Chapter 3
Commodore Daigin was in a good mood. His dream to go to Headquarters was one step closer to realization, and that was thanks to a certain Marine under his command: Petty Officer Castiel. And now he couldn't help but be giddy.
When he heard that Vice Admiral Doll might try to poach that same man, he was worried and couldn't help himself from eavesdropping on their conversation. At the end of that conversation, the Commodore was so proud that he even opened his treasured whiskey to celebrate.
He had never had such an excellent subordinate. Once he was transferred to Headquarters, he would bring that Marine with him. Just to show off to others what kind of excellent Marine he had raised in his base.
But there was a problem. Petty Officer was too low a rank to be even remembered at Headquarters. So, he decided to use his power to the fullest and promote that young Marine. Though with his power, he could only promote him to Warrant Officer, the highest rank among the Infantry and the Sailor Division.
Marine Castiel had an excellent record, and with this achievement, he more than deserved the promotion. But that was the limit of the Commodore's powers. The rest fell to Castiel's capabilities and Headquarters' recognition for him to rise further.
Commodore could already see a path for his own career through this young man. His dreams were within his reach, but it wouldn't be easy. He needed more contributions; a few pirate fights within his territory weren't enough for anyone at the top to even glance at him.
And even this recent fight would not be attributed to him, but to Vice Admiral Doll. As much as he disliked it, he had no choice but to ask for her help, as she was situated in a perfect area to stop those pirates from running away. He couldn't allow any pirate to escape his grasp, no matter what.
What should he do? Now that the first step had been taken so suddenly, Commodore Daigin didn't want to lose the momentum. He didn't buy into the theory of one step at a time; he wanted to leap forward as far as possible.
Scratching his black spiky beard, he thought about it hard but couldn't come up with any solution. In the end, he could only try to catch the pirates around his base and hope that he would be able to catch some big fish sooner rather than later.
He wished he could try his luck with the many criminal organizations situated in West Blue, but they were connected to world nobles. One wrong move and he'll be forever blacklisted and made to stay in this place.
That just didn't sit well with him, so he sent someone to get Castiel. First things first, he was going to promote the young man and establish him as his subordinate. He would make sure that the young man would follow him from now on.
…
"How much?"
The first thing that came to Castiel's mind after hearing that he was being promoted was, of course, how much more money he would get from his salary. In the end, being a Petty Officer or a Warrant Officer didn't mean much.
He still would have to go out on patrols; he wouldn't have any subordinates of his own, and he still would have to do as he was ordered to do. All that changed was his salary. And that was all he cared about.
"Ahem." Commodore Daigin coughed as he regained his demeanor. "Your salary will increase by thirty percent."
"Very well then, thank you for your consideration toward me."
Castiel could live with that; it wasn't enough to afford the medicine, but he could buy some time with that extra money before he got the rest of the money from the compensation after he was killed in the line of duty.
"Well, good work out there, you deserve it, and I have much more hope for your future. Keep it up."
"While I am here, I would like to ask you a rather particular question." Castiel changed the subject as he looked at his superior. "What are we going to do about all the criminal organizations running rampant?"
"The Chinjao family? Or the mafia?" the Commodore asked back. "I understand your feelings, but sadly, there's nothing that can be done. Even the lesser-known organizations are too far-spread and too powerful. Any hostile action could lead to countless casualties neither side can afford."
"I don't see the problem, sir," Castiel continued to push the subject. "Unlike those criminals, it is our duty to put our lives at risk. I will gladly sacrifice myself for justice."
"Your dedication shall be remembered, but for any such big actions to be taken, there needs to be justification and preparation, and only with Headquarters' approval."
"My apologies, I was too heated," Castiel replied, trying not to sound so desperate, though he had many other words he would have liked to speak, but he kept those to himself.
"No, no, justice can only be absolute. Your demeanor and actions so far show that you understand it very well. I am nothing but proud to have a Marine like you."
A cowardly dog who only knew how to bark but had no bite. Castiel had even more words for such a man. But what was the point? That absolute justice bullshit was nothing but a justification for their immoral actions when it suited the World Government.
It wasn't true justice. They wouldn't even know what true justice was, even if it hit them in the face. Castiel felt nothing but disgust to be even a part of this shithole. But it was fine. He wanted justification to put down the worst kind of criminals; he would give him one.
Since nobody would start a war for him, he would do it himself. By staking his life, that was even better. He would hit two birds with one stone: getting himself killed and making sure that the other Marines had no choice but to do something about the rampant spread of criminal organizations.
For once, they might do some justice. Not some bullshit justice they preached about, by capturing kids who only shoplifted and sending them to a life of slavery. Let's see how they could handle doing what they were meant to do. Though Castiel wouldn't be the one to see it.
Still, he would be happy to die, knowing that his death would force those damn cowardly dogs to do something and maybe even get them killed. He would be free, and the compensation for his death would give a new life to Cass.
…
When Castiel returned home, there wasn't much waiting for him. It was a small one-room apartment, the cheapest he could find. The fridge was empty, and he only had a few pieces of hard bread to snack on.
He sat down on his bed and lit up a cigarette as he thought about what he should do next. Filling his room with smoke, Castiel relaxed on his bed. It was already late, and he had to wake up early for morning patrol, then get used to his new duties as a Warrant Officer.
Should he buy a gift for Cass? What would she like? A book? He didn't know. What would a child who was stuck in her bed all day want? It was a pity she was so ill; she couldn't even leave the hospital. If she had gotten better, he would have taken her to see the world.
Far away from the reaches of the World Government. Maybe settling on a peaceful and remote island. In a faraway village, where the blue sky would never change. But that was just a dream. And now, there was no way for him to accomplish it.
It was only a dream that Cass could have. And it fell upon him to fulfill it, so she could live on. He knew it wouldn't be easy on her own, but he believed she was strong enough. It was he who couldn't take the injustice he saw every day.
It was he who was plagued by guilt for letting those children enter the world of slavery. He couldn't stop it, but he should have. So, he would pay for it with his life. If he were reborn in another world, he would only remember Cass from this world and bury everything else deep inside.
But all that could wait. What he couldn't wait for was to bring justice to at least this island. And to do it not only by bringing down the criminals but also by exposing all those Marines preaching about their justice while doing nothing to uphold it.
Opening his closet, he put down his uniform and took one of the two civilian clothing sets. Before he left this world, he would make sure that at least this island was safe for Cass to live in. So, he needed to find them all.
Looking over the four rifles of various sizes and six pistols next to a box of ammunition, Castiel regretfully closed the closet. He couldn't use a gun while he was acting as a civilian. All he needed now was to find the biggest and the worst gang or criminal organization.
Then he would go blasting them all up. Castiel didn't care about the idiotic notion of justification and preparation. He would move the Marines with his death, making sure that they wouldn't rest until they wiped out all of these thugs who might one day pose an annoyance to Cass.
And if he was going to die anyway, he wanted to go out in blazing fury. After all, he needed to keep Cass's impression of himself as a hero. So, he would die as one, so Cass could continue to believe that he was a hero.
…
Warrant Officer Castiel. With a new title came new duties. Even though nothing much had changed, there was one thing he was now able to do. He had the highest authority in any investigations done by the Marines.
Of course, he still answered to his higher-ups. But he was free to do as he wished as long as it was in the name of carrying out justice. So, Castiel would use it to the full extent. This island was quite big, and even this city was bigger than most in the West Blue.
After all, it had a Commodore as the highest-ranking Marine. And as much as Castiel didn't like him, he could acknowledge that he was a capable Marine. If someone like him had to be stationed here, it must mean that there were similar levels of criminals in the area to be watched over.
Though he didn't have clearance for that kind of information, it wouldn't be hard to find all kinds of criminals if he just looked for them. Though he felt sorry for the Commodore, there wouldn't be any time for him to prepare once Castiel started it all. But he would give the justification.
Leaving his home, he walked through the streets he had memories of. He still couldn't tell which set of memories was his. Was he Castiel, or was he a man who came from another world? Well, it mattered little; for now, he was Castiel.
In those dark memories of his, there was only one light. Cass's easy smile, her reddish hair, and freckled face illuminated all the shadows that surrounded him. In a place where children were left to die, she was the one who gave her last piece of bread to him.
From that moment on, he decided to protect her no matter what. And even now, with a different set of memories in his mind, where he couldn't tell what was real or not, there was only one thing that he cared about. And it was her.
It might be whimsical and foolish to put his whole life and belief into such a memory. But he didn't see anything wrong with it. Cass was the only light in this world, and he had to protect it, as it was more important than anything else.
That's why he couldn't accept the Marines and what they did. All those children were similar to him and Cass. Coming from nowhere and just trying to survive and live on, only they were caught, and he wasn't.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.