"What! Zoro is now my toy, and I'm his master! He can't get married without my permission!" Perona shouted, voice rising with indignation.
Her eyes blazed. She didn't expect another woman to claim Zoro, not after all the nights she'd clung to him. Would Gion sleep with Zoro now? Then who would be there for her at night? Would she be alone in a dark room again?
No way! That thought was unbearable. For so many years she'd had Kuma‑shi beside her at night. And now, she had just found this Green Algae Head only for him to be snatched away by someone else.
"No! Zoro can't be yours!"
Gion lifted a brow, her voice calm and gentle as if talking to a younger sibling, "Big sister can find you a big doll, but Zoro is for big sister. He's big sister's husband now."
Her tone was soft, meant to soothe, but Perona's temper flared even harder.
Perona hugged Zoro's arm tighter, "No, Zoro is mine!" she declared, voice high, like staking ownership.
Gion smirked lightly, eyes dancing with teasing amusement, "Hehe, I already kissed Zoro, so he's naturally mine, little sister."
Perona blinked, stunned, her face flushing a bright pink. How could she even compare? She didn't understand why that kiss mattered so much, but it clearly did.
"I… I… I've been sleeping with Zoro all these past few days, so of course he's mine!"
"Nani???!!!" Gion's expression twisted in shock.
Sleeping together? Could that even be true?
Gion's mind raced. She had imagined that Perona was naive, innocent perhaps, but that statement went far beyond what she had expected. It implied intimacy that she could barely stomach imagining.
Her eyes shifted toward Zoro with disbelief, like a spouse betrayed.
Perona beamed proudly at Gion's reaction, as if she'd won some unseen prize.
Gion's teeth clenched with anger.
Zoro looked between the two women, clearly annoyed, and finally let out a rough voice, "Hey! Are you two done yet?"
It seemed in their minds he had become a commodity to be fought over, as if his thoughts and feelings didn't matter at all.
"Shut up, Negative Hollow!"
Perona made the gesture, and once again a Negative Hollow ghost passed through him, forcing him to slump to the ground in a dramatic display of defeat.
"I apologize for living in this world, I'll go clean the floors right now," he muttered in exaggerated self‑pity.
Gion stared, startled. She watched the ghostly figure pass through Zoro's body and understood only now that this pink‑haired girl was also a Devil Fruit user — one with some bizarre ability she didn't yet fully grasp.
Perona stepped forward, stroking his hair like a pet, gloating with pride, "See, how obedient he is now. Zoro can only be mine!"
Zoro, face buried in the dirt, looked surprisingly content, as if he didn't mind the attention at all.
Perona continued showing off his supposed obedience, clearly enjoying the moment.
Gion's composure shattered further. She worried that Perona's ability was doing something at night, something strange between her and Zoro. What exactly had happened while they slept?
She had no idea that Perona simply hugged him like a doll — innocent, naive, with no real understanding of romance.
"What are you doing, forcing Zoro to submit with your Devil Fruit ability? Is that how you intend to win him?" Gion accused, her voice rising.
Perona stood with hands on her hips, "A toy must have toy's awareness!"
That set Gion off even more, her chest rising with anger, "You brat!"
In a flash she drew her sword and charged at Perona.
Just then Zoro pushed himself up from the ground, voice flat, irritation in every syllable.
"What are you two doing?!"
Both women froze mid‑movement and turned to look at him.
Zoro brushed dust off his clothes, gaze locked on Gion, and asked bluntly, "Vice Admiral, what exactly do you want?"
His eyes flicked with annoyance, clear and unfiltered.
Gion looked wronged, "Why are you only yelling at me and not her? Did you two really sleep together?"
Zoro's face turned a deeper shade of red, even he knew what she was implying.
"You… what nonsense are you talking about!" he snapped.
But Gion just shook her head, unaffected by his denial.
As long as she could be with him, she was willing to do anything.
"I am no longer a Marine," she stated, hurt and passionate, "I resigned from the Marines just to be with you! And you dare to yell at me?"
Her eyes glistened, emotion breaking through her stern facade.
Zoro didn't understand love the way others did. He had no idea how to handle emotional pleas or coaxing. He stood there, silent and unsure.
Before anyone could speak again, a series of crisp footsteps echoed through the clearing.
Tap, tap, tap.
All three turned toward the sound.
It was Hawkeye Mihawk.
Gion's brow twitched, and instinct rose in her posture, disciplined and ready.
She murmured under her breath, eyes flicking toward the swordsman legend, "The World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Any swordsman upon seeing Hawkeye would feel compelled to test themselves, this much she knew.
She drew her blade Konpira and charged forward.
Hawkeye's black‑and‑yellow eyes narrowed slightly as he assessed the situation, his presence cold and precise.
"Vice Admiral Gion?" he said without emotion.
He knew that despite her rank, she was strong, possibly even rivaling some Admirals, and certainly one of the Marine's finest swordsmen.
With a movement sharper than thought, Gion used Soru and appeared before him instantly.
"Falling Peach Blossoms!" she called, and the air around her flickered as her sword sent a cascade of slashes, each blade cut shaped like petals flying through the air.
Hawkeye lifted his blade Night and met the assault.
A wave of green energy met the barrage of peach blossoms, each petal sliced in half, petals falling like glowing embers before the wind.
The ground beneath them bore the marks of the falling petals, carved by swordsmanship only legends could muster.
Gion looked on, eyes widened in surprise. Hawkeye truly was deserving of his title — slicing her signature technique without strain.
She flipped Konpira again, focus sharp.
"Peach Blossom Slash!"
A vast wave of pink energy coalesced forward.
Hawkeye didn't hesitate as he advanced.