"Just call me Gion. Got any questions? Fire away—no need to hold back."
Gion paused, turning back with a spark of curiosity in her eyes as she sized up Conis from head to toe, a mix of amusement and appraisal on her face.
Yeah, he's exactly Ross's type. She confirmed it in a glance. Looks like we'll be seeing more of him around.
From here on, he was likely part of their crew.
The thought made Gion shoot Ross a subtle eye-roll, though she kept quiet. As long as Ross kept her satisfied, she didn't mind the extras. Besides, for the sake of their goals, they needed more hands on deck.
Ross, meanwhile, was soaking in the thrill of this new adventure—worlds apart from the usual voyages.
"Lady Gion, uh..." Conis chose her words carefully before adding, "What brings you to Skypiea? Maybe I can help."
She just wanted them gone fast, so the island could settle back into quiet.
"Why?" Gion echoed, glancing up instinctively at Ross and Sora.
She wasn't the type to field these anymore. And spilling their real plan—taking over Skypiea? Not a chance.
Conis caught the look and her stomach dropped. Oh no. She'd picked the wrong person to ask. How much do they even know about down there?
Sora spoke up suddenly. "What do you know about the world below?"
"Huh?" Conis blinked, turning to her in surprise.
Sora had been silent till now, her presence almost fading into the background. But Conis had noticed Ross's arm draped protectively around her from the start—even when he'd handed Pagaya that gun, he'd released it only briefly.
The gesture screamed importance. This delicate-looking woman meant everything to him.
Conis didn't dare slack off. She thought it over, then replied, "Not much about the Blue Sea. A few years back, a pirate crew led by Roger washed up here and stuck around awhile. They shared some stories."
"Tell us what you remember," Sora said with a soft nod.
Explaining to newbies sounded straightforward, but Gion couldn't pull it off—not without missing the mark Ross aimed for. Simple as Conis seemed, Gion wasn't much sharper in these chats.
"Right!" Conis nodded eagerly, diving in without pause. "The Blue Sea's huge—split into the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and the Red Line continent. If Skypiea dropped down there, it'd be a speck. Tiny, barely worth a map dot."
"Spot on," Sora agreed mildly. "Your land and people are both too small-scale." She paused. "Keep going."
"Okay! I hear the whole Blue Sea's run by this giant outfit called the World Government. It's made up of tons of member nations, and they've got insane power."
"Pirates?" she continued. "They're folks who hate the Government's chains, scraping for freedom in the shadows."
That was all Conis had picked up. As a regular islander back then, she'd only eavesdropped from afar on Roger's bunch. Knowing that much was a feat.
"Fight for freedom? Pirates sure love sugarcoating it," Gion muttered, arching a brow.
Conis filed it away but stayed mum. Both sides were too big to cross—and who knew if Roger's crew might sail back?
"The World Government oversees nearly two hundred member nations," Sora said evenly, dropping the fact like it was nothing. "Each one's got millions—sometimes tens of millions—of people."
"Wh-what?!" Conis's jaw dropped, eyes wide with shock. Her face twisted in pure disbelief.
That's... insane.
Skypiea's total population barely scraped 100,000. Angel Island alone held just over 10,000, with the rest dotted across White Sea outposts.
One member nation outmatched them dozens of times over. The gap was a chasm—too vast to even fantasize about bridging.
"So... you're from one of those nations?" Conis ventured.
She'd spied Roger's crew from a distance: rough, wild types in their gear and swagger.
Ross's group? Pure class. Every move screamed elegance and nobility—their clothes sharper, their poise leagues above. Standing side by side, one crew looked like rowdy warriors, the other like highborn lords. No contest.
In her eyes, Ross and company outranked Roger—nobles from some powerhouse state, easy.
"Nations?" Sora smiled faintly. "We rule two directly under us. And we hold sway over nearly two hundred more that answer to His Highness."
Skypieans knew zilch about the Blue Sea, so Sora laid it on thick from the jump—painting Ross's clout in stark, unforgettable strokes.
But it was all straight facts, no fluff.
"Two hundred?!" Conis yelped. "That's basically every member nation!"
She'd never dreamed they packed this kind of punch.
No lie, either—Sora's pride rang true, no mockery in it. She stated it like common knowledge, and Ross with Gion? Cool as ice, like it was par for the course.
But that doesn't add up. Last visitors were plain old pirates. Now? Blue Sea heavyweights?
Conis's mind reeled. What pulled big fish like these to the White Sea?
"Uh, milady... what's His Highness's deal, exactly?" She snuck a peek at Ross, awe thickening her voice.
Sora's words had her hooked—curiosity burning about the Blue Sea and Ross's true standing.
—
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