68: Gion

"Ah-choo! Strange…"

Kizaru rubbed his nose, a wary expression on his face. Could it be that Marineford had already set up a grand tribunal to interrogate him?

Was it because Fleet Admiral Sengoku had discovered the falsified maintenance expenses he reported last time? Or had Gion found out about his little trip to the pleasure district the time before?

"Kizaru, I'll be leaving the next phase of this to you and the doctor."

Kuma gave Kizaru a slightly puzzled look, but given his personality, he wouldn't ask about it directly.

The person Kizaru had come to see in the pirate world was indeed Kuma. Secretly sending off the Straw Hat crew was not without consequences—Sengoku was simply too busy preparing for the Summit War to deal with Kuma for now.

Once the war was over, Kuma would almost certainly be stripped of his Warlord title.

"Have you really thought this through? Dr. Vegapunk's technology is indeed extraordinary, but you know his personality. Once he decides your body no longer has research value, he might not keep his promise."

Kizaru nodded but still couldn't help but voice his concerns.

To gain and maintain his position as a Warlord, Kuma had voluntarily accepted Dr. Vegapunk's research and modifications.

Over the years, the Revolutionary Army had used Kuma's status to grow stronger, but Kuma's body had been pushed to its limits after countless modifications.

Vegapunk was a genius with boundless curiosity and a relentless drive for invention. He wanted to create an unprecedented human weapon using Kuma's body.

To gain more power and obtain Vegapunk's technology, Kuma was willing to risk losing his sense of self and agreed to the final stage of modification.

According to their agreement, even if Kuma lost himself in the process, he would still receive some of Vegapunk's technological blueprints.

However, such an agreement had no binding force. In other words, if Vegapunk broke his promise, neither Kuma nor the Revolutionary Army could do anything about it.

"My body is already reaching its limit. Even if I refuse the modification, I don't have much time left…"

Kuma unzipped his coat, revealing a body that had undergone so many surgeries that its original form was barely recognizable. His expression remained calm.

Death did not scare him. The only thing Kuma cared about was how much his death would be worth.

"…I understand. Since Vegapunk made you a promise, he will definitely keep it."

Kizaru was silent for a moment before turning away. As a Navy officer, he had no real standing to say such things.

But for Kuma's sake, if Vegapunk ever tried to break their agreement, Kizaru would make sure it was honored.

Kuma silently bowed to Kizaru's retreating figure before turning and walking away as well.

The two of them walked in opposite directions, knowing full well that this was likely their final meeting.

Kizaru would return to Marineford and continue his role as an admiral.

Kuma, on the other hand, would head to the secret base of the Science Division to undergo his final transformation under Vegapunk.

Feeling a bit down, Kizaru couldn't be bothered to take a slow ride back by warship. Instead, he turned into a flash of light and instantly returned to Marineford.

After all, his movements were always a mystery. Even if Fleet Admiral Sengoku grew suspicious, Kizaru could easily come up with an excuse.

"The construction is coming along nicely…"

As soon as Kizaru returned to Marineford, he noticed the newly built fortifications around the harbor and outer plaza.

To minimize naval casualties, Sengoku had gone to great lengths to turn Marineford into a fortress bristling with defenses. The sheer density of coastal artillery and the patrolling fleets beyond Marineford's waters made it clear that any attacking force would suffer dearly.

If Whitebeard's crew wanted to break into Marineford's plaza, they'd have to shed three layers of skin first.

Even if they managed to enter the bay, they would only be walking into the Navy's trap.

Simply put, if everything went according to Sengoku's plan, even if all Four Emperors joined forces, they would crash against this impenetrable fortress and be left in ruins.

Unfortunately, the Navy's top brass had their own agendas—some turned a blind eye, some played their own games, and Vice Admiral Garp outright dragged his feet.

The only one who truly went all-in was Sakazuki, the overachiever.

To make matters worse, Whitebeard took an unconventional approach, using coated ships to launch a surprise attack from beneath the sea. This maneuver instantly nullified at least sixty percent of Sengoku's carefully laid defenses.

The painstakingly built fortifications and artillery were rendered useless, ultimately leading to the Navy's failure in the Summit War.

But Fleet Admiral Sengoku didn't really have much to complain about—after all, he wasn't exactly giving it his all either.

Throughout the whole battle, all he did was transform once and land a massive palm strike on Luffy, yet he ended up panting harder than Sakazuki—the poor guy who got smashed into the ground by Whitebeard.

"Admiral Kizaru!"

"Admiral!"

"Admiral—"

…

The Marines in the plaza quickly spotted Kizaru and saluted him with the utmost respect.

Despite Kizaru's reputation for slacking off, he was actually the most popular among the three admirals among the lower-ranking Marines.

After all, Akainu's personality made it impossible for him to be well-liked, and Kuzan was even lazier than Kizaru when he wanted to be.

Kizaru, on the other hand, was approachable, friendly, and willing to chat with regular soldiers. Plus, he was undeniably handsome, which only added to his appeal.

"Ohh, you've all been working hard. Keep up the good work."

Kizaru waved with a lazy smile, prompting cheers from the Marines.

Many of the Marines present were elite soldiers transferred from various branch bases, and this was their first time seeing a navy admiral in person.

They had always imagined admirals as untouchable figures towering above them, so they never expected Kizaru to casually greet them like this.

One by one, the Marines grew more excited, calling their comrades over in an attempt to get a closer look at Admiral Kizaru.

Seeing the growing crowd, Kizaru decided it was best not to linger in the plaza. If Sengoku noticed the commotion, he'd probably drag him off to do some actual work.

Those who arrived late and missed the chance to see Kizaru in person were still thrilled just by hearing others talk about it.

"Admiral Kizaru looked at us!"

Just the thought of it filled them with energy, making them work even harder—some were even eager to finish the next few days' worth of tasks in a single day.

Meanwhile, Kizaru, having gracefully slipped away, soon arrived at his office.

However, when he tried to open the door, he found that it was locked from the inside.

"Could it be…?"

Kizaru raised an eyebrow, a delighted smile forming on his face.

Without knocking, he transformed into light, slipping through the corridor window and onto the office balcony, silently making his way toward the luxurious bathroom.

If any of those Marines who idolized Admiral Kizaru saw this, their image of him would be utterly shattered.

"Surprise!"

Kizaru eagerly pushed open the bathroom door—only for his smile to freeze on his face.

Just as he expected, little Nami was indeed in the bathtub.

But standing under the shower was another person…

Gion.

His fiancée!

Gion, who usually tied her hair in a long braid, had her wet hair cascading down her back. Her flawless, bare body glistened under the running water, her long legs drawing Kizaru's eyes before he could stop himself.

For a moment, Gion didn't react. She even stupidly greeted Kizaru.

"Don't look!"

Halfway through her greeting, Gion suddenly snapped back to reality. Her fair face instantly turned crimson as she reflexively grabbed her sword Konpira, from beside her and slashed at Kizaru in one swift motion.

Despite appearing bold and uninhibited—often showing off her long legs and even tattooing a spider design on them—Gion was actually quite shy.

Even in front of her fiancé, Kizaru, she struggled to completely let go, let alone allow him to see her like this.

"Waaah! Take it easy!"

Kizaru was startled.

Gion might only be an admiral candidate, but back when he was courting her, Kizaru had spent plenty of time training with her and helping her refine her techniques.

Now, she was just a step away from being a top-tier powerhouse. If she were to unleash a full-powered slash in her embarrassed fury, she could very well slice Marineford in half.

Fortunately, Kizaru's reflexes saved him. At the speed of light, he drew his Ame no Murakumo sword, blocking Gion's strike just in time.

"Get out!"

Gion regretted attacking the moment she swung—not because she was worried about hurting Kizaru, but because she feared the noise would attract attention.

If someone barged in to investigate, how was she supposed to explain this?

Seeing that Kizaru had blocked her strike, Gion hurriedly pulled back, grabbed a bath towel, and wrapped it around herself. With an aggrieved expression, she shoved Kizaru out of the bathroom.

"Gion, are you okay?"

When Gion unsheathed her sword just now, Nami had been so frightened that she shrank into the oversized bathtub, blowing bubbles in panic.

For a moment, she thought Gion was planning to uphold justice by eliminating them on the spot.

Fortunately, she quickly remembered Gion's personality and relaxed.

"It's fine… He was bound to see me sooner or later anyway. I overreacted."

Blushing, Gion sat back down in the bathtub. Despite appearing far more mature than Nami on the outside, her reaction to Kizaru made her seem more like a shy young girl.

Meanwhile, in his office, Kizaru sat around idly, absentmindedly playing with his Den Den Mushi. The bathroom's soundproofing was too good—he couldn't even hear the water running.

But just knowing that little Nami and Gion were bathing inside together made it impossible for him to sit still.

"Calm down. Gion will cut you."

Kizaru did his best to suppress his excitement. Getting himself slashed for no reason would be far too unfortunate.

Under his indomitable human spirit, his restlessness finally settled.

After finishing their bath, Gion and Nami emerged, both wrapped in bathrobes.

Ironically, despite being Kizaru's official fiancée, Gion instinctively shrank behind Nami, as if she were too nervous to meet Kizaru's gaze.

"Gion-nee, what do you want to drink?"

Nami was already used to this. There were probably few mistresses in the world who had it as good as she did—not only had she earned the official wife's approval, but she and Gion had even become close friends who could talk about anything.

"Just some oolong tea."

Gion chose the seat farthest from Kizaru, sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye. But before she knew it, he had moved to sit right next to her.

With a startled yelp, she found herself lifted onto his lap.

"Why did you suddenly return to headquarters? Where's old man Zephyr?"

Ignoring Gion's weak struggles, Kizaru kissed her cheek, causing her to go completely limp in his arms.

As an admiral candidate, Gion had always been stationed with Zephyr, assisting with the Naval Academy's affairs.

In Kizaru's memory, she hadn't been present during the Marineford War.

"Zephyr-sensei took leave to visit his hometown…"

Gion, who had just been flustered, suddenly became downcast.

Hearing this, Kizaru couldn't help but sigh.

Thanks to his intervention, Zephyr hadn't lost his students or his arm.

But even before meeting Kizaru, the former admiral—renowned for his "no-kill" policy—had already lost his family.

Kizaru never agreed with Sakazuki's extreme, indiscriminate brand of justice.

Yet he also couldn't fully accept Zephyr's philosophy of never taking a life.

Sure, exceptions like Luffy existed, but most pirates were not good people.

Maybe they had been victims of oppression before setting sail, but once they chose the path of piracy—inflicting suffering upon others in turn—they became irredeemable criminals.

Every year, Zephyr would return to his hometown to spend time at his family's graves.

"And you? Did Fleet Admiral Sengoku send you here for the war?"

Kizaru tried to shift the conversation, hoping to lift Gion's spirits.

If, at first, he had pursued Gion purely because of her pretty face and long legs…

After everything they'd been through together, he had genuinely fallen for this shy woman.

Of course, love was love, but giving up Nami, Hancock, Stussy, or the ladies of the Red-Light District? Absolutely not!

Kizaru was that kind of shameless womanizer

"Mhm. But honestly, I also wanted to see just how strong Whitebeard really is."

Gion instinctively reached for her sword hilt.

Despite her bashful nature, she was a born warrior at heart.

If not, Kizaru wouldn't have had such an easy time winning her over in the first place.

The long legs now obediently sitting in his lap had been hard-earned through countless sparring sessions.

"Ah… Fleet Admiral Sengoku really is cautious, huh…"

Kizaru's mouth twitched.

The lineup was already absurd:

The Fleet Admiral. The Hero of the Marines. The Three Admirals. Vice Admiral Tsuru.

Twelve Vice Admirals from headquarters.

Eight Vice Admirals from the Giant Squad.

The Science Combat Unit.

A hundred thousand elite marines.

And on top of that… the Warlords of the Sea.

°°°

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