Hearing his words, Gion's breath hitched just for a moment.
It was a sweeter sensation than she'd admit, a warmth spreading through her chest that had nothing to do with the sun.
The tension she'd been holding in her shoulders from the long day on watch seemed to melt away.
Without even thinking about it, her body, which had been carefully maintaining a professional distance, listed sideways.
Just a few inches, but it was enough.
Her arm brushed against his, the warmth of her skin seeping through the fabric of their uniforms.
Raleigh definitely noticed.
He felt the light pressure, the smooth, soft contact against his own arm.
A tiny, self-satisfied smirk played at the corner of his lips.
'Tsk tsk, could this girl actually be falling for me?' he thought, feeling a little too proud of himself.
But Raleigh was no rookie.
He didn't voice it, didn't even shift to look at her.
He knew better.
If you guess wrong about something like this, the backlash is brutal.
It could get incredibly awkward, and this easy, comfortable companionship they had built would shatter.
Based on his vast, veteran experience from a previous life, he knew the best approach was simple: Don't initiate, don't reject.
He just stayed perfectly still, pretending to watch his fishing line bobbing in the water.
But his mind wasn't on the fish.
It was entirely on the quiet warmth of Gion's arm pressed against his, the subtle scent of sea salt and cherry blossoms from her hair.
'Absolutely wonderful,' he sighed internally.
The peaceful lull of the ship, the gentle lapping of waves, the sun on his face... it was perfect.
He stole a quick, discreet glance at her face.
She was watching the water, but her focus seemed distant.
Raleigh's mind was now, rather unhelpfully, completely filled with thoughts of her.
Buru buru... Buru buru...
The obnoxious, gurgling ring of a Den Den Mushi shattered the perfect moment like a rock through a window.
Instantly, Gion flinched away as if zapped by electricity.
The spell was broken.
She scrambled to the other side of the figurehead, her attention suddenly locked onto her fishing rod, her back ramrod straight.
Raleigh scowled, his perfect mood ruined.
"Damn it. Which idiot is calling me right now? You better have a really good reason," he grumbled, digging into his breast pocket.
He fished out the snail, his annoyance vanishing as he saw its face.
"Huh? Momonga's Den Den Mushi."
Raleigh clicked it on, his posture straightening.
He knew Momonga.
The man was all business, not one for idle chat.
If he was calling, it was important.
.....
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains of the East Blue, far from Branch 133, Bell-mère was hiding in a damp, hidden cave.
She was scarfing down a hunk of bread and dried meat with zero concern for appearances, looking more like a starved wolf than a marine soldier.
Momonga sat cross-legged on the cave floor, passing her a canteen of water as he held his own Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, Raleigh," Momonga's voice was grim.
"I've got a strange situation. I received a call from a soldier—Bell-mère, from Branch 127. She claims she met you once."
He glanced at Bell-mère, who was now gulping down water, before continuing with certainty.
"She just told me that the World Government has dispatched CP9 members. They're investigating the massacre of the royal guard by the Mad Blade Pirates. Worse, she says they've already identified their target... and they believe you were behind the whole incident."
Momonga paused, letting the weight of the words sink in.
"I don't know if this info is true or false, but frankly, based on my understanding of you... it sounds entirely possible. So I'm calling to verify."
Click.
...
Back on the ship, Raleigh hadn't even said goodbye.
His first reaction was a jolt of pure, icy shock.
The information had been leaked.
A chilling sensation spread from his gut throughout his entire body.
CP9.
Not the Marines, not some intel division.
CP9.
The World Government's personal boogeymen.
Raleigh, however, was naturally thick-skinned.
He rubbed his temples, his mind racing, and threw a quick glance at Gion
. He said nothing, but his face had become a mask of cold calculation.
Gion, who had been pretending to fish, caught the look.
She saw the playful rogue vanish, replaced instantly by the cold, dangerous commander.
The shift was terrifying.
She didnall't need to be told twice.
She knew that look—it was the one he wore when things got serious.
She immediately reeled in her line, jumped down from the figurehead, and with a series of sharp, low commands, ordered the other marine soldiers nearby to clear the deck.
She was giving him privacy.
Raleigh's mind was running a thousand miles a minute.
Where was the flaw? He mentally retraced his steps.
First, himself. No.
He was certain he hadn't leaked anything.
Second, Bell-mère. Unlikely.
She had only speculated based on his actions; she had no hard proof.
That left only one party from which the World Government could get solid evidence: The Mad Blade Pirates.
But Raleigh knew Nishiki Kazuki.
The man was an honor-bound maniac, but he shouldn't have betrayed him.
"A quick call will clear this up," Raleigh muttered to himself.
He pushed his Observation Haki to its absolute limit, scanning the entire ship and the surrounding water.
He wasn't just checking for people; he was "listening" for other active Den Den Mushi, for any sign of surveillance.
Finding nothing, he pulled a different snail from his pocket—a smaller one with a scrambler attachment.
He dialed Nishiki Kazuki, far away in the North Blue.
Bururu… Bururu…
The distinct sound rang out. Raleigh waited.
"Hey, Raileigh!" The snail's face morphed into Kazuki's wild grin.
"Didn't I say not to bother me after I helped you with that matter?"
Hearing the familiar, boisterous tone, Raleigh felt a wave of relief.
Kazuki hadn't been captured.
That made sense; his abilities were nothing to scoff at
. In this era, unless you ran into an Admiral or someone like Garp, few could take Kazuki down.
"Heh. Just checking in," Raleigh said, keeping his own voice casual. "Have any... World Government intelligence agents... clashed with you recently?"
He needed to be sure.
"Nope! I wish I'd run into 'em!" Kazuki yelled, blissfully unaware. "I've been drifting on the Grand Line for half a month and haven't even seen a bird! But man, this place is full of strong fighters. None of 'em can beat me, of course, but they're way stronger than those East Blue chumps. This is where I can really improve!"
Even through the snail, Raleigh could feel Kazuki's manic excitement.
The man was obsessed.
"Raleigh, when are you coming to the Grand Line? I can't wait to fight you again! I've improved so much—this time, I'll definitely beat you to a pulp!"
"Heh. The Grand Line? Not even dogs would go there," Raleigh retorted, his mind already moving on.
"The Four Blues are just fine. It's peaceful here. Perfect for slacking off."
Not wanting to listen to Kazuki ramble, Raleigh abruptly hung up.
His mind was a mess.
The problem wasn't Kazuki. It wasn't him.
It wasn't Bell-mère. So why? Why was CP9 on his tail? This was a dead end.
Buru buru… Buru buru…
Another damn Den Den Mushi started ringing.
Raleigh was getting seriously irritated. He could go days without a single call, but today, everything had to pile up at once.
He glanced at the snail.
This one looked... lazy.
Slow.
"Oh, for... It's my brother." Raleigh tapped the snail to answer, leaning back against the rail.
"Ooooooh, Raaaaleigh," a long, drawn-out voice oozed from the speaker.
It was Borsalino.
"I heeeeard about what you did. You actually beat that Doflamingo into submission. That's reeeaaally terrifying."
Raleigh rolled his eyes. "Get to the point, Borsalino."
"Well, the government officials have... secretly... expressed their displeasure to us in the North Blue. They argue that our marines shouldn't allow a former Celestial Dragon, one of noble blood, to suffer such... humiliation. They've lodged a strooong protest about it."
Borsalino paused, as if bored.
"They also said that if we take action against Doflamingo again... without telling them... they will impose economic sanctions on the Marines."
The Marines… economic sanctions?
And just like that, a sudden flash of insight connected all the dots, clearing Raleigh's confusion in an instant.