Suite.
Gion hung up the long-distance call with Vice Admiral Tsuru. She rubbed her aching temples and looked over at Aiden, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru has accepted our version of events."
Gion walked to the coffee table and poured herself a glass of water.
Her tone carried a hint of relief. "Even though she definitely noticed the holes in the story, she chose to believe the version where 'the pirate Victor attacked the G-17 branch.' This covers up the scandal involving the Celestial Dragons and avoids any negative backlash against the Shichibukai system."
"As for those several hundred surrendered soldiers—" Gion looked at Aiden.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru's order is to label them all as prisoners on the warship. She will handle them personally back at Headquarters."
Hearing this, Aiden exited his system interface.
"As expected of Vice Admiral Tsuru. Her handling of this is completely flawless."
Aiden remembered Vice Admiral Tsuru's ability: the Paramecia-type Wash-Wash Fruit.
Once those men were in her hands, no one would ever question the "pirate attack" lie again.
"The current problem is," Gion said, looking out the window at the leaderless base, "Nelson is dead, and those high-ranking officers under him were also on yesterday's 'casualty list.' This base is now an empty shell. Someone has to maintain order."
"If we don't arrange things immediately, the remaining soldiers might riot or start looting once we leave."
"Don't worry, I've already picked out the right person," Aiden replied.
The next morning.
The central plaza of the G-17 base was packed with Marine soldiers.
Their faces were filled with terror and confusion. Yesterday's earth-shaking explosions and thunder in Sector D had shattered most of the windows in the base. The collective disappearance of Commodore Nelson and the core officer group had left everyone in a state of panic.
They didn't know what had happened; they only knew they had been called for an emergency assembly at dawn.
Now, their fates rested entirely in the hands of the woman standing on the high platform, wearing the "Justice" coat.
Gion stood on the platform. Behind her stood an expressionless Aiden and a smoke-puffing Smoker.
Gion scanned the crowd below.
Her cold voice rang through the plaza via a loudspeaker Den Den Mushi. "Soldiers of the G-17 branch!"
"Yesterday, the great pirate 'Crystal Duke' Victor Hugo launched a brutal attack on this military base. This was a challenge to justice! It was a declaration of war against the Marines!"
Gion paused, her tone becoming heavy and solemn.
"During the intense battle, I must sadly announce that your base commander, Commodore Nelson, fought at the front lines to defend this base. He fought the pirates to the death and... unfortunately, he died a hero's death!"
silence fell over the plaza.
This is a lie!
Even the stupidest soldier knew what kind of man Nelson really was. Putting the words "heroic death" next to his name felt ridiculous.
But for these ordinary soldiers, the actual truth didn't matter.
Ignoring whether the Marines believed her or not, Gion continued with the prepared script.
"Although the cost was heavy, the invading enemies have been completely wiped out!"
Gion shouted sharply, "Justice prevails!"
"Justice... prevails..." scattered voices replied.
"Now, for the second order."
Gion pulled out an appointment letter, her gaze scanning the crowd like a hawk.
Finally, her eyes stopped on a small corner. There stood a thin man in his late forties, a Colonel who was keeping his head down, looking like he wanted to vanish into the cracks of the floor.
"Colonel Moore! Step forward!"
"Ye-Yes!"
Moore was startled by his name being called. He jogged up to the platform, trembling, and gave an extremely sloppy military salute.
He had been pushed to the sidelines during the previous banquet. He hadn't taken bribes, but he hadn't taken a side either; he was a typical pushover. But because of that, his record was cleaner than anyone else's.
"Since the G-17 branch currently has a vacancy in leadership," Gion announced loudly while looking at the shivering man, "following an evaluation by Headquarters, Colonel Moore has shown loyalty and dedication to his post for many years. He is hereby appointed as the Acting Base Commander of the G-17 branch, effective immediately!"
"Wha—What?!"
Moore snapped his head up, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets.
Acting... Base Commander?
The soldiers below were in an uproar.
No one expected this "unlucky guy" who usually had zero presence to suddenly reach the top in one step.
"What? Do you feel you aren't up to the task?" Gion narrowed her eyes slightly, an invisible pressure surrounding Moore.
"No—No! I'm willing! I'm willing!" Moore's whole body shook as he nodded frantically.
This was a hot potato, but it was also the biggest opportunity of his life.
"Very good."
Gion stepped forward and personally straightened his slightly crooked collar pin.
She leaned in closer, speaking in a cold voice only the two of them could hear. "Since you are now the Base Commander, you should be very clear on how to explain 'yesterday's truth' to those below you, right?"
Moore swallowed hard.
He was timid, but he wasn't an idiot. He understood exactly what was happening now. Nelson was dead, and this was clearly a purge. However, the appointment letter was real, and Commodore Gion wasn't asking him to betray the Marines. There was nothing he couldn't compromise on.
"Cl—Clear!" Moore's eyes gradually became firm, fueled by the fire of survival.
"It was that madman Victor who attacked the base! Commodore Nelson died a hero! It was the officers from Headquarters who fought back desperately to save us!"
"A smart man."
Gion nodded with satisfaction.
"Do a good job. The order of this sea area depends on you from now on."
Standing behind them, Aiden watched Moore's grateful yet terrified back and felt quite satisfied.
As for the several hundred Marines who had participated in the ambush at the pier and surrendered, they had already been secretly moved to the warship. They would be kept as "key witnesses" for isolated screening at Headquarters. If nothing went wrong, they would likely soon forget what actually happened yesterday.
After handling all the details, the group prepared to board the ship.
Standing on the pier's walkway, Aiden stopped and looked back at the shiny white fortress.
On the back of that fortress, at a hidden ventilation duct, thick black smoke was billowing out. It looked particularly jarring against the bright blue sky.
"Did you burn them all?" Gion stood beside him, looking at the smoke as she asked softly.
"I burned them."
Aiden's tone was calm.
"Since they can't be turned back into living people, keeping them would be an insult to the dead. Instead of letting the World Government take them back to be used as art to please the Celestial Dragons, it's better to let them rest in peace. Dust to dust, ash to ash."
Gion was silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She slowly raised her hand toward the black smoke and gave a perfect military salute.
"Let's go."
After the salute, she turned around and strode toward the warship, her "Justice" coat fluttering in the sea breeze.
With the work finished, Gion's warship weighed anchor that same day.
At the urgent request of Vice Admiral Tsuru, Gion canceled the original plan to patrol the surrounding waters. Carrying a ship full of witnesses, she headed straight back to Marineford at full speed.
The sea was vast, and the wind carried the salty moisture across the deck.
Aiden and Gion leaned against the railing, watching Golden Crown Island slowly disappear from view.
"The G-17 branch guards the throat of the Golden Route. Its location is so important." Gion pulled back her gaze, her brow slightly furrowed with worry.
"Is it too reckless to let that seemingly useless Colonel Moore take over as acting commander? I'm still a bit worried about that place."
"Don't worry, Commodore."
Aiden looked at the water, his tone relaxed.
"You said it yourself; he's just 'acting.' Because it's so important, Headquarters and the World Government will never leave it alone. Once this storm settles, the higher-ups will definitely make new arrangements."
He turned around, leaning his back against the railing as he looked at Gion.
"After all, this is the Golden Route of the Grand Line. The higher-ups are definitely more worried about problems there than we are. Colonel Moore might have average skills, but his strength is that he's timid and obedient. Until a new appointment comes, it's safer to have a gatekeeper who just wants to stay alive than a smart, ambitious person looking to cause trouble."
"True." Gion nodded, her brow relaxing.
"You've thought this through well."
Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from the sky.
"Coo—Coo—"
A News Bird wearing a newsboy hat circled down and landed on the railing.
It practicedly stretched out the coin purse hanging around its neck, waiting for the customer to pay.
Gion casually pulled out a coin and put it in the bag, taking a fresh newspaper that still smelled of ink.
However, the moment her eyes hit the front page, she froze in place as if struck by lightning.
Her relaxed brow instantly knotted.
On her usually calm face, a rare look of horror appeared that she couldn't hide. Even her fingers gripping the paper were turning white.
"What is it?"
Noticing the violent shift in her presence, Aiden walked over with confusion.
"Did something big happen?"
"..."
Gion didn't speak.
She just stiffly handed the newspaper over, her voice sounding terribly dry. "See for yourself—"
Aiden took the paper and looked down.
The headline on the front page was written in bold, blood-red letters that stung the eyes:
[UNPRECEDENTED! MASS ESCAPE FROM IMPEL DOWN! "PIRATE" GOLDEN LION SHIKI SUCCEEDS IN ESCAPING BY CUTTING OFF HIS OWN LEGS!]
Below the headline was a horrifying black-and-white photo.
It showed a pair of bloody legs still firmly locked in Sea Prism Stone shackles inside a cold, damp cell in Impel Down.