Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office's door was ajar, and the sea breeze blew in from the window, rattling the mountains of documents on the desk.
Gion was sitting on the chair that symbolized the highest power of the navy, with his elbows on the table and his slender fingers gently rubbing his temples.
Another night of no sleep.
Since Akira disappeared, she has lost count of how many all-nighters she has stayed up.
"Dong dong dong--"
There was a knock on the door, and before Gion could respond, Hina opened the door and walked in.
"Gion Marshal, New World G-5 base sent an urgent report." Hina put a document on the table and hesitated to speak, looking at the obviously haggard woman in front of him, "Three more pirate groups have appeared in the waters near the Lulusia Kingdom, and the local garrison is requesting support."
Gion opened his eyes, picked up the file and scanned it quickly.
"Send Katakuri Admiral to suppress it and tell him--" Gion paused, "There is no need to leave him alive."
"Yes." Hina took the file but did not leave immediately.
Gion raised his head, "Is there anything else?"
Hina hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Gion, you have been working continuously for thirty-six hours. It's time to rest."
"Rest?" Gion smiled bitterly and shook his head, "In this situation, how can I have the right to rest?"
Hina opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing, turned around and exited the office.
The huge office became quiet again.
Gion leaned back on the chair, looked up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and his thoughts drifted back to six years ago involuntarily.
That afternoon six years ago, everything was still so beautiful.
Akira has just completed Thousand-Ship Cruise, Laugh Tale disappeared from the world, and Great Pirate Era officially declared its end. The whole world is cheering, and everyone is celebrating that the long-awaited peaceful era has finally arrived.
Everything is going in the best direction.
Until Akira suddenly.
Although the news of Akira's disappearance was strictly blocked, paper could not cover up the fire after all, and various rumors had begun to spread about Marineford.
Gion doesn't care about the rumors.
She only cares about one thing - where Akira went.
One evening, she was sitting alone in her office, with a thick stack of investigation reports spread out in front of her, but not a single word could be read.
Just when she was about to sit in the office until dawn like the previous two nights, something suddenly happened.
Buzz--
The air in the center of the office suddenly began to twist, as if it was being kneaded by an invisible hand. The next second, a portal emitting soft white light with strands of golden arcs at the edge tore open in mid-air silently.
Gion suddenly stood up, and his right hand instantly pressed on the handle of Famous Sword Kompira.
Her first reaction was an enemy attack.
But soon she realized something was wrong -
Because the aura emanating from that portal is exactly the same as the container that Akira used to house Demon Silhouette.
"Who?" Gion asked coldly, the knife already three inches out of its sheath.
The portal did not answer.
An emotionless mechanical sound came from inside the door, echoing clearly in the office.
[Marine Headquarters Marshal, Gion.]
[Are you willing to give up all the wealth, status and fame you have in the current world?]
[You can enter this door if you wish.]
[On the other side of the passage, there is the person you most want to see.]
Gion's pupils shrank suddenly.
The person you most want to meet?
She understood what the portal was saying almost instantly.
Akira.
Akira is on the other side of the door!
She released her hand from the handle of the knife, but immediately tightened it. Her heart was beating violently in her chest, and every cell in her body was shouting the same voice - walk over! Walk over and you can see him!
Gion took a step forward.
Then, she stopped.
She looked down at the cloak of justice on her body, at the three gold stars on the epaulettes representing the military rank Marshal, at the piles of documents on the table, and at the vast sea outside the window.
She remembered what Akira said to her before leaving -
"Gion, I leave the navy to you."
"I believe you will be able to protect this new era."
Gion closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, there was no hesitation in those beautiful eyes.
"I can't leave."
Her voice was very soft, but extremely firm.
"The situation in Grand Line is deteriorating now, and the suppressed pirates have begun to make moves. If I leave at this time, the navy will be in chaos, the world will be in chaos, and the peaceful and prosperous era created by Master Akira will be destroyed."
She looked up at the portal with firm eyes. "I can't let his hard work go to waste."
Silence.
The portal was silent for a moment, and then the mechanical sound sounded again.
[Understand.]
[Time-Space Passage will reserve a one-way ticket for you.]
[When you are willing to let go of everything, just call in your heart and the passage will appear again.]
[This privilege is permanently valid.]
After the words fell, the door collapsed like a dream bubble, and the office returned to calm.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Gion stood there, staring blankly in the direction where the portal disappeared, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
She walked to the window, opened it, and let the sea breeze ruffle her hair.
"Master Akira, please give me a little more time."
"When I stabilize the situation and train a qualified successor, I will come to you."
However--
Gion What I didn't expect was that the wait would last six years.
In the first year after Akira disappeared, the situation was relatively stable.
Yonko has been wiped out, and most of the pirates have either been suppressed or have chosen to surrender. Although the order at sea has been loosened, it is still within control.
Gion While handling the daily affairs of the navy, he also started training his successor.
The second year after Akira disappeared, the situation began to deteriorate.
New pirate groups have sprung up one after another. Although the scale is far less than that of Yonko, their large number and wide distribution have overwhelmed the navy.
To make matters worse, World Government's internal conflicts began to surface.
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Chamber of Power.
The seats for Five Elders were vacant due to the deaths of Saturn, Worcester and others one after another. Several major Celestial Dragons families stared red-eyed and wanted to fill in their own clansmen.
As a candidate for Five Elders, Sakazuki has an increasingly bad temper. In Chamber of Power, he almost slams the table whenever he disagrees with her.
Although Sengoku and Zephyr are still in office, they are old and their energy is not as good as before, so they often choose to remain silent.
The whole Chamber of Power turned into a pot of boiling porridge.
In the third year after Akira disappeared, the situation was completely out of control.
The candidate for the new Five Elders has not been determined for a long time, and the decision-making efficiency of Chamber of Power has dropped to freezing point. Many matters that require coordination at the World Government level have been delayed again and again because no one has made a decision.
Marine Headquarters also has cracks.
The new generation of generals advocates continuing to pursue the iron-fist policy of the Akira period and having zero tolerance for pirates.
The conservatives, led by some veteran Vice Admiral, believe that the defense line should be appropriately reduced and the limited troops should be concentrated in key areas.
The conflict of ideas between the two sides is becoming increasingly fierce.
Gion is in a dilemma.
She understands the idealism of the neophytes and the realism of the conservatives. The problem is, these two ideas are simply incompatible.
And she, as Marshal, must make a choice.
In the fourth year after Akira disappeared, Gion made a difficult decision - she chose Luffy.
Because he is an intern brought out by Akira himself and a young man who Akira has high hopes for.
Gion believes in Akira's vision.
However, this decision completely intensified the conflicts within the navy.
Some veteran generals resigned in anger, and some even defected to other forces. The navy's strength and cohesion have experienced a visible decline.
Gion is exhausted mentally and physically.
In the fifth year since Akira disappeared, the situation has become even worse.
Holy Land Mary Geoise A serious power struggle broke out.
In order to compete for Five Elders seats, several major Celestial Dragons families did not hesitate to use all kinds of shady means. Assassination, bribery, frame-up... all kinds of dirty dramas were staged in turn.
As the leader of Knights of God, Doflamingo not only failed to maintain order, but also added fuel to the fire, making the conflict out of control.
CP Organization was also reorganized at this time and became independent again from CP1 to CP8.
After Rob Lucci became the top commander of CP0, the conflict with the navy stationed at Holy Land intensified.
Holy Land, precarious.
Six years after Akira disappeared, Gion finally made a decision.
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Gion was sitting on the chair she had been sitting on for six years, with a document that had just been signed in front of her.
The content of the document is very simple - resign from Marine Headquarters Marshal.
She picked up the quill on the table, signed her name at the end of the document, and then stamped it with the big seal Marshal.
After doing all this, she let out a long breath, leaned back on the chair, and closed her eyes.
For the first time in six years, she felt so relaxed.
"Dong dong dong--"
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Hina pushed the door open and saw the signed resignation document on the table at a glance. She did not show surprise, but silently picked up the document and put it into the folder.
"Luffy is ready. He can take over Marshal's position at any time." Hina said.
Gion nodded, "Where is Sabo? Is he willing to be Chief of Staff?"
"Sabo said that as long as it is for the future of the navy, he is willing to accept any arrangement." Hina paused, looked at Gion, and said with a serious expression, "Are you really going to leave?"
Gion nodded slightly, with a gentle smile on his lips.
"Hina, I have been waiting for six years."
"If I wait any longer, I will get old!"
Hina opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing, just nodded silently.
She knew that Gion had been waiting for this day for too long.
Six years ago, when that portal appeared, Hina was outside.
Through the crack in the door, she saw the Time-Space Passage emitting white light, and heard what the mechanical voice said.
She was thinking at that time, what would she choose if she were in her place?
She couldn't figure it out.
Because she knows that whether she chooses to stay or leave, it takes great courage.
And Gion chose to stay.
Spend six years guarding the fire left by Akira.
Now, it's time for Gion to live for himself.
"Pass the order," Gion stood up, took the cloak of justice that was hung on the back of the chair, and put it on his shoulders, "Tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning, the Marshal handover ceremony will be held in the headquarters auditorium."
"At that time, Luffy will officially take over the position of Marine Headquarters Marshal."
"Yes!" Hina raised his hand in salute and exited the office.
The office was quiet again.
Gion walked to the window and looked at the endless sea outside the window.
As the sun sets, the sea surface is dyed golden red, which is incredibly beautiful.
She closed her eyes and called softly in her heart.
Buzz--
The soft white light lit up again, and the Space-Time Portal, with golden arcs at its edges, tore apart silently in front of her.
The mechanical sound sounded again.
[Gion, have you made your decision?]
[Once you enter this door, you will never be able to return to the pirate world.]
[You will lose Navy Marshal's identity, status and all rights.]
Gion smiled.
She raised her right hand, took off her epaulette, and placed it on the windowsill.
Then, she took off the cloak of justice that symbolized the highest power of the navy, folded it, and placed it next to the epaulettes.
"Thank you, please take me to see Master Akira immediately."
After saying that, she stepped forward and walked into the white light without hesitation.