At this moment, Tsuru sat helplessly in front of Elior. The distance between them was only about four meters. Tsuru undoubtedly hated Elior to the extreme. Too many important Marine officers in her life had been killed, directly or indirectly, by him. She wished she could tear Elior apart piece by piece.
However, the scenes she had just witnessed and the sounds that had come from Gion's room made her heart feel as if it were being sliced by knives. It felt as though the man before her was someone who had slaughtered her entire family: an irreconcilable blood feud, a life-and-death hatred. Yet the cruelest part was this: the person Tsuru regarded as her own family, her only remaining relative, Gion, was willingly doing such things with this enemy.
She was doing it of her own free will. She had not been forced. During the unknown amount of time that had passed earlier, Tsuru had clearly heard her younger sister calling Elior husband, lord, and master. And that voice was nothing like Gion's usual voice. It was the voice of someone eager to please Elior in every possible way. Tsuru could not comprehend how the Gion she cherished as a younger sister could have become like this. It was precisely because of those repeated calls that Tsuru lacked the courage to rush in and assassinate Elior from behind.
She would rather Gion had been forced than willingly surrendering herself like this. But the truth was undeniable: Gion adored Elior. A Marine Admiral Candidate, renowned throughout the world, had actually fallen into the arms of a brutal pirate demon. The pain in Tsuru's heart was indescribable. She felt utterly betrayed by the person she trusted most.
"When did you two start?" Tsuru asked, powerless, desperately suppressing her fury.
"Before the war," Elior replied casually. "Let me be clear, your sister is just my plaything. She does it willingly. Of course, I also like her very much." Elior smiled faintly.
"You bastard!" Tsuru's eyes nearly burst as her anger exploded.
"I'm not a good person," Elior sneered. "But, old woman, you should cherish your life. If Gion hadn't begged for mercy back then, do you really think you'd still be alive and sitting here at Marine Headquarters? I gave your sister enough face."
The implication was obvious: Tsuru's life had been spared by Elior's whim. Otherwise, she would have died long ago. The only person Elior was ever truly willing to spare was Fujitora. Anyone else could die.
Tsuru roared inwardly, but in the next instant, Elior released an overwhelming pressure. The terrifying momentum crushed down upon her, making it impossible to breathe. Despair flooded her senses. Tsuru, who had nearly lost control, was forced back into clarity.
"Old woman," Elior said coldly, "if you think your life is too long, I can help you end it."
The two fell into silence for several minutes. Finally, Elior broke it. "Not long from now, I will attack Mary Geoise and slaughter every Celestial Dragon, old or young. As long as they are Celestial Dragons, they will die. And when I attack Mary Geoise, your Marine Headquarters will inevitably be involved. I want your Marines to stay where they are and not interfere."
The new Marine Headquarters was located beneath the Red Line, nearly symmetrical to the old one. At most, it would take the Marines less than an hour to rush to Mary Geoise, far less for high-level combatants.
"Impossible!" Tsuru rejected it instantly.
Elior mocked her.
"The Celestial Dragons openly declared that the Marines are nothing but their dogs. And you still want to wag your tail for your masters?"
"You! What did Gion tell you?"
Tsuru demanded. She understood immediately that this information could only have come from Gion.
"She told me everything," Elior replied calmly. "Does she have any secrets in front of me?" He crossed his legs leisurely. "Old woman, tell me, do you or the entire Marines still want to live as dogs? Dogs to Celestial Dragons who never cared whether you lived or died. Celestial Dragons who don't care about the lives of anyone in this world. Isn't that pitiful? Or have you been a dog for so long that you can't live without a master?"
Tsuru was so furious she nearly spat blood.
"I don't need you to fight the Celestial Dragons for me," Elior continued. "I only need you to stay still. Of course," he added lightly, "you're also welcome to fight alongside me."
Tsuru remained silent. After a long while, she finally spoke.
"Are you certain that you can destroy the Celestial Dragons?"
"Of course," Elior replied. "As long as that woman is killed, the rest are nothing. Wiping them out would be as easy as lifting a hand. Old woman, I'll give you time to think." He paused, then added coldly, "Of course, your Marines can go up there too. But when that happens, I'll kill you along the way. You won't survive."
Time dragged on. This night was destined to be long, for Elior had slowed time itself. Elior and Gion had spent over twenty hours together. Within the one-hundred-and-sixty-hour time domain, more than one hundred and thirty hours still remained.
More than ten hours later, Gion finally woke up. Dragging her sore, exhausted body, she sat up. Elior was no longer in the room. She stepped outside and was stunned to see him. It really wasn't a dream. Then she turned her head and saw Tsuru sitting across from him. Gion froze, fear instantly gripping her heart.
"Sister Tsuru..." she whispered.
"I know everything," Tsuru said quietly. "There's no need to lie to me." Her voice was filled with helplessness and sorrow.
"I..." Gion was momentarily speechless.
"I'll give you fifteen minutes to take a bath," Elior said calmly. "Then come back."
Gion hurried inside. Her heart was filled with panic. Fifteen minutes later, she returned reluctantly. But the moment she sat beside Elior and was pulled into his embrace, all her unease vanished. Elior stood behind her like a pillar. As long as he was there, she feared nothing. Not even Tsuru.