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Chapter 45: The Navy's High Council
The entire room was terrifyingly silent.
Gion's breathing quickened.
She looked down, her short black hair obscuring her expression. But the hand resting on her famous blade, Konpira, was trembling slightly.
It was not from fear.
It was from... excitement!
An unparalleled excitement!
A tremor from the depths of her soul, ten thousand times stronger than the annoyance she felt hearing Chaton's confessions!
Powerhouses from another world!
A completely new power system!
A monster who could defeat a Marine Admiral in three minutes!
These words were seared into her mind like branding irons. All thoughts of Chaton, of gossip, of all trivial matters, were burned away.
All that remained was the purest desire of a swordswoman.
A desire for stronger opponents!
A desire for a higher realm!
"I..."
Gion slowly raised her head.
Her ice-blue eyes were burning with two raging flames.
Her sharp aura was so intense it seemed to slice the air in the room.
She grinned, a smile full of wildness and fighting spirit.
"When do we leave?"
Tsuru looked at the battle-lust practically erupting from her sister's eyes, and a gratified smile touched her aged face.
But she still had to ask the final question, as per procedure.
"You don't want to reconsider?"
"This is a far more dangerous endeavor than you can imagine."
"You will be facing dangers that are completely unknown, dangers that might even overturn your entire perception of reality."
"Reconsider?"
Gion laughed.
It was a wild, unrestrained laugh, full of a swordswoman's pride.
"Sister Tsuru, do you really think I need to?"
She gripped the hilt of Konpira at her waist. The touch of the hilt made her blood race.
"A monster who can crush Admiral Aokiji in three minutes..."
"A new power system that allows old man Garp to walk on the sea..."
"A mysterious shop that holds countless top-tier powerhouses from other worlds..."
Every word Gion spoke burned with heat.
"My Konpira... it's thirsting!"
"It's thirsting for a real, satisfying battle!"
Gion's gaze was fiery as she stared at Tsuru.
"I can't wait!"
"Good."
Tsuru nodded, saying no more.
She knew her sister's personality perfectly.
She was a pure swordswoman.
To her, nothing was more appealing than "stronger opponents" and "a higher realm."
Blake's appearance was, for her, the brightest star in the night sky.
"Go and prepare."
Tsuru's voice became calm again.
"Tomorrow morning, you will depart for the East Blue under the guise of a secret patrol."
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the highest-level conference room, the atmosphere was so thick you could wring water from it.
Around the massive circular table sat a group of people who could make any pirate's blood run cold.
Fleet Admiral "Buddha" Sengoku.
Grand Staff Officer "Tsuru."
Admiral "Akainu" Sakazuki.
Admiral "Kizaru" Borsalino.
Admiral "Aokiji" Kuzan.
And... all of the Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
Even the former Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr, who had long since retired to become the elite training camp's chief instructor, had been urgently summoned.
Every person present was a pillar of the Marines, the anchors of the sea.
But right now, every one of their faces held a greater or lesser degree of gravity and suspicion.
Because this summons had come too suddenly, and too strangely.
"Ahem."
Sengoku cleared his throat, his sharp gaze sweeping the room.
"I've called you all here for an urgent matter... a top-priority issue... concerning the future of the Marines, and perhaps the entire world."
He emphasized the words "top-priority issue."
Kizaru lazily lifted his eyelids, his signature sleazy smile on his face.
"Oooh, how scary, Sengoku-san."
"For you to use such words, could it be that the Four Emperors have teamed up to attack us?"
Akainu Sakazuki was silent, his face cold, but the scorching aura around him made the air twist.
He despised Kizaru's flippant attitude.
"Borsalino, drop that attitude!"
Sengoku slammed the table, roaring.
"Every word from this point forward is a top-level Marine secret!"
"I don't care how, but if a single word of this gets out, it will be treated as treason!"
Seeing Sengoku so serious, everyone dropped their last trace of casualness.
They knew something big was happening.
Sengoku nodded to the aide behind him.
Soon, sealed manila envelopes were distributed to everyone.
The seals bore a bright red stamp: "Top Secret."
"Open them."
Sengoku ordered.
Everyone broke the seals and pulled out the documents.
As they read the contents, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Only the sound of heavy, uneven breathing could be heard.
The documents contained three detailed reports.
The first, from Marine Hero Garp.
The content was brief, but shocking.
In Foosha Village in the East Blue, he experienced something called a "Beginner Dungeon," fought a life-and-death battle with an otherworldly powerhouse called the "Third Raikage," and narrowly won.
The cost: one million Beri.
The reward: a new power system called "Chakra," which allowed him to walk on water.
The second, from Admiral Aokiji Kuzan.
The content was even more outrageous.
He spent ten million Beri to experience an "Intermediate Dungeon" and was crushed in under three minutes by a "Six Paths-level" monster named "Uchiha Madara."
In the report, Kuzan described, with a trembling hand, how the black orbs called "Truth-Seeking Orbs" effortlessly annihilated his ice.
And the strange attack called "Limbo," which was difficult to catch with Observation Haki.
At the end, all reports pointed to the same existence.
Foosha Village, East Blue.
A young man named Blake.
A stall owner who called it the "Dungeon Shop."
He sells tickets to other worlds, claiming that if the price is right, he can even... resurrect the dead!
...
...
You could hear a pin drop in the conference room.
Every Vice Admiral, every Admiral, stared at the documents, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Their worldviews were being shattered by this report.
Other worlds?
A new power system?
A monster that can crush an Admiral in three minutes?
Resurrect the dead?
What the f*ck... is this a myth?!
"Haha... hahaha..."
A dry laugh broke the silence.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku... this isn't an April Fool's joke, is it?"
"Where did you find a novelist to write this story?"
He spoke what everyone was thinking.
It was too absurd.
So absurd, they preferred to believe it was a sick joke by Sengoku.
Sengoku didn't answer him.
He just looked at Tsuru.
Grand Staff Officer Tsuru slowly put down the document and spoke calmly.
"Garp is currently in the New World's Calm Belt, chasing Sea Kings to practice his 'Lightning Release'."
"After Kuzan returned, he locked himself in his office for three days. He's still terrified of the name 'Uchiha Madara'."
"Do you really think the three of us old-timers would team up to play this kind of joke on you?"
.....
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