Dig, Dig, Dig

"This Buster Call will be handled by Vice Admiral Sakazuki. I'll appear when needed."

Ross nodded toward Sakazuki, signaling his stance.

He was just going along for the ride anyway, and to scoop up a couple of targets he had his eye on.

As for what happened to Ohara, he couldn't care less.

Those historians weren't studying history—they were digging into the World Government's forbidden secrets.

No matter what that history actually was, it was a subject the World Government had explicitly banned. Conducting private research on it was no different from rebellion.

Any regime would wipe out such a group; the only difference was whether the approach was soft or hard.

After a few words with Sakazuki, he left the command room with Stella and CP0.

Zephyr stayed behind to handle the handover with Sakazuki.

Since he'd agreed to help the Marines, Ross intended to see this Buster Call through properly. It counted as a merit for him, after all.

Among the Celestial Dragons, if you'd never destroyed an island or a nation, you couldn't really call yourself an Elite Celestial Dragon—and forget about getting your hands on that Devil Fruit.

"Commander!"

Just as he stepped out of the command room, a man and a woman approached and saluted Ross respectfully.

Gion

Overall Rating: C+

Chaton

Overall Rating: C+

"I'm Gion/Chaton!"

The two nervously gave their names. Gion's face was especially pale, while Chaton handled it a bit better.

Knowing a Celestial Dragon had specifically requested them aboard, anyone would feel uneasy. Especially since they weren't future Admiral Candidates yet—just fresh graduates from Zephyr's Elite Training Camp.

In terms of strength, they were only Marine Headquarters Rear Admirals. Just standing there, Zany gave them an overwhelming sense of pressure.

And if even their teacher Zephyr had bowed his head, how could two small fries like them resist?

Ross glanced at the two trembling figures and walked straight toward the inner cabins.

"Come see me one at a time. Decide between yourselves who goes first."

With that, he led Stella and Zany into the cabin Sakazuki had arranged for him.

Twenty years later, both Chaton and Gion would become Admiral Candidates through their own strength and the Marines' training.

To reach that level, at minimum you had to rival a Yonko Commander; the stronger ones could even hold their own against a Four Emperors for a short time.

On the seas, that caliber was already considered a true powerhouse.

Vice Admiral-level fighters were a dime a dozen, but those who could reach Yonko Commander or Admiral Candidate level were rare—only a few dozen in any era.

Chaton and Gion had achieved Admiral Candidate potential purely through the Marine system.

If Ross was willing to invest some resources, he could turn them into top-tier fighters quickly.

Such promising seedlings, Ross intended to keep firmly in his grasp—by persuasion or coercion.

Knock knock knock!

Gion and Chaton didn't keep Ross waiting long. Soon, Gion knocked and entered.

Seeing that Gion had come first didn't surprise Ross. He simply looked her over.

Gion had an excellent figure, slightly taller than Ross himself. Her long, slender legs stretched a full 1.8 meters, pale and toned from years of training, with a spider tattoo on her left thigh adding to her allure. Her peach-colored top struggled to contain her, revealing plenty of fair skin and a deep, bottomless cleavage.

"Did you volunteer to come first, or was it decided after discussion?"

Ross sat in his chair, watching the slightly flustered Gion with interest.

"I volunteered. I didn't discuss it with Chaton."

Gion took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

The Celestial Dragon standing before her could decide her life and death on a whim—she couldn't afford to be careless.

As a Marine elite, she'd heard what Celestial Dragons were like. Before knocking, she'd already prepared for the worst.

If Ross tried to force himself on her, she would fight back with force. Even if Zany's pressure was overwhelming, she would still resist.

Some things were worth more than life.

"Let's just chat. Have a seat anywhere."

Ross smiled and pointed to the chair beside him. His demeanor only made Gion more nervous—this wasn't the Celestial Dragon she'd imagined.

"What, afraid I'll eat you?" Ross chuckled.

"No! No!"

Gion quickly shook her head and sat as far from Ross as possible, keeping her head low, not daring to watch him teasing Stella.

Ross's playboy attitude, openly toying with Stella right in front of her, fit her impression of a Celestial Dragon. But his gentle tone toward her threw her off completely.

Celestial Dragons shouldn't be like this, should they.

"Tell me about yourself. I started paying attention to you after Zephyr became the CP0 instructor. You seem to be from the Land of Wano?" Ross asked.

Gion was far too guarded. That wouldn't help with what came next.

There were many ways to conquer a woman. Forcing her to submit was the lowest and most efficient method.

If other methods proved useless, Ross wouldn't mind playing the villain.

Gion's current strength was probably inferior to a Vice Admiral at headquarters. The female CP0 agent behind him could easily handle her—that was why Ross had brought her along on this trip.

But if he did that, it would lower Zephyr's opinion of him considerably. Unless there was no other choice, he'd rather not resort to force.

"Yes!"

Gion nodded lightly. Her background wasn't any secret:

"Actually, I've never lived in the Land of Wano. My family is from there, so I picked up their habits."

"Are you a swordswoman? What's your current strength? A Swordmaster?"

Ross glanced at the blade at Gion's waist. In the pirate world, weapons weren't strictly categorized—as long as the weapon had an edge, the user could be considered a swordsman or Swordmaster.

But Gion's sword wasn't the Great Grade Twenty-One Blade Kompira. It was just a standard longsword for Marine officers.

"I learned Iron Cutting three years ago. I barely qualify as a Swordmaster, but I'm still far from the Great Swordsmen of the seas," Gion explained earnestly.

Facing Ross's questions, she felt like she was back in the elite Training Camp, being asked about her strength and experience by Zephyr's adjutant before enrollment.

Having been through something similar, and since Ross's questions were simple, Gion completely relaxed.

"Do you want to become a Great Swordsman?"

"Yes! My goal is to become a Great Swordsman within five years!" Gion answered honestly.

"A Devil Fruit could speed up that process. Haven't you thought about getting one?"

"I don't have any strong opinions. Getting a good fruit would be the best outcome, but if I can't, I'll rely on swordsmanship."

"Female fighters are at a disadvantage physically. What do you think?"

"Though there aren't many female fighters, there are still a few. I believe that with my own efforts, I can carve out a place for myself in the future. At the very least, I'm stronger than Chaton and the male Marine soldiers of my generation."

"I recall the Training Camp mainly teaches the Rokushiki. How are you doing with that?"

"Marine Rokushiki. I'm quite skilled at Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, and Rankyaku, but not so much at Shigan and Tekkai."

"Your Tekkai is weak. That's to avoid affecting your figure, isn't it?"

"Does Tekkai make muscles stiff? Haha... practicing it for a long time would probably have some effect, but that's definitely not the reason my Tekkai is lacking."

"..."

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