At the G-1 Marine Base, Smoker and his companions pushed themselves like madmen. Traveling day and night, regardless of wind or rain, they arrived at the New World's Marine "stronghold" with extreme speed.
Unlike their usual routine, Smoker, Hancock, and Jinbe stood on the deck of their pirate ship today dressed in full Marine uniform.
After a long absence, Smoker had donned his Justice vest and draped over his shoulders the Great Cloak of Justice, adorned with the rank insignia of a Vice Admiral.
The moment his foot touched the harbor of G-1, two streaks of tears unexpectedly escaped the corners of his eyes.
"Smoker?" Jinbe and Hancock looked at him in surprise.
Although they were all undercover "pirates," there was a fundamental difference between them and Smoker.
First and foremost, neither of them were "pure" Marines in the way Smoker was.
Back at the "Town of Beginnings and Endings," Loguetown, Smoker had witnessed the grand presence of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, and had also met Diarmuid, who was not yet an Admiral at the time. He was captivated by the charisma and heroic spirit of those two men.
Afterward, Smoker resolved to become an elite Marine. Through his own relentless efforts, he became a member of the Marine Headquarters and the top graduate of the Officer Training Camp Class of 1502.
He was a man with a pure heart and a steadfast soul dedicated to justice. He might have been a troublemaker and a "brat" in the past, a headache for his superiors, but when it came to the firmness of his will, he was second to none. Not everyone could maintain an unwavering sense of justice while undercover among pirates for over a decade.
Back then, Zephyr had seen him clearly. Diarmuid, too, had judged him correctly. Only Smoker could have completed such a mission!
In contrast, Jinbe was originally the captain of the Ryugu Kingdom's royal guard under King Neptune. He joined the Navy later out of concern for Fish-Man Island's interests and executed a series of plans to become a Marine-aligned Warlord of the Sea. Since then, Jinbe had mostly stayed at Fish-Man Island, so he felt less sentimentality. He hadn't been forced to suffer through much indignity.
Hancock's story was similar. She was the crown princess of Amazon Lily, captured by slavers and then coincidentally rescued by the G-7 Marines. This created the opportunity for Diarmuid to intervene in Amazon Lily's affairs. Since then, the pirate nation of the Kuja had become a staunch supporter of the Navy.
Today, the warriors of Amazon Lily considered joining the Navy a point of pride. Under the smooth operation of the Calm Belt Development Project, Amazon Lily grew stronger by the day. Furthermore, by Hancock's imperial decree, every future crown princess of Amazon Lily had to serve in the Navy for experience; they were ineligible to inherit the throne unless they reached at least the rank of Vice Admiral.
From a certain perspective, Amazon Lily could be considered a specialized "Marine Base." After all, their Empress would always be at least a Vice Admiral of the Headquarters, and potentially an Admiral candidate. If luck allowed, reaching the rank of Admiral was not out of the question. Essentially, the two entities were now one and the same.
After Hancock joined the Navy and reached adulthood, she returned to Amazon Lily to inherit the Kuja Pirates as part of the Marine's strategic plan and became an internal Warlord. Since then, she had spent most of her time within Amazon Lily or the Calm Belt. Thus, she didn't share Smoker's feeling of having lived a lifetime in another world.
"Fifteen years... Hahahaha... Three years and then another three. When the Admiral and Sensei tricked me into leaving, they promised it was a three-year stint and guaranteed me a Vice Admiral position. Back then, I was full of passion and agreed without a second thought. But look at me now, three years and another three, and then another three... In the blink of an eye, five rotations of three years have passed. Fifteen years. When I left Marineford, I was only sixteen. Now, I'm nearly thirty-one... Hahahaha! After fifteen years, I can finally wear this Justice in the light of day again!"
Smoker stood on the docks, laughing and crying all at once, overwhelmed with emotion. To be precise, it hadn't quite been fifteen years yet, there was a tiny bit left on the clock, but details didn't matter now.
A sixteen-year-old youth, the top of his Officer Training Camp class, had left the Navy bearing the stigma of a traitor. He had forged ahead in the turbulent seas for fifteen years, rising from a Marine renegade to the status of a Yonko. While he had much help, how could the hardship and bitterness be overlooked?
Anyone else might have lost respect for the Navy long ago. Being a pirate was far more exhilarating than being a Marine. Look at him now, Smoker commanded a crew of elite talents and a powerful fleet; a Yonko-level crew was no joke. His personal strength, while perhaps not at the absolute peak, was formidable. He could make a name for himself anywhere. He controlled massive wealth and was arguably the richest tycoon in the New World.
If he wanted to establish his own independent power, it wouldn't have been a mere fantasy.
Yet, from start to finish, neither Diarmuid nor the many stars of the Navy ever doubted Smoker's loyalty. Whenever there was a critical, classified matter that required assistance, they entrusted it to him without hesitation. Even the management of the Gold City, the absolute cornerstone of the Navy's finances, was confidently handed to Smoker. This was a bond of trust so thick it was impossible to sever.
And it was this trust that sustained Smoker throughout those fifteen years. In those fifteen years, he never betrayed that trust!
Now, his dark and long career as a pirate was finally over. Awaiting him was the glory of the Navy; barring any accidents, he would surely be promoted to Admiral candidate!
Listening to Smoker's emotional soliloquy, Jinbe and Hancock looked at him with complex gazes. It had truly been too difficult for him. He was truly worthy of respect.
At that moment, Sakazuki and Diarmuid arrived together to welcome them personally. As they approached, they overheard Smoker's mutterings and saw his disheveled state as he laughed and wept.
Even Sakazuki, the iron-blooded and ruthless hawk of the Navy, felt a stir of emotion. His relaxed gait became heavy. Looking at Smoker's somewhat unfamiliar face, his heart was filled with sentiment. He hadn't seen much of Smoker, but he had heard of him and seen him a few times when Smoker was the top student at the training camp. Back then, Sakazuki believed this junior would become a new shining star of the Navy.
Smoker had seemed to have a limitless future—joining the Navy as a Logia user, possessing a heart of justice, a steadfast will, and extraordinary talent. He wouldn't have been the top student otherwise. Aside from a bit of a rebellious streak, there was nothing wrong with him. With his status as the top graduate, he would have had immediate access to resources; his seniors were all Marine bigwigs, and he was a proper "academy-bred" insider. As long as he didn't court death, a position as an influential Vice Admiral was guaranteed. That was the consensus back then.
Sakazuki was no exception.
Of course, Diarmuid knew that in another life, this guy actually did court death, working his way from the Headquarters down to the East Blue, wasting over a decade. His rank fluctuated so much that even by the time Luffy went to sea, he was still stuck as a Captain. Because he was idling in the East Blue, his combat strength had plummeted to a pathetic degree. In the end, he couldn't even beat Vergo—a total disgrace to the title of "Top Graduate of the Class of '02."
But the others didn't know that. They only saw a youth who should have flourished at Marine Headquarters take on a dark burden and drift through the dangerous seas for fifteen years, finally completing his mission. How could one not respect that?
Vaguely infected by Smoker's outpouring of emotion, even the cold, old man Sakazuki felt a tear prickle his eye.
Diarmuid looked at the laughing and crying man as if he were mad, his gaze full of nostalgia. For a moment, it felt like fifteen years ago in Zephyr Sensei's office, when he had talked Smoker into going undercover. Back then, Smoker was high-spirited, the little king of the academy... Diarmuid had used a bit of reverse psychology to goad the hot-headed youth into accepting the heavy burden.
In the blink of an eye, fifteen years had passed. The once-naive youth had become a powerhouse who shook the seas. Many things had changed, but Smoker had never forgotten that he was a Marine.
"Vice Admiral... Smoker," Diarmuid called out.
Smoker's emotions gradually stabilized. He looked at the nearby Diarmuid, a smile breaking across his face. He snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, Admiral Diarmuid! Vice Admiral Smoker of Marine Headquarters, reporting for duty!"
His back was straight, his salute perfect. That "reporting for duty" had been bottled up in Smoker's heart for God knows how long. Today, he could finally shout it out in the light of day.
"Hahahaha, good! Excellent! Welcome back to the unit, Vice Admiral Smoker!" Diarmuid laughed heartily.
Smoker wiped his eyes, walked over with a smile, and saluted Admiral Sakazuki before asking with a trace of lingering anxiety, "Do I really not have to do another three years?"
"Hahahaha, really! Unless you want to be the Pirate King?" Diarmuid teased.
Smoker finally let out the breath he'd been holding and waved his hand. "No, no way. The Pirate King? In my eyes, that's not as enjoyable as being a Marine Captain. Over the years, I often thought of my days at Marineford. I always felt the time in the academy was the happiest period of my life... I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even the Pirate King."
Smoker's devotion to the Navy was truly rare in this world. Hearing this, Diarmuid felt satisfied, though he also carried a bit of guilt.
"Back then, I had something I wanted to say to you, Smoker. Now, the time has finally come to say it," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Smoker smiled back. "Please, instruct me, Admiral."
"It's not an instruction. You are an excellent Marine, a very, very excellent Marine. I feel I pale in comparison to you, so I have nothing to teach you. But I must say this; it is both my apology and my blessing..." Diarmuid waved his hand, then looked Smoker seriously in the eye and said softly:
"May you wander for half a lifetime and return still a youth, Smoker."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but as Diarmuid spoke those words, looking at Smoker's resolute face, the man's silhouette seemed to overlap with the rebellious, headstrong teenage Marine from fifteen years ago...
That year, he was sixteen. This year, he is thirty-one. He truly had wandered for half a lifetime.