Chapter 181: The Flag of Gion
Gion clicked her tongue softly. Her feelings toward Roy were… complicated.
But there was one thing she would never get wrong.
That bastard was absolutely a wicked man.
"But we agreed. I'll only meet you in secret, outside Marineford."
After Roy said that, Gion nodded.
Roy leaned back with a helpless sigh and stared up at the starry sky.
He had assumed that Tsuru, the girl from decades ago, would follow the path she was meant to take. Naval academy, graduation, climbing the ranks step by step, until she became a staff officer.
But unexpectedly, even as the years piled on, she never forgot him.
Roy used to think the saying people's hearts change with time made perfect sense.
Then she turned around and slapped that belief right across the face.
Why…
Tsuru really was a rare breed in the Navy.
Unfortunately, Roy did not want to see her either. One was still young back then, the other was already old now.
And he did not have the ability, back then.
So he chose to hide, to avoid a tragedy.
Maybe she had already seen through many things. Maybe she only wanted to reminisce, to hold onto the old days and their past friendship.
Roy forced himself to believe that.
Still…
This sparring match with Gion was giving him a headache.
He had only brushed Armament Haki once, by sheer luck, in that life and death moment.
Meanwhile, Gion had already mastered advanced Armament Haki, was proficient in Rokushiki, all six powers, and she was a true powerhouse who could even use Life Return.
Roy relied on his overwhelming physique and brute strength, and he used Observation Haki to fight her.
But Gion had witnessed Roy smash his head into the Golden Lion, an absurd sight so violent even Shiki could not take it.
How could she possibly give Roy any chance to close in?
Armament Haki, External Release!
The moment Roy tried to approach, Gion would lift a hand and release a barrier of Armament Haki outward, knocking him flying like trash being kicked off a deck.
When Roy used Soru to slip around the barrier and appear behind her, ready to force close combat…
Gion's body twisted like a drawing on paper, sliding away from his strike in an impossible angle.
If it were a direct, head on brawl, it was honestly hard to say who would win between them.
Gion even had the higher chance of losing.
After all, Roy had the same kind of defense talent as Charlotte Linlin. Even the Golden Lion's full power strike had only managed to cut down to his bone.
So Gion relied on those two methods again and again, dodging and denying him, until Roy's old hand injury started aching.
Only then did Gion finally look relieved.
And even if she let Roy try again, even if she gave him a chance to restart, there was still her sister to consider.
But she would never ask something gentle like, Does it hurt?
Goddesses were aloof. Being considerate was something only enchantresses did.
Like a female pirate with malicious intentions.
Gion scoffed.
What are you staring at?
Her brows tightened as she noticed Roy lying on the ground, hand under his chin, head tilted, looking at her.
Following Roy's gaze, Gion looked down.
"Smack!"
"Hurry up and bandage your wound, you bastard!"
Gion glared at him, furious that this shameless idiot was looking there.
She stood up and walked away, nervously tightening her clothes.
...
Gion still remembered how unbearable Roy was when he was unconscious.
This guy, she had no idea what he was dreaming about, but it made her so mad she wanted to kick him on the spot.
Unfortunately, both of them had long legs.
Roy seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, gripping her so tightly she could not break free at all.
At that distance, with her legs pinned in close, there was no way she could kick him away.
Then Roy acted like he was about to fall in his dream, shoving and pulling around.
Gion punched him in the stomach.
He still did not wake up.
The worst part was Roy's steel like defense. Gion got so angry she forgot to coat her fist in Armament Haki.
And that mistake turned into tragedy.
Her hand hurt like crazy.
It felt like she had smashed a steel plate.
When she later saw the blood on Roy's head, she did not dare to hit him again, but a man who could not stay still even in his sleep was still infuriating.
On the warship, Gion received medicine and bandages from her subordinates.
That bastard.
Did you leave a handprint, too?
The medicine bottle creaked under her grip as she squeezed it, frightening the ship's doctor so badly he started trembling.
Her calm, aloof mask was cracking apart.
And the most deadly part of all…
Gion had been single for so many years. Soon the Navy would return to Marineford, and those reporters who had secretly photographed her with Roy…
They would embellish it, twist it, and spread the news that she had found a boyfriend all the way back to Marineford and every Navy branch.
Gion had no idea how many times she had broken down since meeting this man.
At the shoreline, warships from the East Blue branches arrived. Under Gion's orders, they unloaded large amounts of supplies to aid the refugees from Goa.
Under normal circumstances, the Navy did not provide disaster relief or refugee aid, and the higher ups would never allocate money for it.
But who could blame them? Gion was known as the most beautiful woman in the Navy.
Many single base commanders were not very capable. Besides skimming small sums, they were also not exactly pleasant to look at.
They treasured this chance to flatter their goddess.
Unfortunately for them, Gion could reject their most desperate "plans" a hundred times in the future.
They were going to be disappointed anyway.
Gion looked down on those corrupt commanders who bribed their way into branch headquarters, both for their faces and their character.
And she was still angry.
"Put down the supplies and go back to your posts. Do your jobs!"
Gion glared at one especially obsequious commander. Her cold snort was enough to scare him into abandoning his intentions on the spot.
He hurriedly led his subordinates away by boat.
Gion frowned as she stared at the piles of supplies on the shore.
Damn it. Snacks?
How many disaster victims was this supposed to feed?
What kind of idiot tries to win favor by stuffing sweets into a tragedy?
She glared toward the departing ships. They had brought nothing but sweets and fancy ingredients.
Clearly, they heard she liked sweets and decided that was all that mattered. They did not care about the victims at all.
Fortunately, a few righteous Navy personnel, and a few wealthy people with a conscience in the East Blue, had also donated real relief supplies.
"Just eat what they brought. Worst case, we investigate them in a few days. Anyone dirty goes to the execution ground."
Roy appeared beside her, opened a bag of sweets, and frowned at how sugary it was.
Tch. Unprofessional.
Gion's favorite foods were ochazuke and yatsuhashi.
Roy handed her a pastry.
She took a bite, and the next moment she realized she had been tricked again.
"Too sweet. Disgusting."
Gion frowned and turned away.
"Then I'll hand them out to everyone."
Roy chuckled and patted the expensive snacks the corrupt Navy men had brought.
He gave Gion's sweets to the disaster victims, at least to whet their appetites.
That would probably make those guys furious.
"Oh right. Wipe it yourself."
Gion shoved a medicine bottle and bandages into Roy's hands.
...
Not long after.
Inside the warship's kitchen.
Gion stepped in, frowning, and saw Roy with his back to her, busy with something.
"Who let you in? This is a warship."
Roy carried two bowls of ochazuke over and sat down at the table like he owned the place.
"Obviously we're having ochazuke."
He looked up at her with a grin.
"Besides, you're taking me to see Tsuru. You can't seriously expect me to swim there by myself, can you?"
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