Holy Land, Chamber of Flowers.
On the open lawn, Orion and Zephyr crouched by the grill, watching the sizzling, oil-dripping meat, their mouths watering.
Meanwhile, Sengoku took on the role of grill master, skillfully sprinkling various seasonings over the meat—clearly no stranger to sneaking in some barbecue sessions.
Gunko was busy, continuously delivering the ingredients Sengoku needed.
The most nervous of them all was Sharlia.
Stringing skewers by herself, she occasionally stole glances at Orion, then apprehensively eyed the pavilion not far away.
Ever since the Marine Headquarters uprising, when Orion ascended to the Holy Land and signed the Mariejois Treaty in the Room of Power, many in the Holy Land had learned of Imu's existence—though few had actually seen her.
Naturally, Sharlia was no exception.
Yet, to her surprise, Orion had specifically summoned her to help.
Though the tasks were things she wasn't particularly skilled at, it was an immense honor for her.
This sense of honor felt far more better than the privileges she once enjoyed as a Celestial Dragon.
Still, while deeply honored, she couldn't shake the fear that the figure in the pavilion might suddenly lose their temper and order the royal guards to slap her twice.
.....
Imu had no interest in dealing with a minor character like Sharlia.
Her gaze remained fixed on the lawn, the corners of her mouth twitching beneath her veil.
Orion coming to stay here was one thing, but bringing Zephyr, Sengoku, and even Sharlia to barbecue in the Chamber of Flowers' lawn?
The Holy Land was vast—couldn't they have picked another spot?
This was the Chamber of Flowers!
Still, Sengoku's grilling skills seemed decent.
The aroma of meat wafting over with the breeze made Imu inexplicably tempted to join in.
After all, it had been who knew how long since the Chamber of Flowers had seen such lively activity.
Of course, Imu merely entertained the thought.
Unless Orion invited her, she would never lower themselves to join the gathering.
Just then, Sengoku placed a plate of freshly grilled skewers in front of Orion and Zephyr while grinning.
"Try these! It's my latest barbecue recipe—guaranteed to leave you craving more!"
"Then today's a lucky day!" Orion picked up two skewers, handing one to Gunko and the other to Sharlia.
"You two try first."
Neither woman had expected Orion to offer them the first taste.
Their eyes widened in shock, Sharlia even scrambling to her feet, unsure whether to accept or refuse—all while sneaking another glance at Imu in the pavilion.
"Don't look over there!"
"Today, I call the shots!" Orion placed the skewers into the hands of the two women, watching them with a warm smile.
"Don't get too emotional!"
Seeing the touched expressions on their faces, Zephyr, who was sitting nearby, couldn't hold back and promptly reminded them.
"He's not spoiling you by letting you taste first—he just wants you to test the flavor for him!"
Before the words could fully land, Zephyr immediately changed his tone, "Or you could interpret it as this brat making you two his poison tasters!"
"Zephyr, what are you saying?!"
Before Orion could react, Sengoku widened his eyes in agitation and snapped.
"Poison tasters? Are you implying I'd poison them?!"
"It's just a figure of speech!" Zephyr said with a serious expression. "If the skewers are undercooked or over-seasoned, isn't that practically poisoning someone?"
"Are you questioning my grilling skills?" Sengoku was thoroughly riled up now.
"Isn't skepticism normal?" Zephyr blinked. "Besides, the issue here isn't me doubting you, you bastard!"
"I don't care! Since you doubt my grilling skills, you do it!"
"I'm missing my right arm! You can't bully a disabled old man!"
"I'm old too!"
The two argued more and more fiercely, leaving Gunko and Sharlia standing awkwardly with skewers in hand, unsure whether to eat or not.
Fortunately, a light cough suddenly came from the pavilion at that moment.
Immediately after, Imu, who had been sitting upright inside, stood up and walked out!
Almost simultaneously, hearing the sound from the pavilion, Zephyr and Sengoku turned their heads in perfect sync and said in unison.
"None of your business. Go back."
"!!!!!"
Imu, who had just resolved to step out of the pavilion, instantly widened her pupils.
A bone-chilling cold flashed through her crimson eyes as she snapped.
"You... insolent fools."
"Ahaha, it's Imu-sama!"
Feeling the sudden surge of invisible pressure from Imu, Sengoku sobered up instantly and laughed sheepishly.
"We thought it was Orion!"
Before his words even finished, Sengoku immediately scurried back to the grill, acting as if nothing had happened.
He grabbed a dozen skewers, sprinkled cumin, oil, and salt, and seamlessly resumed his "work."
"Quiet down!"
Imu had intended to reprimand Sengoku and Zephyr, but seeing Sengoku's attitude, she felt like punching cotton.
After throwing out that remark, she turned and sat back down in the pavilion.
"Why sit back down?"
Orion tilted his head towards the pavilion.
"Come join us!"
Imu casually pulled out a book and said flatly, "Mu dislikes barbecues."
Just as Orion was about to speak, the Den Den Mushi beside him suddenly rang.
Gion's voice immediately came through.
"Fleet Admiral, we just received intel from G-5 that Shiki briefly hovered above their base before vanishing completely!"
"I'm concerned that after being attacked by Zunesha, Shiki might retaliate against us immediately. With his strength, destroying a few bases wouldn't be difficult."
Hearing the report about Shiki, Zephyr and Sengoku instantly fell silent, both turning to look at Orion's calm expression.
"Retaliation is inevitable!" Orion nodded and continued, "However, Shiki isn't the type to act recklessly and cause destruction. He always has a meticulous plan before every move! So if we put ourselves in his shoes, we can roughly deduce his next course of action!"
"Shiki wants revenge on us, but with his strength alone, it's impossible. Neither Newgate nor Shanks would stoop to ally with him. In this situation, he either continues hiding somewhere—"
"Or he finds our blind spot as quickly as possible to gain a powerful ally!"
"Blind spot?" Gion's voice carried a hint of confusion.
Sengoku and Zephyr also struggled to follow Orion's train of thought.
Orion pondered for a moment before continuing, "If I were Shiki, I'd definitely target Impel Down. After all, Shiki was once imprisoned there—even in its sixth level!"
"Let's set a trap for him."
"Send Borsalino to Impel Down to casually extract a prisoner from the fifth or sixth level. Make Shiki think there's an opportunity!"