The air on the battlefield was thick with dust and the metallic scent of blood. Under the pale, indifferent light of the moon, a clash of steel rang out, but it did not carry the sound of a cut. It was a dull, heavy thud, the sound of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Gion, known to the world as the Marine Vice Admiral Momousagi, felt a searing, tearing pain shoot through her hand. The web of skin between her thumb and index finger—her tiger's mouth—had split open from the sheer impact of her own strike. Warm, sticky blood began to ooze from the wound, trickling slowly down the shark-skin hilt of her beloved blade.
Her eyes, usually sharp and composed, widened in genuine horror. She stared at the scene before her, her mind struggling to process the impossible reality.
She had swung Konpira, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, with every ounce of her strength. She had imbued the blade with high-level Armament Haki, turning the steel into a black, indestructible force capable of cleaving through the hull of a battleship. Yet, her full-power strike had been stopped dead.
It hadn't been blocked by another sword. It hadn't been deflected by a shield.
The tip of Konpira was caught firmly between two fingers of the man named Takuro.
The famous sword hummed violently, vibrating with a high-pitched whine as if it were wailing in frustration. It struggled against the restraint, but it could not advance a single millimeter. It was trapped, held in place by a grip that felt less like flesh and blood and more like the hydraulic pressure of a crushing machine.
"This... how is this possible...?" Gion stammered. Her voice, usually commanding, was now breathless and frail.
She looked up at the man. Takuro stood there effortlessly. He wasn't straining. The veins on his forehead weren't bulging. He was holding a legendary sword wielded by a Vice Admiral as if he were holding a delicate, weightless feather.
For the first time, Gion understood the crushing despair that Admiral Akainu must have felt just moments ago. Sakazuki, a man whose magma power was considered the highest offensive force in the Marines, was lying somewhere in the distant ruins, defeated. She had assumed it was a hard-fought battle, but feeling the absolute, abyss-like difference in strength through her sword, she realized the terrifying truth.
This man was not just a pirate or a criminal. He was a monster whose power existed in a completely different dimension.
Takuro ignored the lethal blade hovering inches from his face. Instead, his dark eyes roamed over Gion with a look of undisguised interest. He wasn't analyzing her combat stance or looking for openings in her defense. He was looking at her as a man looks at a woman.
"Hmm..." Takuro hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin with his free hand. He looked like an art critic evaluating a rare sculpture in a museum. "Your swordsmanship is quite good. Sharp. Decisive. I can see the years of discipline behind that strike."
His gaze drifted lower, moving away from her fearful eyes and settling on the curves of her body. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, a mix of exhaustion, anger, and adrenaline.
"...Your figure is also very good," he said, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I like it. It's a waste to hide such beauty behind a Marine coat."
"You...!"
Gion's cheeks flushed a deep, instant crimson. The sudden shift from a life-or-death battle to blatant, disrespectful flirting threw her completely off balance. Shame and indignation boiled up inside her. She was a candidate for the position of Admiral! She was a warrior of justice! To be treated like a mere object of desire on the battlefield was humiliating.
With a cry of frustration, she exerted all her remaining strength. She planted her feet into the cracked earth and pulled back, trying to wrench Konpira free from his grasp. She wanted to retreat, to put distance between herself and this monster.
But the sword didn't move. It seemed to be welded into the space between his fingers. No matter how hard she pulled, Takuro's arm remained as steady as a mountain range.
Despite her mature appearance and her reputation as a fierce leader, Gion had lived a somewhat sheltered life within the Marines. She had spent years serving under the Great Staff Officer Tsuru. Tsuru's unit, often called the 'Women's Kingdom,' was a disciplined, all-female environment. Gion was used to respect, fear, and camaraderie. She was not used to being teased, especially not by a powerful male enemy.
The heat rushed to her head, turning even her earlobes a bright, burning red.
Takuro watched her struggle, his amusement growing. 'Is this Vice Admiral really so easily flustered?' he thought, finding the contrast between her deadly reputation and her innocent reaction incredibly entertaining. 'She's surprisingly pure-hearted.'
He decided to push her a little further.
Takuro leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between their faces until she could see her own reflection in his eyes. He lowered his voice to a whisper, intimate and exclusive, meant only for the two of them amidst the chaos.
"How about it, little lady...?"
"Are you interested in joining me? The Marines can't appreciate a flower like you."
"Dream on!" Gion shouted. She rejected him instantly, without a second of hesitation. Her voice trembled, but the fire of her anger burned bright. "I am a Marine! I uphold Absolute Justice! I would never join a criminal like you!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Takuro didn't get angry at her refusal. Instead, his smile widened. Slowly, deliberately, he opened his fingers.
The pressure on the blade vanished instantly. Gion, who was still pulling back with all her might, stumbled backward, her balance compromised. She quickly corrected her footing, gripping her sword with both hands, her eyes darting around to anticipate his next attack.
But there was no attack.
In the blink of an eye, Takuro's figure simply vanished.
It wasn't a trick of the light. It wasn't the Soru technique used by the Marines, which pushed the legs to move at high speeds. This was something faster, something that bypassed the senses entirely.
Before Gion's Observation Haki could even send a warning signal to her brain, she felt a warm presence directly behind her.
"You should think carefully before you answer..."
The voice came from right over her shoulder. Takuro's lips were inches from her sensitive ear, his breath warm against her skin. A shiver of primal fear ran down Gion's spine. He had bypassed her defenses as if she weren't even there. If he had wanted to kill her, her head would already be rolling on the ground.
His voice had changed. The playfulness was gone, replaced by a cold, velvety tone that sounded like a devil whispering from the depths of hell. It carried a temptation that was dangerous and heavy.
"Look around you, Gion."
Takuro's gaze swept across the battlefield. Gion's eyes involuntarily followed his look.
She saw her subordinates—dozens of elite Marine soldiers. They were gripping their rifles and swords, but they were frozen in place. Their faces were pale, covered in cold sweat. They wanted to help her, but the sheer pressure of Takuro's energy, his Ki, kept them pinned down like insects.
Then, she looked further into the distance, toward the smoking crater where the battle had begun. There, amidst the rubble, lay the motionless body of Admiral Akainu. The man who was supposed to be invincible was broken, his magma cooled and shattered.
"There are still so many of your 'companions' here..." Takuro whispered, his voice chillingly soft against her ear. "You wouldn't want to make a 'wrong' decision yourself..."
He paused, letting the silence stretch out, letting the weight of the situation crush her spirit.
"...and have everyone else 'die' with you, would you?"
"You!!"
Gion's delicate body stiffened abruptly. She turned her head, her neck creaking with tension, to look at the young man standing behind her. In the moonlight, his handsome face looked particularly sinister, like a demon king surveying his domain.
"...Despicable! You are despicable!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Tears of frustration welled up in the corners of her eyes.
Takuro shrugged indifferently. "This is called strategy, beautiful Vice Admiral. In war, the winner takes all. Their fate rests entirely on your decision."
He reached out and his fingers lightly brushed the wrist of her sword hand. He felt her muscles lock up, her body vibrating with the impulse to strike him, and the paralyzing fear that stopped her.
"Think about it," he coaxed. "If you refuse, what happens? I kill you. Then I kill these loyal soldiers. And then I finish off that guy named Sakazuki over there. Can you bear to let them pay with their lives for your stubbornness? Is your pride worth more than their existence?"
Gion's gaze drifted back to the young Marines. She saw the fear in their eyes, but she also saw their trust. They were waiting for her orders. They believed she would save them.
She looked at Sakazuki again. Although she disliked his extreme methods and his harsh personality, he was a comrade. He was a pillar of the Marines. She could not let him die here.
An internal war raged within her. As a Marine officer, she had sworn to fight evil until her last breath. She would rather die in battle than bow to a pirate. But as a commander, she had a duty to protect her men. She could not sacrifice everyone's lives just to satisfy her own sense of dignity.
Takuro seemed to see right through her hesitation. He leaned in closer, his voice wrapping around her mind like smoke.
"Follow me, and not only can you save their lives, but you can also see a wider world. The Grand Line is a small pond. Don't you want to know why my power can break the conventions of this world? Don't you want to see what lies beyond?"
The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. The wind howled softly through the ruins, carrying the scent of defeat.
After a long, agonizing silence, Gion finally closed her eyes in pain. Her shoulders slumped. The grip on her sword loosened.
When she opened her eyes again, the fierce determination was gone, replaced by a layer of watery, humiliated resignation.
"...I promise you."
Her voice was faint, as quiet as a mosquito's buzz, but in the silence of the night, it was loud enough.
At this moment, the moonlight seemed to dim, as if mourning the loss. A Marine Elite Vice Admiral, a symbol of justice and strength, had been forced to bow her proud head to the enemy under the watchful eyes of her own soldiers.
"Very good," Takuro said, satisfaction coloring his tone. "You've made a wise choice."
As he spoke, Takuro stepped forward. He placed his hand possessively on Gion's slender waist, pulling her slightly towards him. Her body trembled at the contact, a mix of fear and shame, but she did not pull away.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion