The dark sea churned under the heavy rain, making it hard to keep one's eyes open.
Boom!
A blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky, briefly revealing a small boat tossing in the huge waves.
The small boat had gone dead in the water. Its mast was broken, and the hull tilted badly. Every time a giant wave hit, it looked like the boat might be dragged under.
"It's too dangerous! We can't get any closer!"
On the deck of the warship, Navigator Baker held tightly to the railing and shouted to the soaked Hina beside him, "The storm is too strong! The draft difference between the two ships is too big! If we force our way close, the waves we make will crush that small boat!"
"Then what should we do? Do we just watch?"
Hina wiped the rain off her face and looked anxiously at the small boat dozens of meters away. On its shaking deck, she could vaguely see two figures holding onto each other.
"There is nothing else we can do," Baker gritted his teeth. "We can only try to throw a rope over! But in this strong wind, it's hard to throw it straight. Besides, they don't look like they have the strength to catch it."
Just as everyone hesitated, a voice spoke.
"Step aside."
Zephyr's voice cut through the storm, and the noise around them quickly died down.
Everyone turned around and saw that Zephyr had already taken off his heavy Justice coat. Even though he was over sixty years old, his body was still powerful and steady.
He stretched his wrists, grabbed a thick rope from a sailor nearby, and skillfully tied a tight knot around his waist.
"Instructor?! What are you doing?!" Hina's eyes widened, and she instinctively tried to stop him.
"At this distance, a rope gun is useless."
Zephyr walked to the edge of the ship and looked down at the churning black waves. He said calmly, "Someone has to take the rope over and secure their boat. That's the only way to pull them here."
"Then let us go! Damn it," Hina bit her lip hard, frustrated. "If only Hina wasn't a Devil Fruit user..."
As a Bind-Bind Fruit user, her usual strength became her biggest weakness right now. Against the sea, she could barely protect herself, let alone save anyone else.
"Don't be foolish."
Zephyr looked back at her. His eyes were stern, but there was clear concern in them. "In a storm like this, who else on this ship besides me can swim over and still have the strength to save them?"
"You rookies are still too green. Dangerous jobs like this should be left to us old-timers."
Without waiting for Hina to say anything else, he moved.
Splash!
Zephyr jumped, diving straight into the rough waves.
"Instructor Zephyr!!"
The recruits on the deck gasped and leaned over the railing, staring at the dark sea.
The giant waves rose high, nearly swallowing his figure from sight.
But soon, they saw him again.
The moment a wave crashed down, Zephyr broke through the water. He pushed through the storm, forcing his way through the waves in front of him.
One stroke, two strokes!
He moved forward at an astonishing speed through the rough sea, each stroke carrying a terrifying amount of strength.
"He reached them!" the lookout shouted excitedly.
Under the flash of lightning, they saw that Zephyr had reached the small boat. He grabbed the side of the boat with one hand, pulled himself up with a burst of strength, and climbed aboard.
"They're safe," Hina let out a long breath, only now realizing her palms were covered in cold sweat.
A moment later, with dozens of sailors pulling together, the badly damaged boat was finally brought alongside the warship by the rope.
As the rope ladder was lowered, two soaking wet figures were helped onto the deck.
"Ouch... ouch... my poor old back..."
As soon as she stepped onto the deck, the short, wrinkled old woman collapsed to the floor. She hugged a small bundle and cried loudly, "That scared me to death! It really scared me to death!"
She wiped the rain and snot from her face as she cried, bowing repeatedly to Zephyr, who was soaking wet and wringing out his clothes. "Thank you! Thank you, Marine officer! If it weren't for you, my son and I would be feeding the fish today! Waaah!"
Behind her stood an extremely tall man who looked a bit dazed.
He had a long, golden, crescent-shaped mustache and a massive build. However, right now he looked like a frightened child, slouching his shoulders with long snot hanging from his nose. He looked both funny and pitiful.
Zephyr took the towel Hina handed him and wiped his hair. Looking at the miserable pair, his expression softened. "Alright, now that you are on this ship, you are safe."
He turned to the recruits behind him and ordered, "Take them to the lower deck out of the wind. Find them some dry clothes, and have the doctor check them for injuries."
"Yes, sir!"
Twenty minutes later, inside the cabin on the lower deck of the warship, the heater was turned up high, keeping out the cold.
The short old woman was wearing a Marine training uniform that was clearly too big for her. Holding a cup of hot water, her small eyes darted around from behind her sunglasses, looking at everything.
Next to her, her huge son stared longingly at the empty plate on the table as his stomach let out a loud growl.
Rumble...
"Mom... I'm hungry..."
The large man sniffled. His voice sounded like a hungry child on the verge of crying.
"I will get you some food right away."
Zephyr pressed the door open and walked in. Behind him were two cooks carrying a large stainless steel pot that smelled of meat.
"We don't have many supplies left on the ship," Zephyr said apologetically. He personally scooped a large bowl of steaming meat soup for the large man, filled with chunks of dried meat and vegetables. "This is the last of our meat reserves. It was meant for emergencies, but seeing your size, you must be starving. Go ahead and eat."
"Meat! It's meat!"
The large man's eyes lit up. Not even caring about the heat, he picked up the bowl, which was almost as large as a basin, opened his mouth wide, and downed it all at once.
Gulp, gulp...
In less than ten seconds, the entire bowl of soup and meat disappeared completely.
"More! I want more!" He held the bowl out to Zephyr, clinking it loudly.
"Alright, alright, there is more." Zephyr simply gave him another bowl.
By the door, a few young recruits were eating hard rations. Watching the big guy eat so fast, they didn't complain at all. Instead, they smiled kindly.
"Look how hungry he is. How many days has it been since he last ate?"
"It's fine if we eat a bit less. The G-17 supply ship arrives tomorrow anyway. Let them have it first."
"Yeah, after being stuck in that storm for so long, they must be starving."
Hearing the recruits whispering outside the door, Zephyr felt proud. Although these recruits weren't ready to handle things on their own yet, they still had the kindness a Marine should never lose.
However, one bowl turned into two...
As time passed, the smiles on the recruits' faces slowly faded.
The silly-looking big guy kept eating without stopping.
An entire pot of soup, enough to feed half a squad, went down his throat like water.
"More... more..."
The large man licked the bottom of the bowl and held it out to Zephyr again. His dull eyes showed a simple but frightening greed.
"This..."
The cook looked troubled and whispered to Zephyr, "Chief Instructor, this is the last of our food. We even opened the emergency canned rations. If he keeps eating, we won't have any breakfast tomorrow."
Zephyr frowned slightly as he looked at the man's endless appetite. But when he glanced at the old woman shivering next to him, his heart softened.
"Give it to him," Zephyr sighed. "We will meet up with the supply ship tomorrow at noon anyway. Missing one meal won't hurt."
"Yes, sir."
The cook felt bad about it, but he still gave him the last of the food.
Finally, after eating almost everything on the ship that was ready to eat, the large man let out a loud burp and patted his stomach happily.
"Are you full?" Zephyr asked.
"Full... hehe, full," the large man giggled, a snot bubble growing and shrinking with his breath.
Now that he was full, it was time to ask some questions.
Zephyr pulled up a chair and sat down. He looked at the old woman who had been quiet the whole time and asked gently, "Ma'am, the storm has calmed down a bit. Can you tell me where you are from? What are your names? Why did you go to sea in this weather? If it is on our way, we can give you a ride."
This was standard Marine rescue procedure.
However, the old woman slowly raised her head.
She took off her wet sunglasses, showing a pair of small, greedy eyes.
"Names? Where we're from?"
The old woman grinned, showing a few broken gold teeth. Her voice was sharp and raspy. "Oh, officer, you sure ask a lot of questions."
She waved her hand impatiently, acting like his questions were a waste of time. "My name is Bakkin, and this is my son, Edward Weevil. As for everything else, we just survived a disaster and lost all our things. Why should we answer your questions? All you need to know is that we are helpless, poor people."
Before Zephyr could speak, her eyes scanned the cabin greedily. Her gaze finally landed on the expensive waterproof military watch on Zephyr's wrist.
"By the way, Marine officer..."
Bakkin's voice changed, becoming unpleasantly sweet. "This ship of yours is pretty big. Those young soldiers outside look like pampered rich kids. They must be loaded, right?"
Zephyr frowned deeply.
As a veteran fighter, he could sense malice instantly. The moment the old woman looked up, he knew something was wrong with her.
"We are a recruit training ship from Marine Headquarters," Zephyr said coldly. His gentle attitude vanished, replaced by a sharp, serious tone. "Ma'am, do not make jokes like that."
"A joke? Oh, how scary."
Bakkin dramatically patted her chest, but she didn't look scared at all. She pulled a handkerchief from her tattered bundle, wiped her mouth, and then threw her muddy feet onto the table right in front of him.
She looked around and kicked the empty bucket on the floor with disgust. "Since this is a ship from Headquarters, is this all you have? That soup tasted like water, and the meat was tough. A giant ship like this, and you give us pig food?"
"What did you say?!"
A recruit at the door couldn't take it anymore. He rushed in angrily and shouted, "That was the food we saved! We are eating hard rations ourselves just to give you the best meat, and you still—"
"Shut up!"
Bakkin shrieked. Her voice was so high and sharp it hurt their ears. "When grown-ups are talking, a little soldier like you doesn't get to speak!"
She turned back and stared at Zephyr. Her wrinkled face twisted into an ugly, greedy smile. "Old man, I can tell you aren't an ordinary soldier. Since you saved us, finish the job."
She pointed a thin, bony finger right at Zephyr's nose. "My son is still growing, and that food was nothing. Go bring out everything valuable on this ship. And I want cash."
"Think of it as payment for the stress of feeding my son pig food."
The entire cabin fell silent.
The recruits were completely shocked. They had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this bad.
To Be Continued
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