Dreaded Destination #71

Without hesitation, Cedric turned around and sprinted away once he locked eyes with Garp. However, he did not get far as the vice admiral suddenly appeared before him and knocked him to the ground with a well-timed bash to the head.

Cedric grimaced in pain as he held his head with an expression of despair and turned to look at the vice admiral. "Hello, sir... I'm glad I could see you again so soon," He said, his tone and expression contrasting his words.

"That's more like it, brat," The vice admiral said with a grin as he blew on knuckles and wiped them on his long coat. "Now stop being a jackass and come inside..." He added as he turned around and walked back to Zephyr's residence, followed by a reluctant Cedric.

The two marines, one young and the other old, quickly made their way back and sat down on Zephyr's urging. "Well... that was unexpected but interesting in its own way," The former admiral jokingly said with a chuckle as he alternated his gaze between Cedric and Garp.

"I was just so happy to see Vice Admiral Garp..." Cedric blankly said as he looked at the former admiral. "I couldn't help but break into a sprint," He added, the lack of sincerity audible in his tone as he turned to Garp.

"That's good to hear..." Zephyr said, an amused grin splitting his face as he spoke. "Because from now on... Vice Admiral Garp will be your teacher..." He added, barely holding back a chuckle as he watched the young marine's expression devolve into despair with every word spoken.

"It's a shame too. I was looking forward to seeing your growth, kiddo..." Zephyr added with a sigh. "But I have some errands to run... and Vice Admiral Garp volunteered to take over for me," He concluded, shrugging his shoulders.

"I understand..." Cedric said with a resigned expression. "But what about Prince and Kujaku?" He asked after a brief pause, raising an eyebrow as he remembered his fellow students.

"Those two have already finished their training..." Zephyr said, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone as he shrugged. "They, alongside several marine officers, have moved to the G-14 to serve under Vice Admiral Doll," He calmly explained.

"I'm not privy to the details, but they're to form a special task force, and that's all I can tell you," Zephyr concluded.

"Alright..." Cedric said, nodding as he firmed his resolve. "Will I stay here, or will I have to move to another marine base?" He asked as he turned to Garp with a questioning expression.

"We'll be staying here... running a marine base is too much of a pain in the ass..." Vice Admiral Garp replied as he picked his ears with his pinky finger. "Having said that, I still need you to pack up since you'll be coming with me to Marijoa..." He carelessly added, much to Cedric's shock and chagrin.

"Do I really have to go...?" Despite knowing the answer, Cedric asked in exasperation, and the vice admiral grinned wordlessly. "Give me a fucking break...." He added, feeling the urge to bash his against the nearest wall.

"I'll need you to be on your best behavior when we get there," The vice admiral said as he suddenly remembered something. "Marojoa is where those celestial scumbags live... it won't end well if you anger them..." He added, pausing as he noticed the petrified expressions on Cedric and Zephyr's faces.

"Whoops... I probably shouldn't have said that..." Garp said in a faint tone, almost muttering to himself. "Forget what I just said," He added as he raised one hand and chuckled sheepishly.

...

"Damn... now I gotta get back to taking abuse from that old monster..." I muttered to no one in particular as I packed some clothes, stuffing them into my backpack in a huff.

In truth, I wasn't that opposed to training under Garp, not any longer, at least. Initially, I had genuine, valid concerns about surviving the vice admiral's craziness, but I was now confident enough to at least live through it.

He was still a crazy, violent old coot, and his fist hurt like hell. Z-sensei, on the other hand, was calm, collected, and not prone to hit me in the head with a haki-imbued fist and cause me brain damage or slap me on the back and break my spine. I could go on for days, but you get the idea.

As I zipped up my backpack, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this was just another challenge, another obstacle to overcome. I had come too far to give up now, and I was determined to make the most of this opportunity.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, exited my room, and headed towards the yard where Vice Admiral Garp was chasing behind a terrified Chuchun. "Please stop, vice-admiral... Chuchun is not food..." I said, rolling my eyes as the giant bird instantly landed behind me to hide from the old monster.

"There you are, brat..." The vice admiral said with a grin, ignoring my remark about Chuchun. "Come on, get the emergency ratio-- I mean your bird friend on the ship, and let's get going... we're already running late..." He added, clearing his throat as he corrected himself halfway through his sentence.

"I'm good to go..." I muttered as I glanced at Zephyr, who was watching us from the entrance with a calm expression. "Thank you for everything, Z-sensei," I added with a bow, showing my respect for the former admiral who had trained me for the past year.

"It was my pleasure, kiddo," Zephyr replied with a small smile. "I hope you continue to grow and become a great marine," He added, and I nodded in response, feeling a twinge of sadness as I realized that I would be leaving him behind.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go! We're already running late!" Garp shouted as he walked towards the exit of the house, not giving me a chance to say proper goodbyes to Zephyr. "Hurry up, unless you want Sengoku to talk our ears off for being late!" He concluded, giving Zephyr a slight nod as he walked past him.

I sighed, knowing that this was the kind of behavior I should expect from the vice admiral, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes in exasperation at the vice admiral's antics.

Ultimately, I could only instruct Chuchun to follow as I ran behind the vice admiral. "Please take care, Z-sensei," I said as I walked past the former admiral, and he merely gave me an assuring grin before turning around and leaving.

...

The port

As I followed Vice Admiral Garp into his ship, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread about our destination. Marijoa was the seat of the World Government and where the Celestial Dragons resided, the descendants of the founders of the World Government.

They were above everyone else and had the authority to do as they pleased, including enslaving people and committing any human rights violation you could and couldn't imagine.

I was already pissed off just thinking about those stuck-up space pigs, but I knew I had to be on my best behavior and keep my head down and lay low or suffer the consequences.

'It'll probably feel so good to punch one of them in the face...' I mused but quickly shook my head and the intrusive thoughts alongside it. I had to focus on the task at hand, my training, and my studies.

As the ship set sail, I watched The Island of the Marineford slowly grow smaller and smaller until it was just a dot in the distance. "So, what are we going to do in Marijoa, anyway? Security?" I asked as I turned to Vice Admiral Garp.

"Now that you mention it..." Garp repeated, scratching his head. "I have no idea, brat," he added with a grin as he shook his head. "I guess we'll have to figure it out once we get there..."

I sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long trip. I turned to Chuchun and patted him on the head, feeling his feathers against my hand. "At least I have you with me, big guy," I said, smiling.

Chuchun let out a soft chirp as if to say, "Of course you do," and I couldn't help but chuckle.

As we sailed towards Marijoa, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, a feeling that something was bound to happen. But I pushed it aside, knowing that brooding about it was pointless.

Whatever might happen, I would face it head-on, just like I always did.