In the New World, at the G-1 Marine Base, Gion sat leisurely in her office.
Her slender, fair legs rested directly on the desk, her body leaned back against the comfortable chair, and a lady's cigarette was held between her fingers. Her sword, Konpira, hung casually at her waist.
In her other hand, she held a document stamped with the seal of the Fleet Admiral and signed by Sakazuki.
"I've been appointed as an Admiral of Headquarters… After so many years, I've come this far," Gion murmured with a hint of emotion.
With Claudius now the ruler of the world, Naval Headquarters had grown immensely wealthy. The Marines had been secretly expanding for years, and now, under Claudius's protection, their influence was stronger than ever.
Even though the Marines had suffered heavy losses in their battle against the Whitebeard Pirates, they remained a formidable force. Their foundations were intact, making world conscription unnecessary, it would only dilute the Marines' purity and create chaos. Claudius had no interest in short-term combat power boosts.
Even Fujitora, who had been with the Marines for nearly three years, had fully integrated into their system, he was no longer an outsider.
Thus, Gion wasn't particularly surprised by the recruitment order in her hands. As a senior Marine officer with a personal connection to Claudius, she had long been aware of the internal changes.
She also understood why she was being promoted to Admiral.
Under normal circumstances, she would have refused the offer. After all, she had never been particularly eager to become an Admiral. Wasn't it better to remain an Admiral candidate?
That position carried prestige without the full burden of responsibility.
However, with Claudius leading the way, she didn't mind. More importantly, since he had wiped out the Celestial Dragons, she was no longer required to protect them.
On the contrary, this new status gave her the perfect excuse to visit Claudius more often.
A small smile appeared on Gion's lips at the thought.
Over the past few years, she had been incredibly busy overseeing the construction of the new Naval Headquarters.
Now, with the G-1 Base finally nearing completion, the new Headquarters was ready to be established.
With things settling down, she would finally have some free time to visit Claudius.
Just then, the door to her office burst open, and a figure rushed in, looking both excited and surprised.
Gion was startled and quickly put out her cigarette. But upon seeing who it was, she sighed in mild irritation.
"Kuina, what's with the rush? Can't you be a little more composed?" she asked, clearly dissatisfied.
That's right—the person who had barged in was Kuina.
At this moment, she was wearing the epaulettes of a Vice Admiral, and her expression was full of excitement.
Ignoring Gion's complaint, she blurted out, "Sister Gion! Did you hear the news? This is huge! The Headquarters is appointing you as an Admiral!"
Gion glanced at Kuina helplessly and said, "You already know, so how could I not? The appointment order is right here in my hands. As long as I sign it, I'll immediately be promoted to Admiral."
"Then what are you waiting for?! Hurry up and sign it!" Kuina urged excitedly.
Gion raised an eyebrow. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Kuina grinned. "Sister Gion, if you become an Admiral, you won't be the commander of this base anymore! And since I'm the only Vice Admiral here… doesn't that mean I'll get promoted? I'll be the commander of G-1!"
Gion stared at Kuina in exasperation. "So what? This base is about to become Naval Headquarters. Soon, there won't even be a base commander position. Unless you suddenly become Fleet Admiral, it won't last long."
"That doesn't matter!" Kuina declared. "Whether it's three days or three years, experience is experience! Having 'Commander of the G-1 Base' on my record will look great. Imagine it—the last base commander in G-1's history! Doesn't that sound impressive?"
Gion gave her a strange look. "Impressive? That just sounds… depressing."
Deciding not to argue further, Gion changed the subject. "Enough about that. What about your little boyfriend? I haven't seen him challenge you lately."
At those words, Kuina's face turned red. She waved her hands frantically. "Don't misunderstand! He's not my boyfriend! He's just my rival!"
That "rival" was none other than Roronoa Zoro.
After training under Claudius for a while and mastering Armament Haki, Zoro had eagerly come to the G-1 Marine Base to meet Kuina.
The two had been thrilled to see each other again and then immediately fought.
The result?
Kuina was still ahead.
Zoro had talent, but Kuina had been at sea longer, had received proper swordsmanship training from Gion, and had far more battle experience. Unlike Zoro, whose master, Claudius was only half-serious about swordsmanship, Kuina had been trained by a true swordswoman.
As for Claudius, his philosophy was full of abstract nonsense like "a sword in the heart is better than a sword in the hand"—which sounded deep but was ultimately unhelpful.
Still, he had at least taught Zoro proper Haki techniques.
More importantly, Kuina had joined the Marines early, honed her skills in the New World, and fought against countless fearsome pirates. She wasn't just stronger, she was more seasoned.
To Zoro, she was still the wall he had to overcome.
And so, the result of their fight was predictable, Kuina claimed her 1251st victory.
But Zoro was nothing if not persistent. He continued to challenge her, only to be defeated again and again.
By his 2,000th loss, he finally decided he needed more real-world experience and set out to sea.
Claudius agreed. While he wasn't the best swordsman, he knew that true growth only happened in life-or-death situations.
So, he arranged for Zoro to join the Spade Pirates, where he could assist Ace and, conveniently, have Buggy as a sparring partner.
Buggy, after all, was practically unkillable, making him the perfect practice dummy.
With Ace now recognized as the newest and final member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, things were bound to get interesting.
Kuina, however, was still flustered. "I told you, he's not my boyfriend! And why are you blushing?" Gion teased. "That kid may be a bit dense, but he has potential. He's strong, and not bad-looking either."
Then, she smirked. "If you're not interested, I suppose I could introduce him to someone else…"
Kuina's eyes widened. "You wouldn't—!"
"Why not? I think he'd get along well with Tashigi," Gion said playfully. "You know her, right? The Marine Commodore who looks just like you?"
"Of course I know her! She's Smoker's assistant over at G-5!" Kuina huffed.
Gion's smirk widened. "I think they'd make a cute couple. If you're not interested, I'll introduce them."
"Don't you dare!" Kuina shrieked, her face burning red. Then she realized she had reacted too strongly and grumbled, "You're bullying me again!"
Gion laughed heartily.
Then, turning her attention back to the transfer order, she picked up a pen, her expression turning thoughtful.
"Marine Admiral… huh."
Kuina noticed her tone and asked softly, "Is something wrong?"
Gion shook her head. "No… I'm just feeling a little sentimental. In the end, I really did become a Marine Admiral."
With that, she signed her name on the appointment order.
(To be continued.)
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