"I'm sorry, but regarding this matter... I must refuse." Bellere didn't even hesitate before rejecting Michael's proposal. "Sister Sohan saved my life and my two daughters' lives back then and the salary she offers is quite generous."
Bellere harbored not a shred of resentnt toward the Marines.
Her decision was purely based on personal loyalty and benefits.
After all, she had two daughters to raise.
Just thinking about her salary back when she was a Marine made Bellere feel utterly exhausted.
There was absolutely no way she could have supported two daughters with that.
"Uh, what was your rank back then?"
"Marine Branch Captain" Bellere replied. "And it was in the East Blue."
After hearing this, Michael wasn't surprised by her answer.
The East Blue's military budget was already the lowest among all Marine branches.
Moreover, a Branch Captain salary wasn't particularly substantial to begin with.
Combined, it was enough for one person to live comfortably, or barely enough for two.
Definitely not enough for two daughters.
"But the Alabasta branch... is completely different from the East Blue." Michael approached the mother and her two daughters, saying, "Although it's a Marine branch, the benefits are on par with Marine Headquarters. Plus, the Alabasta royal family allocates an annual sponsorship fund to the Alabasta branch... If you were to return to your previous rank, you'd likely earn about five tis your original salary."
"And that's just the base pay. If the Alabasta branch captures or kills a wanted pirate, the entire branch receives a bonus."
As Michael spoke, Bellere's eyes gradually transford into two large dollar signs.
Michael wiped the cold sweat from his temple.
So this greed for money runs in the family!
But soon, Bellere shook her head vigorously, her eyes clearing as if the greedy look had never been there.
"N-no! I can't! Sister Sohan saved , I can't just..."
"Hey! Bellere! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Sohan's voice ca from behind them.
Bellere turned to see Sohan erging from the ship's cabin.
"Sohan..."
"I just finished inventory and heard you talking nonsense here!" Sohan walked up to Bellere, looking at the younger woman with a sigh.
"It's true I saved your life back then, but haven't you saved more than once?"
"If we're counting life debts, I'd say I owe you at least two by now."
"So don't hold back. If the salary is good, the Marines are definitely a better path than staying on a rchant ship."
Hearing Sohan's words, Bellere froze in place.
It wasn't that she wasn't tempted by the benefits Michael described.
Because when she first joined the Marines, it wasn't for survival—it was to stand against all injustice and unfairness.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have boldly declared that if Shiki dared co to the East Blue, she'd punch him into the sky when she heard about his prison break.
Nor would she have stood in front of everyone when Arlong invaded Cocoyasi Village.
Even after deliberately distancing herself from the Marines for over a year, she had to admit...
She was born to be a Marine.
"And most importantly, you'll be raising two children." Sohan stepped forward, gently stroking Bellere's hair as the sturdy rchant displayed rare tenderness. "But a cramped rchant ship isn't the best environnt for children to grow up healthy."
With that, she approached Michael and extended her hand for a formal handshake.
"Michael-san, I entrust my hopeless little sister to your care."
****
"So during this mission, you brought back a forr Marine branch captain?"
"Mhm."
"And this Marine branch captain has two children?"
"Correct."
"You think I believe that?"
"Shouldn't you?"
Michael and Stella sat across the desk staring at each other until Stella finally sighed.
Then she muttered under her breath.
"...Sotis I can't tell if you're genuinely oblivious or just pretending."
"Ahem, I can hear you."
"So what if you can!" Stella stuck her tongue out at Michael before composing herself.
"I've checked Bellere's service records."
She began reading from the East Blue branch's docunts:
"Bellere, joined the Marines at East Blue branch in 1499 of the Sea Calendar, aged fifteen."
"Demonstrated exceptional performance with repeated achievents in anti-piracy operations, quickly promoted to Marine branch captain."
"Later went missing during the Oykot Kingdom campaign in East Blue."
"It seems she was both experienced and talented as a Marine."
Michael nodded in agreent.
With such an impressive record, had she not left the Marines for little Nojiko and Nami, she'd likely have been transferred to Marine Headquarters by now.
"Based on her record and your description of her conduct aboard the rchant ship, she'd be perfect for current Alabasta," Stella said, looking up.
"After all, you're the only one in the entire SWORD who's actually commanded regular troops... We can't have a branch commander handling everything personally, can we?"
"True, you are all classified special forces after all..."
Michael agreed.
He never intended for his subordinates to develop leadership skills—their primary goal was enhancing their combat strength to beco the Marines' future pillars.
"Then it's settled. The Alabasta branch still has many headquarters officer positions available... For Bellere, let's start by removing the 'branch' from her captain title."
"Oh, when assigning housing, make sure Bellere gets a larger residence—preferably with a small yard... Since she's bringing two children."
"...It's this kind of unconsciously kind behavior that easily gets misinterpreted!"
"Hah?" Michael lightly flicked Stella's forehead. "What strange things are you always thinking about... By the way, include Bellere in your internal training sessions."
"Understood." Stella grasped his aning. "We'll begin by teaching her the Six Powers."
After settling Bellere's affair, Michael was about to leave the communications room with Stella when she called out to him.
"There's one more thing..."
"What is it?"
"Recently, there have been strange sandstorms near Rainbase."
"Isn't it perfectly normal for sandstorms to occur in the desert?"
"But these sandstorms have nothing to do with the weather. It's almost as if... they're alive."
------------------------------
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