Gigue lowered his head in thought, wondering whether going to Mary Geoise now would be too risky.
Logically speaking, as a direct descendant of the Figarland Family—and the eldest son at that—Mary Geoise should have been a place he could visit whenever he pleased.
But he had been saddled with a beast of a father like Gurando.
Over the years, Gurando had surely learned of his son's existence, yet he had remained within the family without making any moves. Gigue guessed it was because Garling had intervened.
After all, Garling was now the Family Head. As long as he was there, it would be difficult for Gurando to extend his reach beyond Mary Geoise.
But if Gigue himself were in Mary Geoise, the danger would rise sharply.
Leaving aside Gurando's influence within the Figarland Family, Gurando's own strength was beyond what the current Gigue could contend with.
If not for Gurando, why would Gigue have come to the Marines to train? The Figarland Family's resources were far beyond anything the Marines could offer.
At that thought, Gigue's heart grew restless. Darkness like a rising tide gradually spread beneath his feet. Spandine, standing before him, suddenly felt his feet tighten as his body slowly began sinking into the darkness.
The darkness's pull made it impossible for Spandine even to lift a leg. Terror filled his heart, but he did not dare make a commotion. Trembling, he said,
"L-Lord Saint Gigue, spare my life!"
Spandine's terrified voice pulled Gigue back from his thoughts. By then, the darkness had nearly swallowed Spandine to the waist.
With a thought, the darkness instantly surged back into Gigue's body. Spandine dropped to his knees with a thud, gasping for air.
Remembering what had just happened, Spandine was horrified.
"Is this Lord Saint Gigue's ability? How terrifying!"
Even after Gigue reached out and pulled the terrified, limp Spandine to his feet, Spandine still wore an expression of lingering fear.
He steadied himself and asked,
"Lord Saint Gigue, regarding the trip to Mary Geoise..."
"Since Uncle Garling wants to see me, I'll go back for a visit. You may leave now. Wait for me at the harbor tomorrow morning."
"Yes!"
Spandine gave a respectful ninety-degree bow and slowly backed away until he vanished into the shadows.
After he left, Gigue stood silently where he was for a while. He slowly raised his right hand, wreathed in black mist, and said in a low voice,
"What must come will come sooner or later. I'm no longer someone he can manipulate however he likes..."
After saying that, a vortex of darkness appeared behind Gigue. His body gradually twisted, then finally vanished completely along with the dark vortex.
In a dark corner before the dormitory building,
The dark vortex appeared again and delivered Gigue out. He first looked around, then nodded lightly after confirming that he had emerged near the dormitory building.
"The destination for short-range teleportation is fairly precise. Hopefully, long-range teleportation will be just as stable..."
Early the next morning,
Gigue briefly told those close to him that he had matters to attend to and would be leaving for a while. He did not explain exactly what he was going to do, only that he would return soon.
Ginny followed Gigue all the way to the gates of the Marine Academy. The soldiers on guard only allowed Gigue to leave. Smiling, he promised Ginny,
"I'll be gone for no more than a week. Don't be so nervous. When I come back, I'll bring you a gift too."
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Ginny obediently nodded and said softly,
"Brother Gigue, I'll wait for you to come back."
Gigue reached through the iron bars and patted Ginny's head. Then, with a leap, he shot into the air and raced toward the harbor using Geppo.
Ginny watched from below until Gigue's figure completely disappeared from sight, a trace of worry appearing on her face.
When Gigue said that morning that he was going out, she had noticed that Kizaru's expression was somewhat strange. Taking advantage of Gigue's absence, she pulled Kizaru aside. Under her repeated questioning, Kizaru finally confessed,
"I don't know the details either. I only know that Gigue was probably summoned by the World Government."
Ginny had been stunned upon hearing this. She knew a little about Gigue's background, so she understood all too well how dangerous this trip would be.
But understanding was one thing. Faced with the enormous entity that was the World Government, Ginny could only feel a deep sense of helplessness.
Ginny wanted to go with Gigue, but she knew she was still far too weak. If anything happened, she would only hold him back.
The only thing she could do now was pretend she knew nothing. At the very least, she could not add to Gigue's worries.
As she stared blankly at the sky, a deep voice rang out,
"Sister Ginny, you don't need to worry. If there is still no news from Big Brother Gigue, I'll go directly to Mary Geoise."
Ginny jumped in fright. Turning to the side, she realized that Kuma was standing not far from her, silently watching her.
"Little Kuma, you..."
"I heard what Borsalino said too."
Kuma raised his hand and looked at the paw pads on his palm as he said quietly,
"Big Brother Gigue gave me this ability. Now it's time for it to serve its purpose."
After meeting Spandine at the harbor, Gigue directly boarded the ship prepared by the World Government and set sail for Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Marineford was very close to Mary Geoise. Before the morning had even passed, Gigue, standing on the deck, could already see the Red Line. At its highest peak lay his destination for this journey: Holy Land Mary Geoise.
A while later, Spandine walked over to Gigue with his waist bent, saying respectfully,
"Lord Saint Gigue, we have arrived at the Red Line. Please disembark with me."
Gigue nodded. Spandine immediately summoned a group of men in suits, who escorted Gigue off the ship and to an elevator at the base of the Red Line.
The elevator carried Gigue and the others through the clouds until it stopped at the very top.
A squad of guards clad in Golden Armor had long been waiting there. The moment the elevator doors opened and they saw Gigue surrounded at the center, they immediately dropped to one knee in perfect unison and shouted,
"Welcome, Lord Saint Gigue!"
The sight left Spandine utterly stunned. It was not his first or second time visiting Mary Geoise, but he had never seen a reception of this caliber.
Especially those guards in Golden Armor before him—one look was enough to tell that they were on an entirely different level from the men in suits behind him.
He had no doubt that any one of those guards could easily kill every person he had brought.
Swallowing hard, Spandine felt as though his eyes had truly been opened today. If not for Gigue, he feared he would never have laid eyes on these golden guards in his entire life!
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