Half a month later, Ginny finally stood before Black.
Ginny was different from the others; she truly dared to resist, so Black did not have her shackles removed.
Black looked at Ginny with a half-smile, teasing her:
"How is it? Returning to Mary Geoise again, do you feel any different?"
"How do you know?"
Ginny's eyes widened.
Judging by Black's age, he shouldn't have experienced the God Valley Incident.
Even those who had lived through that event might not recognize her after so many years.
Whether it was the God Valley Incident or the arson at Mary Geoise, there had been many children present.
After they grew up, the World Government had never managed to identify them again.
"See, you're focusing on the wrong thing."
Black leaned back, closing his eyes on the lounge chair:
"Shouldn't your main concern right now be why I brought you back?"
Ginny was stunned for a moment, then her anger returned as she asked:
"Why did you capture me?"
Black was speechless; why did Ginny seem a bit slow?
A malicious smile appeared on his face:
"Want to know? I'm not telling you."
Before Ginny could flare up again, Black continued:
"None of that matters. From now on, you are a maid of this manor!"
"How about it? Do you have any fond childhood memories you'd like to share?"
Ginny's childhood was anything but fond.
She had been enslaved at the age of four, until the God Valley Incident when she was over ten, which gave her a chance to escape.
After living in the Sorbet Kingdom for a few years, she had only just joined the Revolutionary Army when she was captured again.
Seeing that Ginny still looked unconvinced, Black waved his hand, signaling for her to be taken away.
Ginny still possessed a rebellious will; like Kozuki Toki at the beginning, it was impossible for her to settle down quickly.
However, Black's expectation for Ginny was only to pass information to the Revolutionary Army when needed, and to push Dragon into making certain decisions...
Time flowed quietly in Mary Geoise, and four years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these four years, great changes occurred both on the seas and within Black's own circle.
Shanks found Yasopp in the East Blue, and Yasopp began his life at sea, abandoning his wife and child in pursuit of freedom.
After many years without news, Usopp and his mother lived in poverty.
Seen this way, Kaido could almost be called a good father.
Meanwhile, two years ago, the thirteen-year-old Rob Lucci began to reveal his monstrous talent.
During a hijacking incident, Lucci single-handedly killed all the hijackers and even the hostages completing what was known as a "successful" ruthless rescue.
Since then, the title of the World Government's strongest genius in eight hundred years had only grown louder.
After hearing of Lucci, Law trained even harder.
He had not forgotten that when Black first found him, Rob Lucci had been mentioned as a benchmark.
Law was determined not to lose to him.
Kuzan became the second Admiral after Sakazuki, taking the codename Aokiji.
Interestingly, in his inaugural speech, he openly expressed views that contradicted Akainu's absolute justice, gaining support from a large portion of the Marines.
It could even be said that those who agreed with Aokiji far outnumbered Akainu's hardliners.
Akainu stood below the stage, furious.
Doflamingo and Sengoku, whether by coincidence or shared insight, both made their moves.
Doflamingo sent Vergo into the Marines, embedding a spy within the organization.
At the same time, as the Donquixote Family's influence expanded in the North Blue, the Marines could no longer remain passive.
Sengoku decided to send his adopted son Doflamingo's younger brother, Rosinante back into the Donquixote Family as an undercover agent.
To be honest, Black did not like Rosinante.
There was an old saying: "Fathers cover for sons, and sons cover for fathers; this is righteousness."
From a traditional standpoint, family members should protect one another.
Of course, from a modern moral perspective, covering up crimes is wrong.
But using the trust of a blood relative to carry out undercover work was hardly noble either.
When Doflamingo eventually discovered Rosinante's betrayal, one could imagine the psychological blow.
After repeated betrayals from those close to him, it was no surprise that Doflamingo later descended into madness.
Though, to be fair, he had never been a good person to begin with.
Rebecca, who should have been born a year earlier, had completely disappeared from the timeline due to Black's interference.
Kyros was still at the lowest deck of the sanctuary, endlessly pedaling, having not seen sunlight for years.
Let alone his strength his eyesight had nearly deteriorated completely.
After Scarlett came of age, Black naturally brought her into his chambers, and she showed no intention of becoming pregnant.
Aside from these events across the seas, many changes also occurred within Black's manor.
With Black's guidance, Mandy successfully stepped into the realm of a Great Swordsman.
Her strength was no weaker than that of Whitebeard Pirates' division commander, Vista.
Originally, Black had planned to send her back to the Warburg Kingdom to establish an external base once she matured.
However, due to various delays, the plan was postponed.
Now, Mandy was unwilling to leave Black's side.
After some thought, Black agreed.
Still, he arranged contact with the King of the Warburg Kingdom Mandy's father.
After their communication, a base was ultimately established there, and it had now become the main area of activity for Aramaki and the others.
Koala's strength continued to rise rapidly; she could now roughly reach a level comparable to a weakened Kizaru.
The fifteen-year-old Robin grew increasingly elegant, her appearance now nearly identical to her future self.
Perona, though already ten, still behaved like an eternal child, bringing constant amusement to Black.
Rami successfully overcame her fatal illness; under the research of the Victor couple, her Amber Lead condition had been stabilized.
The most significant changes, however, were seen in Kozuki Toki, Kozuki Hiyori, Ginny, and Hancock.
When she first arrived in Mary Geoise, Hiyori had only been six years old.
She adapted quickly, and over the years had fully integrated into life within the manor.
Though she could not completely forget the deaths of her father and brother, she no longer held onto thoughts of revenge.
Watching her daughter grow brighter day by day, Kozuki Toki gradually regained clarity and stability.
For her, the initial trauma had been immense, but time had slowly forced her to accept reality.
If one cannot resist fate, then one can only learn to endure it perhaps even accept it.
As for Ginny?
Members of the Revolutionary Army possessed exceptionally strong wills; her obedience was clearly an act.
Every day, she followed Black like a proper maid, even taking over many of Stella's responsibilities.
She believed her performance was flawless.
In reality, she had no talent for deception.
Even Perona had begun to suspect her.
As for Hancock...
She had become Black's most satisfactory "creation" so far.