Chapter Three: A New Mission

Aozora and Izuna Mizuno walked out of the office side by side, and Aozora gently closed the door behind them.

There was a trace of excitement on Izuna Mizuno’s face. It was no wonder—if it hadn’t been for Bucky’s live broadcast from above, most people would never witness such a grand battle in their lifetimes. To be part of such a magnificent war was an honor in itself, of course, provided one had the strength for self-preservation.

As they walked, Izuna asked, “Lieutenant Aozora, where do you live?”

Shimura Aozora replied, “There’s a tricolor dango shop near the base. If you go down the alley beside it, you can take the stairs up. I live in apartment 301 on the third floor.”

“301? Really?” Izuna looked slightly surprised. “What a coincidence—I live right next to you.”

“That is quite a coincidence. I remember there used to be a couple living next door,” Aozora said.

“They must have broken up. The guy looked gentle, but he was really a scoundrel. Every night he’d abuse the girl, and you could hear her cries—he even used implements on her!” Aozora recounted with a straight face.

Izuna’s expression was one of disbelief. She asked in a soft voice, “Such things happened…? Didn’t you step in to help, Aozora-senpai?”

“Of course I did,” he replied.

“You really did?” Izuna asked.

Aozora spread his hands helplessly. “But it was no use. The girl was obsessed with him—completely lovesick. Even when she was beaten like that, I knocked on the door, and she actually scolded me…”

“Seemed like she had a masochistic streak. Well, it’s just as well they moved out; otherwise, their fights would keep me up at night, and I wouldn’t be able to train properly the next day.”

“Do you train every day?” Izuna asked.

“Of course. There are too many monsters in this world. You have to be strong, or else you’re done for.”

“Can I train with you?” Izuna asked.

Aozora’s expression turned serious. “I’d be delighted. Let’s start training together tomorrow!”

The two walked home side by side and each entered their own apartment.

Aozora took out a can of beer and collapsed onto the sofa, slapping his cheeks. “What’s wrong with me? Have I forgotten how to talk to women after so long without contact?”

All the way home, he hadn’t known what he was saying—his mind had been a blank. He used to complain about wanting a female subordinate, but now that one was here, he didn’t know how to handle it.

Still, the thought of training together tomorrow made him look forward to it.

Knock, knock, knock…

He took a few gulps of beer, slumped back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling. He could feel his own strength, but shook his head and muttered, “Still far from enough. Too weak.”

For the coming war at the top, caution was the wisest course. If he could keep a low profile, he would. After all, he didn’t have a system, nor did he feel particularly lucky—he wasn’t sure if he had any protagonist’s halo at all.

For the sake of tomorrow’s training, Aozora took a shower and then dove into bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep. Without the rowdy couple next door, his rest was sweet and undisturbed.

…

At dawn the next day, before the sky had lightened, the streetlights still cast their faint glow. A thin mist hung between the buildings of Hanaka Island, and the streets were empty.

Aozora was woken by a loud banging on the door.

“Aozora-senpai! Time for training!” came Izuna’s voice.

He sat up with a jolt. Training this early? Was this girl out of her mind?

Opening the door, he greeted her with a smile, “Give me a moment.”

He closed the door quickly, washed up, and said, “All right, let’s go.”

Izuna looked a little apologetic. “I’m sorry—I didn’t ask about your training habits. I usually train in the early morning and evening, since there might be missions at noon.”

“That’s no problem. Morning training is great. When I was a kid at school, I used to go for runs every morning.”

Izuna giggled. “Then let’s go.”

She was dressed in a form-fitting sports outfit that showed off her figure perfectly—a stark contrast to the image she presented in her navy uniform.

She smiled at Aozora. “So, are you going for a run?”

She continued, “I think running doesn’t push you hard enough, so I always do frog jumps instead.”

She squatted down and demonstrated a perfect frog jump, her chest describing a curious arc. Watching her, Aozora squatted down as well.

“I’ll do frog jumps with you, then,” he said.

An hour later.

Aozora was frog-jumping with all his might behind Izuna, his movements growing heavier with each jump.

He had underestimated her.

Izuna was astonishing—just frog jumps, and they’d already circled Hanaka Island ten times, with no sign she was going to stop.

Even Aozora felt his legs heating up; he could only hold on for perhaps two more laps at most.

If he lost to Izuna, what a humiliation that would be.

Luckily, Izuna finally stopped, stood up, and said, “I can’t go on—let’s leave it here for now.”

Aozora stood up slowly, forcing a bitter smile. “All right.”

Izuna glanced around, then said, “Lieutenant Aozora, may I borrow your shoulder for a moment?”

“My shoulder?” he echoed.

Without further ado, Izuna placed one long leg on his shoulder and began to stretch.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “You need to stretch after frog jumps, or your legs will ache, and it’ll affect later training.”

“There’s nowhere else here to stretch, so I have to trouble you, Lieutenant.”

Aozora’s face reddened, and he nearly lost his composure.

After a morning’s training, Aozora was even more convinced of Izuna’s terrifying prowess—her physical strength was far from ordinary, her explosive power easily surpassing that of many men.

In the afternoon, Vice Admiral Mars informed them that they would depart for Marineford in two days, since Hanaka Island was still some distance away.

As vice admirals, they needed to arrive early for high-level meetings and to help lay out the operational plans.

Aozora trained with Izuna for another two days. He realized that while Izuna’s physical abilities were impressive, her combat experience was lacking. In their sparring matches the day before, Aozora won every round.

That restored some of his confidence.

Since they were to depart for Marineford the next day, they skipped training that evening. Aozora returned home early to pack his things.

He stuffed a few pieces of clothing into a bag—after all, at Marineford they’d likely be required to wear their uniforms, so there was no need to worry too much about casual clothes.

A seagull perched on his window—it was Vice Admiral Mars’s pet.

Aozora opened the window and handed it a fresh fish, which it swallowed in one gulp. Then it handed him a note tied to its leg before flying off.

“Why is Vice Admiral Mars sending me a note at this hour?” Aozora wondered as he unfolded the paper.

The message was written in neat, precise script:

“Lieutenant Aozora, there’s been a change of plans. Tomorrow, you are to escort the pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million from the prison to Impel Down, and then proceed to Marineford to join the others.”