Gion casually closed the door, draped a towel around her neck, and walked to the table to sit down.
She poured herself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp, only then feeling the post-training heat and the vexation in her heart subside slightly.
"Sister He, you know me."
Gion exhaled and leaned back in her chair. The sharp aura of a top-tier sword master completely dissipated in front of her sister.
"If I don't hold a sword for a day, I feel uncomfortable all over."
"Haha..."
Tsuru chuckled, pouring Gion another cup of hot tea. Her movements were unhurried, carrying a rhythm that soothed the heart.
"I heard that Kake was rejected by you again today?"
"Pfft!"
Gion had just picked up her teacup when she heard this, nearly spitting out her tea.
She slammed the teacup onto the table, an undisguised look of annoyance and disgust appearing on her pretty face.
"Sister He! Why are you making fun of me with this too!"
"Don't mention that idiot!"
She gritted her teeth, her hand unconsciously pressing on her famous sword, konpira, at her waist.
"It's so annoying!"
"In the New World, pirates cause trouble every day, and the Four Emperors' territories are expanding again. The Marine warships are not enough!"
"But him! All day long, he doesn't think about how to eliminate pirates. Is there anything else in his mind besides sending flowers and going on dates?"
"He's an absolute disgrace to the Marine!"
The more Gion spoke, the angrier she became, her chest heaving violently.
She despised men who couldn't prioritize things.
Tsuru looked at her sister's fuming expression, the smile on her lips deepening.
"This shows that our Gion's charm is irresistible even to an Admiral candidate."
"Besides, Kake's strength is still commendable."
"Can charm be eaten? Can strength be used in such a way?"
Gion rolled her eyes, slumping back in her chair with a look of utter despair.
"If he put the same effort into chasing me into catching pirates, he could have caught a dozen Grand Pirates with bounties over 500 million Berries!"
"Alright, alright."
Tsuru saw that the time was right and knew that if she teased her any longer, her sister would probably really draw her sword.
The smile on her face faded, and her expression became serious.
The atmosphere in the entire room changed with it.
Gion immediately noticed the change. She straightened her body, the annoyance on her face instantly disappearing, replaced by the focus and sharpness of a Marine Vice Admiral.
"Sister He, what happened?"
A hint of imperceptible tension was in Gion's voice.
She knew her sister too well.
When Great Staff Officer Tsuru showed such an expression, it often meant that something significant enough to shake Marineford, or even the entire world, had occurred.
Tsuru did not answer directly.
Her eyes, which seemed to pierce through people's hearts, slowly scanned Gion, finally settling on her hand resting on the famous sword konpira.
Tsuru did not answer directly but scrutinized Gion with a discerning gaze.
"Kuzan went to the East Blue a few days ago."
"Huh?" Gion was stunned. Why would that lazy fellow Aokiji, instead of slacking off in his office, run off to the East Blue?
"He met a... very interesting young man."
Tsuru put down her teacup, her voice still calm.
"Then, he spent ten million Berries to experience a battle."
"A battle?" Gion was even more confused. "What kind of battle is worth ten million Berries? Who did he fight? Old Man Garp?"
In her understanding, the only opponents who could make an Admiral willingly pay to "experience" a battle would probably be of the caliber of Garp and Sengoku.
Tsuru shook her head.
"A... man we don't know at all."
Her tone became unprecedentedly solemn.
"That man's name is..."
Tsuru paused, seemingly recalling the difficult-to-pronounce name.
"Uchiha Madara."
Gion rapidly searched her mind for this name.
None.
Neither the Marine's wanted posters, nor the CP organization's intelligence network, nor even the list of powerful individuals circulating in the Underworld, contained this name.
"Is he very strong?" Gion asked.
"Strong?"
Tsuru gave a self-deprecating laugh, a hint of lingering shock still present in her smile.
"Kuzan lasted less than three minutes against him."
Boom!
This sentence, like a bolt from the blue, exploded in Gion's mind!
She abruptly stood up from her chair, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a harsh sound.
"What did you say?!"
For the first time, an emotion named "dismay" appeared on Gion's face.
"Kuzan... Admiral Aokiji... three minutes?!"
How could this be!
He was the highest combat power of Marineford! A user of the Ice-Ice Fruit!
A monster capable of instantly freezing an entire sea!
Even against a Four Emperors, he would definitely be able to put up a fight!
Three minutes?!
This was no longer a defeat; it was an overwhelming victory!
"Sister He! Are you sure you're not joking?!" Gion's voice was slightly distorted.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Tsuru raised her eyes and looked at her calmly.
Gion looked at Tsuru's extremely serious face, and her heart sank little by little.
She knew Tsuru never made such jokes.
Which meant... all of this was true.
Was there really such a terrifying existence in this world that could defeat an Admiral in three minutes?
Gion felt her worldview being violently shaken.
She sat back down, her chest heaving violently, trying to digest this astonishing news.
"Who exactly is this Uchiha Madara? Where is he?!" Gion's voice carried an undisguised killing intent.
No matter who he was, such a dangerous existence must be dealt with by the Marine!
"That's the problem."
Tsuru sighed.
"That Uchiha Madara doesn't belong to our world."
Gion was completely bewildered.
"...Doesn't belong to our world?"
She felt her brain was not enough to process this.
Every word she heard from Sister He today challenged the limits of her understanding.
"Do you remember what I just said? Kuzan spent ten million Berries to 'experience' a battle."
Tsuru said each word distinctly.
"In Foosha Village in the East Blue, a young man named White Night appeared."
"He set up a stall called the 'Dungeon Shop.'"
"The goods he sells are tickets to 'other worlds.'"
After compiling intelligence from Sengoku, Garp, and Aokiji, Tsuru conveyed the most crucial and outlandish conclusion to her swordswoman sister in the most concise language.
"As long as you pay, he can send you to a world fragment created by him, or rather... intercepted by him."
"In that world, you can fight any powerful individual."
"Uchiha Madara is a... BOSS in the intermediate dungeon Kuzan chose."
"BOSS..."
Gion murmured the unfamiliar word, feeling like she was listening to gibberish.
World fragments?
Dungeon Shop?
What was all this about?
"I know it's hard to understand." Tsuru saw her confusion. "In fact, Sengoku and I initially thought that old bastard Garp was talking nonsense too."
"Until Kuzan brought back his personal experience report, and also..."
Tsuru's eyes became extremely complex.
"Garp brought back a completely new power system called 'Chakra' from his 'Beginner Dungeon.'"
"He can now walk on the surface of the sea."
"Not Moonwalk, and not by using ice."
"He is truly, genuinely treating the sea as flat ground."
Gion's mouth was slightly agape.
She felt her throat was incredibly dry, unable to utter a single word.
Vice Admiral Garp... walking on the sea?
The mere thought of that image was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
"So..." Gion spoke with difficulty, "Sister He, you came to see me today to tell me all this?"
"No."
Tsuru shook her head.
"I'm here to give you a choice."
She stood up and walked to the window, looking at Marineford bathed in golden light under the setting sun.
"Sengoku has decided to form a secret elite squad."
"The squad's objective is singular."
"Go to the East Blue, go to that 'Dungeon Shop,' and at all costs, explore those unknown worlds and analyze those new powers!"
"We must seize the initiative before the World Government and those pirates react!"
Tsuru turned around, her gaze burning as she looked at Gion.
"This is a top-secret mission of S-rank or higher."
"There will be no support, no backup, and you won't even be able to reveal your Marine identity."
"The mission is full of unknowns and dangers. You might encounter monsters more terrifying than Uchiha Madara, or even... die inside."
"But."
Tsuru's tone carried an indescribable allure.
"You will also have the opportunity to experience sights you could never imagine in a lifetime."
"You will have the opportunity to fight countless top powerhouses from other worlds."
"You will have the opportunity to make your konpira... stronger, and sharper than it is now!"