woman walking beside him is Hana, the one who came first in the recruitment trials, just ahead of you.

- So the B team is in Marineford too ? asked Jun, staring at them from the corner of her eye.

- Yep, Myr whispered. And the C team is also there with Leroy.

Arthur remained circumspect. He did not expect, in this new paradise that was offered to him, to cross paths with his rival Hector, whom he had not seen since the fight against Zodiac. The three teams formed after the selections were gathered in Marineford.

- I told you that you would have the opportunity to test your powers very soon, didn't I ? declared Myr with a malicious smile.