When Gion spoke, Sengoku, seated at his desk, excitedly slapped the tabletop. He was genuinely touched.
At that moment, he really wanted to call Garp, Kizaru, and Aokiji over to show them what a real Marine was!
He was a Fleet Admiral who worked all 365 days of the year without a break, handling all kinds of affairs from dawn till dusk. He even had to clean up after certain people like a nanny.
And yet, not one of the bastards under him made his life easier. They were even constantly coming up with new ways to slack off.
Then there was Gion, standing before him with such determination. Sengoku could only think that she was the true model Marine!
In truth, Gion wasn't especially diligent, nor was she particularly eager to work overtime.
The difference from the original story was that this Gion had met a man named Wood.
That in itself wasn't unusual. A person could meet countless others in their lifetime, but only a tiny fraction would ever get to know them, and fewer still could affect the course of their life.
As luck would have it, Wood had probably already forgotten someone like Gion, while Gion had come to regard Wood as one of those rare people who could change her life.
That wasn't to say Gion was in love with Wood. Rather, her fiercely competitive nature meant she couldn't forget the strength he'd displayed in front of her six months ago.
Even before then, Gion had seen Wood as a rival. After they parted ways six months ago, Wood had focused on following his usual, comfortable path, but Gion had never forgotten her goal of catching up to him.
Gion admitted that six months ago, she hadn't been Wood's match. But so much had happened since then, and her strength had improved by more than a little.
Given Wood's personality and talent, Gion believed that even if he was holed up somewhere now, he couldn't have spent the past six months making no progress.
To catch up to Wood, then surpass and defeat him, Gion didn't want to pass up a single opportunity to grow stronger. That was why she'd decided to turn down Fleet Admiral Sengoku's suggestion that she rest.
Sengoku had no idea what Gion was really thinking. He simply felt she had a strong sense of duty, and he had no reason to refuse a Marine who wanted to work hard and get ahead. So he quickly handed her another document.
"Escort slaves to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?"
Looking at the mission papers in her hands, Gion couldn't help frowning.
Everyone knew that the Holy Land of Mary Geoise was where the Celestial Dragons, the Nobles of the World, lived. They were also the ones who held real power in the World Government.
In other words, the Celestial Dragons were the Marine Headquarters' direct superiors.
Yet anyone who had met a Celestial Dragon would have little fondness for these so-called "Nobles of the World." Even the Marines hated dealing with them.
Gion had known Wood for two years and considered him shameless, but compared with the so-called Nobles of the World, he was at most a bit of a rogue. The Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise were the real scum of the sea—utterly vile and despicable!
Seeing Gion's expression, Fleet Admiral Sengoku could only look helpless. He knew all too well what the Celestial Dragons were like.
But the Marines took orders from the World Government, and the World Government was the Celestial Dragons' lapdog. There was nothing the Marines could do about them.
The Celestial Dragons were descendants of nineteen of the twenty kings who had founded the World Government 800 years ago. They considered themselves "descendants of the creators" and enjoyed every privilege.
Rumor had it that they were descended from the people who saved the world. Whether that was true was impossible to investigate, since that period of history had completely vanished.
But the Celestial Dragons had stood atop the world for so long that their influence was deeply rooted across the seas.
From the salary of every Marine in the entire Marine Headquarters to every cannon and warship, it was all funded by the World Government. The Marines simply didn't have the power to defy the Celestial Dragons.
Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr were all true Marines, with ideals of justice they upheld. But why did they obey the World Government?
Because they had no choice! Without money, they couldn't wage war, and no one person could suppress all the pirates wreaking havoc across the seas.
The Celestial Dragons were scum, and the World Government was their lapdog. There were even plenty of scoundrels among the Marines.
But it couldn't be denied that the Marines' existence had, to some extent, stemmed the spread of evil across the seas.
Garp and Sengoku cared about the Marines' future, so they chose to endure humiliation.
As for Dragon, Luffy's father, and his followers, they saw that the World Government was beyond saving. Rather than hope for some vague future in which things might change, they would work to change the present themselves and create a new future!
We couldn't say Garp and Zephyr were wrong. They had simply chosen a different path. If anything, Garp and the others were conservatives, while Dragon and the Revolutionary Army were radicals.
Of course, both the so-called conservatives and radicals hated the Celestial Dragons.
That was why Gion frowned as soon as she saw the mission papers.
There was no doubt she hated the Celestial Dragons, and the mission involved escorting slaves. She was just as repulsed by the idea of treating people as slaves.
"I know this mission may put you in a difficult position, but I wouldn't feel at ease sending anyone else besides you."
At first, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had planned to send Rear Admiral Kadaru on the mission. Kadaru wasn't very quick-witted, but he was shrewd and knew how to flatter people. He probably wouldn't get into a conflict with the Celestial Dragons.
Sengoku had only decided at the last minute to have Gion handle the mission because she'd done an excellent job dealing with the kingdom's internal strife. She was also very tactful, unlike Garp and the others, who tended to act on impulse.
The mission also fit Gion's own requirements perfectly. Since there weren't many slaves to escort, they didn't need a large force; only a few capable Marine officers would be necessary.
Gion was currently a Marine Captain. To ensure she could take the lead on the mission, Fleet Admiral Sengoku generously offered to help her gather anyone below the rank of "officer" she needed.
"So I can bring in any Marines below officer rank to serve under me?"
Gion had been about to politely decline the mission, but when she heard Fleet Admiral Sengoku's words, her hand stopped just as she was about to put the papers down.
"Of course. I may be Fleet Admiral, but putting together an elite squad to help you complete the mission is well within my power.
"However, the people you choose must belong to the Marines. And if they're in a special unit, it'll take a little time."
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