**Chapter 80: The Brand New Holy Land Tennis Court!**
The next day, in the early morning when only a sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
Normally, because the Red Line is over five thousand meters high, the temperature here should be very low, making it incredibly cold.
But due to the magical nature of the Spring Area, Holy Land Marie Geoise is in a relatively constant temperature state.
[Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—]
Just as the Sun was about to rise, but hadn't yet, within the Social Plaza inside Pangaea Castle.
Gion, wearing a Coat of Justice, stood on the Grass Court, which was covered in potholes like a Battlefield. She held the Famous Sword Konpira in her hand and was hacking forward. Each swing of the Blade was accompanied by a sharp whoosh. She repeated this action over and over, her delicate face full of seriousness and focus.
"Oh my, you're really working hard, Marine Miss~"
At this moment, Stussy, dressed in a black dress and stockings, walked over with elegant cat-like steps and chuckled softly, "It's not even fully light yet, and you're already out practicing Swordsmanship. Are you harboring some Ambition?"
Gion didn't turn her Head, still maintaining her Breathing rhythm, forcefully swinging each Blade. Only after silently counting to two thousand in her Heart did she exhale a heavy breath and stop.
"This is my daily training. As for Ambition..." She turned her Head to look at Stussy and said resolutely, "I want to become the World's Strongest Great Swordsman!"
"But you're a Woman," Stussy said with a strange Expression. "Although I'm not a Sword Master, I know that Swordsmanship relies heavily on physical Strength. It's impossible for us Women to compete with Men in this area, unless we eat some powerful Devil Fruit."
"No, I don't want to become an Ability User."
Gion returned Konpira to its Scabbard, shook her Head, and said firmly, "I want to reach the peak of Strength purely as a Sword Master!"
Stussy found it hard to understand why Gion pursued such a thing. What does a Woman need to be the strongest for? But she didn't question further, instead smiling charmingly, "But I've noticed you've been getting more and more obsessed with Tennis these past few days~"
"This..."
Hearing this, Gion's cheeks flushed slightly. She coughed to hide her embarrassment, her Gaze darting towards the gradually rising morning Sun, and replied, "Actually, I've found that Playing Tennis with Nerona Saint also helps improve my Strength, so I'm taking it seriously with the intention of training."
"????"
Stussy's face was odd, giving her a "what nonsense are you spouting" Gaze. Playing Tennis is just Playing Tennis, what does it have to do with training?!
"Hmph, don't you dare not believe me, I'm serious."
Seeing the dissatisfaction in the other party's Gaze, Gion said, "Haven't you noticed that the Serve and Return in Tennis are very demanding on a person's Strength, Speed, Reaction, and eyesight?"
"Think back to the Power of the first few Balls Nerona Saint Served. If we could Return them someday, wouldn't that mean our Strength has improved?"
"Eh? That's actually true~"
Stussy was stunned, the image of the first Ball Im Served flashing in her mind. At that Time, she had completely failed to react, not even having Time to perceive it with her Observation Haki.
And thinking about it carefully, although Nerona Saint had restrained his Strength, even so, after Playing against him for a while, she would still feel her hand aching and her back sore, ending up drenched in sweat every Time.
Fortunately, those Maids were very capable.
Every Time she came out after showering, she would see freshly washed and dried Clothing neatly placed before her eyes.
"So, starting today, I've decided to request Nerona Saint to increase the Strength and Speed of his Serve to the critical point I can currently withstand, to challenge my limits!"
Gion said with a serious Expression, hands on her hips, full of passion. Behind her, the Golden Crow slowly rose above her Head.
"Do you want to join?"
"Uh, forget it. I'm not interested in being the strongest or anything. I prefer Playing normal Tennis. It feels more like a game."
Stussy didn't want to push herself like Gion. Compared to that, she was more curious about Nerona Saint himself, because he was simply too mysterious and Strong.
The key was that he was also too handsome, and she hadn't seen any Women like wives or concubines around him these days.
Aside from his somewhat domineering personality, acting like he was the only one in the World and doing whatever he pleased, his conditions in all other aspects seemed absolutely perfect!
Seeing this, Gion didn't say anything more.
But just as she was about to go back and wash up, she suddenly noticed a team of Workers she had seen before, pushing large and small boxes on wheels, walking quickly towards them.
"Aren't they the ones who built this Tennis Court before?" Stussy raised an eyebrow and guessed, "Are they here to repair the Grass Court?"
Gion didn't reply but nodded in agreement, thinking it was very likely. After all, the Court's Grass was currently a sorry sight. However, the previous Times they came to repair it, it seemed they did it while they were sleeping, and when they woke up and came out, it was already fully restored.
But soon, as these Workers began construction, the two beautiful Women watching from the side realized that things were a bit different from what they had imagined.
These people weren't so much repairing the Grass Court as they were remodeling the entire Tennis Court. They first filled in the uneven Ground, then laid a thick layer of Wooden Boards, and were also spraying blue paint on them.
"So they're changing the Grass Court to a Wooden Board Court, but what's the use of that? Even Wooden Boards can't withstand the Balls we hit, and they're harder to repair." Gion asked, puzzled.
The person she asked was the Government Personnel leading the team, who was wearing a Black Suit.
"Rear Admiral Gion, you may not know this, but these are Adam Wood Boards processed last night. With their extremely strong toughness and sturdiness, they can withstand the immense pressure from the Tennis Balls very well."
"Adam Wood?!"
Gion and Stussy were instantly shocked, their small mouths slightly agape. The latter murmured, "So, from now on, we'll be Playing Ball on a floor worth one or two hundred million Berry on the black market?"
After introducing the material of the Wooden Boards, the person then pointed to the vermilion Net that divided the Court in half and said, "And these are Establishment from the Tendons of Sea Kings. They also have an Impact-resistant Effect."
"..."
The two Women fell silent together. After a moment, Gion asked expressionlessly, "What about the Balls? What are the Balls made of, and the Rackets?"
"The Tennis Balls haven't changed much, after all, rubber is already the best Materials. New Rackets have been made though. The Racket Throat, Racket Handle, Racket Head, and other main parts are also made of Adam Wood."
The leader from the Construction Department explained everything in detail.
"I'm not sure about the source of the Racket Strings, but we've tested their Strength, and they are several times stronger than commonly used Composite Strings. Even being bombarded by Cannonballs causes no damage. On the contrary, Cannonballs made of Steel are easily cut open."
More than an hour later, the brand new Tennis Court appeared before Gion and Stussy. It was a Court composed of a blue Court and a red Net, with four vermilion Rackets placed on a rack not far away.
By the Time the construction personnel left, the Sun was already hanging high in the sky.
The brilliant Sunlight shone on the clean Court, truly making them feel a bit dazzled.
"Don't you think this Court looks a bit Familiar?" Gion suddenly broke the silence.
Stussy beside her pursed her lips and said softly, "With the Red Line as the Net, the First Half of the Grand Line and the Second Half as the two Half-courts, the long, dark blue Zone between the Singles Court and the Doubles Alley should be the Calm Belt."
Gion looked at the Court, hesitating.
"This Court, I don't know why, I don't quite dare to step onto it..."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
But just as her voice fell, a Familiar voice giving an Order reached her ears. Turning her Gaze, she saw Im, who had taken the name Nerona Saint, casually pick up a Tennis Racket from the rack and step onto the Half-court representing the 'New World'.
"Come, Play a match with me and try out the feel!"
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(End of Chapter)