The next day, Marineford, Bay of the Cross.
The medium-sized stone battleship "Hailushi" quietly stood at the dock, measuring about 80 meters in length. Externally, it was indistinguishable from an ordinary military ship.
"Major General, is this our new ship?"
Karl nodded, "Yes, in the future, we will use this stone battleship for long-distance voyages, and we will be able to move freely even on calm seas. By the way, congratulations on your promotion to lieutenant, Nelson."
Nelson scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "It's all thanks to you."
"Karl!"
Nelson turned around, hearing a woman's voice. Soon, a female marine with a suitcase ran up to them, her long sea-blue hair fluttering in the wind.
"I thought you wouldn't come!"
"Phew~ How could that be? Don't think of leaving me."
Ain playfully nudged Karl, glanced at Nelson, then turned her gaze to the ship before her and smiled.
Today, Ain wore a cream short skirt of the naval uniform, dark gray stockings, and black leather ankle boots with a small heel. On her back, matching Karl, she sported a white cloak of justice.
She looked heroic and spirited, her uniform bearing an enticing allure.
Karl couldn't help but be surprised. This girl came prepared!
"By the way, let me introduce you, this is Lieutenant Nelson, my adjutant."
"This beauty studied with me in the training camp and is also my friend, Lieutenant Ain…" By the way, what's your rank now, Ain?
Hearing this, Ian puffed out her cheeks, pursed her lips, and turned away, as if very displeased that Karl didn't even know her rank.
Karl coughed awkwardly and said, "Well, in any case, she'll be my adjutant in the future, and of course, you'll be my adjutant too."
Nelson sighed with relief. Good, good.
"Alright, get on board! Our destination is Amazon lily"
Saying this, Karl boarded the stone battleship "Hailushi" and headed straight to the cabin. Ain was stunned. This... was not what her sister Gion had taught her!
"Lieutenant Nelson, from now on just call me Major Ain."
Nelson nodded without blinking, and his status dropped by -1.
Three minutes later, the stone battleship "Hailushi" slowly set off towards Daughter Island.
In the cabin, Karl sat with one leg crossed over the other, drinking tea and reading a newspaper. Raven and Shisui were lying nearby, and no one paid any attention to them.
When Ain entered, she silently remarked, "You're so carefree!"
"Come over! Sit down!"
"Would you like some tea?"
Ain waved her hand and looked at the two swords next to Karl. Her eyes lit up: "Hey! These swords are very beautiful."
"Oh! You mean these? Take them and play!"
Karl picked up the two swords and tossed them to Ain for her to play with.
"Oh my goodness! This is the Black Sword "Shisui" of the 21st level Great Blade? The sword of the legendary dragon slayer Ryuma! Where did you find it?"
"This! It was gifted to me by Gecko Moria. It's quite convenient to use. Want to try it?"
Ain quickly shook her head and said somewhat dejectedly, "Forget it! I'm just beginning to learn swordsmanship. You can't fight the strongest swordsman in the world."
Hearing this, Karl set the newspaper aside and looked at Ain in surprise: "You still use a sword?"
Ain nodded, extended her hands, and in her left and right hands appeared two short swords of silvery-white color. The light fell on the short blades, emitting a cold gleam.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk! Cool."
Then Karl picked up the newspaper again and read it with interest, ignoring the beautiful woman next to him.
Ain looked at Karl in disbelief. Was she really being ignored so easily?
"Hey! Karl!"
"If you have something to say, just say it!"
"Can't I just call you over for a minute?"
Karl sighed. If you're really bored, you can nibble on a lighter, but please let me rest, okay?
"Sure, why not!"
Then the room fell silent again. Ain watched Karl, who was focused on his break, and involuntarily felt a slight disappointment. She simply sat on the sofa and picked up a newspaper, mimicking Karl.
The only sounds in the room were the rustling of newspapers and the sipping of tea. The entire morning went by like this.
Seeing Karl finally put down the newspaper, Ain wondered if Karl was like this every day, right?
Hey! Indeed, when Karl was on the road, he simply drank tea, smoked, and read the newspaper all day.
"Hey! Why are you still here?"
Ain rolled her eyes, "What else? There's nothing to do. It's lunchtime. Want to join me?"
Glancing at the clock, Karl nodded. It was indeed time to eat.
"Alright, let's go!"
They left the lounge side by side. In the lounge, Karl noticed that the soldiers were watching them with curiosity, but he didn't care. Ain's face was truly flushed.
Ain didn't dare to look directly at the marines, thinking about how a man and a woman had spent the whole morning in the lounge. If she were in their place, she would have thought something inappropriate as well.
But who would have thought that she and Karl spent the entire morning in the lounge without even exchanging a few words?
After lunch, Karl saw that it was sunny today and simply said to Ain, "It's warm and sunny today, want to sunbathe together?"
Ain: ???
Ten minutes later, watching the marines skillfully set up lounge chairs, umbrellas, and other items, Ain fell silent.
This is not a mission! It's just relaxation!
"Come on! Ain, don't be shy!"
Ain bit her lower lip, finally made up her mind, went to her room, changed into a conservative black swimsuit, and lay down embarrassedly on the lounge chair next to Karl.
"Isn't this wrong? Everyone else is doing their work, and we're here... enjoying ourselves?"
Karl smiled and said, "Just get used to it. Besides, we're naval officers, and our main mission is to eliminate the pirates!"
"Let the marines handle the rest. We can't do everything, right?"
Ain nodded thoughtfully. Karl's words made sense. On Commander Tsuru's ship, she was always busy with "other tasks." Now, being on Karl's ship, she felt a bit uneasy.
"Our task this time is to invite the Pirate Empress, the most beautiful woman in the world, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you think she really is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
Karl's instincts told him that Ain had something on her mind. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I haven't seen her, so how would I know if she's truly that beautiful?"
"Maybe she's not as beautiful as you are!"
The corners of Ain's lips curved slightly up; she turned her head to look at Karl and smiled like a blossoming flower: "Do you think I'm beautiful?"
"What else could it be? You're the famous beauty of our 24th training camp!"
Ain felt a sweetness in her heart upon receiving Karl's compliment.
Looking at Karl's profile, Ain thought to herself: You're also the most handsome man in the 24th training camp, no, in the entire fleet!