This was his silent vow!
A promise he resolved to spend the rest of his days fulfilling.
How can you be so foolish...
Even though Weitian was the newly appointed Fleet Admiral whom the entire world held in awe and reverence—standing among the absolute pinnacle figures of authority on the globe—Drake's heart was flooded with a mixture of overwhelming emotion and tender heartache. Naturally, these were sentiments he would never speak aloud; proving them through his actions would be more than enough.
Nearby, Xiaoguang—who had just stepped out on an errand—suddenly caught sight of Drake and Weitian in the distance. Struck by curiosity, she couldn't help peering over to see what they were doing.
Before her astonished gaze, the two figures drew together until they were tightly embraced, their faces leaning in close.
No way!
Are they...
The Fleet Admiral...
Reality was precisely as she witnessed. Drake leaned down, pressing his lips against Weitian's soft, captivating mouth. Both closed their eyes, their worlds narrowing until only each other remained.
When the kiss broke, Drake looked at Weitian, whose crimson blush had spread all the way to the tips of her ears. His heart fluttered in sweet disarray. She truly is an enchanting little temptress...
Yet, she was a temptress who belonged solely to him.
Gazing down at the beauty nestled in his embrace, Drake wished only to spend the rest of his life cherishing her, never letting a breath of harm come near.
Side by side, they murmured soft words to one another, reminiscing about the past, talking through the present, and tracing their hopes for the days ahead.
As though the sun were in a hurry to conclude its shift, the sky deepened into vivid crimson before they even realized it. The sun dipped toward the horizon, half its burning disc already sinking into the waterline.
The vast ocean below reflected a blazing, unbroken expanse of red, glowing like a vision of future hope and radiant promise.
Precious moments always slipped away far too swiftly. The light in Weitian's eyes slowly dimmed, a quiet trace of sorrow etching itself between her brows.
"What's wrong? Is something troubling you?" Drake couldn't help but ask.
"Drake..." Weitian bit her lower lip gently, looking up at him with eyes full of apology. "I... I can't bring myself to leave the Marines like this. My duties as Fleet Admiral must continue, so... I cannot sail away with you."
"I know you would never abandon your crewmates to settle down here either. You... you won't be angry with me, will you?"
Hearing her trembling confession, the look in Drake's eyes softened completely. He murmured gently, "What are you talking about? How could I ever be angry over something like that?"
"From the moment I saw how hard you worked—pouring your soul into those documents, so utterly absorbed that you didn't even notice I was the one walking through the door—I knew this is where your heart truly belongs."
"Don't you ever change yourself for my sake. Throw all your strength into pursuing the things you want to achieve. However..."
Weitian stared up at him in a daze, hanging on his every word.
"However, if you ever run into a problem you cannot overcome on your own, you must tell me, understand? You have to remember: behind you... you will always have me!"
"Mm!" Weitian nodded with absolute conviction.
A smile bloomed across her face—a brilliant, unburdened smile. It had been years since she had smiled simply out of pure joy, without a single heavy thought weighing upon her shoulders.
That singular, breathtaking smile.
Drake etched the radiant image permanently into the depths of his memory. He could not guarantee perfection in every step of the future, but he swore to preserve that exact smile on her lips for the rest of their days.
"I'm truly sorry. As your wife, yet unable to remain by your side... I must be an terribly unqualified wife," Weitian murmured softly, resting her head against Drake's lap.
She had weighed every angle of this reality. The world had only just crossed into an era of fragile stability, with countless deep-seated crises awaiting resolution.
If she abandoned her post now, the fallout would destabilize countless lives. She could not allow herself to be so selfish, looking only after her own happiness.
"You little fool," Drake said, shaking his head with a fond chuckle. "Things are fine just as they are. There's no such thing as being qualified or unqualified in love. All I ever want is for you to live each day in happiness."
"Besides... who said we can't be together?"
A knowing smile curved across Drake's lips.
"Hm?" Weitian looked up in bewilderment. The adorable, questioning tilt of her head sent another jolt straight through Drake's chest, making him momentarily forget what he was about to say.
"Don't... don't look at me like that... Mmph..." Before she could finish her sentence, Drake's lips sealed hers once more.
Weitian instinctively made to push back, but the thought that they might not see one another for months melted her resistance, and she allowed him to have his way.
He had originally intended only a gentle, fleeting kiss, but sensing her token resistance fade into quiet submission, Drake saw no reason to stop.
Gradually, Weitian realized he was growing bolder, gently teasing apart her lips. A shiver ran through her, but driven by a wish to make up for the year she had made him wait, she offered no further struggle. He slipped past her guard with ease. Feeling his passionate, unbridled embrace, Weitian clenched her fists against his chest, her body softening until she melted helplessly into his arms.
Only when Weitian was completely breathless did Drake finally pull back. She shot him a half-hearted, venomous glare before turning her blushing face away.
Drake simply chuckled softly at her side.
Suddenly remembering his earlier thought, he smiled down at her and said, "Leaving my side won't be that easy for you. I have a way that allows you to remain here as Fleet Admiral while still staying with me."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Weitian asked, thoroughly puzzled.
Drake flashed an enigmatic grin. "You'll understand in a moment. Come, let's take a quick trip back to your office."
Without waiting for an answer, he scooped her up into his arms and vanished from the cliffside in a flash of spatial displacement.
"T-They... they're gone?!" Crouched behind a nearby outcrop, Xiaoguang's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She rubbed her eyes frantically, staring in disbelief at the empty patch of grass where Drake and Weitian had stood a fraction of a second prior.
How is something like that even possible?!
Two living people vanished into thin air just like that?
Could his speed have reached a realm where my eyes can't even register his movement?
The thought sent an icy chill running down her spine. If that was truly the case, just how horrifying was Drake's actual combat might?
"You were peeping just now, weren't you?" A casual voice chimed right beside her ear, making her jump out of her skin.
Bell tilted his head, eyeing the woman with faint amusement. She had unmistakably been spying on Big Brother Drake and Sister Weitian just now.
"No need to feel embarrassed. We were doing the exact same thing," Bell added breezily, waving a hand toward the empty terrain behind him.
Out of the seemingly barren space, several figures shimmered into view.
Kenshin, Locke, Ain, and Aokiji were all standing there.
It was glaringly obvious they had been lurking on the scene for quite some time.
"H-How long... have you all been standing here?" Xiaoguang stammered with immense difficulty.
"Right from the moment they showed up here," Bell replied matter-of-factly.
Xiaoguang: "..."
"Bwahahaha! We caught him dead to rights! The next time we crack open a barrel of sake, we are definitely bringing this up!"
"Damn right! We're not letting him off the hook!"
"Big Brother Aokiji, you aren't just looking for payback because the captain drank you under the table last time, are you?" Bell whispered playfully.
Aokiji instantly slapped a massive hand over Bell's mouth, holding him fast no matter how furiously the younger swordsman squirmed.
Suddenly, a razor-sharp crescent of light flickered across the sky. Aokiji's pupils dilated as he instinctively jerked his torso to the side.
The stray slash tore through the clouds and sliced cleanly into the ocean below, violently throwing up a colossal, sky-splitting tidal wave.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Weitian stared in wide-eyed wonder, her voice laced with astonishment. "Does this object... truly possess the miraculous power you claim?"