" Vic! Rebecca! You're finally here! We were about to give up!"
Gion's tone was tinged with weariness. When she saw Vic, she finally couldn't hold back her emotions and rushed over to Vic, hugging him tightly.
Vic is over two meters tall, Gion is nearly three meters tall. Vic's head only reaches Gion's chest. Vic is held tightly in Gion's arms like this, his head is pressed down so he can't breathe, it feels like he's holding his son.
Although Vic was being hugged, his arms hung down naturally and he didn't actually hug Gion. At this moment, his body was a little stiff and he seemed somewhat at a loss!
Tokikake paused for a moment, then, seeing Gion hugging Vic, he wanted to do the same and prepared to hug Rebecca as well.
Just as he opened his arms to embrace Rebecca, Aizen, whom Rebecca had pulled out, pressed against his chest.
Just kidding! Just kidding! Hehe!
Seeing Rebecca's cold expression, Tokikake could only awkwardly raise his hands with a forced smile, not daring to move.
He knew absolutely nothing about Rebecca, yet he immediately tried to hug Rebecca. He was only spared a stab because of their shared profession; she had been raised with Vic's guidance and wasn't as casual and unrestrained as others.
"Who are you! Let go of Vic! He's suffocating because of you, you wicked woman!"
Rebecca felt a pang of sadness seeing Gion hug Vic, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she took her anger out on Tokikake!
But Ain wouldn't stand for it. Who do you think you are? You come in and hug Vic, then press Vic head against your chest so he can't breathe? Are you trying to murder him?
Furthermore, Ain came over to the two people who were hugging and punched Gion's thigh a few times with her little fists, looking angry. It was unclear whether she was genuinely ignorant or pretending not to understand.
Everyone else burst into laughter at the sight. In their view, it was normal for friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time to hug, and they didn't think anything of it. But Ain's actions were indeed funny.
Gion ignored Ain's leg-pounding and kept holding onto Vic. She desperately needed a safe haven to lean on, something that Kaji couldn't Tokikake!
Vic reached out and stroked the back of Gion's head. Gion didn't know what Vic had done, but her mood immediately improved, she relaxed, and even her injuries seemed to heal.
Gion release Vic, her face still showing a hint of shyness and embarrassment. At this time, Gion was only in her early twenties, just a young woman, not the mature, steady, and reliable Admiral candidate she would become in the future. It was normal for her to show her emotions.
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days. Taking down Shiki took some time, but thankfully you're all safe and sound. With Vic here, we should be fine this time!"
Garp stepped forward after seeing that Gion had calmed down and said that the decision to pursue and capture the Golden Lion was made on short notice. He would not be at peace if Gion Tokikake were to perish because of this.
"Our mission was simply to track, harass, and delay; we could easily make a clean getaway. The mission didn't require us to take the initiative. We were too arrogant, we underestimated everyone. We were the ones who were wrong!"
Gion stated the facts and apologized, saying that the mission assigned by headquarters was correct. They knew the enemy was very strong, and all they had to do was locate the enemy and wait for Garp to arrive and deal with them. However, the young man acted impulsively, but fortunately, no unexpected situations arose.
"So your name is Vic! You are indeed a bit better looking than me, and you killed the Golden Lion, right? Your strength is not bad either. I won't argue with you. You'd better watch yourself!"
After finishing her Tokikake, Gion moved closer to Vic, looked him up and down, and then said a few words to Vic before leaving, her tone sour and somewhat resentful.
Vic understood what he meant. Tokikake had been proposing to Gion but had been rejected. In the past Gion didn't have anyone she liked, he could still be shameless and persistent, but this time he had probably really given up.
However, Tokikake wasn't exactly an honest man. Even when Gion didn't agree to his request, he didn't give up on the forest outside and continued to protect it. He was a very contradictory person.
Although Tokikake has withdrawn, Vic is still somewhat confused about this relationship and doesn't know how to deal with it. Although he is powerful and intelligent, he is still at a loss when it comes to matters of the heart!
" Barnett! Treat Rear Admiral Gion's wounds. If Rear Admiral Tokikake Kake needs help, you can also assist him. We can't let them go to the battlefield wounded!"
Vic looked at Gion in front of him and spoke to Barnett behind him. Although he was concerned about Gion's health, his words were somewhat formulaic, which made Gion look a little resentful. Vic could only pretend not to see it.
Leave it to me!
Barnett's Devil Fruit abilities are quite good; this kind of injury can be healed. Facing a battle that could come at any time, it's always best to recover as soon as possible.
After everyone greeted each other, Garp arranged for them to eat first. His philosophy was that if you eat your fill when you can, you'll be able to fight longer.
Vic contributed all his rabbits as food; he no longer needed them for cultivation. There were too many rabbits on the warship now, several times more than when he bought them, so he could get rid of them all this time. The two girls were quite embarrassed by their daily mating.
"Everyone, eat more. We'll rest for a day and then get moving. Is this a whole rabbit feast? They've disposed of all the rabbit; is it no longer needed?"
Garp and Vic, along with other high-ranking officers, sat around the table for a meal. The main dish was rabbit meat, prepared in different ways, all cooked by Vic himself.
He also ensured that every rabbit died happily, without experiencing any pain. As the lowest rung of the food chain, this was the happiest way to die.
"Yes! I've mastered my 'divine skills' and no longer need to pet rabbits. Everyone, try my cooking! Isn't this the whole rabbit feast you've been waiting for? You weren't getting enough to eat before, now you can eat your fill!"
Vic wore a faint smile. These rabbits had done a great service to complete the task in such a short time.
Of course, Vic could have used other animals instead, but after thinking it over, he chose rabbits. One reason was that rabbits are easy to raise, another was that rabbits are small and don't need a lot of space, and most importantly, rabbits reproduce quickly, so they can be used to replenish any individuals that die unexpectedly during cultivation.
Vic did kill quite a few rabbits in the early stages, but no accidents have occurred recently, which indicates that his cultivation has progressed.
"Divine skill? What kind of divine skill? Can I see it?"