The Next Day.
Brub...
Sephiroth opened his eyes. He saw the inside of the seashell bed. When he turned his head slightly to the left, he saw the cold face of Shirley still lying on her side, facing him. The woman looked cold, but her heart was shy. Sephiroth sighed, then pressed a button beside the bed. The upper shell opened slowly.
A loud noise came from his pocket. He took out a Den Den Mushi and turned it on.
"Hello!"
Frank's loud voice came through. "Reporting, Brigadier General Sephiroth! It's now eight o'clock in the morning, and all personnel are ready to depart! We've been given permission to enter the Ryugu Kingdom's territory and begin the hunt for Fisher Tiger!"
"I understand! Wait for me to get back. By the way, prepare your speech and state the purpose of our arrival..." Sephiroth replied briefly, then hung up.
"So... you're a Marine?" Shirley, who was slowly propping herself up, looked at Sephiroth in shock. "Didn't you say you were just sightseeing?"
She never expected her first man to be a Marine. Usually, Marines wouldn't come to Fish-Man Island unless there was a big problem, due to the dangerous journey. The World Government did force the Ryugu Kingdom to pay Celestial Gold, but the Marines themselves were often considered "paid but not working" by the island's residents. On top of that, Sephiroth had come to hunt their hero, Fisher Tiger. The Marines' reputation here was terrible, even worse than the pirates'.
Sephiroth smiled, extended his left hand, and lifted Shirley's chin. "General travel is also a form of tourism, isn't it?"
"..."
"I think, instead of talking about these unimportant things, we'd better get back to 'business'." He raised his right hand, pinching it a few times playfully.
"Hmm~!"
Before Shirley could say anything, Sephiroth pulled her into an embrace, lowered his head, and kissed her red lips.
...
Two hours later, Sephiroth got out of bed with a fresh face, putting on his pants. He took out his wallet from his pants pocket, then turned to ask, "How much?"
Shirley, still lying languidly on the seashell bed, hugged a white pillow tightly. Her face suddenly changed, embarrassment flooding her heart. Through his Observation Haki, Sephiroth understood what was on the woman's mind.
"Ahem! Even though we're this close, I can't monopolize a room in her cafe, can I?" Sephiroth said shrewdly. "I just wanted to know, how much does this private room cost per day? I'll be staying here for two days. I don't want to take advantage of you."
Shirley raised her eyebrows, her face annoyed. "What? So you didn't take a little advantage?"
"..."
Sephiroth decided not to continue. Maintaining a romantic relationship with a woman like Shirley was a good choice. Besides being beautiful, she also had a BUG-level prophetic ability. The only problem was that he would have to travel back and forth to Fish-Man Island in the middle of his busy work schedule. Unknowingly, I've become a Master of Time Management, he thought to himself.
Fish-Man Island, Border Port.
On the deck of the warship, Frank leaned against the edge of the pier, his eyes constantly glancing at the watch on his left wrist. It was already 10:30 AM, two and a half hours after he called Sephiroth.
Just as he was about to call back, a fish taxi arrived at the port. Sephiroth got out, shouting towards the ship. "Gather them all! We're leaving!"
"Yes!" Frank rushed to assemble the soldiers.
Sephiroth entered his private cabin. He lifted the iron cage covered with a black cloth, revealing two red and black bats inside. After taking out one of the bats, he created its clone and walked out.
On the deck, the soldiers were already assembled. "Brigadier General Sephiroth, we await your orders!" Frank saluted.
"Soldier Vergo, step forward!" Sephiroth shouted. Vergo immediately stepped out of the ranks.
"Frank, is the speech ready?" Sephiroth asked, and Frank handed him a sheet of paper. Sephiroth glanced at it, then taped the script to Vergo's chest.
"After you read this, we'll go to Gyoncorde Plaza," Sephiroth smiled. "You will preach on behalf of the Marine, conveying the purpose of our arrival on Fish-Man Island... Understood?"
Sephiroth did not want his own reputation to be tarnished in front of the island's residents. So, he handed this "glorious" task to the Donquixote Family's secret agent in front of him.
"Understood!" Vergo nodded, crumpling the script in his hand. It seems I'm slowly becoming Sephiroth's confidant. My promotions in the Marine will be even smoother.
"Frank, in a moment, use the video Den Den Mushi to record Vergo's speech. We'll have some fun when we get back," Sephiroth whispered. Frank nodded in understanding.
After that, Sephiroth left ten soldiers and the coating artisans to guard the warship, then led the others into the city.
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