" Saint Orange, I have confirmed that your fiancée, Miss Catherine, will be returning tomorrow morning..."
Inside the luxurious residence arranged for the Celestial Dragons Saint Orange by the Marine Headquarters, a subordinate dressed in a black suit stood bowing below Orange, reporting the information he had gathered to him.
"Tomorrow? I understand, you can go now..."
After hearing his report, Orange thought for a moment, then waved for his men to leave, leaving him alone in the hall to ponder.
"We'll be meeting tomorrow, my fiancée, Miss Glücksburg Catherine. I'm so looking forward to it... Hehehe!!"
After a moment of silence, Orange suddenly spoke, his voice filled with both anticipation for her, whom he had never met before, and a hint of joy.
"We're almost there. You don't need to stand here and gaze into the distance anymore. We're only one day's Luo Chen from Marineford, aren't we?"
Or are you still hoping your brother Hogg will appear before you again?!
On a warship bound for Marineford, a stunningly beautiful blonde girl stood atop the bow, craning her neck as if anticipating something.
At this moment, a tall, slender woman with long, alluring hair walked up behind her and spoke to the girl.
"Yes, I know we'll be there Luo Chen a day, but the closer we get, the more unsettled I become, Sister Gion!!"
Hearing the question from the familiar woman beside her, the girl answered.
"Then you really should rest and calm your anxiety. Don't think too much, just act like usual. Go get some sleep..."
The alluring woman, Headquarters Vice Admiral Momousagi, spoke with concern.
"But... when I think about going back and still not seeing my brother, I really don't know what I'll do..."
Sister Gion, do you think my brother has really Sacrifice himself?!
The girl frowned, looking at Momousagi with unease, and asked her.
"Hey... don't overthink it. Trust your brother, okay? He'll be fine. Alright, go rest in your cabin. Maybe you'll see him waiting for you at the dock tomorrow morning..."
Momousagi sighed, pulled the girl into her arms, and gently comforted her.
Then, with Momousagi's gentle persuasion and explanation, the girl finally relaxed and went back to her room to rest.
"Ugh... how am I supposed to tell her this? My older brother, whom I've relied on since I was little, Sacrifice two years ago."
This has been kept from her for two years, but how much longer can it be hidden? I hope you won't be devastated when you find out, Catherine.
Momousagi sighed as she watched the girl's frail figure leave, then secretly revealed the secret she had been keeping from her.
"I don't know why, but I felt uneasy when I returned to headquarters this time. Could something unexpected have happened?"
Forget it, this isn't something I should be thinking about. I should focus on figuring out how to comfort Catherine when she gets back there tomorrow...
Momousagi gazed at the clear, cloudless night sky ahead and said...
"It's getting late, I should go get some rest. Thinking about having to deal with that annoying guy tomorrow..."
After standing there for a while, she suddenly shook her head, thinking of a certain person who gave her a real headache. She turned around and went back to her room to rest and calm herself down.
"Sigh... I didn't expect that Hogg's sister still hadn't returned. I was even a little happy about it. Oh well, I'll find a place to stay for a while and wait for his sister to come back!"
On the other side, Luo Chen looked at the confined residence before him and felt a pang of dejection.
He hadn't expected that Catherine, whom he was looking for, had gone on a mission with Momousagi and hadn't returned yet.
The thought of having to wait here for her to return for who knows how long was incredibly disheartening.
He wasn't a calm person to begin with, but now he had no choice but to continue waiting quietly for Catherine to return and tell her about her brother Hogg.
"Let me see which place is the best to stay here, and ask them first."
Luo Chen walked back down the street he had been on, intending to find a place to stay near her for a while until she returned.
His figure quickly blended into the crowd, indistinguishable from others.
And so, the night passed quickly, and the next morning arrived.
"Mmm... This is delicious! It's truly worthy of being a supply from the Marine Headquarters; it's so tasty!!"
That day, Luo Chen held a large skewer of Sea Kings meat in each hand, which he had bought from a middle-aged merchant who claimed to be a naval supplier. He took a bite, ate a few times, and then praised it generously.
"Ah... right, I remember the port is over there, right? Anyway, we don't have anything to do right now, so why don't we go there and take a look? Maybe we can even see Hogg's sister."
After finishing his food, Luo Chen looked in the direction he had passed yesterday and murmured to himself.
Then, they walked in that direction.
Just as he walked past, Momousagi and her crew's ship entered the harbor.
When they moored their ship there and turned to jump off, they encountered Saint Orange, who were waiting for Catherine.
"Phew... We've finally arrived. Marineford has returned once again. Brother, will you surprise me and appear before me again?"
After Catherine jumped off the boat with Momousagi, she looked at the familiar scene and thought to herself.
"Hmm... what's going on?"
Where have all the people who usually greet guests here gone?!
Has something major happened?
However, Momousagi, who was standing next to her, had a different perspective. She looked at the empty dock around her and the crowds standing all around her, and wondered to herself.
"We've finally arrived, Vice Admiral Momousagi, and my fiancée, Miss Catherine..."
We've been waiting for you here for a long time..."
Just as she was wondering what might happen, a young man exuding an air of nobility stepped out from the crowd and spoke to them.
"You are?! Celestial Dragons? What brings such an important person like you here to wait for us?"
Momousagi recognized the man's familiar clothes and immediately asked him a question.
"A big shot?! No, no, no, I'm not a big shot at all, but Vice Admiral Momousagi is right."
I'm waiting for you here because I have something to discuss with you, specifically, the woman beside you, Miss Catherine!
Orange her head to deny that she was a big shot, and then revealed her purpose.
" Celestial Dragons?! What brings you here? I have no idea we have any connection..."
Upon hearing the term "Celestial Dragons," Catherine, who was standing next to Momousagi, instantly turned cold and asked him expressionlessly.
"Of course we've crossed paths, Miss Catherine, or rather, Glücksburg Catherine, my fiancée!!"
Orange looked at her with a smile and said.
" Glücksburg?! Isn't that the surname of one of the 20 kings? Catherine, could you be..."
Upon hearing Orange mention that surname, Momousagi quickly realized what was happening and asked Catherine, who was standing next to her.