Onigashima.
Kaido lounged lazily in his seat, a huge bowl of sake in hand. Just as he lifted it to take a hearty gulp, Jack walked in—head lowered, guilt written all over his face.
"Boss… I lost."
Kaido's eyes narrowed.
"Who did it?"
Jack clenched his teeth.
"Karl. That Marine Vice Admiral."
Clack.
The porcelain bowl slipped from Kaido's hand and shattered on the floor, sake spilling everywhere.
"Carl?" Kaido asked seriously. "The one I ran into last time at G-2 Base?"
"Yes. That's him. A few days ago, he even barged into Totto Land and killed several of Big Mom's children."
The one speaking now was King, standing quietly in the shadows. Kaido glanced at him and stroked his thick beard.
Kaido remembered Karl very clearly.
Back at G-2, that Marine had been extremely annoying—especially his Devil Fruit ability.
A Paramecia, yet capable of healing and enhancing physical strength.
Every time they finally injured someone, Karl would flash a few times and—boom—everyone was healed again.
Absurd.
"Interesting," Kaido said with a grin. "I'll go meet him myself someday. Where is he now?"
Jack scratched his head.
"No idea. I ran into him on my way back here."
King rubbed his chin.
"There's a possibility he's at G-10 Base. I heard the base commander there was recently replaced. Could be him."
Bang!
Kaido slammed the armrest, smiling meaningfully.
"Whether he's there or not, I'll go take a stroll sooner or later."
King hesitated, clearly wanting to say something—but swallowed his words.
A mere Marine Vice Admiral. No way he could pose any real threat to Kaido.
Even if it were a trap, so what?
The Marines couldn't do a thing to their boss.
G-10 Base
Karl was thoroughly enjoying himself in his office—tea in hand, newspaper open, peak "slacking off" mode.
Then—
Ring ring ring.
"Guess who I am~?"
Karl recognized the voice instantly, but still played along.
"Who's this? How did you get my number? Confess immediately—I'm a Marine."
"Hahaha! It's your sister, Gion. You're still as fun as ever."
Karl went over the top.
"Oooh~ So it's Sister Gion! What brings you here?"
"I heard you got promoted and are now stationed at G-10. I just happened to pass by, so I came to see Ain. Thought I'd give the base commander a heads-up first."
"Wait—just here to see Ain?" Karl said dramatically.
"That hurts. Can't you come see me too?"
"Hehe, Ain's a good little sister after all," Gion teased.
"Oh right, I'm almost there. Don't tell Ain yet—I want to surprise her."
"No problem. I won't say a word."
The call ended—
—and at that exact moment, Ain walked in with some sweets and snacks in her arms, eyes widening.
"…Was that Sister Gion?"
"Uh—no. You heard wrong."
Ain snorted softly.
"Don't lie. I know her voice. It was definitely her."
Karl sighed. That backfire was instant.
"Okay, fine. It was her. But don't say I told you—she wants to surprise you."
"So great!" Ain beamed. "I'll go wait at the port!"
"H-Hey! Don't rush!" Karl hurriedly stopped her.
"Give me some face, alright? I just promised I wouldn't tell you."
Ain wrinkled her nose, thought for a second, then agreed and returned to her office to wait "properly."
Port
A rather feminine-looking Marine warship slowly docked.
As soon as Gion stepped off, Nelson snapped to attention.
"Vice Admiral Momousagi! I'm Nelson, Vice Admiral Karl's aide. Commander Karl is expecting you."
Gion smiled charmingly.
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Nelson."
Nelson's old face reddened instantly.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Karl's Office
Knock knock.
"Come in—oh? Sister Gion, that was fast!"
The moment Gion entered, her eyes locked straight onto the two swords mounted on the wall, completely ignoring Karl.
"My goodness… Black Blade Shusui?! The legendary dragon-slaying sword—and this one is… a cursed blade?"
"All top-tier blades!" she exclaimed.
"Where on earth did you get these?!"
Karl replied casually,
"A friend gave them to me."
"…WHAT?!"
Gion stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"A friend?! These are priceless Supreme blades! What kind of friend is that generous? Introduce him to me—I'd like a gift too!"
Karl coughed lightly.
"Isn't Konpira good enough already?"
She rolled her eyes.
"As if a swordsman would ever complain about too many good swords. Even if you don't use them, just admiring them is worth it!"
Clang.
As she spoke, Gion casually drew Raimei, a strange red glow flashing along the blade.
"Tsk tsk~ a cursed blade indeed. What's its name?"
Karl was slightly surprised she showed no reaction to its influence.
As expected of a powerful swordswoman—her will was rock-solid.
"Raimei. Formerly wielded by Shiryu of the Rain, ex-chief jailer of Impel Down.
After he was imprisoned in Level Six, I helped Warden Magellan with a small issue—so he gave it to me."
Gion looked thoroughly envious.
So this was fate, huh?
She knew Magellan too—why had she never gotten a gift like that?
"Such fine blades," she sighed.
"Don't let them go to waste."
Karl thumped his chest proudly.
"Relax. I give them top-tier maintenance every day."
"'Top-tier maintenance'?" Gion burst out laughing.
"You really do say the funniest things."
"Well then, I won't bother you anymore—I'm off to see Ain!"
She carefully hung Shusui and Raimei back on the wall and left.
Not long after, a shriek of excitement echoed from Ain's office.
Karl briefly considered sneaking over to watch—purely out of curiosity—but decided against it.
Inside Ain's office—
"So, little Ain," Gion grinned mischievously,
"how are things going between you and Karl?"
A faint blush spread across Ain's face.
"Well… we're close. Almost…"
"Almost how close?" Gion pressed, eyes sparkling.
"Did you confess?"
"Not yet," Ain replied shyly.
"You know how it is—he's still in contact with the Pirate Empress…"
Gion waved it off carelessly.
"So what? They barely ever see each other."
"You two are together every day. Take the initiative—just take Karl down."
"And once you do…" she chuckled knowingly,
"hehehe…"
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