Chapter 44: The 98th Proposal? Arrival at Marine Headquarters!
Marineford – Outer Harbor Area Aboard the G-9 Branch Warship
The moment the private cabin door swung open,
Admiral Candidate Vice Admiral Momousagi froze as she stared at the tall silhouette framed in the doorway.
Sunlight poured in through the gap, perfectly outlining the figure.
Momousagi's lips trembled with emotion.
That upright posture, the familiar uniform… even though the head was lowered and the face wasn't visible, it had to be…
…Huh?!
Just as she was certain the man she had been worrying about day and night had finally returned,
her beautiful eyes suddenly sharpened.
Something was wrong.
Even if Rok came back, he wouldn't be wearing the exact same Marine uniform as before.
More importantly…
The longer she looked, the more this silhouette filled her with pure irritation!
"You bastard!"
"Kento, are you sick in the head?!"
In that instant,
Admiral Candidate Momousagi exploded with rage.
A single Finger Pistol swept out, shattering the man's "legs."
His height instantly dropped by half a meter!
"Ouch! These were custom-made stilts! Gion, I know you've been worried about that Rok guy, so I dressed up as him to cheer you up!"
"Come on, for my thoughtfulness, accept my 98th marriage proposal! I'm serious this time!"
Seeing his elaborate disguise fail completely,
Admiral Candidate Chaton (Kento) gave up pretending.
He kicked off the stilts, threw on his Vice Admiral coat, dropped to one knee, and produced a bouquet of roses.
This was already his 98th attempt to propose to Momousagi.
This time he had even gone so far as to dress as the wanted criminal Rok.
Because in his mind,
he wasn't just any Vice Admiral—he was an Admiral Candidate, same as her!
So disguising himself as Rok should be an honor for the kid!
Besides…
the current Rok was no longer the pride of the Marines.
He was a criminal. A complete and utter monster.
"I refuse!"
"I'm already annoyed enough lately. Stop bothering me!"
Momousagi rejected him instantly, disgust clear in her beautiful eyes.
She had never had the slightest good impression of this shameless stalker.
Dressing up as Rok only made it worse.
"Sigh… rejected again. But I'll never give up."
Chaton smiled bitterly and shook his head—he had expected this.
He wasn't just here to propose this time.
More importantly, he had been sent to probe Momousagi.
After the attack on Momonga, some higher-ups suspected Rok might be involved.
And within Headquarters, the person closest to Rok was his former swordsmanship teacher—Momousagi.
That's why Chaton was ordered to test her.
Luckily, he found nothing suspicious.
"Hey, Admiral Sakazuki. I've checked. Gion really doesn't know where Rok is."
"Honestly, it's just one Rok. He can't make that big a wave. We should be focusing all our attention on Whitebeard, right, Admiral Sakazuki?"
"Understood. I'll keep an eye on Momousagi. Though I hear she's planning to return to G-9 soon."
After leaving Momousagi's ship,
Chaton immediately reported to Admiral Akainu via Den Den Mushi.
Akainu ordered him to continue monitoring her.
After hanging up, Chaton smacked his lips, clearly unconcerned.
In his view, Rok was just a slightly talented criminal who hadn't fully matured yet.
Though he had to admit— this war was making Akainu act like he was already the next Fleet Admiral.
…
"Rok… you have to be careful. If anything happens to you, I'll die of heartbreak."
At that moment,
Vice Admiral Momonga's warship was docking at Marineford.
Inside the luxurious Shichibukai-exclusive cabin,
Pirate Empress Boa Hancock gazed at Rok with deep worry, her sapphire eyes filled with heavy reluctance.
"Don't worry. I know Marine Headquarters like the back of my hand. You're the one who needs to be careful, Hancock. Don't start fights with the Marines on impulse."
Rok smiled at the world's most beautiful woman.
A gentle Hancock was lethal poison to any real man.
Of course, that gentleness was reserved only for him.
To everyone else, she was still the same arrogant, untouchable Empress.
"Rok is worried about me… I-I'm so touched…!"
Just hearing the concern in his voice nearly made her swoon again.
"Ahem. Hancock—are you sure Barrens can't break the petrification for three full days?"
The warship was about to dock.
This wasn't the time for flirting.
To prevent a repeat of Sabaody—Nami and Robin getting snatched by CP0— Rok had planned every detail this time.
He had even transferred his most important current "puppet" to Marineford, just in case something went wrong and he and his friends ended up trapped.
Commodore Barrens had been useful, but he was still a Marine.
Now that they were at Headquarters, he might betray them for a promotion or to save his own skin.
If that happened—not only Rok, but Hancock, Luffy in Impel Down, and Nami & Robin would all be finished.
So Rok asked Hancock to fully petrify Barrens with her strongest technique, ensuring he stayed stone for three days.
With her reputation for arrogance, she could brush it off with any excuse.
Whitebeard's fleet was coming. The Marines wouldn't dare touch a Shichibukai over something so small.
"Yes. Without my personal reversal, he cannot recover for three days. If anyone tries to force it, he'll die instantly."
Hancock nodded seriously.
Anything Rok asked, she would do perfectly.
She knew he was protecting her too.
"Good."
With her confirmation, Rok finally relaxed a little.
His board was mostly set.
Now, before the Summit War officially began, he had to complete the branch sign-in quest.
According to the system, Teacher Momousagi should be at Marineford right now.
But G-9 was a critical New World stronghold—she shouldn't need to return for the war.
If she was here…
It had to be because of him.
"Shichibukai Boa Hancock—Marine Headquarters has arrived. Please disembark immediately!"
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