When Tsuru entered Sengoku's office…
Inside, Sengoku and Garp were staring each other down—literally.
Neither of them even blinked.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
"Tsuru, whatever it is, hold on a second. Sengoku and I are in the middle of a contest to see who can go the longest without blinking!"
Garp didn't so much as twitch his eyelids, keeping his eyes locked on Sengoku.
Tsuru was speechless.
A Fleet Admiral and a Marine Hero. Both men well into their golden years, and this is how they spend their time? Acting like kids?
"If you two don't knock it off, Gion's going to resign and switch sides!"
"What?!" x2
The two men snapped their heads around instantly, eyes wide.
"What did you just say? Gion's leaving the Marines? That's impossible!"
—Garp.
"Tsuru, that's a pretty poor joke."
—Sengoku.
For once, the two were in complete agreement.
No way that could be true.
"She didn't want to, but the offer from Jun Lin was something she simply couldn't refuse."
"Huh? Jun Lin? What's going on?"
Sengoku was stunned for a moment, but his expression quickly grew more serious.
Garp squinted. Something felt off.
Sengoku did look more serious... but only slightly. Shouldn't he be a lot more alarmed?
"Are you two hiding something from me?" Garp asked suspiciously.
Sengoku smacked his forehead.
Right—this old friend of his still didn't know a thing.
So he explained everything about Jun Lin and Luo Lan.
Once the story came out, Garp's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Wait a sec. That Luo Lan kid is the head of Jun Lin? The one you slapped a 1.5 billion bounty on?!"
"That's right."
"And Ace ran off to join him?"
"He did."
"And that 800 million bounty female officer… that's actually Hina?"
"Correct again."
"Then what about the one with the 1.2 billion bounty? Don't tell me I know her too?"
"No, that one you don't know."
phew…
Garp let out a breath of relief.
"Puhahahaha! That Luo Lan kid's something else! Way more competent than my bratty son, Dragon!"
Suddenly, Garp burst into his trademark laugh.
And of course, threw some shade at his own son.
After all, Dragon went solo and spent years building the Revolutionary Army.
Meanwhile, Luo Lan created Jun Lin in just over a year.
No doubt his achievements will far surpass Dragon's someday.
"Garp! That's enough!"
"Tch, don't act like you're not secretly impressed."
"Shut it!"
"Alright, both of you, quiet down!"
Seeing the two of them getting more and more out of control, Tsuru finally raised her voice.
Immediately, the Fleet Admiral and the Marine Hero straightened up like scolded children.
"Tsuru, earlier you said Luo Lan offered Gion a deal she couldn't refuse. What was it, exactly?" Sengoku asked.
"He promised he could raise her to admiral-level strength in a short time. And even go beyond that in the future."
"Impossible!"
"Yes, under normal circumstances it would be. But Luo Lan spoke with absolute confidence. You know what that means, don't you?"
"It means he believes he can really do it. And he's damn sure of it."
"Exactly."
Tsuru nodded.
The three of them all knew Luo Lan well enough to recognize what that confidence implied.
"So… Gion's already made up her mind to leave the Marines and join Jun Lin?"
"No. Luo Lan hasn't told her yet."
"What do you mean?"
Sengoku looked confused.
"Are you dense? That kind of offer is impossible for Gion to refuse. But if she left the Marines outright, it would cause a massive scandal."
"So what, that brat wants to poach my officer and expects me to cover for him?"
"Pretty much."
Luo Lan hadn't mentioned the details on the call earlier, but all three of them were sharp enough to figure it out.
"Puhahaha! That kid's got guts. But this tells us something important—"
"—if we don't agree to help, he won't go through with poaching Gion."
Despite his usual carefree attitude, Garp was sharp when it counted. And he'd hit the nail on the head.
If Luo Lan was so confident in his offer, why not just take her?
The answer was obvious: he wasn't ready to clash head-on with the World Government yet. That's why he needed their help to make it all look legit.
And if they refused?
He'd drop the whole thing.
Garp was completely right. That was Luo Lan's plan.
If they agreed, Gion would quietly "disappear."
If they didn't, Luo Lan would walk away as if nothing had happened.
---
Luo Lan had no idea what Tsuru, Sengoku, and Garp were discussing.
But an hour later—
Brrrrrring…
"This is Luo Lan."
"It's me."
"Aunt Tsuru. So… what's the verdict?"
"Tell me how you want us to cooperate."
She hadn't said "yes" outright, but that was as good as confirmation.
Yes, Tsuru had agreed to let Gion stay with Jun Lin—and Sengoku must've signed off too.
Luo Lan could hear it loud and clear.
He smiled.
"Aunt Tsuru, I'd like HQ to assign Gion to a top-secret mission—six months long."
"You mean one of those long-term deep-cover missions? The kind with zero contact in between?"
"Yes. That's the only way the World Government won't suspect a thing."
"…Understood. But are you sure six months is enough?"
"Positive."
Luo Lan answered without hesitation, his voice brimming with confidence.
That confidence made Tsuru—and Sengoku and Garp, who were listening nearby—pause in surprise.
Her question was really asking, how long until you're strong enough to stand against the World Government?
And his answer: six months.
Just how far had Jun Lin come under Luo Lan's leadership?
---
Rhodes Island. Officer Villa District.
Luo Lan arrived at a villa.
It was a temporary residence arranged for Gion.
He was about to knock—when he noticed the door was unlocked.
Without hesitation, he pushed it open and walked in.
A few seconds later—
BOOM!
Luo Lan shot out of the house, flying faster than a Soru, crashing into the ground over a hundred meters away.
Back in the villa, Gion stood in a towel, fresh out of the shower.
Her jaw was clenched, silver teeth grinding audibly.
And Luo Lan, lying in a smoking crater, was dumbfounded.
You normally dress way more boldly than this. Your skirts are shorter than most people's shorts. You're literally wearing a towel, and you're mad I saw you?
Unbelievable…
If Gion had any idea what Luo Lan was thinking just now, she'd probably run out and beat him up all over again.
---
Access advance chapters at Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27