[Gion]: Ain, are you really okay? If you have any concerns, you can talk to me.
[Ain]: I'm fine, Vice Admiral Gion. Truly. By the way, I've been thinking about something. Your older sister is Staff Officer Tsuru, right? In that moment when Zephyr-sensei was killed by Borsalino, what do you suppose the contemporaries of Garp—Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp himself—were doing?
[Gion]: That… Arton's diary didn't say anything about them, so it's hard to guess.
[Ain]: I do have a guess, though. Arton mentioned that this whole incident was spearheaded by Sakazuki, but since Sengoku was still the Fleet Admiral, presumably it was his order. Arton also mentioned a fight between Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Aokiji. Do you think that might also be connected to Zephyr-sensei?
[Gion]: Ain, what are you getting at?
[Ain]: Oh, nothing. I was just imagining the possibility that, regarding Zephyr-sensei, Admiral Aokiji might have taken Zephyr's side—tried to stop the Navy from acting against him—but was blocked by Garp. Or maybe Tsuru was among those trying to stop him, though Arton didn't mention her.
[Doll]: Ain, that's pretty dangerous thinking. Vice Admiral Garp's not that kind of person.
[Hina]: Hina also believes Vice Admiral Tsuru would never move against Zephyr-sensei.
[Ain]: Perhaps. Maybe the fight between Admiral Aokiji and Vice Admiral Garp took place even later—after Borsalino killed Zephyr-sensei. For instance, maybe Admiral Aokiji left the Navy in outrage at Zephyr's death, and later, for whatever reason, ended up clashing with Garp.
[Ain]: Oh, and Doll, you're a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, right? I wonder if you were there to observe Zephyr-sensei's final moment. And Hina—you, too, are one of Zephyr-sensei's students. In that hypothetical future of his, what role did you play? Seeing as how you're my senpai, yet you apparently didn't stand by Zephyr-sensei as Binz and I did.
Ain's words left Gion, Doll, and Hina in silence. They could see clearly now that Ain's calm was more like the eerie composure of someone who'd raged to the point of numbness—and behind that façade, her determination to leave the Navy was practically oozing from her every sentence.
"Could Kuzan really have left the Navy because of Zephyr?"
"It's not impossible."
"If that's true, then letting Whitebeard Jr. become a Warlord was a catastrophically bad move on the Navy's part."
Gion furrowed her brows in thought.
"It's not just the aftermath of Zephyr's incident that makes letting Whitebeard Jr. join the Seven Warlords look like a stupid move," she reflected. "Now that it's shaken the younger Marines' faith in the Navy's justice, that alone is enough to prove making Whitebeard Jr. a Warlord was a blunder."
Doll heaved a sigh, murmuring, "When that time comes… whose side will Hina be on?"
Hina pursed her lips, momentarily at a loss for what to do. At that moment, all the women in the Marines' group chat sensed a coming rift in their ranks.
[So ironic that the Navy abandoned Zephyr for Whitebeard Jr. And yet not long after that, the Navy and the World Government actually turned against the entire Seven Warlords… Wait—Uta talks in her sleep? Really? And that sleeping posture is something else. Kinda want to snap a photo and show her later.]
[Photo: Uta's Tumultuous Sleeping Pose, Angle 1]
[Photo: Uta's Tumultuous Sleeping Pose, Angle 2]
[Photo: Uta's Tumultuous Sleeping Pose, Angle 10]
Makino: "Uta's the same as ever—so restless once she's asleep. And she's doing this right in front of Arton, too. She sure isn't on her guard. Does that mean Uta's really given herself over to Arton? I don't know how Shanks would feel if he found out. Still, if Uta really ends up with Arton, we'd better keep quiet about the doujinshis Arton drew of me and some of the others. Sigh, Arton's great and all, but he's such a flirt. I just hope Uta doesn't get bullied while she's by his side."
Shyarly: "She really does look adorable sleeping like that. But what was Arton about to say before Uta's sleeping pose interrupted him?"
Kujaku: "Ten photos, huh? That's not too many. Though Arton's been taking pictures of Uta more and more frequently."
Smoothie: "So this means Arton and Uta really did have a relationship?"
Doll: "Ugh, how troublesome. Uta just gained another 50 points, so she'll get stronger again. Not only that, she even cut off what Arton was in the middle of saying."
Hina: "Arton said Zephyr's fate is ironic. What exactly did the Navy and World Government do to the Seven Warlords in the future?"
Ain: "Involving the entire Seven Warlords…"
Boa Hancock: "It concerns me as well, then? Damn—this red-haired Shanks' daughter had to interrupt Arton at the worst possible time!"
***
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