"Kujaku, you scared me to death!"
When Tsuru saw that her granddaughter had truly been resurrected, she rushed forward and embraced her tightly.
When a loved one is lost and found again, the feeling of cherishing them grows even stronger.
Watching Tsuru and Kujaku hold each other, Gion couldn't help but smile.
"Grandma, where is this?" Kujaku was still confused. "I remember... I died, right?"
The last thing she remembered was seeing a huge hole in her chest.
She should have been dead.
"You really did die once, but it was Supreme Commander Caelan who brought you back!" Tsuru held her granddaughter's warm hand, reluctant to let go. "Hurry and thank him!"
Kujaku turned and finally noticed Caelan, quickly bowing with gratitude. "Thank you, Commander Caelan, for saving my life!"
The moment she laid eyes on him, she instinctively knew he was the one who had revived her. Her body and soul practically leapt in excitement.
"Yeah." Caelan nodded lightly. "You should talk to Tsuru first. She was very worried about you."
He left the reunited pair to their moment and turned to the newly revived Hibari. "Tell me. What happened to you? How did you die?"
Hibari stared at him, dazed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She had watched the live broadcast of the Battle of Marineford. She had seen Caelan's overwhelming presence and righteous declaration of war against the World Government.
Her idol had personally brought her back to life, and she was so overwhelmed that she wanted to devote herself to him on the spot.
But then, thinking of who she was, Hibari's heart sank.
"Uh, you okay?"
Seeing her expression shift from excitement to sorrow, Caelan was momentarily speechless.
This girl had too many thoughts running through her head.
If she wanted to offer herself to him, she could just say it directly, and he would generously give her a chance to repay the favor.
If she wanted to avenge her father, just say it too. Then she could quickly trigger the defeated route.
"Oh, right!" Hibari snapped out of her daze and panicked. "Thank you, Caelan-sama, for saving my life. I really don't know how to repay you…"
"Let's put that aside for now." Caelan cut her off and asked, "What exactly happened to you and Kujaku? Who killed you?"
"I don't know." Hibari shook her head honestly. "Kujaku and I were heading to join the Neo Navy, but just as we were nearing Dressrosa, we were suddenly attacked. I only saw a dark shadow pass by, and then... I blacked out."
"That person was way too strong. I had Observation Haki active, but I still couldn't detect anything."
Just remembering that moment of suffocating death made Hibari tremble slightly in fear.
"You couldn't even get a look at the attacker… that complicates things." Caelan rubbed his chin, then turned to Kujaku. "Did you see the attacker?"
By now, both Kujaku and Tsuru had calmed down.
Upon hearing the question, Kujaku shook her head. "I couldn't see anything clearly either. That person was too powerful."
"If that's the case, I'll just have to check your memories."
Caelan reached out toward Hibari and Kujaku, activating the magical knowledge he had inherited from the Saintess of the Winter to extract their recent memories.
"Huh?"
Before either of the girls could react, two light curtains composed of magical energy formed in front of everyone.
Then, their memory fragments began to play.
Skipping over some irrelevant moments like bathing, the scenes slowed as they reached the moment just before death.
From both perspectives, they had been scanning their surroundings on the warship's deck when suddenly a dark figure appeared and struck.
Two hands reached out simultaneously, and the girls died. The memory screens ended abruptly.
"It's an admiral. An unfamiliar one."
Upon seeing the shadow's movements, Tsuru immediately analyzed the attacker's strength.
She was familiar with many admirals and Yonko. Her eye for combat ability was sharp.
Even though the memory didn't reveal the attacker's face, the viciousness of their strike was clear.
But based on her experience, no current admiral-level combatant matched this figure.
"He is indeed at admiral-level, but not stronger than Zephyr," Caelan added with a more precise analysis.
"His attack seems clean, but his strength is unbalanced."
"In terms of power control and application, he's far inferior to established admirals like Zephyr or Aokiji."
"Power-wise, he may surpass Zephyr, but his technique is lacking."
Caelan had personally fought nearly twenty admirals and Yonko. His assessment was more accurate than Tsuru's.
Gion and Tsuru were a bit confused.
"I mean, those stronger than him are admirals. Those weaker than him don't qualify," Caelan explained. "I'm referring to Zephyr at his peak. The one with the robot arm was at most admiral candidate level."
Gion and Tsuru understood. Before they could complain about Caelan's bluntness toward Zephyr, they were lost in deeper thought.
"Who is this mysterious admiral-level figure? Why attack Hibari and Kujaku? Why is his power on par with an admiral but his technique so lacking?"
"Why did he kill them on the warship but then send their bodies to Dressrosa?"
Tsuru listed off the key questions. She knew this information was critical.
As the group considered the facts, they reached the same conclusion.
Caelan said, "It's the World Government."
Only they could produce a mysterious admiral who lacked real combat skills.
Only Celestial Dragons with extraordinary talent but no real battle experience would meet this criteria.
They might be strong in sparring or simulations, but they couldn't compare to those forged in real battles on the sea.
The difference between a greenhouse soldier and a wild one was as vast as the sky and sea.
Gion said, "The World Government wants to punish Tsuru for joining the Neo Navy!"
Killing her granddaughter and delivering her corpse to Dressrosa was a blatant provocation. Only the World Government had both the strength and audacity to do such a thing.
Others wouldn't have the capability. And if they wanted revenge on Caelan or the Neo Navy, there'd be no reason to target Tsuru's granddaughter specifically.
"It has to be the World Government. They actually dared to kill my granddaughter. I won't forgive them!"
Even without direct evidence, Tsuru was convinced.
Anyone who dared to hurt her family would pay for it with their life.
"Commander Caelan, you saved my granddaughter. From now on, I will follow your every command!" Tsuru looked at him with gritted teeth. "Take me with you in the final battle. I want revenge!"
Caelan had either resurrected her granddaughter or extracted her last memories using magic.
Whichever it was, Kujaku had died without knowing her killer.
But Tsuru would avenge her no matter what.
"I'll grant your wish," Caelan said with a smile. "Let Kujaku rest for now. Then assign her a captain's rank in the Neo Navy."
The fact that Tsuru had once become Chief of Naval Staff proved her exceptional abilities.
And now, he had gained an incredibly loyal follower.
"What about me? Please don't send me away. I'll do anything!"
Hibari looked at Caelan with pleading eyes.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)