Inside Pangaea Castle, Gion, having just finished a few rounds of tennis with Stussy, washed off her sweat and put on the freshly laundered and dried clothes provided by the maids. She settled down on a sofa in a small lounge.
"Your green tea."
A maid respectfully placed a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table. Gion thanked her, lifted the cup to her nose, and was immediately enveloped by the rich aroma of the tea, which invigorated her weary spirit.
At that moment, Stussy approached and sat down on the opposite sofa, while another maid came over with a cup of milk coffee.
This had become a daily routine for the two of them.
There was no other person in the castle with whom they could converse as equals; the maids wouldn't dare speak to them about anything unrelated to work.
"Nerona Saint hasn't come today, which makes the whole day feel a bit meaningless~" Stussy elegantly took a sip of her coffee and smiled.
"I actually think playing with you is quite nice; it's a good way to relax occasionally."
Gion's words caused Stussy's lips to twitch slightly, but she had no retort. After all, Gion was indeed stronger than her, which she considered perfectly normal.
The combat capabilities of spies were weaker than those of the Navy; what was the problem? "I just miss Sister Tsuru a bit, and Sister Rouge too. She's about to give birth, and it would be such a shame if I can't make it back in time to see the little one's arrival."
Gion was completely oblivious to Stussy's expression, as she hadn't thought much of it. Instead, she gazed pensively at the pale green tea in her cup.
"What's wrong? Do you want to go out? I actually quite like life here; it's the most comfortable and leisurely time I've had since I was born~"
Stussy was genuinely satisfied. In the safest, most prestigious, and luxurious place in the world, she enjoyed the best food every day, slept on the softest beds, and had the best maids attending to her.
All she had to do was play tennis with the handsome Nerona Saint, without having to carry out various dark and dangerous missions. Living like a top-tier noblewoman—how wonderful was that! "I don't really like this place; it's too good, so good that it makes me uncomfortable. If it weren't for playing tennis with Nerona Saint, which truly pushes me to my limits, I would have wanted to leave long ago."
Gion sighed helplessly, resting her right hand on her fair chin.
She could feel her strength had indeed improved, especially in terms of Haki. In just a few days, that was quite remarkable.
Yet, she still felt that she ultimately did not belong here.
"Ah, if only I could spar with Nerona Saint using swords. Tennis is fun, but it still feels a bit lacking."
To put it plainly, Gion hadn't fought with a sword in a long time, and she was starting to feel restless. Back in Marineford, she could easily find a captain for a good match.
Stussy, however, was startled by her words and quickly warned her.
"Are you crazy? You actually want to draw swords against a Celestial Dragon, especially one who's a candidate for the next Five Elders? You should abandon that thought before you get yourself into trouble!"
After spending these past few days together, their relationship had reached a level of friendship, and she didn't want to see this naive Navy girl end up in Impel Down.
If she really drew swords against a Celestial Dragon and angered him, it wouldn't matter that Gion's sister was Vice Admiral Tsuru; even if her brother was Sengoku the Admiral, it wouldn't help.
"I understand, so I'm just thinking about it," Gion replied. "You say Nerona Saint is so strong; his swordsmanship must be quite impressive, right?"
As a newly minted Swordmaster, Gion could sense the sharpness emanating from Imu; it was clearly the aura of a swordsman.
Seeing that Gion was still not giving up, Stussy shook her head and stopped trying to persuade her. She pouted and changed the subject: "As for me, I hope I can stay here as long as I want."
"Do you think Nerona Saint has a wife? He looks so young."
"He probably does; how could a Celestial Dragon lack women?" Gion replied nonchalantly, then teased Stussy, "Sounds like you're hoping to catch his eye?"
"Hehe, if that gentleman is willing, of course, I would be!"
Stussy wore a frustrated expression as she said, "But after these few days of contact and observation, it's clear that Nerona Saint has no interest in me, nor in you. I really don't know what kind of woman would catch his eye."
As one of the best intelligence agents, her observational skills were enough to leave Gion in the dust, but that only made her feel more dejected and lost.
Deep down, she knew she was not worthy of this future Five Elder.
If it were a desperate Celestial Dragon, perhaps he would be eager to take her into his harem, but such a person would surely toss her out of the Holy Land once he grew bored. In that case, she might as well stay with CP9.
"It must be a princess from a nation," Gion said, genuinely indifferent.
Or rather, hearing Stussy say that Nerona Saint had no feelings for her actually relieved her. She was genuinely worried that her beauty might attract the attention of this Celestial Dragon, which would lead to serious trouble.
Just as the two women were chatting late into the night, a figure walked into the Chamber of the Moon on the top floor.
This person was neither Imu nor a maid, nor any of the Five Elders. He carried a long sword on his back, stepping on the pockmarked silver-gray sand under the starry sky and moonlight, making his way to the Tree House door.
During this time, no one stopped him! [Knock, knock, knock.]
The latest chapter is available on Six Nine Book Club!
The figure knocked three times on the wooden door, then without waiting for a response from inside, casually pushed the door open and walked in as if returning home.
Imu, who was sitting in the living room, had already sensed his arrival. The documents on the table had long been tidied up, and he resumed his usual cold demeanor, quietly watching the other person sit on the opposite sofa.
"Speak."
"This time you returned, what do you want, Dracule Mihawk?"
Indeed, the visitor was none other than the already somewhat famous 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, who had reached the level of Swordmaster at the young age of nineteen! According to the memories of his previous life, this Mihawk had been brought here by the bored Imu since birth, making this place essentially his home, while the 'Land of Gods' felt more like a strange neighborhood.
As he grew older, he often watched Imu practice swordsmanship under the moonlight, which sparked his curiosity and interest in the art of the sword.
However, the previous Imu had been reluctant to teach him. When Mihawk was about ten years old, he unexpectedly attempted to leave Mary Geoise on his own, seeking a swordsmanship master outside.
When the previous Imu learned of this, he found it amusing and ordered all CP agents and the Holy Land Garrison to secretly cooperate, ensuring Mihawk could leave safely without incident.
At the same time, CP personnel would follow him in secret for protection.
Otherwise, at his tender age of ten, how could he possibly cross the seas and grow up smoothly? Those CP agents had eliminated countless unfortunate souls who posed a threat to Mihawk.
Then, when Mihawk was about seventeen, already a Swordmaster, he discovered the hidden CP agents and returned here to challenge the previous Imu.
The result, of course, was no surprise; he was thoroughly defeated but received a sword as a gift from the latter, marking his promotion to Swordmaster.
That sword was none other than the black blade Yoru, one of the twelve supreme grade swords! Of course, this sword was too eye-catching and had brought him many would-be thieves over the years; his title 'Hawkeye' was earned through bloodshed.
Imu had originally planned to call him over when he turned twenty next year, but he hadn't expected Mihawk to return on his own. However, a difference of less than six months made little difference.
"My strength has reached a bottleneck."
Mihawk stared at Imu with eyes identical to his, speaking softly, "Next, I want to learn from you!"