"What happened to the three girls: Hina, Ain, and Tashigi?" Before Elior could ask Tsuru what she was thinking, Tsuru spoke first.
"What do you think?" Elior didn't answer directly, but the meaning was already obvious. At the very least, Tsuru understood that Hina and the others must have experienced something like that. Rumors claimed that Elior was extremely lustful and had laid his hands on countless beauties across the New World. Although rumors were just rumors, Tsuru now chose to believe them.
"Let the three of them go. They each have their own future." Thinking about Hina and the others still being in Elior's hands, the anger in Tsuru's heart flared again. Yet in the end, she had no choice but to speak in a pleading tone. She hoped Elior would release them. She didn't know what state they were in now, but it couldn't be good. Elior was merciless in battle. When dealing with enemies, he wouldn't even leave a complete corpse behind, often tearing off heads or reducing bodies to nothing but fragments.
"It's impossible to let them go. Your sister alone can't satisfy me. Old woman, have you ever had a man? Maybe you just don't understand." Elior's smile carried a distinctly sinister edge.
"You!" Tsuru was left speechless, her anger nearly exploding. She felt that if she kept talking to the scum in front of her, her lifespan would be shortened by ten years.
"Just wait another month," Elior continued. "Won't they stay voluntarily by then?"
He glanced at Gion. She was strong enough, yet hadn't she ultimately submitted to him? Gion sat to Elior's right, while Shirahoshi sat to his left at the square dining table.
"Elior, how many women have you taken?" Tsuru demanded angrily. "I heard you captured all the beauties of the New World, didn't you?" She was so furious she nearly spat blood. Almost every notable beauty in the Marines had been touched by Elior.
"How many? Less than fifteen. Have you been brainwashed?" Elior replied calmly.
"The rumors say I capture women everywhere, but I don't have that many." Gion, Reiju, Bonney, Hancock, Hiyori, Robin, Betty, Yamato, Baby 5, Ain, Hina, Tashigi, and now Shirahoshi. Only thirteen. They were not only members of Elior's harem but also part of his combat strength. After all, every one of them was extremely powerful. More importantly, Elior had special methods that allowed him to make them even stronger.
"You scumbag!" Tsuru was furious and helpless.
"Sister Tsuru, my husband is not a scumbag!" Gion frowned and looked at Tsuru. She was clearly angry. Tsuru had already called Elior a scumbag twice. As his wife, how could she tolerate that?
"Gion, you..." Tsuru fell silent. In the end, she shook her head and sighed inwardly, not knowing what to say anymore. It was as if Gion had been completely brainwashed.
Shirahoshi raised her voice as well.
"Brother is not a scumbag! Brother is a great hero!" Hearing this only made Tsuru feel even more helpless.
"Old woman," Elior said calmly, "what are you hesitating over? There are three paths. First: stand aside and wait until we destroy the Celestial Dragons, then go collect the bodies. Second: help us, flatten Mary Geoise, and wipe the Celestial Dragons out completely. Third: continue helping the Celestial Dragons and remain their loyal dogs."
"Sister Tsuru," Gion said firmly, "when the time comes, I will stand by my husband. I will never fight for the Celestial Dragons."
Shirahoshi added passionately, "The Celestial Dragons are cruel and vile people! In the past, many people from Fish-Man Island were captured and enslaved by them. After my brother took control of Fish-Man Island, such things never happened again." Her eyes brimmed with emotion. She was innocent, and she viewed Elior as the greatest hero in the world.
Tsuru looked at Elior. No matter how much of a scumbag Elior might be, he could never compare to the Celestial Dragons. Subconsciously, Tsuru did not want to work for them. She had joined the Marines to uphold justice, yet the higher she rose, the more restrictions followed. The Celestial Dragons never allowed freedom; they imposed endless restrictions.
Now, three paths lay before Tsuru. When the war erupted and the Celestial Dragons summoned the Marines to Mary Geoise, what should she do? Tsuru didn't know. After dinner, nearly an hour passed in silence before Tsuru finally gave her answer. She stated clearly that she would no longer allow the Marines to fight for the Celestial Dragons. However, for the time being, she would not actively help Elior either.
"You made the right choice," Elior said calmly. "I hope you keep your promise, and convince Fujitora and the others as well. Oh, right," he added casually. "I killed Shiki, so the Marines won't need to worry about him anymore."
"Golden Lion… was killed by you?" Tsuru's expression changed in shock, but after recalling Elior's power, she felt relieved. Neither Garp nor Zephyr could stop him; what chance did Shiki ever have?
Half an hour later, Tsuru left Gion's residence. The moment the door closed, an independent spatial barrier appeared, along with a time field slowed by twenty times, completely enveloping the apartment. This would be a night lasting more than one hundred and sixty hours. Shirahoshi and Gion reached a silent agreement to face together the man they loved most. And in that night, Shirahoshi completed her true transformation.