NOVEL WEB Chapter 70: Gion's Guidance
After Kael and Gion (codenamed Momousagi) chatted aimlessly for a while, he asked Gion, a great sword master, to guide him, Zoro, and Saga in their swordsmanship. Under the thick skin of Kael, the Emperor, Gion had no choice but to teach them. Meanwhile, Tashigi, the glasses-wearing cute colonel, stared intently at the famous sword Konpira in Gion's hand.
"On the latest weapon registry, Vice Admiral Gion's personal sword has been listed among the Supreme Grade Blades!" "It directly cut through a Supreme Grade Blade in the hands of a great pirate!" Tashigi quickly flipped through the weapon registry, found the page detailing Konpira, and her eyes were filled with fanaticism. The reason Supreme Grade Blades are Supreme Grade Blades, besides their inherent quality, also depends on the power and reputation of their owner. Famous people can make a nameless sword famous. A famous sword is not a Supreme Grade Blade from the beginning. Some Supreme Grade Blades are forged through countless battles experienced by their owners. This is called becoming a weapon through a hundred battles!
"A new Supreme Grade Blade?" Aramaki sensed the aura of Gion and assessed whether he could defeat this renowned elite Vice Admiral. It was said that Marine Vice Admirals with codenames were the backbone Vice Admirals of Marineford. Among them, codenames combining a color and an animal were the most valuable, representing the core high-ranking officials closest to the Marines' center of power. They even had the potential to become Admirals.
She's really strong, an unprecedented level of strength. I'll only know if I can beat her after a real fight. Based solely on observation and Observation Haki, it was impossible to truly assess a person's combat power. Aramaki was not confident he could defeat Gion at this moment.
"Hmph, I heard that Vice Admiral Gion has been famous for many years," Reiju, seeing Kael's proactive demeanor, mumbled to Nami and the others with a hint of jealousy. "Famous for many years" implicitly meant that Gion was quite old.
"How old is Vice Admiral Gion?" The naive Kaya actually asked directly. A sharp gaze instantly swept over. Kaya's words had triggered Gion's keyword reaction. Age - this was Gion's small taboo. Kaya suddenly shivered, meeting Gion's gaze directly. She quickly covered her mouth, not daring to speak again. It was as awkward as being caught red-handed gossiping about someone.
What keen ears! Nami and Nojiko quickly suppressed their urge to gossip, pretending it had nothing to do with them. Is it Observation Haki? Reiju also closed her mouth in time. It was all Kael's fault for being such a philanderer. Seeing that she had startled these young girls and stopped their conversation, Gion finally retracted her gaze with satisfaction and continued to instruct Kael and the others in their swordsmanship.
Seeing that Gion was no longer paying attention to them, Reiju pointed at Kaya, held up 3 fingers, then turned her thumb upwards. Meaning 3 times Kaya's age or more. Nami, understanding Reiju's gesture, also covered her mouth, not daring to let Gion discover her reaction. She hadn't expected this older sister-like Vice Admiral to be so old! It was impossible to tell from her appearance. Did the Marines have some method for maintaining youth? Kaya dared not even guess, simply burying her head in her book. Besides instructing Kael and the others, Gion also specifically guided Tashigi, the female Marine. She liked self-reliant female Marines.
Under Gion's guidance, time passed quickly. This time, by taking the safe Red Line route through the New World, they seemed to reach the West Blue very quickly.
"Vice Admiral Gion, thank you very much for your guidance this time. If you ever come to the Goa Empire in the future, I will certainly give you a proper reception." Kael hadn't expected Gion to actually share genuine knowledge, which was truly generous. She probably also hadn't expected Zoro to be such a sword genius, learning so many techniques. Kael and Saga's talents were also good. Even Tashigi, the adorable Marine, had improved a lot.
"I also greatly admire the most beautiful country in the East Blue. If I have a vacation in the future, I will definitely visit the Goa Empire." Gion responded politely to Kael, the Goa Emperor, with a professional smile. As for whether she would actually go, that was hard to say. It was all polite talk. She had escorted World Nobles to Gold Emperor Tesoro's golden entertainment city, the Gran Tesoro, and had visited several times herself. Ever since she had been to the golden entertainment city, other beautiful countries seemed a bit dull.
"Then it's a deal. I'll be waiting for you in the Goa Empire." Kael smiled in response. He was very satisfied with successfully having Gion act as a free teacher this time. Gion swung her cloak of justice, departing gracefully, exuding a heroic and dashing aura. As Gion's escort fleet departed, Kael and his crew immediately set off for Soja Island in the West Blue.
On the Exile Emperor, Kael looked at the intelligence on the West Blue. Capone "Gang" Bege, the Godfather of the West Blue underworld, had almost unified the West Blue's criminal organizations. He was much faster than Bartolomeo in the East Blue. The casino on Soja Island would probably also have to pay protection fees to Capone Bege's gang. Capone Bege probably hadn't expected that a super expert was lurking in an ordinary casino under his power. Otherwise, he would definitely try every means to make Issho serve him.
Unfortunately, Issho, a former kingdom criminal, was incredibly low-key and had always been unknown. Even the other bodyguards at the casino didn't know Issho's true strength. Meanwhile, Aramaki was focused on the war between the Flower Country and Sang Country in the West Blue. He had borrowed a map from Nami and had been eyeing these two pirate Allied Nations for a long time. He was ready to defeat a great pirate with a bounty over 500 million Berries!
It had to be said that the West Blue and North Blue, being connected to the New World, were infinitely more chaotic than the South Blue and East Blue. Even the Germa 66 Evil Corps from the North Blue could directly cross the Calm Belt and enter the New World to conduct business. The Happo Navy and pirate families of the West Blue also had close ties with the New World's underground dark world, and possessed sufficient strength and foundation to directly venture into the New World. In the West Blue and North Blue, there were truly many pirates with bounties over 100 million Berries. There were even legitimate pirate Allied Nations providing them with shelter. It couldn't help but be chaotic!
Unlike the East Blue, this peaceful and weakest sea. Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Berries, was already considered the 'strongest pirate'. In fact, after the execution of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the World Government's suppression of the East Blue was the most severe. They wiped out many pirates who had set sail under Roger's influence, forcibly quelling the rebellious winds in the East Blue. Monkey D. Garp, the Marine hero, also frequently returned to the East Blue to sweep away pirates. This led to the birth of the weakest sea, where the average strength of rookie pirates was completely at the bottom. Originally, the East Blue and South Blue were similar, but now even pirates from the South Blue look down on those from the East Blue.
"Capone Bege, the Castle-Castle Fruit (Shiro Shiro no Mi) user!" Kael looked at the intelligence, tapping his fingers on the table. To move gold from Sky Island, how could he do without this 'transport captain'? However, with Issho, the Press-Press Fruit (Zushi Zushi no Mi) user, it seemed that the gold could be transported down without much trouble. Never mind, more abilities mean more options. This godfather of the underworld, he wouldn't escape! Currently, Kael, the East Blue Overlord, could not expand the Goa Empire's influence into the West Blue. The underworld was a good entry point.