Gion frowned and was about to slap away Jessica's hand clutching her collar when Gigue's voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"What are you two doing?"
Noticing Gigue behind her, Gion immediately stopped raising her hand and even turned around, widening the opening at her collar and exposing a glimpse of pink underwear.
Yet Gigue completely ignored the breathtaking sight before him. He passed Gion and walked up to Ginny, patting a tuft of pink hair sticking up from her head as he asked,
"Hey, silly girl, what happened?"
Ginny was startled and quickly turned her head away, muttering,
"N-Nothing!"
"Then why are you hanging your head? Have you finished today's training? Learned how to slack off now?"
"I wasn't slacking off! I'm going to train right now!"
Ginny jumped twice in frustration, then suddenly quieted down and asked tentatively,
"Brother Gigue, do you like high heels too?"
"High heels? Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"Just don't worry about it! Tell me whether you like them or not!"
"Hmm... they're alright. Do you want to wear high heels? I can give you a pair, but I think boots would suit you better."
"Brother Gigue likes it when I wear boots? Okay! I understand!"
Gigue folded his arms and continued speaking to himself,
"Actually, both kinds of shoes affect your mobility quite a bit. For regular training, I don't..."
However, Ginny did not hear another word Gigue said. She made a face at Gion behind him, then grabbed Jessica, turned around, and fled as though escaping for her life, leaving Gigue completely baffled.
Gion still wanted to say a few words to Gigue, but he had no intention of even turning around. With a flash, he vanished from the spot.
In no time at all, Gion was alone again. She straightened her disheveled collar, stared at the deep cleavage beneath it, and muttered,
"What a rude man. I refuse to believe you can keep ignoring me like this forever!"
She watched Ginny begin training in the distance, her eyes gradually narrowing.
"As long as I get along with that Ginny..."
That evening,
After washing up, Gigue returned to the dormitory. Akainu and Kuma had gone to bathe, leaving only Kizaru, who had already climbed into bed.
With one hand under his head and a banana in the other, he took tiny bites as though savoring some exquisite delicacy.
He had brought the banana back from the cafeteria after dinner, specifically saving it as a little bedtime dessert.
When he saw Gigue return, he pulled another banana from beneath his pillow and generously tossed it over, saying,
"Gigue, have a banana. I brought back quite a few from the cafeteria."
Gigue caught it and placed it beside his pillow with a smile.
"No thanks. I just brushed my teeth. I'll save it for tomorrow morning."
Kizaru nodded. He was not as particular as Gigue; he did not brush his teeth at night!
There were no phones or anything like that in the Pirate World. After tidying his bed a little, Gigue was about to turn in when the Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly began to ring, brubrubru.
This Den Den Mushi had only been placed there a few days ago, and only Gigue's dormitory had one.
Since the four of them had already reached the strength of flag officers, Zephyr no longer treated them as ordinary students.
Whenever there was a temporary mission, Zephyr would contact them through this Den Den Mushi and select a few of them to accompany him out to sea.
If Akainu had been there, he would certainly have answered first given his personality, but he happened to be absent.
Gigue glanced at Kizaru in the upper bunk across from him. Kizaru had no intention of moving at all. Staring at the ceiling, he muttered,
"Why is the old man calling in the middle of the night? Gigue, go answer it. That banana I just ate made my stomach feel a little bloated."
Gigue shrugged helplessly, walked over to the table, and pressed the answer button on the Den Den Mushi's shell. The purple-haired Den Den Mushi began perfectly mimicking Zephyr's voice.
"Is this Gigue? Someone from the World Government is waiting for you at the entrance. Go meet him."
Hearing that, Kizaru abruptly sat up in bed and pricked up his ears.
Zephyr continued,
"Don't be nervous. His name is Spandine. Babus told me that you two had met before in the Kingdom of Sorbet. I won't ask too much about your personal affairs. Go see him first."
Gigue nodded and said,
"Alright, I'll go now."
After hanging up, Gigue threw on a coat and prepared to leave when Kizaru suddenly called out,
"Gigue, if you're not coming back tonight, let us know. If anything happens, just tell us."
Gigue paused slightly. When he turned around, he saw the concern in Kizaru's eyes.
Feeling a warmth in his heart, Gigue said softly,
"It's fine. Didn't Teacher Zephyr say I know the guy? Maybe my family asked him to pass along a message for me."
With those words, Gigue had essentially made it clear to Kizaru that his family was connected to the World Government. Kizaru said nothing further, merely nodded and slowly lay back down.
When Gigue arrived at the Marine Academy entrance, the guards immediately opened the gate upon seeing him and let him out.
The moment Gigue stepped outside, Spandine emerged from the shadows like a thief. He hunched over as he approached Gigue, the ingratiating smile on his face as obsequious as ever.
"Saint Gigue, I sincerely apologize for making you come out personally. I was afraid that if I went inside, I might let something slip in front of outsiders and expose your honored identity..."
Gigue waved a hand.
"Alright, you did well. Tell me, why did you come looking for me?"
"It's like this. Saint Garling called me today and instructed me to take you to Mary Geoise."
"Uncle Garling is looking for me? Did he say what it was about?"
"No. Saint Garling only said that he wanted to see you."
Spandine rubbed his hands together and looked at Gigue with a fawning expression as he continued,
"Please rest assured, Saint Gigue. I told everyone that the World Government had taken an interest in you and wanted to assess you. After all, your outstanding performance here has been plain for all to see."
As he spoke, Spandine's gaze toward Gigue was filled with awe, and he thought to himself,
As expected of the Figarland Family. This batch of students is personally instructed by former Marine Admiral Zephyr, so their quality is absolutely among the best.
Yet Gigue managed to stand out among them. Just how incredible must his talent be?
Spandine had encountered quite a few Celestial Dragons. To be honest, most of them were weaker than even him, a complete nobody in combat. A Celestial Dragon like Gigue was something he had never seen before.
He became increasingly convinced that Gigue was an extraordinarily promising prospect, and his devotion to him only grew stronger.
Even someone like him had developed a dream, and that dream was this: to become Gigue's number one lackey!
Before you continue