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"The admiral candidate, Gion? She actually came here. Are the Blackbeard Pirates really that noteworthy? And even Ikki's partners are coming too. Wait, who is this Astolfo?" Domino asked, puzzled.
Gion was undeniably strong. Having received power from Ikki, she'd more than proven her abilities, and if it weren't for the fact that all three Marine Admirals were still in their positions, Domino suspected Vice Admiral Gion might already have claimed the fourth seat herself.
And yet here she was, at Impel Down, offering support right when Marine Headquarters was about to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates. It made Domino realize just how seriously the Marines were taking the Blackbeard threat, though it also left her with questions of her own.
Learning that Ikki's own crew had returned to the picture only deepened her sense of how highly the Marines regarded Blackbeard, which only added to her confusion. None of Ikki's partners were ordinary people, after all. That much was common knowledge across this sea. Still, Domino had never once heard of a companion of his named Astolfo.
"Vice Admiral Gion's actual mission is watching the Red-Haired Pirates and the Beasts Pirates. The Blackbeard Pirates alone wouldn't be enough to justify sending her," Sadi said. "As for Astolfo, he's probably Ikki's newest partner. It's not strange that Ikki's partner would come along too, given the grudge between him and Blackbeard. If he found out what Blackbeard was up to, he'd definitely push the Marines to let his own people help handle it."
Sadi couldn't reveal Astolfo's true identity, or her own relationship with Ikki, so that answer was the best she could give Domino.
"I see. That makes sense," Domino said, nodding.
Sadi had laid it all out clearly enough that if Domino still couldn't follow, she might have started wondering whether the riot had actually knocked something loose in her head. That was about all Sadi had wanted to say on the matter.
"Anyway, Domino, just be ready. If Blackbeard really does come, don't be afraid," Sadi said, smiling. "Speaking of which, since Ikki's people may be back at Impel Down, why not take the chance to have a proper talk with them? You should try to get a shot at training under Ikki too, Domino."
Sadi genuinely hoped Domino would get that opportunity. Maybe, after training under Ikki for a while, Domino would become just as devoted to him as Sadi herself was, and then Sadi could spend more time with her best friend without feeling any guilt over it.
"Have a proper talk with Ikki's partner, you mean?" Domino pursed her lips, falling into thought.
She'd seen firsthand how much power Sadi had gained after leaving Impel Down to visit Ikki, and to say she wasn't tempted by that kind of strength would be a lie. If it were possible, Domino would naturally want power like that for herself.
If she'd had it during the riot on Level Six, she wouldn't have been forced to stand back and watch while Sadi fought alone. Sadi was her best friend. Given the chance, Domino would want to step in and help, not just watch from behind.
Maybe, as Sadi suggested, gaining real strength from Ikki was the answer, so that the next time a crisis like this came around, Domino could actually be useful. Setting the distant future aside and thinking only of the coming trouble with Blackbeard, if she had enough power, she wouldn't need Sadi to remind her to stay careful. She could actually sit down with Sadi and plan how to face Blackbeard together, fighting at her side instead of behind her.
Domino suspected that even with her current abilities, if the coming crisis turned out anything like the riot Bullet, the Demon Heir, had caused before, she'd end up hiding in the back once again. The thought left her with a strange, bitter feeling.
Still, she knew gaining power from Ikki wouldn't be easy. If it were, the Marines and the World Government would already be lining up candidates at his side for training, and she might well be one of them. Ikki, after all, had a clear preference for beautiful women. Barring some extraordinary exception, he simply didn't take on disciples who weren't beautiful.
Domino herself wasn't lacking in that department, so she supposed she had the looks that might let Ikki take her in for training. It was a pity, though, that even if she offered up everything she had to please him, he might not actually accept it. Or maybe he'd accept the flattery well enough, but after getting what he wanted, he might not give her the help she was after in return.
It reminded her of the old saying about there being no such thing as something for nothing. 'I genuinely want him to help with my training,' she thought, 'but unless a beautiful woman shows up carrying a famous sword, it's the sword he actually wants, more than the beauty.'
So even though Domino had the looks, without a famous sword to offer, it would ultimately be hard for Ikki to give her the help she needed. She sighed deeply at the thought.
"Sadi-chan, I really wish I could get excellent weapons and swordsmanship from Ikki. But unfortunately, I don't have the famous sword he'd want. Even the one the deputy warden used to own is already in his hands now. Swords like that are things people go out of their way to hunt down, so finding another would be difficult. Even if I did take your advice and go talk to the partners he sent to Impel Down, he might not be able to teach me anything for it," Domino sighed.
"Well, you're not wrong," Sadi agreed, nodding.
Having spent time around Ikki herself, Sadi understood this better than most. His weapons and life potions were both extremely valuable resources, and even she hadn't received much of either from him. It wasn't that he didn't care about her. It was simply that each of his partners could only draw so much from what he had to give.
Sadi believed that if Ikki had enough resources to go around, he'd already have distributed them properly among everyone under him. But his life potions were meant to be effective, and how much each partner received depended on their own strength, which only made getting a share that much harder.
For an outsider like Domino to catch Ikki's attention at all, the odds were undeniably steep.
Still, Sadi's lips curled into a sly smile. It wasn't as if there was no chance at all.