Kyoraku Shunsui's blade slipped, and the seemingly light blow left deep scars on Starrk's body. A large amount of blood flowed from his wounds.
"Takaoni! The one who stands higher wins. In other words, the slashes swung by the taller person will become extremely powerful and even fatal. Kalifa, when you use 'Takaoni' in the future, you must be careful not to let the enemy stand higher than you." Ikki looked at Kalifa standing aside with a smile.
"The higher you stand, the greater your advantage? Such power is too unreasonable." Kalifa swallowed, feeling very shocked.
"It's too early to be shocked, just keep watching." Ikki reached out to Kalifa and closed her chin before continuing the demonstration.
Starrk's injuries were reset under the influence of the system and he used his own abilities to summon a pack of wolves around him.
Kyoraku Shunsui suddenly appeared with Katen Kyōkotsu, but instead of stabbing Starrk himself, he stabbed his shadow.
Starrk frowned and jumped up quickly. The next moment, Kalifa discovered that the blade that originally pierced Starrk's shadow actually appeared at Starrk's feet.
Then, several wolves made of spiritual energy suddenly appeared behind Kyoraku Shunsui and merged into his shadow, causing a violent explosion.
"'Kageoni', after using this move, attacks from both the enemy and ourselves can enter their respective shadows and attack the main body. If you can't react quickly enough, you don't need me to tell you the result, Kalifa."
Kalifa nodded solemnly. There was no doubt that this move was very dangerous. When the enemy didn't know the rules of the game, the attack suddenly appearing from the shadow under their feet... if you weren't fast enough, you would definitely get hit.
'However, when using this power, you need to prevent others from seeing the secret. Otherwise, the wolves would have merged into the shadow of Kyoraku Shunsui just now.'
While Kalifa was thinking, she raised her head and continued to look at the battlefield.
"Kageoni, the person who cuts to the shouted color has the advantage. 'Daruma-san ga koronda,' and whoever is caught loses. He also used the weird 'Kageokuri'... It's obviously a Shikai, but it feels like the abilities of these two swords are quite weird and powerful." Nico Robin's eyes were burning and she sighed.
"It is indeed quite a powerful force. If it's not used properly, it may even harm yourself. But our Miss Kalifa looks quite cool-headed, so she must be able to use this sword well." Nojiko looked at Kalifa with a smile.
"There's still Bankai, and the next part is the highlight. If Shikai of Katen Kyōkotsu is just a game for children, then its Bankai is a real fighting game between adults." Ikki put his hand on Kalifa's shoulder, who was a little excited after seeing the ability of Katen Kyōkotsu's Shikai, and said with a smile.
To be honest, even Ikki was pretty excited after watching Katen Kyōkotsu's Shikai. After all, after Kalifa masters Katen Kyōkotsu, he would be able to use this ability too.
Ikki's words were like a signal. Kyoraku Shunsui threw away the hat on his head and sat on the ground. The spiritual pressure on his body surged around him like a wave.
Kalifa, who was already very surprised, became even more shocked after feeling the pressure brought by this spiritual energy.
"Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu Karamatsu Shinjū!" (Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness: Withering Pine Lovers' Suicide) Kyoraku Shunsui groaned, and a female black shadow made of an unknown substance suddenly appeared behind him.
The two swords Kyoraku Shunsui inserted into the ground stretched out several black pine trees and pine leaves, and the surrounding scenery within a few hundred meters became dim, including the area where Ikki and the others stood.
Kalifa, Nico Robin, Nami and the others suddenly felt tense and couldn't help but hide behind Ikki. Only then did they feel better.
"It's so... such a weird power. I've only felt this feeling during Nojiko's Minazuki demonstration." Nami murmured and couldn't help but look down at the long sword on Nojiko's waist.
"My sword... should be regarded as condensed murderous aura. The sword that Kalifa will master can be regarded as 'weirdness' condensed into substance." Nojiko whispered.
Kalifa's eyes widened. She didn't know what Nami and Nojiko said about the Bankai of Minazuki. Now she just wanted to see clearly what kind of power she would master in the future.
'What is the killing game like for adults?' Kalifa swallowed, feeling quite nervous.
The Shikai of Katen Kyōkotsu could bring considerable danger to the user. She believed that the Bankai of Katen Kyōkotsu would only make this danger even greater.
She felt that if she didn't understand it well now, she might kill herself in the future by using Katen Kyōkotsu.
At this time, the enemy Starrk condensed a lightsaber made of spirit particles and pierced Kyoraku Shunsui's shoulder. With Kyoraku Shunsui injured, Kalifa was shocked to find that the same location on Starrk's body was also injured.
"The first act of Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai: Tameraikizu no Wakachiai (Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds). It will make the injuries suffered by the opponent appear on one's own body as if shared. This opponent can refer to the enemy, or it can refer to the master who holds Katen Kyōkotsu, which is you, Kalifa."
"You should especially remember that even the damage you caused to the enemy before Bankai will be reflected on you after Bankai. So if you cause fatal injuries to the enemy, you must take all possible precautions. Of course, if you are seriously injured, depending on the situation, you can consider activating Bankai."
With a smile on his face, Ikki explained the first act of Katen Kyōkotsu's power.
"No... it's not, is this... so weird? Can even the damage suffered before Bankai be transferred to the opponent?" Nami opened her mouth and looked at Ikki with her beautiful eyes wide open.
In Nami's opinion, this power had reached a point where it couldn't be described as anything but "exaggerated."
"It is indeed quite a shocking power. But if that's the case, Katen Kyōkotsu can only be regarded as a sword that harms both sides. Since this is the first act, there should be a second act, or even a third act, Ikki." Kalifa took a deep breath and tried to calm down the shock in her heart before asking.
"Of course." Ikki nodded slightly and motioned for Kalifa to continue looking in the direction of Kyoraku Shunsui.
Kalifa turned around and saw that there were dense irregular black spots on Starrk's body. From these black spots, blood was constantly spilling out.
"What... what is this?" Vivi covered her mouth, her bright eyes trembling.
"It seems to be some kind of disease? Katen Kyōkotsu, does it have a poison that can make others sick?" Nojiko frowned.
"The second act of Katen Kyōkotsu: Zanki no Shitone! (Pillow of Shame) Those who regret injuring their opponents will suffer from incurable diseases because of their shame." Ikki smiled as he spoke of the power of the second act.
"Regret will make you sick?" Nico Robin raised her eyebrows. "So that's it, the first act is to prepare for the second act. The enemy suffered Kyoraku Shunsui's injuries due to the first act of Katen Kyōkotsu. This situation will most likely make the enemy regret their previous attack. And once you regret it, you will get this incurable disease."
"Ikki, even the Marine Admirals may not be able to cope with the power of Katen Kyōkotsu."
Although Nico Robin's face was still calm at the moment, there was already a storm in her heart. Without knowing the details of Katen Kyōkotsu, Robin felt that an Admiral might really be tricked to death.
"Although you are strong, if you are not careful, your friends will be affected. Similarly, if the strength difference between the user of Katen Kyōkotsu and the enemy is too big, the enemy may not be dead yet, and you may have already died first. So, Kalifa, you should use it with caution in the future."
Ikki said, raising his hand and snapping his fingers. In an instant, Kalifa and the others felt that the surroundings suddenly turned into an ocean. Kyoraku Shunsui, Starrk, and those watching the battle fell into the ocean.
Suddenly, a feeling of being unable to breathe surged into their chests. Of course, this was only a moment. After a second, although several people still felt uncomfortable, it wasn't unbearable.
"Katen Kyōkotsu, Third Act: Dangyo no Fuchi (The Severing Abyss)! After this act occurs, enemies and the user of Katen Kyōkotsu will be pulled into the deep water. In here, the physical strength of the two people will continue to be reduced, until one side's physical strength is exhausted first."
"Under normal circumstances, the enemy will be very weak after suffering damage from the first two acts. But there is also the possibility that there will be an existence like Four Emperors Kaido, whose physical strength is too monstrous. Even if you pull him into this third act, his physical strength may not be exhausted first."
Originally, the third act of Katen Kyōkotsu was to consume the respective spiritual pressure. In the world of pirates, there was naturally no spiritual pressure to consume, so physical strength became a substitute.
This time, Kalifa and the others didn't say anything. They were obviously shocked beyond measure.
Ikki smiled, looked at the uncomfortable expressions of several people, and quickly passed through the third act, fast-forwarding Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai demonstration to the final act.
He saw Kyoraku Shunsui's middle finger and index finger coming together to form a white thread-like line of spirit particles. And wrap these threads around Starrk's neck.
With a wave of Kyoraku Shunsui's hand, Starrk's neck was immediately cut off, and a large amount of blood shot out, followed by a huge explosion.
"Final Act: Itokiribasami Chizome no Nodobue! (Thread-Cutting Scissors upon a Blood-Streaked Throat) This is the full power of Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai. Kalifa, are you ready to accept these two swords?"
Ikki waved away the demonstration environment, recalled Katen Kyōkotsu's two swords and handed them to Kalifa, asking with a smile on his face.
"Ikki, I... can I really use these two swords? I'm just a newcomer." Kalifa raised her hand tremblingly, hesitating whether to accept Katen Kyōkotsu.
Before watching Katen Kyōkotsu's demonstration, she was able to accept these two swords calmly. But after watching it, she deeply understood the preciousness of these two swords.
Such a powerful sword was already comparable to the Ancient Weapon Pluton that their CP9 agents once wanted to obtain.
She believed that if the secret of Katen Kyōkotsu was known to the World Government, they would definitely send many World Government agents to take away Katen Kyōkotsu. Not just Katen Kyōkotsu, but also Ikki and their swords!
Kalifa looked at the long swords on the waists of Ikki, Nami and the others. At this time, she thought of the black sword Ikki held when fighting Golden Lion Shiki, who had become famous in the newspaper, and Nami's thunder blade that seemed to command the lightning.
The total number of swords in Ikki's possession was enough to make the World Government take action.
"The time has come, so don't refuse. As long as you can train well and strive to master Katen Kyōkotsu as soon as possible, it will be the best reward for me." Ikki put Katen Kyōkotsu into Kalifa's hands and patted her shoulder with a smile on his face.
After hearing how to use Katen Kyōkotsu's Shikai, and even its Bankai, Kalifa swallowed her saliva and looked at Ikki with eyes that were no longer filled with gratitude when she was rescued by him at the beginning, but with respect from the bottom of her heart.
Ikki gave her Katen Kyōkotsu, previous swordsmanship experience, and potions to strengthen her life force, which was enough for Kalifa to think that Ikki really regarded her as a partner.
"Speaking of which, you should change your clothes. Nojiko, please give her some of your clothes to change into." Ikki looked at Nojiko and said.
Hearing this, Kalifa lowered her head and noticed that she was still wearing the clothes she wore when she was hunted down by World Government agents.
"Okay, Ikki. Kalifa, please come with me." With a smile on her lips, Nojiko took Kalifa's hand and walked toward her quarters.
After the two women left, Nami and Vivi also left one after another. Ikki left the Sword Enlightenment Room and headed toward the bathhouse area of the training room.
As for Kalifa's portion of the 'nutritional potion', Ikki planned to wait until they arrived at Water 7 to give it to her.
"There you are, Ikki." Feeling the familiar footsteps, Gion opened her eyes after soaking in the water and smiled gently at Ikki.
"You are really impatient. We just took a bath two hours ago, and you can't wait to take a bath with me again?"
Hearing this, Ikki couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Although they were bathing together, he did have an appreciation for Gion's body, and even made a lot of related paintings. But he would stay in the pool with Gion, after all, to help her obtain the innate Demon Slayer Mark.
"It won't happen this time..." Ikki shook his head and was about to tell Gion that they were about to land at Water 7.
Gion interrupted him with a smile. "Ara, it's really sad. Is Ikki tired of my body now? Sure enough, young and beautiful girls like Nami and Princess Vivi are more attractive to you."
As she spoke, Gion raised her hand and gently touched the corners of her eyes, pretending to be wiping her tears.
This scene made Ikki's cheeks twitch.
"You have a well-deserved charm ability. Aren't you afraid, Gion, that my wild side will show up and I will really do something to you?" Ikki squatted down on the shore, raised his hand to rub Gion's chin, and said with a smile:
"Although Nami and Vivi are indeed young and beautiful, you should know that I prefer ripe fruits like Miss Gion."
"Really, but... I never felt that Ikki had any intention of taking action against me."
"Vice Admiral Gion, do you want to see me take action against you?"
"Well... Ikki is such an outstanding man, and you have a debt of gratitude to me for teaching and saving my life. If you want it, I won't deny it to you."
"That's it, I understand." The corner of Ikki's mouth rose, and he sighed in his heart that Gion was indeed the Momousagi Vice Admiral who was rumored to be able to seduce pirates with her charm.
Slowly he moved his face closer to Gion's cheek, so that the two of them could feel each other's breath. Gion's eyes widened slightly, and she smiled nervously.
Seeing Ikki's lips getting closer and closer to her own, Gion's face had a rare blush.
"Mm!" Gion suddenly used force and broke away from Ikki's hand that was holding her chin, and looked away with a blush.
Ikki, on the other hand, laughed with a triumphant look on his face.
"Hahaha, the shy-looking Vice Admiral Gion? I have obtained another good painting material."
When Gion heard this, she sighed slightly. After calming down a little, she raised her head and asked Ikki:
"If you're not here to bathe with me, do you have other reasons for coming here?"
"Yep!" Ikki nodded and said: "Next I plan to land at Water 7, and then I will buy a bigger ship. After all, there are more partners on the ship now. At that time, I will temporarily close the training room and Sword Enlightenment Room. You can't stay here any longer."
"When I attach my ability to the new ship, everything here will be restored, and you can come back here when everything is ready. In addition, I may need to stay in Water 7 for a while later, and you may not be able to see me and Nami for a while."
Hearing this, Gion nodded clearly. "I see. Ikki, I will disembark with you. Sister Tsuru left a Den Den Mushi behind when she left. She told me that Vice Admiral Garp is now in Water 7."
"Because you don't want to go to Marine Headquarters to collect the bounty from Golden Lion Shiki and others, and the general Marine branch cannot afford such a large bounty, Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked Vice Admiral Garp, who happened to be going to Water 7, to come here with enough Berry."
As Gion spoke, she stood up from the water, exposing her white shoulders.
'Is Garp in Water 7? Is it possible that the Straw Hat Pirates are still in Water 7?'
Ikki raised his eyebrows, feeling a little surprised.
"I don't mind, but you, Gion... if you leave this pool, your body will quickly become weak again. Even if you're by my side, that feeling of weakness is still uncomfortable. Do you really want to disembark with us?"
"I'm much better now. And if I stay with you, although I will become weak, it'll be much slower. It shouldn't be a problem to stay in Water 7 for a while." After Gion finished speaking, she stood up directly from the pool and walked to the changing room nearby.
Seeing Gion's persistence, Ikki said nothing more. But after seeing her leave the pool, her steps were slightly unsteady. Ikki slightly opened the Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead and followed Gion, staying about a meter behind her.
"Mm? Is my body feeling lighter?" Gion put her hand on her heart in confusion, then looked behind her as if realizing something. After seeing the spreading Demon Slayer Mark on Ikki's forehead, she understood the reason and smiled gently again. Encouraged by the inexplicable throbbing in her heart, she walked over to Ikki and took his hand. "Please hold my hand, Ikki. Physical contact can lessen my burden, and it can also reduce some of your strain from opening the Demon Slayer Mark."
"I don't mind, but you're going to change clothes now, right? Can I come with you?"
"You can wait outside the door for a bit."
"Aw, that's too bad. I was hoping I could get a good look at your beautiful figure, Vice Admiral Gion."
"You're so direct..." Gion's face flushed as she took his hand and walked forward.
Walking behind Gion, Ikki raised his head and glanced at the tall Gion, and couldn't help but murmur in his heart. 'Why do we look like siblings?'
"Ikki, we look a bit like a sister holding a younger brother." Gion raised the corners of her mouth and said without looking back.
Hearing this, Ikki glanced at Gion in surprise, then laughed.
"If it were a beautiful sister like you, I'd be happy to be a brother."
"Really? Then why don't you call me sister?"
"Sure, but can I watch you change first? It'd make for great painting material."
"No way! You can't do that to your sister." Gion turned back with a smile, then hurried toward the changing room.
Explorer, deck.
"Ikki, what are you doing?" Looking at Ikki and Gion walking out of the cabin holding hands, with Ikki's forehead still covered with a small area of Demon Slayer Mark, Nami walked over worriedly. As someone who had also awakened her Demon Slayer Mark, she knew that marks couldn't be kept active for long periods. Even with her S-rank life force level, she could only use it at full power for an hour. If an hour passed and the enemy wasn't defeated, she would be the one who fell.
"Don't worry, I'm just using a small amount of my Demon Slayer Mark. I can control it pretty well, so this level won't be a problem for a few hours. We need to meet Garp and collect that 4.6 billion Berry bounty from him anyway. Having Gion here might help us avoid some trouble." Ikki waved his hand and said.
"4.6 billion Berry?! I can collect it in Water 7?" Nami's eyes lit up like stars as she looked toward the city, completely forgetting about any side effects from Ikki's Demon Slayer Mark. Such a scene left Ikki speechless, while Gion chuckled.
Putting on a long dress with her golden hair completely hidden under a peaked cap, Kalifa wore a ball mask as she looked at Gion curiously. 'Is this woman... the Marine Admiral candidate, one of the strongest women in the Marines? I wonder how her combat effectiveness compares with female CP0 agents?' Because Ikki and the others had warned her beforehand, Kalifa wasn't surprised when she first saw Gion.
On the contrary, Gion was slightly surprised when she saw Kalifa and the famous swords Oto and Kogarashi that she carried around her waist. "Wow, you got a new partner already? And you gave her Golden Lion Shiki's swords too. I wonder if those swords have some special power now." As she spoke, Gion looked Kalifa up and down with obvious curiosity.
While Gion was thinking, she looked at Nico Robin who was dressed similarly to Kalifa. Although she had spent most of these days in the bathhouse, that didn't mean she was unaware of what happened between Ikki and Nico Robin - Tsuru had already told her the whole story. Although Kalifa's face couldn't be seen, her temperament and figure made it clear to Gion that Kalifa would be Ikki's type. However, she was sensible and didn't ask about Kalifa's identity. She couldn't see Kalifa's face, and as a Marine, she had no interest in prying into Kalifa's affairs.
"You guess." Ikki smiled and didn't answer Gion's question.
"Come on, can't you tell me something? I mean, you gave me the partner seal too, right? Not only did I not get a sword from you, but you took my sword and gave it to Robin. Now I can't even know what the newcomer's sword does?" Gion pouted, staring into Ikki's eyes with fake tears starting to form.
"Alright, quit the act. If you want your sword back, challenge Robin or me in a year. When one of us loses, you'll get Konpira back."
"Can it even still be called Konpira?" Gion glanced at the sword on Robin's waist. "Wait, you want me to challenge her in a year? Are you saying I can't beat Robin even after a whole year of training?" Her expression turned serious as she looked at Robin.
Nico Robin wasn't nervous at all when facing Gion's gaze. Instead, she smiled generously and held the Senbonzakura sheath at her waist tightly.
"Sorry, Gion. I know this sword used to be yours, but it's my most precious treasure now. I won't lose to you."
"I see... looks like I've got my work cut out for me." Gion sighed softly.
"Stop sighing. There's a Marine warship coming from Water 7. Besides Garp, looks like there's an old friend of yours on board."
Ikki took Gion's hand and walked toward the bow. Opposite them, a Marine warship with a dog-headed bow was speeding toward the Explorer.
Seeing this, Kalifa and Nico Robin looked at each other and walked toward the cabin. Although they were wearing masks, they didn't want to test whether Garp could recognize them.
Especially Nico Robin, who had just experienced being recognized by Aokiji, made her afraid to contact Marine's senior officers again too soon.
Gion glanced at the backs of Kalifa and Nico Robin. She didn't say anything more, but followed the direction of Ikki's finger.
On the bow of the Marine warship, the muscular Garp and a tall man wearing dark yellow clothes, trousers and wooden sandals, with a slightly wretched appearance, first caught Gion's eyes.
"Chaton, why is this guy here?"
"Gion, are you okay? I heard that you have a big problem with your health, and I've been worried about it. Why is your hair turning gray... could it be that you're really going to die soon?"
Chaton jumped from the deck of the Marine warship to the Explorer and walked toward Ikki and Gion with a worried look on his face. But when he noticed their joined hands, he immediately gasped.
"You... how could you do this?! Wait a minute, did you force Gion to do something?" His eyes widened as he looked at Ikki with suspicion.
"Okay, Chaton, you should know why Gion is here with Ikki. Sengoku should have made it clear to you." Garp jumped from the warship with a big bag and held Chaton's shoulders.
"But... but there's no need to hold hands! Gion, why are you looking for other men behind my back?" Chaton looked at Gion with an aggrieved expression, as if he wanted her to give an explanation.
Gion's veins popped out on her forehead as she looked at Chaton angrily. "Chaton, first of all, I am not your girlfriend. I don't need to explain anything to you. In addition, Ikki is holding my hand to help me not lose my vitality as much as possible, and to help me get my innate Demon Slayer Mark as soon as possible. Please show some respect to Ikki."
"It turns out... it turns out to be like this. Great, I misunderstood. Sorry, Ikki, thank you for helping Gion." Chaton turned to Ikki and bowed deeply.
"No need, I'm not helping Gion for nothing." Ikki waved his hand, feeling a little embarrassed. The man in front of him was the one who had confessed his love to Gion a hundred times and been rejected a hundred times. But even so, he was still pursuing her.
What if Chaton knew that Gion and he had bathed together in the bathhouse many times, and that Ikki even drew pictures of Gion bathing in private? Ikki could imagine how Chaton would feel. At that time, he'd probably be thinking of killing him.
"Anyway, it's great that your situation is getting better, Gion. I've already heard the details from Sengoku and Tsuru. It shouldn't take long for Gion to recover completely." Garp looked at the Demon Slayer Mark on Ikki's forehead and asked curiously.
With Garp's fighting instincts, he could naturally feel the power of the Demon Slayer Mark. That was a kind of power that came at the cost of consuming life force. Of course, the power obtained by using one's life was naturally powerful. Garp knew that Gion became what she was now for this reason. Ikki obviously used the Demon Slayer Mark, but wasn't affected by it. He could even help others awaken their marks without affecting their vitality. How could Garp not be curious?
He even felt that if Ikki's Demon Slayer Mark was so special, it could be used to help other Marines activate similar marks.
"Well... if there are no accidents, it shouldn't take more than a few days." Ikki nodded slightly and answered Garp's question.
"Hahaha, I'm looking forward to Gion activating that innate Demon Slayer Mark! By the way, this is the bounty you got from defeating Golden Lion Shiki and the Bellamy Pirates. More than four billion in total. Speaking of which, since I've been a Marine, I've never really seen someone receive such a large bounty. That guy Golden Lion was really unlucky to meet you. Ikki, Sengoku really appreciates you. He even wants you to become a Shichibukai, but you're not a pirate, Bwahaha!" Garp laughed and handed the Berry bag to Ikki.
"It's my honor to be appreciated by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. But it would be nice if he wouldn't reduce my bounty for killing Golden Lion out of appreciation." Ikki threw the bag containing Berry toward Nami.
Nami's eyes lit up and she immediately started counting the berries.
"Haha, that's not okay! Only by capturing Golden Lion alive could you obtain his complete reward. You killed him, so of course you can't get all of his bounty. That's not a small amount. He is still very worried about military expenses." Garp held Ikki's shoulders and laughed.
He thought of Sengoku's expression of pain when he took out the bounty from Golden Lion and the others. It was clear that Sengoku didn't want to pay the bounty. But Ikki was currently treating Gion. And if the bounty wasn't paid, there was no guarantee that there would be bounty hunters willing to trust Marines in the future. Of course, the last thing Sengoku wanted to see was Ikki falling out with the Marines because he didn't get the bounty. That would directly create a very troublesome "criminal."
"Ikki, I think you're also a person with a sense of justice. How about it, do you want to take this opportunity to join the Marines? If you dislike not having freedom, you can become a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral like me. In that case, the World Government can't order you around. And Sengoku would definitely be willing to give you some privileges." After laughing, Garp looked at Ikki seriously.
After talking to Sengoku, Garp knew how much the Fleet Admiral admired Ikki. Of course, Garp himself also admired him. After Garp finished speaking, although Gion knew the answer Ikki was about to give, she still looked at him with some anticipation. 'If Ikki can join the Marines, I'll have more opportunities to spend time with him.' Such thoughts came to Gion's mind unbidden.
"After becoming a Marine, can I still get such a huge bounty for killing pirates like Golden Lion, Vice Admiral Garp?"
"Um! Well... Marines get a fixed salary. Although there's performance pay, there's no bounty system."
"Then why should I join the Marines? Golden Lion had a bounty of more than 4 billion Berry. If I join the Marines, can you give me 500 million performance Berry? That's the real question."
"This... joining the Marines will enable you to shoulder 'justice'—" Garp scratched the back of his head, trying to instill a sense of justice into Ikki.
However, Nami on the side interrupted him mercilessly. "Justice? Is there anything more righteous than Berry? By the way, if you Marines are really just, my hometown has been occupied by the Arlong Pirates for so many years. I don't see any righteous Marine coming to help us. On the contrary, that Captain Nezumi actually protected the Arlong Pirates." Nami glanced up at Garp and said coldly.
Garp's face froze, and his originally excited expression suddenly became lonely.
"Ikki, I've finished counting the Berry. The Marines were quite trustworthy this time - not a single Berry was missing. You guys chat first, I'll store the Berry in the warehouse." With an excited smile on her face, Nami picked up the bag containing Berry and ran toward the cabin.
"Well, that's settled then." Garp scratched the back of his head. "The matter is over, Chaton, let's go back."
Since the invitation to Ikki had failed, and the Straw Hat Pirates had left again, Garp had no reason to stay here anymore. Thinking of Ace who was about to be executed, Garp sighed deeply. He was somewhat glad that he hadn't encountered the Straw Hat Pirates in Water 7. If he'd met them, Garp felt that he might not know how to face Luffy.
"Wait, Vice Admiral Garp, I have something extremely important to do." Chaton suddenly took out a small square-shaped box from his pocket, knelt down on one knee facing Gion and opened it. A sparkling ring appeared in the box.
Seeing such a scene, Gion immediately twitched the corner of her mouth and slapped her forehead with her palm. "Here we go again... ugh!" She sighed.
"Gion, please marry me. After what happened this time, I'm even more worried about you. We've obviously gone through so much, and I want to be by your side all the time." Chaton raised the ring high and said extremely seriously.
The sudden scene made Nojiko and Vivi, who didn't know the situation, look over with interest.
"A proposal! This is the first time I've seen someone propose. Nojiko, do you think he can succeed?" Vivi whispered in Nojiko's ear.
"Haha, I don't know if it'll work out, but the Vice Admiral Gion he's proposing to is currently holding our captain's hand. Vivi, don't you think this scene is quite weird?" Nojiko laughed.
Vivi looked down at the hands held by Ikki and Gion, then looked at Chaton who was kneeling on one knee facing Gion, and nodded. "It's really weird!"
'This is really... troublesome. This is already the 101st time. I obviously refused so clearly before.' Gion put her forehead in her hands and sighed softly, feeling restless in her heart.
She turned her head and looked in Ikki's direction, just in time to see him looking at her with a smile on his face, as if he was watching a good show. Gion pursed her lips, and suddenly a bold idea came to her mind.
"Sorry, Chaton. You and I have never started anything, so please don't say misleading words. I don't want the person I like to misunderstand." Gion suddenly let go of Ikki's hand and hugged his entire arm into her chest, with a slight blush on her face.
Ikki raised his eyebrows and looked at Gion, who seemed a little shy in front of him. He instantly understood her thoughts. 'Good grief, am I going to be used as a shield against this guy?' Ikki twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at Chaton, suddenly feeling that the man in front of him was particularly pitiful.
"Gion... you, you mean, you like the man in front of you?" After a few seconds, Chaton finally came to his senses and looked at Ikki in disbelief.
"Yes, in fact I had a crush on Ikki when he taught me swordsmanship. He put a lot of effort into pulling me out of my current state. I can confirm that I've really fallen in love with him." Gion nodded seriously to Chaton, then turned to look at Ikki, winking at him from an angle that Chaton couldn't see.
Ikki sighed inwardly and nodded slightly when Chaton looked at him. After all, Gion could be considered a friend now. He could still do things like fending off suitors for his friends. He never thought that what he had to do in his previous life, he'd have to repeat again after coming to the pirate world.
"No... I don't approve! Why does this man get your approval, Gion? His strength and appearance are simply not worthy... not worthy..." Chaton's voice became smaller and smaller as he suddenly realized that the Ikki in front of him was already capable of defeating Golden Lion Shiki with his partners. In terms of appearance, he was even more ahead of him. It seemed that there really was a reason for Gion to like Ikki.
"No, this man is much shorter than you. And he's younger than you, too. Gion, how could you fall in love with such a man?" Chaton didn't seem to want to give up yet and looked at Gion questioningly.
"Unless... unless, you two can kiss. If you like each other, you can definitely do it." While speaking, Chaton's face was already flushed with desperation.
Garp on the side took out a stack of rice crackers from somewhere. While looking at the situation with Ikki and the others, he ate the crackers leisurely.
"In terms of height, you're shorter than me anyway. Also, height and age aren't issues. I like younger brother-type men. If you want a kiss... of course we can do it. After all, we like each other, right?" Gion smiled slightly, lifted her silky hair back, hugged Ikki and moved to kiss him.
At this time, Garp took out a camera from somewhere and kept pressing the shooting button at Ikki and Gion.
As for Chaton, after seeing the close distance between Gion and Ikki, his face began to distort, and his psychological pressure continued to grow. At the end, Chaton finally couldn't bear the pressure and rushed toward Ikki and Gion like a wild boar.
"No! Stop!"
Ikki was startled when he saw Chaton charging at them. Just when he was thinking about kicking him away, Gion raised her palm and slapped Chaton on the face. The powerful force actually sent Chaton flying directly back to the Marine warship.
"No... no, why does Gion fall in love with someone else? I don't accept it, I don't accept it!" Chaton lay down on the deck, twisting his body constantly, looking so pitiful that the Marine soldiers beside him were speechless.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what are you doing?" Gion pulled back her hand and looked at Garp who was holding the camera.
"Of course I'm taking pictures of you kissing. Quick, you were interrupted just now by Chaton. Continue what you were doing. I can show it to Tsuru when I get back." Garp excitedly raised the camera and pointed it at Ikki and Gion.
Gion sighed, took Ikki's hand and walked to Garp, raised her hand and crushed the camera in his grip.
"No! My camera!" Garp opened his mouth and roared.
Gion ignored Garp's complaints and directly picked up Garp's collar and threw him toward the Marine warship.
Seeing this scene, Ikki couldn't help but raise his hand and give Gion a thumbs up. "As expected of Miss Gion, there are probably not many people in this world who can treat Garp like this."
Hearing this, Gion smiled and looked up at Water 7 not far away. "Compared to this, we'd better go to Water 7 quickly, don't you think?"