When Tokikake woke up, he thought he was having a nightmare.
That was until a pink lace-trimmed dress was mercilessly flung onto his face.
"Um... Rear Admiral Kane, could you make an exception?" Tokikake pleaded, holding the dress as his face twisted into a bitter expression. His eyes were filled with resistance and mourning for his soon-to-be-lost dignity.
"A bet is a bet. This is a man's romance, Recruit Tokikake," Kane said, sitting cheerfully in a nearby chair.
"But... Gion is watching..." Tokikake made one last desperate attempt.
Kane sighed, walked over to Tokikake, and gave his stiff shoulder a firm pat.
Leaning in close, he spoke in a low, earnest voice meant only for the two of them:
"You fool."
"Do you think girls like that kind of prideful, macho attitude? Wrong!"
"What they admire are tough men who can bend but not break for the sake of Justice, men who dare to defy conventions!"
"If you can wear this dress openly in front of everyone, tell me, what hardship on these seas could possibly defeat you?"
Kane paused, then delivered his final blow.
"Besides, Gion is right over there watching."
"Do you want her to see a sore loser and a coward, or a warrior brave enough to challenge himself to become stronger?"
Tokikake's expression shifted.
The initial despair in his eyes gradually ignited into a blaze of tragic determination.
"I... I'll wear it!!"
Gritting his teeth, Tokikake snatched up the dress, pulled on the tight lace garment in a few swift moves, and then solemnly tugged on the fishnet stockings.
Though the sight was still jarring, the solemn resolve on his face was genuinely moving.
A few minutes later.
When a 2.6-meter-tall, burly, thick-legged man clad in a pink Lolita dress appeared on the track, the entire training ground fell into a dead silence for a full three seconds.
Then, an avalanche of roaring laughter erupted.
"Pfft— HAHAHAHA! My eyes! My eyes are burning!"
"Oh my god, that's Tokikake... He actually wore it!"
Faced with the crowd's ridicule, Tokikake was mortified, wishing he could vanish into the ground.
Just then, a steady voice cut through the uproar.
"Quiet!"
Kane stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, his expression solemn as he scanned the crowd.
"What are you all laughing at? Are you mocking a warrior who dares to face his own shame to temper his will?"
"This is a trial of the 'Heart of the Strong'! If he can conquer your mockery today, he can conquer these seas tomorrow! Applaud his courage!"
The Marines, who had been ready to enjoy the spectacle, were completely taken aback by his words.
They glanced at each other, a wave of shame washing over them.
"So that's what it was... As expected of Rear Admiral Kane, his insight is profound!"
"Tokikake... he might look sketchy, but that level of resolve... now that's a real man!"
Scattered clapping started, soon swelling into thunderous cheers.
"Run, Tokikake! You can do it!"
"Now this is a man's romance!!"
Under the reverent gazes of thousands, Tokikake puffed out his chest and began his ten-lap "special training" with tragic strides.
The moment he took his first step, tears of emotion welled up in his eyes.
'Is this Rear Admiral Kane's magnanimity...'
Tokikake screamed inwardly, his previous jealousy and resentment vanishing in that instant.
With such terrifying strength, yet possessing a heart broader than the ocean! He could have thoroughly humiliated me in defeat, but instead chose this method to preserve my dignity, even helping me rebuild a Heart of the Strong!'
'Compared to him, I who challenged my superior out of petty jealousy look as ugly as a clown! Rear Admiral Kane... he's truly a kind and gentle man!'
[Ding! Detected host has performed deep psychological manipulation (PUA) on a colleague and forced them into social suicide behavior.]
[Achievement unlocked: Distorting black and white.]
[Violation Value obtained: 1500 points!]
Kane looked at the jumping numbers on his panel and nodded in satisfaction.
...
Half an hour later, night fell as a sudden rainstorm arrived.
Marineford was shrouded in curtains of rain.
In Kane's private office, warm yellow lights dispelled the chill of the rainy night.
"Come in."
Following Kane's voice, the office door opened.
Gion entered, having changed out of her training uniform into a brand new Marine outfit.
She had clearly groomed herself carefully - her previously messy hair was now neatly combed, and she carried the faint scent of shower gel.
"Rear Admiral Kane!"
Gion stood at attention and saluted, her voice trembling slightly from nervousness, her cheeks flushed red under the lighting.
"Oh, it's Gion."
Kane was sitting in his leather swivel chair, leisurely wiping his black Greatsword with a soft cloth.
He didn't stand up, merely glancing up slightly. His lazy yet powerful aura made Gion's heartbeat accelerate again.
"What brings you here so late?"
"I..."
Gion's chest heaved as she mustered all her courage and stepped forward.
"I'd like to request... your guidance in swordsmanship! I want to learn how to deliver that sky-cleaving slash too!"
After speaking, she nervously closed her eyes, afraid of being rejected.
Kane's hand wiping the sword paused slightly.
Swordsmanship guidance?
Tch, what a hassle.
He still needed to research how to farm points - no time to babysit rookies.
He was just about to find an excuse to send this girl away.
Something like "my sword style isn't suitable for women" or "you're not qualified yet" - typical arrogant lines.
But when he saw Gion's hand tightly gripping her sword hilt from nervousness, he subconsciously reached out to help her relax, his fingers accidentally brushing against the back of her hand.
[Ding!]
The cold system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Detected host exploiting authority to commit workplace harassment]
[Congratulations host, obtained Violation Value: 200 points!]
Kane: "..."
His expression instantly froze.
Then, looking at Gion's beautiful face that had turned bright red from his touch, and confirming the 200 points that had indeed been credited to his system panel...
A brand new door to financial freedom swung wide open before him!
The expression on Kane's face instantly shifted from "this is troublesome" to "righteous and solemn."
"Swordsmanship guidance, you say?"
He put down the soft cloth and walked behind Gion.
"Stand up, draw your saber, let me see your grip."
Gion quickly rose, somewhat nervously drawing her own saber and assuming a standard swordsmanship stance.
"Too stiff. How can you unleash the blade's full power like this?!"
Kane shook his head, stepping forward to encircle her completely in his arms with a standard back-hug posture.
"Relax! Feel the transmission of my power!"
Kane's large hand directly covered Gion's soft, boneless little hand, helping her "correct" her grip on the saber.
Gion's body trembled violently, feeling as if her entire mind had gone blank.
Too... too close.
She was enveloped in a masculine embrace, Kane's warm breath by her ear, the heat from his large hand making her whole body go weak, to the point she could barely stand.
"Relax a bit. A sword isn't meant to be gripped deathly tight."
Kane's voice sounded by her ear. "Feel its breath, let it become an extension of your arm... Here, your fingers need to be a little looser."
As he spoke, his fingers gently stroked the back of Gion's hand.
[Ding! Detected that the host is taking advantage of his position to sexually harass and psychologically manipulate a naive female subordinate.]
[Violation Value obtained: 800 points!]
Kane was overjoyed inside, but on his face, he maintained the serious, proper demeanor of a mentor.
"This muscle is too tense, the force application is wrong."
His hand slid up along Gion's arm, gently squeezing the muscles of her forearm, then continued all the way to her shoulder.
"Your shoulders need to sink down, don't hunch them."
By now, Gion had completely lost track of what she was doing.
She felt like a steam-powered doll, about to let off steam from the top of her head. How could she possibly absorb any swordsmanship theory? Her mind was filled entirely with the sensation of Kane's palm and that dizzying masculine aura.
"Rear... Rear Admiral..." Her voice trembled, carrying a faint, indistinct charm.
"Focus."
Kane lightly patted her waist, his tone stern.
"A swordsman must never lose focus, no matter the situation."
"Yes!!"
Gion jolted in fright, quickly straightening her back, yet an inexplicable sweetness welled up in her heart.
He's taking me so seriously! Is this how a hero teaches?
"And your stance! Your lower body isn't stable, your center of gravity is too high! That's fatal in real combat!"
As Kane spoke, his knee "accidentally" nudged the back of Gion's knee, helping her adjust her center of gravity.
[Ding! Violation Value +80!]
"Breathing! Your breathing is off too! Follow my rhythm!"
[Ding! Violation Value +60!]
Kane was ecstatic inside.
To grow stronger, to protect the peace of these seas, sacrificing a bit of my reputation, getting handsy with a female subordinate—what does it matter?!
This is all for Justice!
And outside the window.
Raindrops pattered against the glass, blurring the view outside.
On the plaza of Marineford, a pink figure trudged laboriously through the muddy water.
Tokikake was soaked through, the lace dress clinging tightly to his body, outlining his rather unappealing features and flabby flesh.
His legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead, but he persisted.
For Justice!
To prove himself to Gion!
As he ran his eighth lap, passing beneath the headquarters building, he instinctively looked up.
That window.
That warm light.
That was Rear Admiral Kane's office.
Tokikake wiped the rain from his face and squinted his eyes.
Through the curtain's silhouette, he clearly saw two overlapping figures.
That tall figure was pressed tightly against the slender one from behind, their movements appearing so intimate, so...
Crack.
It seemed something inside Tokikake's heart had completely shattered.
"No... no, no, no!"
Tokikake shook his head frantically in the rain, tears mixing with the downpour as they flowed into his mouth, tasting unbearably bitter.
'Gion...'
'You must... must be asking for swordsmanship guidance... right?'
"Gion isn't that kind of shallow woman! Rear Admiral Kane is the embodiment of Justice!"
"I must be overthinking this! Waaah!!"
Tokikake let out a desperate cry in his heart, but his feet could no longer move forward.
He fell to his knees in the muddy water and let out a mournful, yet stifled, wail into the pitch-black rainy night.
"This damned Justice!!!"
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