Marine Academy.
In the end, Tsuru led Gion away. When they reached the entrance, Gion suddenly turned back to glance at Gigue. She had no idea what he said to Ginny, but it made Ginny giggle nonstop.
On the way back, Tsuru saw Gion walking with her head lowered in silence and asked,
"Gion, are you still thinking about that battle just now? Don't take it too hard. Go back and train properly, and one day you'll definitely be able to..."
At that point, Tsuru suddenly froze. Naturally, she had meant that Gion would be able to defeat Gigue, but after witnessing Gigue's string of performances just now, even she felt that it seemed like an impossible task.
She had to admit that Gigue was simply too monstrous!
When Sengoku and Garp, the Navy's current top combat forces, had been Gigue's age, had they possessed his level of strength?
If they had faced Gigue back then, the outcome probably would not have been much better than Gion's...
Now that her words had stalled halfway through, Tsuru was left somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to continue.
Gion was no fool. She had long understood what Tsuru meant, but instead of getting angry, she let out a soft laugh.
"Sister Tsuru, why did you stop? Even you don't believe what you were about to say, do you?"
Her thoughts exposed, Tsuru faced this sister with whom she was exceptionally close and simply spoke frankly.
"Yes. Gigue's talent really is astonishing. To be honest, becoming a Marine Admiral is only a matter of time for him."
Gion gently shook her head and said thoughtfully,
"A future Marine Admiral... Is that Sister Tsuru's assessment of him? I'm afraid that's still a little too conservative."
Tsuru gave Gion a somewhat surprised look and continued,
"You mean he could become Fleet Admiral? A Fleet Admiral cannot be appointed on strength alone. Judging by Gigue's temperament, I don't think he's suited for that position."
In the current Navy, the doves were the most powerful faction, and Tsuru was one of their representative figures.
Tsuru had already heard from Zephyr about Gigue's ruthlessness toward enemies while carrying out missions. With her conservative ideals of justice, she did not think Gigue was a suitable candidate for Fleet Admiral.
Thinking of this, Tsuru laughed as well. This was getting far too ahead of itself. No matter how strong Gigue was, he was still only a student. Strictly speaking, he didn't even hold an official rank yet.
Gion did not continue discussing the subject. She stopped walking and, under Tsuru's puzzled gaze, said with a serious expression,
"Sister Tsuru, is the Marine Academy still accepting students? I want to enter the Marine Academy and train!"
"Uh, it is, but the first school year is nearly over. If you join now, you'll have to be counted as part of the second class."
Gion pursed her lips upon hearing that. Then she grabbed Tsuru's arm and began to act coquettishly.
"Sister Tsuru, with your relationship with Instructor Zephyr, arranging for me to join as a transfer student shouldn't be difficult, right? Help your little sister out~"
Tsuru truly had a hard time dealing with this move of Gion's. She said helplessly,
"No, didn't you say the headquarters was too boring before, and that Garp and I weren't as good at teaching as Zephyr? Why do you suddenly want to enter the Marine Academy?"
"Oh, I just want more contact with Gigue. With a genius like him around to spur me on, my strength will definitely improve very quickly!"
Tsuru scrutinized Gion suspiciously and asked,
"Because of Gigue? Don't tell me you have some other thoughts about him? Have you forgotten Ginny? Let me tell you, if that's really what you're thinking, I absolutely won't agree to your request. You'd be better off considering Tokikake. His looks are a little lacking, but he's excellent in every other way!"
"What are you talking about, Sister Tsuru? Gigue just beat me up! How could I possibly have any other thoughts about him? I really just want to improve! And could you stop bringing up Tokikake? He hangs around me all day and drives me crazy!"
Tsuru stared at Gion for quite a while. Gion met her gaze openly. In the end, Tsuru finally relented, waving a hand as she said,
"Fine. I'll talk to Zephyr about it, but you have to promise me that after entering the academy, you absolutely cannot cause any more trouble for me!"
The moment Tsuru agreed, Gion immediately cheered. She threw her arms around Tsuru and planted a hard kiss on her cheek, leaving a bright red lip print behind.
"Sister Tsuru is the best! Don't worry, I'll train properly at the academy and definitely won't embarrass you!"
Tsuru wiped the lipstick mark off her face, then shot Gion a glare and said,
"You! Can't you be a little more reserved? Ginny looks about the same age as you, and she seems so cute. What about you?"
"Hmph, that's just a little girl act. Men still prefer more mature women!"
"You? A mature woman? Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death?"
Tsuru no longer paid attention to her increasingly unhinged little sister and walked away on her own.
Gion watched Tsuru's retreating figure, her beautiful eyes narrowing like those of a cunning little fox.
She took out a pink hair tie from her chest and tied her loose hair back into a ponytail, muttering to herself,
"Just wait and see, Sister Tsuru. A woman doesn't necessarily have to rely on strength to defeat a man..."
A few days later,
Gigue got up a little later than usual that day and left the dormitory together with Kizaru, who liked cutting things close.
By the time they reached the training grounds, it was already time to assemble. He walked over to his position and stood properly, waiting for Zephyr to arrive.
Kizaru tilted his head to the side and said,
"Gigue, it's already this late and the old man still hasn't come. Do you think he's gotten old and started sleeping in?"
Gigue shook his head and said softly,
"No. The older one gets, the less sleep one needs. I think Teacher Zephyr was probably delayed by something."
"Hmph, what could he possibly be busy with? I say people should hurry up and retire once they get old. I heard a Marine Admiral's retirement benefits are extremely generous!"
"So you've never thought about becoming an admiral yourself?"
"Of course I have! As a Marine with justice in my heart, my dream has always been to become a Marine Admiral!"
Akainu, who maintained a standard military stance, glanced sideways at him. The disdainful expression on his face said everything.
When the bell rang, Zephyr finally appeared. Everyone froze when they saw him, because a shapely beauty was following behind him.
That beauty was none other than Gion, who had nearly taken on the Marine Academy not long ago.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Zephyr led Gion to the front. After lightly clearing his throat a few times, he said,
"Students, today we welcome another newcomer. You should all be familiar with her already. Now, let her introduce herself."
Before you continue