In such situations, it's always better to act first and talk later.
Rance: "Close in!"
Appearing next to the pirate, Rance shot him in the knee. The pirate reacted quickly, but not quickly enough, and after rolling to the side, Rance holstered the pistol, drew another loaded one, and shot the same knee again before finishing the roll.
Standing up, Rance holstered the last pistol, and when the pirate roared and clumsily swung a huge club, Rance delivered a swift kick, releasing a compressed air stream that sliced the pirate from groin to crown.
Rance had to give credit to the half-giant—this blow would have sliced an ordinary person in half, but the pirate merely rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness with a large wound across his body.
Not showing his surprise, Rance took on the most authoritative demeanor and shouted, "Drop your weapons, and you will be spared! If you don't drop your weapons, you will be killed!"
To back up his words, Fia turned her fingers into ten small cannons and fired near the feet of the stunned pirates. Seeing her Devil Fruit, the pirates began surrendering one by one, begging for mercy and blaming their former captain for their actions.
But this did not faze Rance, and he methodically began capturing the prisoners and assisting the wounded.
Turning to Captain Bop, Rance realized that he would likely take a long time to recover, if he ever could, and fortunately, none of the team's lieutenants dared to challenge Rance's orders after witnessing his strength.
The next phase of the adventure was delivering the prisoners and towing the pirate ship. Rance and Fia had experience with this.
A few days later, after they brought the ship to port and sold the prisoners, Rance and Fia stood on a small fishing pier, exchanging a couple of letters.
The first letter, addressed to Rance MacGrew, read:
"In light of the outstanding merits demonstrated in service to the Marines of the Southern Blue Sea, you, Rance MacGrew, are appointed to the rank of Commander for the maintenance and protection of justice in all matters concerning the social well-being of law-abiding citizens.
Signature: Blue Vestito, Rear Admiral of the sea, and so forth."Fia received a similar letter granting her the rank of Commander-Lieutenant, which greatly upset her since she just wanted to be a cook.
There were also other documents detailing their new assignments. As a Commander, Rance was granted his own ship and a patrol area around the island of Centauria.
They were required to arrive at their post within sixty days, meaning they and Fia would have no time onshore other than today.
As the two conversed on the pier, mostly about work, Fia pointed to a flock of carrier pigeons, and one of the large birds descended. Somehow, the creature knew how to deliver letters and, after handing a parcel to the girl, flew away.
Rance asked, "What is it?"
"Uh..." Fia replied, looking at the sender's name.
Then, turning her head, Fia handed the letter to Rance, "Oh, it's a letter from Bill!"
The last year and a half had been tough, Ricky thought. Strength mattered in the Marines Academy in Marineford, but if a cadet didn't have overwhelming power, it barely compensated for other weaknesses. And that was the current situation for both Sasha and him.
They were strong enough to win most ranking battles, but after the initial evaluations, Sasha found herself at the bottom, and he wasn't far from her. Considering they joined a year later, reaching the top 30 by the second year was extremely challenging. Especially for Ricky, who didn't really want to be a Marine.
Sword training? Who even likes swords?! Fighting monsters? Who would want that?!
All Ricky wanted was to work six hours a day in some office, spending the rest of his time as he pleased. If it weren't for... "Ugh."
Trying not to let out a sigh, he simply stared at the top bunk. Soon, the Instructors would come in and reprimand anyone who wasn't properly dressed or for some other reason they deemed worthy of a "dressing down."
After eighteen months, Ricky had gotten used to sleeping less. His internal clock was set to ensure he woke up on time.
Despite all the downsides, Ricky thought his time here wasn't so bad, if only because he got to be with Sasha every day. He also met many high-ranking Marines, from the Hero Garp to the Admiral Red Dog.
Thinking about the superiors, Ricky realized they were all a bit strange. Aramaki didn't seem like a typical senior officer.
His thoughts were interrupted as the other cadets in the room began to wake up. Ricky quietly got up, neatly made his already tidy bed, and finally put on his slippers. Then he went to Sasha's bunk, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her a gentle nudge.
"Get up, they're coming soon," he said softly.
Sasha turned over and looked at him with a line of drool on her cheek. Her hair was a mess, and upon realizing who it was, she just mumbled something, wiped her face, and got up to start getting ready.