"Gion?"
At the mention of that name, Rowan's expression instantly became complicated.
"Master, you haven't forgotten that girl, have you?" Zephyr looked at Rowan with a mock-exaggerated expression of shock. "Her feelings for you aren't any weaker than ours, you know."
Beside them, Ain saw the look on Zephyr's face and thought she was seeing things. Usually, Master Zephyr was the picture of a stoic, serious instructor; she had never seen him make such an exaggerated face. He looked... heartbroken for her?
For Zephyr to react like this, could there be some special relationship between Vice Admiral Momousagi (Gion) and... Grand-Master Rowan?
No way, right? Ain thought. Grand-Master Rowan is a hundred years old, and Vice Admiral Momousagi is still a young, beautiful woman in her prime. How old could she have been twenty years ago?
Ain didn't know Gion's exact age, but twenty years ago, she must have been just a little girl. Involuntarily swallowing hard, Ain looked away shyly, but her innate curiosity made her prick up her ears.
She was intensely interested in the "Master Rowan" Zephyr always spoke of. After all, this old gentleman wasn't just Zephyr's mentor; he was also the teacher of the Marine Hero Garp, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Tsuru. He was even the "sworn brother" of the Commander-in-Chief, Kong. Ain was dying to know more about his legendary days at the headquarters.
"That little tag-along is still talking about the Old Man every day?" Rowan let out a long sigh, shaking his head helplessly.
That headstrong little girl... her personality was the polar opposite of Tsuru's intellectual calm. In Rowan's memory, as long as that little one was around him, she would cling to him incessantly. Not only that, but Gion would occasionally say some very "bold" things—like how she was going to marry him when she grew up.
It had left Rowan utterly speechless. But facing a child of that age, he could hardly strike or scold her severely. At most, he'd give her a verbal reprimand, which only made the girl even more persistent.
Seeing his teacher's helpless expression, Zephyr burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Master, you can relax now. Many years have passed, and Gion isn't that spoiled little girl anymore. She's grown into a core pillar of the Navy, reaching the rank of Vice Admiral. She's even so outstanding that she's been designated as an Admiral Candidate. Nowadays, she even has her own codename: Momousagi."
"You brat, you're just trying to tease the Old Man." Rowan let out a breath and rolled his eyes at the laughing Zephyr.
He only hoped that when they arrived at the headquarters, Gion wouldn't cling to him like she used to. It was fine when she was a kid, but she's in her thirties now—who could handle that?
Listening to the conversation, a glint of mischief flashed in Ain's eyes. So, there was that kind of history between Grand-Master Rowan and Vice Admiral Momousagi. No wonder Momousagi couldn't go a few sentences without mentioning him. Everyone in the Navy knew her catchphrase: "We must follow Mr. Rowan's example!"
Zephyr suddenly asked, "By the way, Master, do Sengoku and the others know you're returning to the headquarters this time?"
Rowan withdrew his thoughts and took a puff of his pipe, chuckling. "I discussed it with those two brats, Sengoku and Garp, before I left. As for Tsuru, I don't have a specific Den Den Mushi for her, so I don't know if those boys notified her."
Zephyr rubbed his chin. "Doubtful. Sengoku always likes to keep things hidden, and as for Garp—well, he's careless. Unless he ran into her, he probably wouldn't make a special trip to tell her."
At this, Zephyr looked at Rowan. "How about I call the headquarters now so you can talk to her?"
"Call now?" Rowan thought for a moment and shook his head. "Forget it. This warship will reach Marineford in a few days anyway. Better to give her a surprise when we arrive."
Zephyr nodded. "True. I think a surprise for Tsuru is better too."
Whoosh—
A sea breeze blew past. Zephyr glanced at the sun and slapped his forehead. "Damn, look at the time."
He turned to Ain, who was still eavesdropping on the gossip. "Ain, go notify the kitchen. Have them prepare a feast. We're throwing a grand banquet to welcome Master Rowan and celebrate our victory today."
"Yes, Master Zephyr!" Ain scurried off immediately.
"A banquet, huh..." Rowan sat back in his lounge chair, watching the white clouds drift by. He murmured, "How long has it been since I've been part of a crowd?"
Beside him, Luffy raised both hands in enthusiastic agreement. "Yay! Party time!"
Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Marine Headquarters: Marineford.
As the center of naval power in the world, dozens of warships were constantly entering and exiting the harbor. On the docks, countless Marines in snow-white uniforms hurried back and forth. In this place, even Colonels were a common sight, and Rear Admirals were everywhere.
TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!
A siren wailed as a medium-sized warship, under the direction of harbor control, docked at the innermost berth.
Once the ship was steady, a tall, thin woman with grey hair and a wrinkled face stepped onto the gangplank. She wore the Justice mantle of a Vice Admiral over her shoulders.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!" The guards at the pier saluted respectfully.
Immediately, a tall, strikingly beautiful female officer hurried over and linked her arm with Tsuru's in an affectionate, almost sisterly way. "Sister Tsuru, the officer's meeting is about to start. Let's hurry over."
Tsuru looked at the younger woman with a touch of helplessness. "You're a Vice Admiral yourself now, Gion. Act like it. What will people think if they see you like this?"
"Hmph, let them say what they want." The woman known as Momousagi stuck out her tongue playfully, but didn't let go of Tsuru's arm.
"Yo! Tsuru-chan, what a coincidence."
A boisterous voice rang out from behind them. Tsuru and Gion turned around and saw Zephyr, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, waving his left arm at them.
"Zephyr? Didn't he go out to train the recruits? Why is he back so soon? And what's with the bandages? Where's his mechanical arm?" Tsuru frowned, her mind racing. Did something happen? No, Zephyr looks too happy for it to be bad news...
While Tsuru was deducing, Zephyr stepped aside. A robust old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in casual clothes and looking remarkably handsome for his age, stepped into view. He raised a familiar large tobacco pipe and smiled at Tsuru.
"Long time no see, Tsuru-chan."
At the sight of the old man, Tsuru felt as if her heart had been struck. She froze in place, a look of pure disbelief washing over her face.
"Master... Rowan..."