Goa Kingdom Port.
As Gion boarded the warship, the den den mushi that was ringing connected, and the voice of Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters Sengoku came through the den den mushi, "Gion, how was your East Blue mission? The young master of the Nerona Family didn't cause any trouble, did he?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we may have all misjudged Saint Ian. His trip to the East Blue this time isn't just a simple sightseeing tour. To be precise, his departure from the Holy Land this time will likely lead to continuous wars!"
"What do you mean?" Sengoku, in his Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters office, blinked in confusion and asked, "Did something happen in the East Blue?"
"After Saint Ian entered the Goa Kingdom..."
As the words left her mouth, Gion, standing on the deck, couldn't help but recall the scene of Ian and Princess Sally's Dragon-and-phoenix struggle in the royal palace hall, and her heart inexplicably quickened.
Realizing that she was actually thinking of the scene she had witnessed earlier, Gion quickly shook her head to clear her mind, then cleared her throat twice and continued, "Sorry, my throat suddenly got a bit hoarse. Where was I? ...Oh, I remember. Not long after Saint Ian entered the Goa Kingdom, he gave me an order..."
After detailing what happened in the Goa Kingdom, Gion immediately changed the subject, "Next, I need Fleet Admiral to issue an order to all Marine branches in the East Blue to cooperate in a search of the entire East Blue sea!"
Sengoku, who had listened to Gion's account, seemed not to have heard the last part. He, who was always known as a 'Tactical Genius,' was in a state of mental shutdown at that moment. After several seconds of stunned, he regained his composure and said with a solemn expression, "How did Saint Ian know about this? He not only knows that Luffy is Garp's grandson, but also knows that Luffy is hidden on Mt. Colubo within the Goa Kingdom? Could it be that before he left the Holy Land, CP0 agents had already begun an investigation into the Goa Kingdom?"
"Perhaps," Gion nodded, "otherwise he wouldn't have suddenly left the Holy Land for the East Blue, and even more so, specifically gone to the Goa Kingdom for a visit!"
"However, none of that matters now."
Pausing slightly, Gion continued, "What's important is that never before have Celestial Dragons from the Holy Land directly participated in the major affairs of the World Government. Now, Saint Ian, immediately after leaving the Holy Land, is targeting Dragon's son for capture. This is clearly a prelude to eliminating the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon later on!"
"Based on the information I have, this matter was not instigated by the Gorosei!"
"This also means that Saint Ian is overstepping his authority, and may even want to replace the Gorosei to become the... supreme power in the Chamber of the Five Elders!"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku was not surprised, and said calmly, "Regardless of whether Ian enters the Chamber of the Five Elders in the future, it is merely a transfer of power among the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land. All we can do is obey orders! What you need to do now is to follow Ian's orders, and do not be negligent!"
He had long seen some clues from Ian's treatment in the Holy Land over the years, as well as the attitudes of Gringo, the commander of the God's Knights, and the Gorosei when facing Ian. He knew that Ian could not possibly be like the other Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land who only knew how to enjoy privileges and do nothing. He would eventually become the new ruler of the World Government, but he didn't expect this day to come so quickly.
"Oh, right~"
Suddenly, Sengoku seemed to remember something and asked tentatively, "You've already met Saint Ian? He... didn't do anything inappropriate to you, did he?"
Unexpectedly, Sengoku would suddenly ask such a question. Gion's heart rate quickened again, and her cheeks uncontrollably flushed instantly. She stammered, "No... no."
Although Ian didn't do anything excessive to her, he did let her see.
As soon as she thought of the scene she saw in the royal palace hall of the Goa Kingdom, she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
"Oh?"
Sengoku let out a surprised sound, "Has Saint Ian changed his ways? Or does he also know that Marine officers should not be easily offended? Hahaha, good news, this is good news! With this, I can rest assured!"
"Huh?" Gion blinked, "Rest assured about what?"
"Tina has gone to the East Blue!" Sengoku said in a good mood, "Before, I was worried that Saint Ian might have ill intentions if he met Tina. Now it seems he shouldn't mess with you all, who are Marine officers!"
"Why is Tina coming to the East Blue?" Gion was instantly flustered. Although Saint Ian wouldn't mess with them, as Marine officers, for now, if something like what happened in the royal palace hall were to happen again, and Tina happened to be present, and then Ian called her in, based on her understanding of Tina, Tina definitely wouldn't be as composed as she was. She would most likely curse him as trash, just like Garp.
If such a thing were to happen, Tina would definitely not survive!
Sengoku, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation, said in a relaxed tone, "It was originally a routine patrol, but now Saint Ian has ordered all Marines in the East Blue to participate in searching for Dragon and Luffy's whereabouts, so she naturally has to participate as well."
After speaking, Sengoku stopped talking to Gion, ended the call immediately, and looked up at the office door, "Someone!"
As soon as Sengoku finished speaking, a messenger immediately pushed the door open and hurried to the desk.
"Fleet Admiral!" The messenger saluted and then said, "What are your orders!"
Sengoku did not hesitate and immediately commanded, "Immediately order all branches in the East Blue, telling all Marine Headquarters Colonels to follow Vice Admiral Gion's deployment! Also, have Garp come to my office!"
"Yes!"
The messenger left with the order.
However, just as the messenger reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Sengoku, "Fleet Admiral, isn't Vice Admiral Garp on vacation? He left Marineford yesterday after getting your vacation approval!"
At the same time.
On the deck of a medium-sized warship that had crossed the Calm Belt and entered the East Blue waters, Garp, wearing a dog-head hat and a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral's coat, stood at the bow with a solemn expression.
Behind him, Tina, a Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander, leaned back in a chair, holding a glass of red wine, enjoying the rare leisure time very comfortably.
As a Marine Headquarters Colonel with a beautiful face, Tina had an advantage that other female officers of her rank in Marineford did not, and naturally became one of the most popular female officers in Marine Headquarters.
However, because she had no man in her heart and was dedicated to the cause of justice, just like Gion rejected the Marine Admiral candidate Kaji's confessions more than ninety times, she ruthlessly rejected all her suitors!
Of course, her becoming a Colonel was not due to her pretty face and proud figure, but rather her unique Paramecia-type 'Cage-Cage Fruit' ability and her strong sense of justice.
"Mr. Garp, you're finally on vacation, you should be happy!"
After putting down her wine glass, Tina noticed that Garp was somewhat different from usual. She slightly raised her eyes and said seriously, "But you've been sullen ever since you left Marineford. Why is that? Tina is very confused!"
Garp did not turn around, but maintained his posture of looking into the distance, saying impassively, "Perhaps this old man is suddenly missing his hometown!"
"Is that so?" Tina didn't think much of it and simply changed the subject, "Just now, Marineford issued a new order, instructing all East Blue branch Colonels to cooperate with Vice Admiral Gion in a search operation. The search area is the entire East Blue sea, and the target is... the revolutionary army leader, Dragon!"
"What!"
Garp suddenly turned around, his eyes wide with urgency, "When was that order issued?"
"Just now, didn't you hear?" Tina looked at Garp suspiciously, then added, "It's said that Saint Ian, the young master of the Nerona Family from the Holy Land, wants to capture Dragon's son, Luffy. But Luffy was transferred by Dragon who appeared in time. Saint Ian was furious and ordered Vice Admiral Gion to expand the search to the entire East Blue sea for the whereabouts of this father and son!"
Before Garp could react, Tina suddenly stood up and approached Garp, "This Saint Ian is not simple. As soon as he arrived in the East Blue, he forced Dragon to appear by using Luffy. But how did he know Dragon has a son, and even more accurately, know that Dragon's son is hidden on Mt. Colubo within the Goa Kingdom? Tina is very shocked!"
Garp remained silent, only his mouth twitched repeatedly.
—
To read more, please visit
patreon.com/Laktozlu