Seated at the dining table, Xayuki had just picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth when he suddenly stood up and switched to another seat, turning his back to Vice Admiral Tsuru and facing the door.
Tsuru, her eyes still fixed on the newspaper, spoke in a calm tone, "Don't worry, they won't die."
"I'm not worried about them dying," Xayuki replied, blinking as he gazed at the human-shaped clothing hanging on the clothesline outside. "I'm just curious about what they did to offend you so much that you went this far."
"They didn't do much," Tsuru responded, surprisingly cooperative. "When I entered the courtyard, they were at each other's throats, ready to fight. So, I scolded them. But then Hancock ran up, pointed her finger at me, and told me to mind my own business. She even had the audacity to say that she could do whatever she wanted and would always be forgiven. And to top it off, she kicked a little cat that had followed me into the courtyard."
Hearing this, Xayuki's mouth twitched slightly.
Hancock really had it coming. Back on Amazon Lily, she could act as spoiled and capricious as she pleased—after all, she was the Empress of the island.
But this was Marine Headquarters, and her opponent was Vice Admiral Tsuru.
It was worth noting that Tsuru, in her younger days, had been both elegant and commanding, fighting alongside Garp and Sengoku to hunt down pirates and proving that women could be as formidable as men.
To have stood shoulder to shoulder with Garp and Sengoku through countless battles, and to have reached her current age unscathed, Tsuru was certainly no easy opponent.
Even Donquixote Doflamingo, as arrogant as he was, had to rein in his temper when facing Tsuru.
The reason was simple: Tsuru was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Wash-Wash Fruit, and she was a staunch believer in "pure justice." A single disagreement could lead her to wash someone into a piece of clothing and hang them on a line.
What's more, Tsuru wasn't just a Vice Admiral; she also held the position of Marine Headquarters Staff Officer. Simply put, in her prime, she was second only to Sengoku in rank within the Marines. Even the three Admirals had to show her respect.
But those were stories of the past. No one could escape the ravages of time. Even with her high status, it was nearly impossible for Tsuru to take down both Hancock—a wielder of all three types of Haki—and Gunshi, a member of the Holy Knights with the Arrow-Arrow Fruit, without sustaining injuries.
With these thoughts in mind, Xayuki asked again, "What about Gunshi? What did she do wrong?"
A cold glint flashed in Tsuru's eyes. "She reported the details of the Seven Warlords meeting to the Holy Land right in front of me."
"Got it~"
Xayuki nodded. "So, while Gunshi was on the Den Den Mushi with the Holy Land, you took the opportunity to 'cleanse her soul.' And Hancock probably didn't expect you to not only refuse to forgive her but also take decisive action."
Having said this, Xayuki quickly finished the rest of his meal, put down his chopsticks, and stood up. Grabbing a chair, he walked out of the living room and sat in front of the now-clothing-formed Gunshi and Hancock.
Although they had been turned into clothing, both Hancock and Gunshi retained their consciousness.
They had seen Xayuki the moment he entered the courtyard but had chosen to remain silent, not wanting him to witness their embarrassing state.
What they hadn't expected was for Xayuki to bring a chair and sit right in front of them, leaning in to inspect them closely, his head moving left and right as if examining a rare artifact.
"Xayuki, I... I feel a bit dizzy. Could you ask Vice Admiral Tsuru to let me down?"
Realizing she couldn't avoid the situation, Hancock was the first to speak. Dangling upside-down on the clothesline, she swayed back and forth in the breeze, her voice breaking intermittently in a comical manner.
Gunshi, on the other hand, kept her eyes tightly shut as Xayuki approached, adopting the mindset that if she couldn't see him, then the awkwardness would belong to him alone.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"Fleet Admiral!"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from outside the courtyard gate.
Moments later, a group of over ten Marine officers, looking utterly disheveled, arrived at the gate but didn't step inside.
"Hmm?"
Looking up at the group, Xayuki's eyes widened in surprise.
Every single officer was battered and bruised, their faces swollen as if they had just been in a brawl.
"Fleet Admiral, you must seek justice for us!"
The leading officer stepped forward, his voice filled with grievance. "Rear Admiral Noah got into a fight with Dracule Mihawk. We were worried that Rear Admiral Noah might be at a disadvantage, so we stepped in to help. But... but... that scoundrel Mihawk used wooden sticks to beat us!"
"We'd rather be cut down by his Supreme Grade Sword than endure such humiliation!"
"Exactly! We're your men, Fleet Admiral. We'd rather die standing than live on our knees!"
"Fleet Admiral... Mihawk has gone too far!"
As the officers grew increasingly agitated, Xayuki quickly raised his hand to calm them down. "Settle down! Tell me exactly what happened. Did Rear Admiral Noah challenge Mihawk for revenge?"
"Not exactly revenge," the lead officer muttered, his head drooping as his voice grew softer. "Rear Admiral Noah said he wanted to test Mihawk's swordsmanship."
"What?"
For a moment, Xayuki thought he had misheard. His expression froze. "Noah? Testing Mihawk's swordsmanship?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Xayuki immediately understood.
This was entirely in line with Noah's personality.
Noah had been transferred under Xayuki's command after being promoted to Rear Admiral. Recognizing Noah's talent, Xayuki often kept him close, personally guiding him in the use of Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Of course, none of that was particularly important. What mattered was that under Xayuki's influence, Noah had not only made rapid progress in strength but also picked up many of Xayuki's habits, mannerisms, and even catchphrases.
Coming to terms with the situation, Xayuki scanned the group of bruised officers at the gate. Unable to suppress a chuckle, he asked, "If Noah was testing Mihawk's swordsmanship, why did you all get involved?"
"We wanted to test it too, hehe~"
Hearing this, Xayuki's mouth twitched. These officers weren't testing anything; they were simply bored and eager to improve, using Noah's challenge as an excuse to vent their frustrations on Mihawk.
As for their motivation, it was undoubtedly tied to the fact that Noah's former superior had been killed by Mihawk.
With this realization, Xayuki decisively stood up. "Alright, let's go. This is a good opportunity to settle things between Noah and Mihawk once and for all."
As Xayuki left, Hancock and Gunshi, still hanging on the clothesline, began to panic.
Though Gunshi tried to maintain her composure, every time the wind caused her to sway, her pleading gaze toward Xayuki grew more intense.
Hancock, on the other hand, couldn't hold back and called out urgently, "Xayuki!"
"Huh?"
Her sudden outburst immediately caught the attention of the officers following Xayuki. Several of them instinctively glanced toward the courtyard.
At that moment, a gust of wind swept through, causing the two pieces of clothing on the line to flutter high into the air, perfectly avoiding the officers' line of sight.
"What was that sound?"
"It sounded like someone calling the Fleet Admiral."
"You must be hearing things. There's no one in the courtyard."
"Maybe. Let's go!"
With that, the officers shrugged off their doubts and hurried after Xayuki.
Hancock: …
Gunshi: …
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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