Sakazuki received the outcome with no surprise and no concern. He simply nodded in understanding and approved Onigumo's leave request, handing it to Carol.
***
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Two battleships gradually approached each other on the sea, bathed in the faint moonlight. This was once the territory of Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, and a place where countless Navy soldiers and generals fought to their last breath. They exchanged their lives for this peace and tranquility...
Onigumo stood at the bow of the ship, the breeze caressing his face. As the battleships merged, Momonga leaped onto Onigumo's vessel. A smile flickered across Onigumo's fierce and terrifying face. "How have things been lately?"
Momonga sighed, his face etched with exhaustion, and shook his head. "Not good. The suicide rate among returning soldiers is skyrocketing. We're afraid to sleep, day or night. I think it's almost your turn for duty. Be careful."
Onigumo took a deep drag from his cigarette and nodded. "I know." He had some understanding of soldiers' psychological issues, but there were no easy solutions.
Momonga grunted and turned to look at the massive stone monument on deck, which visibly weighed down the battleship. He smiled. "It's quite imposing. Just as Doberman bragged about it."
Onigumo managed a slight smile, exhaled smoke, and turned to gaze at the monument. "Indeed. Marshal Sakazuki himself inscribed it." The solemn monument bore the name 'Doberman' prominently at the top, followed by countless smaller names of soldiers who perished on Whole Cake Island. On the reverse, Sakazuki's own inscription read: 'Eternal Vigilance Against Pirates.' Surrounding these four characters were more dense lists of names...
Onigumo took a deep inhale of his cigar, lost in thought as he looked at the monument. "This peace... was bought with lives..." The calm sea rippled as the battleships cut through it. The ships sailed in formation deeper into Whole Cake Island, a feat unimaginable before.
The next morning.
Based on the marked location and the exploration by the soldiers, Onigumo and Momonga, who had arrived at the site where the围剿 fleet sacrificed themselves, exchanged glances and stood on either side of the massive stone monument, taking a deep breath. "Lift!!!" The monument, like a small mountain, was heaved up by the two World Federal Government Vice Admirals. The explosive force caused the battleship to tremble.
Thump— Thump—
Yet, it had no effect on the two. With each step, they moved until they reached the ship's limit of stability, then roared in unison: "Set!!!" With a combined effort, the immense stone monument was hurled into the air and fell freely into the sea.
BOOM! The impact sent a geyser of water into the air, as if Doberman and the soldiers were responding. "Salute!!!!" The perfectly synchronized movement was held for a long time. Accompanied by a sonorous military anthem, the monument slowly sank into the wreckage of the sunken battleship. It stood upright on the seabed, majestic and unmoving...
***
Grand Line (Now: Global Route).
G-8 Branch, Port.
The port was bustling with activity, a stark contrast to the relative emptiness of other branches. Before the final battle, the petrified soldiers had been revived here, bringing a surge of life back to the area, making it quite lively. Onigumo, his leave ended, waited here early to handle the handover.
As time passed, a battleship appeared on the horizon. When the ship docked, Onigumo boarded, and Strobery, the commanding officer, let out a sigh of relief. Even his usually expressionless face showed a hint of exhaustion. It was evident how difficult the mission of escorting soldiers home was.
After a brief greeting, Strobery produced a list and spoke in a hoarse voice, instructing Onigumo, "This soldier has attempted suicide three times, but his condition has improved significantly. These few soldiers have attempted it once and require observation. The soldiers from Adress Island, their suicides... These few... This one... And this soldier from Kexi Island. Currently, he appears completely normal, speaks and laughs, has never attempted suicide, and even helps other soldiers. But this situation has occurred more than once. At the beginning of their return home, many soldiers were in this state. This is the most severe. When they attempt suicide, there are no warning signs; by the time we react, it's too late, and many have died. You must pay close attention."
Onigumo's expression grew solemn, and he nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, there will be no accidents." Strobery grunted and sighed. "I'm going to rest now." Even a veteran elite Vice Admiral couldn't endure under such circumstances...
Onigumo silently noted the list and then greeted the soldiers on the battleship, memorizing their faces and names, gradually becoming familiar with them.
In the evening, the battleship slowly departed the port. Onigumo began his mission of escorting soldiers home. Only through actual escort duty could one truly understand the difficulty of this mission. He maintained his Observation Haki at the size of the battleship, barely daring to sleep, fearing that a moment's lapse would lead to news of a soldier's suicide. Suicides occurred every few days, sometimes multiple times. Onigumo's taut nerves never relaxed; it was more agonizing than fighting for his life.
Fortunately, as the soldiers returned to their hometowns, shedding their fear, and arrived home safely, the number of people on the battleship gradually decreased.
The night before the battleship's arrival at Kexi Island.
Onigumo silently approached the window of a soldier's room, blending into the shadows. According to Strobery's intelligence, this most severely affected soldier had shown no inclination towards suicide. If there was an opportunity, it would be tonight. The analysis was not wrong, so... Onigumo stood in the shadows, patiently waiting... until dawn.
The silhouette of Kexi Island appeared as a dark spot on the horizon. The bugle sounded, and the drowsy soldiers began to stir. In the room Onigumo was watching, a boyish-faced soldier opened his hazy eyes and reached for the alarm clock on the table. He missed twice, then felt a nail.
CRASH—
The cabin wall splintered. Onigumo burst through, adrenaline surging. He fiercely grabbed the boyish-faced soldier's wrist, his heart pounding with residual fear. The nail, which the soldier had accidentally touched, had pierced the skin near his heart, drawing blood. The soldier, who had previously worn a gentle smile, now had a contorted face, his eyes bloodshot and wild as he glared at Onigumo. "Let go of me!!!" "Damn you!!!" Despite having fought in numerous battles, he was no match for the elite Vice Admiral. Onigumo pinned him to the ground, and the soldier let out furious roars and curses. They struggled, one desperately resisting, the other remaining silent. As they neared the coast, the clamor from the approaching port reached them through the broken cabin wall. The frenzied soldier, as if sensing something terrifying, cried out with a choked sob, "Let go of me!!!" "Let me die, Vice Admiral Onigumo!!!" "I don't want to go back, I don't want to see them, I don't want to..." "Please, let me die!"
Onigumo suppressed the soldier and asked in a deep voice, "Then why did you submit the application to return home?" The boyish-faced soldier was struck as if by lightning, his voice trembling, "Because..." "I..." "I..." I want to go home... But these four words refused to leave his lips... I want to go home, I miss my mother, whom I think of day and night, I miss my lover, whom I parted with long ago, I miss every flower and tree on the island... I dream of my hometown repeatedly, I see my mother's hair turning white, and I wake up crying countless times in my dreams... That's why I filled out the return application... But... I regret it... Only I survived the war... I dare not imagine what it will be like to return home... I'm afraid they will ask me... Ask me... Ask me... Why... You came back alive, what about them...? I'm so scared... I'm really scared... Please, let me die... The boyish-faced soldier heard the increasingly loud clamor, roaring like a weak beast, but received no response. Only those strong hands... relentlessly restrained his body until the battleship docked. Onigumo then picked up the soldier and stood him up. Despite the boyish-faced soldier's frantic struggles, he was inexorably brought onto the deck. The boyish-faced soldier, eyes tightly shut, was placed on the deck like a corpse. "Stand up straight!" "Your mother is waiting for you on shore!" "Chest out!!!" "You are a hero of Kexi Island!" "You must carry the last wishes of the people of Kexi Island who were harmed by pirates, and the will of the heroes who died in the New World, to witness the future of this world!" "To witness the beauty of this world!" "One day in the future, stand tall and proudly tell them!!!" "Under the radiant light of justice, what kind of world that is!" "Were their sacrifices worth it!!!" "You are a hero! Corporal Blaze!" "Stand tall!!!" After Onigumo's fierce shout, he released the boyish-faced soldier. Blaze's mind echoed with Onigumo's roar. His brain could no longer process anything; he involuntarily straightened his chest and took stiff steps towards the battleship's stairs, one step, two steps... Standing on the stairs, he looked at the crowd at Kexi Island's port, a sea of people. BANG— BANG— BANG— Fireworks bloomed in the sky, as if they were free. Even in the morning sun, the brilliance of the fireworks could be seen. Everyone wept, cheered, and shouted for their hero's return, even though only one returned out of over three thousand who joined the army... But this... This was their hero from Kexi Island!!! Blaze's blood-red eyes cleared, and the madness receded. At some point, tears streamed down his face, and the fear in his heart vanished. In the crowded port, he saw a figure pushing against the tide, running towards him. It was like a scene from a dream. He remembered her hair was black when he left, but now it was entirely white, and she looked much older. She was so small... In his memory, she struggled to even carry firewood. Yet, now she was filled with strength, pushing through the crowd to rush towards him. Blaze could no longer suppress his emotions and leaped from the battleship... "Mom!!!" BANG— BANG— BANG— Fireworks bloomed, celebrating the hero's return. The embracing mother and son were the meaning behind the sleepless nights of the Navy Vice Admirals' protection. On the jubilant port, the docked battleship quietly departed, heading for the next island...