Why Was Gion Jealous? Hina Was Confused!
After bidding farewell to the veterans' home, Akira and his group did not linger in An Port. The next day, they boarded a ship and set sail for the next island.
This island was marked as the Island of Crying on old nautical charts.
The reason is simple: the pirate crew that occupies this place takes pleasure in tormenting civilians, and the entire island is shrouded in cries and wails all year round.
Now, its name is Hope Island.
The ship docked, and the four people walked down the gangway.
Unlike the bustling and orderly Angang, the towns on Hope Island have a sense of nascent development, with everything in ruins. Many houses are still under construction, workers carrying building materials can be seen everywhere on the streets, and the air is filled with the smell of sawdust and lime.
But on everyone's faces was a radiant expression of enthusiasm and hope for rebuilding their homes.
"Wow! This looks like a huge construction site!" Aqua looked around curiously, sniffing the air. "But it doesn't smell good."
Akira walked at the front, his gaze sweeping over the busy figures.
Just then, a squad of naval soldiers patrolling the street came towards them.
The leader was a young branch lieutenant. When his gaze inadvertently swept over Akira and his group, it was initially just a routine glance, but the next second, he suddenly stopped and froze on the spot.
He had seen that young face countless times in newspapers, on broadcast screens, and on the wall of honor at the Naval Academy.
That was his sole reason for joining the army, and it was the highest belief in his heart.
The young lieutenant's eyes widened little by little, his breathing became rapid, and his lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
The soldier behind him noticed his superior's unusual behavior and asked, puzzled, "Lieutenant, what's wrong?"
The lieutenant did not answer.
He suddenly raised his hand, rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
When he saw that calm and familiar face again, his pent-up emotions exploded.
"Yes... yes... yes, it's Lord Marshal!!!"
At the lieutenant's excited shout, all the busy figures on the street instantly froze.
The next second, the entire town erupted in chaos. Countless people dropped their tools and rushed frantically in the same direction from scaffolding, shops, and newly built houses.
The crowds converged, like rivers flowing into the sea.
At first, there were only a few dozen people, then a few hundred, but soon it grew to several thousand, then tens of thousands.
"Lord Marshal!"
"It really is the Lord Marshal! Mom, Mom, I saw the Lord Marshal!"
Long live the Lord Marshal!
The shouts merged into a deafening roar that echoed through the sky.
Imu, Gunko, and Aqua were almost instantly pushed to the outermost edge by the surging crowd.
"Hey! Don't push me!" Aqua was being jostled around in the crowd like a little top, jumping up and down in frustration. "Do you know who I am? I'm..."
Before she could finish speaking, a Big Mom, her face streaked with tears of emotion, grabbed her and kissed her hard on the cheek.
"Little girl, did you see that? It's Lord Akira! Our savior!"
Before Aqua could react, the Big Mom had already dashed into the crowd and disappeared.
Gunko instinctively shielded Imu and Aqua, gazing at the frenzied ocean of countless arms and faces, her heart also deeply shaken.
Imu, however, did not react much. He stood quietly at the edge of the crowd, his gaze passing through all the surging heads and landing on the figure surrounded by thousands of people.
The young figure remained silent and motionless, simply watching the densely packed crowd rushing towards him with a warm smile. The enthusiastic crowd stopped within three steps of him, some shouting "Lord Marshal!" while others knelt in worship, regarding the young figure as a god.
Watching the figure surrounded by thousands, revered like a god, Imu seemed to have figured something out, and said to himself, "Akira can unite the navy like never before. As the commander, his personal charisma is undeniable, but I didn't expect Akira's reputation among the people to be so high."
After a slight pause, Imu suddenly laughed, "I finally understand why Akira possesses such a powerful Conqueror's Haki that even Joy Boy couldn't match."
"Why?" Gunko asked instinctively.
"The factors that determine the upper limit of Conqueror's Haki, besides personal strength, include personal aura, charisma, magnanimity, and the intensity of the target. The higher the level of Conqueror's Haki user's ambition and the more dominant the target, the greater the deterrent and destructive power of their Conqueror's Haki."
"Back then, Rocks possessed Conqueror's Haki was far superior to other powerful figures on the sea. The reason was that Rocks had a certain charisma and a strong ambition to conquer the world. Therefore, even when Garp and Roger joined forces, they were unable to break through Rocks ' Conqueror's Haki defense when he was under their control."
Roger was no exception. Although his vision and charisma were not as great Rocks', he had the ambition to overthrow the world and become the Pirate King.
Even so, in Akira's eyes, they are nothing more than fireflies compared to the bright moon!
"Because Akira not only possesses brilliant personal charm and a magnanimous spirit, but also has the people of the whole world in his heart."
At this point, Imu looked at Akira, who was supported by the people, and his eyes gradually narrowed.
Akira's appearance not only broke the cycle of fate in this world, but also made her understand a truth.
She is the world.
But the world needs people.
While Akira led Imu, Gunko, and Aqua away from the Holy Land to get closer to the common people, the Marine Headquarters was extremely busy.
Because Akira ordered the implementation of the Thousand-Ship Cruise Plan in the New World, Gion, who had just been promoted to Marshal of the Headquarters, was busy with the deployment of soldiers from various bases while also working hard to prepare the warships needed for the patrol plan.
Most importantly, the starting point of this Thousand-Ship Cruise was not Marineford, nor the naval fortress in the New World, but Egghead Island, the location of Vegapunk's research institute.
Fleet Admiral's Office, Marine Headquarters.
Hina, now Headquarters Vice Admiral, strode to the desk with a thick stack of documents and addressed Gion, who was seated in the Marshal's chair. "Gion Marshal, news has just arrived from Water Seven that they can deliver three hundred new warships today, and another batch in two days! Should we immediately transfer these warships to Egghead Island?"
"Alright!" Gion nodded, then, as if remembering something, looked up at Hina, "Have you got information on Lord Akira's whereabouts?"
"Lord Akira has now gone to Hope Island with Imu, Gunko, and Aqua." Hina pulled out a document and placed it on her desk, then continued, "This is a document just sent by the Chamber of Power. They hope that Lord Akira can return to the Holy Land to oversee the situation before this patrol begins!"
"Lord Akira Yu will not return to the Holy Land!"
Gion immediately rejected the claim, stating, "Because at the start of the cruise, Lord Akira Yu will appear on Egghead Island and address the world via Dr. Vegapunk's live streaming equipment."
After a slight pause, Gion immediately changed the subject, tentatively asking, "While Akira was away from the Holy Land with Imu, Gunko, and Aqua, did that jealous Hancock cause any trouble?"
"No," Hina shook her head, puzzled. "Gion, you're Marshal now, why would you care about such trivial matters? Hina doesn't understand!"
"Because I'm jealous!" Gion feigned anger, "Why can Imu and Gunko accompany Lord Akira on his trip, while I have to stay here and work for days without getting any sleep! It's not fair!"
"That's definitely not fair!" Hina said seriously. "But why are you jealous?" Hina was puzzled!
"You," Gion shook her head and smiled, stood up, put on the Marshal's overcoat hanging beside her, and said decisively, "Pass on my order: the main fleet will depart for Egghead Island in fifteen minutes!"
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