Sinking to the Seabed

Half an hour later.

Noah was tied up tight with rope in front of the sofa, three bumps rising on his head, steam hissing from them.

Shizi was the one who had dealt the blows.

Though she looked like a frail, thin old lady, she was, after all, a Navy figure from the same era as Garp and Zephyr; her Iron Fist of Justice still had plenty of kick left in it.

Sitting across from him were Shizi and Hina, and on the coffee table between the three of them sat a small Den Den Mushi.

Gion's somewhat helpless voice drifted from the receiver:

"In short, the cause of the matter is pretty much what I just said."

"I'm sorry, Sister Shizi. It was my fault for keeping it from you. It has nothing to do with this guy named Noah. Please, just let him go. Next time we meet, I will definitely apologize to you in person."

"No need!" The old lady crossed her arms and huffed, looking quite haughty. "I'm still very angry. Until my anger subsides, I don't want to see you again, little Gion!"

With that, she hung up the phone and began to scan Noah from head to toe with a cold, piercing gaze.

Noah felt a pang of guilt and subconsciously scooted his butt backward.

After discovering that their bodies had swapped back, his reaction had actually been quite clever—

As a stranger in Shizi's eyes, he knew full well that no matter how he explained it, the old lady wouldn't believe him.

So, he had immediately dialed the warship to contact Gion, letting Gion herself explain the ins and outs of the situation.

Now that the misunderstanding was barely cleared up, the reason Noah had made this trip in the first place could no longer be hidden.

Upon learning that the Gion who had been keeping her company so warmly for the past two days wasn't there to visit her specifically, but was actually carrying out a mission from Headquarters to persuade her to return, it was only natural for the old lady to feel a sense of indignation at having her feelings deceived.

And when it turned out that the Gion she had been with was a fake, that indignation climbed to a whole new level; it was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Looking at the restless Noah, the old lady finally spoke, her expression blank:

"Noah, nineteen years old, entered Headquarters just last year, a student in the Elite Training Camp newly led by Zephyr?"

"Yes, Sister Shizi... Rear Admiral."

Noah had grown used to calling her that over the last two days; the words nearly slipped out, but he corrected himself just in time.

"Quite impressive, isn't it? These past two days, you've had an old woman like me, who's clearly lost her mind, running in circles." Shizi's tone was devoid of emotion. "With acting skills and the ability to sweet-talk like that, it's a pity you're just a Marine. Have you considered going to work for the CP?"

"...Huh?"

"The World Government's intelligence organization. They should have quite a need for talents like you."

Shizi pulled a fountain pen from the table and spread out a sheet of white paper. "How about this? I'll write a letter to Zephyr right now and have him recommend you to the head of the CP. The spots in the Headquarters Elite Training Camp are quite precious, after all; they should be provided to those who need them more..."

"Don't do that, Rear Admiral Shizi!"

Noah stood up from the floor with a start, only to be tripped back down by the inertia of the ropes, wincing and baring his teeth as he clutched his backside. "The CP really isn't for me. I'm exactly the kind of person who really needs a spot in the Elite Training Camp..."

"Is that so?"

Shizi paused the tip of her pen and looked up at him with cold eyes. "What are your dreams and pursuits? Why did you join Headquarters?"

So that twenty years from now, he could have the qualifications to sit with his legs crossed during the Summit War? And while he was at it, satisfy his obsessive-compulsive disorder by correcting Aokiji's posture too?

He definitely couldn't say that, so Noah's answer was: "To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect the peace of the world, to carry out love and truth..."

Thump!

Another steaming bump appeared on his head.

"To become stronger, to have the power to protect my family, and..."

Noah was completely honest now. He paused, thought about it seriously for a moment, and then added the second half of his sentence, "To practice the justice in my own heart."

"That, at least, counts as the truth."

Shizi huffed, finally putting the fountain pen back into the pen holder, and looked at Noah with disdain. "So, kid, do you think that impersonating someone else to come and deceive the feelings of an old woman like me is something a qualified Marine should do? Don't you feel any shame?"

"I'm sorry, Rear Admiral Shizi!"

Noah apologized sincerely, taking the opportunity to try and defend himself again. "But I really had no choice. This was Rear Admiral Gion's idea. She's my superior; as a recruit who hasn't even graduated yet, I couldn't exactly disobey orders..."

"I'll settle the score with Gion later." Shizi cut him off, sneering. "Right now, we are discussing how to deal with you."

"..." Noah wore an expression of resignation. "Just say it. Whatever the punishment, I accept it..."

"How about I tie you to a rock and sink you to the bottom of the sea?"

Shizi looked at the night sky outside the window. "The harbor isn't far from here. Even though I'm an old woman, I can still carry you there and be back before dawn..."

Noah looked stunned.

"...You are a Navy Rear Admiral, not a gangster or a pirate."

"That's exactly why I'd only sink you to the bottom of the sea. If you were a pirate, you'd already be fertilizer at the bottom of my garden."

"Please, don't say such terrifying things with such a nonchalant attitude in front of Hina."

"Then let's skip that part. Any last words? I can have Gion pass them on to your friends and family."

"Honestly, I don't think my crimes warrant death." Noah said with a bitter face. "You can take that as my last words, or carve it onto my tombstone."

Hina, who had been curled up in Shizi's arms listening quietly to their conversation, finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You've also been fooled by this guy for two days, and you can still laugh?"

Shizi helplessly tapped Hina on her little head, then looked up at Noah again, sighing, "Slick-tongued, and with such a handsome face to boot; it's no wonder that girl Gion could tolerate you using her identity to complete the mission..."

"Looking at your attitude, I bet you haven't caused little trouble for the girls at Marine Headquarters, have you?"

"You've wronged me there. Not only have I never been in a relationship, but I haven't even held a girl's hand to this day."

Considering the existence of Bell-mère, only the first half of Noah's answer was true, though many of you in front of the screen might find that statement quite relatable.

Shizi couldn't be bothered to distinguish the truth from the lies, waving her hand and saying, "Forget it. Seeing as you've kept to your duties these past two days and managed to keep this old woman entertained, I don't want to pursue this further, even if these feelings are fake."

"Now, I just want to clarify one thing."

Before Noah could even feel happy, he was pinned by Shizi's cold, piercing gaze. "Information on Rouge is known to only a few high-ranking officials, even at Marine Headquarters. How did you recognize her identity at a single glance just by looking at a photo?"

Here it comes, the main event!

Noah's heart tightened; this was the root of his fear that the old lady would vent her anger on him.

As a nameless soldier, he had inadvertently learned that the wife of the Pirate King was Shizi's foster daughter. This was a secret that Shizi clearly did not want leaked—even someone as close as Momousagi knew nothing about it.

It could only be said that it was fortunate Rear Admiral Shizi was a veteran marine whose moral character was on the same level as Garp and Zephyr.

If it had been a more devious and unscrupulous high-ranking marine, Noah suspected he might really be sunk to the bottom of the sea today, becoming a mystery of someone who vanished for no apparent reason...