"What do you mean by that?"
Orion blinked in confusion.
There was something oddly suggestive about Imu's tone—though he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was off.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to drop it.
He wasn't in the mood to argue with Imu anyway.
"She's not the courtesan Komurasaki," he explained.
"She's Yamato, the tomboy Kaido raised as his son!"
"Kaido's daughter?"
Imu, currently possessing Gunko body, gave Yamato (who's still bound by arrows), a once-over before abruptly withdrawing her Conqueror's Haki.
For the first time ever, her voice carried a hint of awkwardness.
"CP0's intel did mention Kaido having a daughter. Since she possesses all three types of Haki and has eaten a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Kaido raised her as his son, hoping she'd one day replace Kurozumi Orochi as the shogun of Wano."
As she spoke, Imu—still in Gunko body—flashed in front of Orion, retracting the arrows binding Yamato as if deliberately blocking his view of her naked form.
Her tone was uncharacteristically sincere.
"In that case, it seems I misunderstood."
Before Orion could respond, Yamato—now freed—plopped into the pool before immediately springing up, glaring at the back of "Gunko" with blazing fighting spirit.
"Hey, bandage-woman! Let's have a fair fight!"
"Hmm?"
Imu whipped her head around, her crimson eyes glinting with an icy, terrifying light.
Her voice took on a commanding edge, "You will not act so recklessly in front of Orion from now on. Go put your clothes on immediately! And remember—you're a woman, not a man!"
Under the sheer dominance of "Gunko" gaze, Yamato uncharacteristically quieted down and obediently scurried off to retrieve and hastily don her discarded clothes.
Satisfied, Imu turned back to Orion and cut straight to the chase.
"I came for one thing—how do you open the box you left in the Flower room?"
"???"
Orion's head filled with question marks. "You had Gunko teleport here, possessed her body, just to ask me in person how to open the box?"
"Is there a problem?" Imu's tone was borderline haughty.
"Poor Gunko, getting possessed just like that." Orion spared a second of sympathy for her, then gave "Gunko" a look.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed her hair had grown longer and her eyes had turned fully crimson.
Her entire aura and presence were a dimensional leap beyond Gunko usual self.
If not for the bandages covering half her face and the fact she was only wearing a bikini, he might've mistaken her for Imu herself.
Noticing Orion's prolonged scrutiny, Imu snapped impatiently, "What are you staring at? Tell me how to open the box!"
Orion met those crimson eyes, "You want the truth?"
Imu scoffed. "Why else would I come here personally?"
Orion's lips twitched. "You call this coming personally?"
Imu: "Stop changing the subject!"
"Can't be done." Orion shrugged lightly. "Even I can't open it. That box is a one-way vault—things go in, but they don't come out."
Surprisingly, Imu didn't doubt Orion's words but instead revealed an expression that said 'I knew it.'
''I believe you!''
With these three simple words, Gunko body suddenly trembled violently.
Immediately after, her eyes quickly returned to their original state with a trace of exhaustion in her gaze.
Clearly, Imu had 'left'!
Observing the slightly weary-eyed Gunko, Orion gradually narrowed his eyes.
Although Imu's appearance had been sudden and brief, it wasn't hard for him to deduce that Imu likely couldn't leave the Holy Land for some reason and could only travel the world by possessing others.
Moreover, possession probably didn't allow Imu to utilize her full power and might not even be sustainable for long periods.
Yet even with these limitations, the display of power Imu had shown through possessing Gunko was nothing short of astonishing.
Had he not been strong enough, when he launched his coup to become Fleet Admiral and led the three Admirals to negotiate with Imu at the Holy Land, Imu—despite possibly being unable to kill him—would never have made such significant concessions.
But these considerations were secondary.
What truly mattered was that despite possessing such terrifying power, Imu had chosen negotiation over confrontation when he first arrived at the Holy Land and had even make the Five Elders sign the Mary Geoise Treaty.
Previously, he had assumed it was his consolidation of Marine authority that forced Imu's hand, but now it seemed that was only part of the equation—there were undoubtedly other factors at play that he wasn't aware of.
Just then, Yamato who's now dressed, came running over.
"Hey, Bandages—"
Before she could finish shouting 'girl,' Yamato froze on the spot.
After standing dumbfounded for several seconds, Yamato collected herself and turned to Orion.
"Fleet Admiral, why does she look different from before?"
Hearing this, Orion immediately put on a stern face and said authoritatively.
"From now on, you are forbidden from entering the men's baths, going to the men's toilets, or sharing quarters with male soldiers when visiting the barracks! Starting today, you must always remember one thing—you're not some tough guy, but a genuine woman!!"
"That's all."
With that, Orion turned and walked away without giving Yamato a chance to argue.
His rare moment of leisure at the hot springs had been ruined—first by Yamato's interruption, then by Imu's sudden appearance.
It was as if they had conspired to destroy his good mood.
What was even more absurd was that Imu had possessed Gunko just to ask whether the box containing the Devil Fruit could be opened.
Had being confined to the Holy Land driven her insane?
****
By the time Orion changed and stepped out of the hotsprings, Vice Admirals Strobbery and Momonga who had been waiting outside, quickly approached and saluted.
Momonga was the first to speak. "Fleet Admiral, as per your instructions, we've located the Road Poneglyph left by Kaido in the caves at the base of Mount Fuji. It's been transported to the Flower Capital. Should we take it back to headquarters immediately, or leave it in Wano?"
"No need to bring it back to headquarters." Orion waved his hand dismissively.
"Contact headquarters immediately. Have the former Warlord subordinates and family members who remained at headquarters to set out at once and bring the Road Poneglyph obtained from Whole Cake Island to Wano Country."
"Additionally, with Wano's situation now firmly under control, you will depart tomorrow to bring those so-called Underworld Emperors before me."
"If they resist...you know what to do!"
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