"Mr. Garp… you're not saying the mission we were handling is now being handed over to Admiral Luo Yu, are you?"Gion's expression stiffened.
As Vice Admirals stationed at frontline bases near the Yonko territories, their role was already filled with peril.But for those like her and Chaton—candidates for Admiral—their mission was even more sensitive: tracking Yonko movements.
And monitoring the Four Emperors? That was as close to dancing on death's edge as you could get.
Only Admiral candidates were trusted with such high-risk surveillance. Even then, it was typically limited to observation—not confrontation.
But the current situation in the New World was no ordinary affair.Even Gion and Chaton, as seasoned Admiral candidates, had found it overwhelming enough to return all the way to Marineford and request reinforcements.
In their eyes, it would take at least a full-fledged Admiral to steady this situation.
Sure, Luo Yu's display of power had shattered their preconceptions…
But entrusting him with this crisis?
They still didn't have that kind of faith in him.
"Haha! Gion, your brain's just as sharp as ever—maybe even sharper than Tsuru's these days," Garp laughed heartily."When Tsuru eventually gets too old to think straight, maybe you can take her place."
As he chuckled, Garp reached over and snatched the roujiamo from Chaton's hand, stuffing it into his mouth with gusto.
But the moment he bit down, a palm smacked the back of his head.
"Garp, you're the one whose brain's not working," came a familiar, raspy voice."You're just as unreliable as always. Sengoku sent you to handle the Celestial Dragon mess, and here you are spouting 'trash' in public again. Are you trying to give him a heart attack?"
"Letting Luo Yu and Chaton brawl like that—if your salary weren't already docked through next year, I'd have filed a full report on you!"
The voice came from behind him.Garp turned around with a sheepish grin.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!" Gion's eyes lit up, immediately stepping forward.
Though Gion had already reached the ranks of Admiral candidate, her respect for Tsuru, the woman who once advocated for her promotion, remained as deep as ever.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Gion?" Tsuru gave her a dry smile."You've grown even stronger… At this rate, I'd say you're not far off from becoming an Admiral yourself."
But as her gaze swept across the plaza and landed on Luo Yu—relaxing casually, sipping wine, and chewing on his roujiamo—Tsuru's words got stuck in her throat.
Gion noticed the awkward pause and chuckled bitterly.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, if you'd said that before I met Admiral Luo Yu, I'd be thrilled. But now…"She trailed off, smiling helplessly.
"But please tell me—did Fleet Admiral Sengoku really assign this mission to Admiral Luo Yu?"
"According to eyewitnesses three days ago, this incident might involve more than one Yonko. To uncover the truth behind it… it would really take one of the three senior Admirals to handle it, don't you think?"
Tashigi, Smoker, and the others visibly tensed.
Escorting a Warlord might have felt like playing soldier, but this… this was a meat grinder.
Gion's words might have sounded blunt—but she wasn't wrong.Between new and veteran Admirals, the experience gap was very real.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the plaza grew heavy and uncertain.
"Admiral Luo Yu," Tsuru turned to him and quickly added, "Gion was only speaking out of concern for the bigger picture. Please don't take her words to heart."
Luo Yu gave a soft laugh."Vice Admiral Tsuru, you're being too kind. Gion's not wrong at all."
"To be honest, facing those old monsters from the previous era? It's far more prudent to send one of the senior Admirals."
"In fact, I fully agree with her suggestion."
The crowd blinked, stunned.
Even Gion and Chaton were caught off guard.
In this world of power and pride, who would ever admit they were inferior?Especially when standing shoulder to shoulder with equals?
Even the Yonko would choke on those words.
"Admiral Luo Yu," Chaton blurted out quickly, "I didn't expect you to be so selfless. If you're still willing to take on the mission, we should immediately notify Fleet Admiral Sengoku so he can finalize the reassignment."
Gion nodded in agreement, visibly relieved.
Tsuru remained silent for a moment, clearly surprised.
Finally, she let out a long sigh.
"Admiral Luo Yu… if not for the incident with the Celestial Dragons, it wouldn't be a problem for you to decline."
"But this assignment isn't about logistics—it's about optics. Sengoku is having you take this mission to get you out of Marineford and let the heat die down."
"At this point, swapping you out would be… difficult."
"Getting Sengoku to change his mind might be even harder."
"No other way, Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Gion asked urgently.
"Admiral Luo Yu, don't worry. If Vice Admiral Tsuru can't convince Fleet Admiral Sengoku, then Chaton and I will go ourselves to plead for a reassignment."
"We'll leave right away!"
She turned sharply and took a step forward—
Only to freeze in her tracks at Luo Yu's calm voice:
"Reassignment?"
"Vice Admiral Gion… you're overthinking it."
"This is clearly Fleet Admiral Sengoku's goodwill. As a subordinate, how could I possibly let down his gracious intentions?" Luo Yu adjusted his glasses with a warm smile.
"Of course, Gion's point still stands. Missions that involve direct engagement with a Yonko should logically be handled by one of the three senior Admirals."
"But since Sengoku's pushing me into this role… well, it sounds a lot like a temporary promotion."
"Given the risk involved, isn't it fair to ask for a little performance bonus?""I'm sure the old man wouldn't mind, right?"
Silence.Total, dead silence.
Gion's previously anxious expression froze solid.
So all that talk about 'big-picture thinking'… was just a setup to ask for more money?
She mentally replayed everything she'd just said and done.That fiery conviction, that rush to defend Luo Yu's dignity…
What was she expecting?
That a man who fell into a pit of gold would suddenly climb out?
She was a fool to hope.
There he was—nibbling his roujiamo, sipping his wine, smiling like springtime.
Gion suddenly just wanted to sit down in silence and rethink her life.
Tsuru's aged face twitched as she glared at the nonsense-spewing Admiral.
"Admiral Luo Yu," she snapped, "I advise you to drop the bonus talk."
"The base headquarters is still being rebuilt from when you punched it apart."
"Now you've blasted open the Gates of Justice too."
"And don't forget—there's a Celestial Dragon still in the infirmary, crying for mommy and daddy."
"Sengoku's already lost his shirt paying for damages."
"If you go asking for performance pay now, he might just chase you across the ocean with a club!"
"And another thing," Tsuru added, glaring harder, "look over at the docks."
"The Kuja Pirates still haven't left."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they report you for yesterday's events."
"And judging by the direction they're walking…"Her eyes narrowed.
"Your luck really is terrible. Looks like they're coming straight for you."