Thе littlе brаt сlutсhed the scrоll in hеr hands and hurriеd back tо hеr саbin.
'Маster said I аbsolutеly саn't let Viсe Аdmirаl Garр and the оthers sее this, or thеу'll bе gonеrs.'
Shе lоcked thе dоor, drеw thе сurtаins, аnd hid under her соvers. Аs shе gingerly openеd thе scrоll, it wаs аs if а goldеn light shоnе from within.
..........
Stаring аt thе denselу расkеd characters in the sсrоll, the рrinсiples and prеcаutiоns fоr eaсh hаnd sеаl, аnd thе vast numbеr of derivаtivе аnnotаtions, Littlе Giоn's mind wеnt cоmplеtely blаnk. What was аll this?! Why were thеrе so mаny wоrds?!
Giоn stаred dumblу at the scroll in her hands, looking for all the world like a dazed badger in a melon patch that couldn't find any melons.
"Waaah! This is so hard! Admiral Gion has miscalculated!"
...........
Ever since Gion had begun her Ninjutsu training, Madara had only observed her a few times at the start to make sure there were no issues. After that, he left her to it. As for Taijutsu, the Garp trio was handling that, so there was no need for him to teach her.
Standing on the second-floor balcony, a sea breeze washed over him. Madara couldn't help but sigh. How wonderful life was without Garp around.
"Arriving at Marineford shortly! All personnel, please prepare for orderly disembarkation."
The gangway slowly lowered. Gion stood beside Uchiha Madara, secretly tugging on his sleeve. She covertly observed his expression, and once she was sure he wasn't angry, she boldly reached for his hand.
A small, chubby hand furtively took hold of Madara's large palm. Uchiha Madara's body stiffened. He glanced down at the little brat beside him but, surprisingly, didn't pull away. With a cold snort, he continued to wait for the gangway to descend.
"Hey, hey! Master, Master, can I take you to my favorite drink shop? And we can go to Sister Tsuru's tea room to steal some tea leaves. They're bitter and don't taste very good, but Sister Tsuru treasures them. I think you'll like them, Master. Hehe, Vice Admiral Garp has never succeeded in stealing any."
"And there's the weapon shop on the commercial street! It has lots of famous swords from the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades! But the owner is a bit stingy and won't let me touch them. I can only look from a distance. Hmph! I hate him the most. How can someone like him have so many famous swords?"
"And, and, do you want to see Gion's school? I have a lot of underlings there! There's also this annoying guy named Chaton, but he always says the weirdest things to bother me…"
The little brat at his side was exceptionally excited, chattering away like a bird. It was as if her long-suppressed nature was finally unleashed upon returning to Marine Headquarters.
Madara listened quietly as the little brat told him all about her life. Although he possessed her memories, he much preferred hearing it from the little brat herself, who was as happy as a badger that had finally found its melon.
As they walked down the gangway, a figure in the welcoming crowd stood out from the rest. A tall, stern-faced woman was staring at him, her entire being radiating a dangerous aura.
Madara was somewhat puzzled. This was his first time at Marine Headquarters. Why would someone be staring at him like this?
But Madara was, after all, Uchiha Madara. Being stared at in such a provocative manner, he wasn't about to humble himself to figure out the situation.
The next moment, an overwhelming presence erupted from him, spreading out wantonly. On the plaza, countless Marines and civilians who had come to greet them either stood trembling on the verge of collapse or plopped right onto the ground, struggling to stay conscious.
The stern woman Madara had specifically targeted turned pale. Her body tensed as she unleashed her own aura to resist. And she wasn't the only one; within the range of Madara's presence, more and more powerful auras began to flare up in defiance.
A smirk played on Uchiha Madara's lips. A welcoming ceremony? A bit childish, but he supposed it was a novel idea.
'In that case…'
If Madara's initial presence was a ravenous beast seeking to devour its prey, then the combined presence of the many Marines was an elite army standing against a giant monster, the two sides barely maintaining a balance.
But what happened next was… the heavens collapsing!
Chakra and killing intent, accompanied by a spirit as boundless as the horizon and an arrogance that looked down on all creation, began to run rampant. It was like a deity, enraged by the provocations of ants, starting to furiously unleash its divine might.
Even Gion, standing right beside Madara and intentionally shielded by him, turned deathly pale when she accidentally felt a sliver of that god-like, world-shattering pressure. She clung to Madara's arm for dear life.
Madara, who had been about to unleash even more, saw Gion's state and decided against escalating further.
Even so, the ordinary Marines around them were sent flying like plastic bags in a storm.
"Madara!"
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr finally reacted, hastily releasing their own auras to block Madara's tsunami-like presence.
Madara glanced at the three men standing before him and silently withdrew his aura.
Holding Gion's hand, he walked step by step toward the woman who had directed her presence at him.
"Brat, did your elders not teach you not to casually release your presence?"
The stern woman quickly composed herself, looking at Uchiha Madara with an unyielding expression.
Seeing she still refused to back down, Madara began to raise his hand, much to the horror of Garp and the others. Just as the three were about to rush forward, Gion grabbed Madara's raised arm and held on with all her might.
"Master! Don't bully Sister Tsuru!"
Madara froze. Sister? This woman was the "Sister Tsuru" the little brat had mentioned, the one who liked drinking tea?
Judging by her appearance alone, this tall, beautiful woman looked no older than thirty. How could this young brat possibly be a woman approaching forty?
Madara had assumed she would be a middle-aged woman like Garp and the others. He never expected her to look so young.
While Madara was lost in thought, the others had no idea what was going through his mind. Sengoku hurried over to play peacemaker, grabbing Madara's arm.
"Mr. Madara, please calm down, calm down. There's been a misunderstanding."
"Here's what happened. Gion was living with Vice Admiral Tsuru, and she snuck onto the ship for the mission to Loguetown. As her guardian, Tsuru was worried sick about Gion's safety, which is why she seemed a little angry. She definitely wasn't targeting you."
Garp also rushed to help explain. If Uchiha Madara went on a rampage at Marine Headquarters, it would be far more terrifying than Shiki's attack back then.
"Right, right, that's it! After she left, Little Gion didn't even call Tsuru to let her know she was safe. And when Tsuru called, she didn't pick up. That's what got Tsuru so worked up."
Uchiha Madara now felt a little awkward. It seemed he had indeed misunderstood. But what was done was done. He turned to Tsuru and said, "This time, it was my misunderstanding. So, you be more careful next time."
Tsuru shot Uchiha Madara an indignant look. What the hell? You were the one in the wrong, so why should I be the one to be more careful next time? But her attention was no longer on him.
She grabbed Gion by the ear, and with a cold expression, began dragging her home. As she left, she shot a fierce glare at Garp and Sengoku.
Madara, his face impassive, simply had Sengoku take him to see the proposed site for Konoha.
After most of them had left, the few who remained conscious began to clean up the mess.
"My, my, Mr. Garp, who was that man just now? That terrifying presence… it was truly like hell on earth."
A tall, lanky young man came over to greet Garp, scratching his head.
Garp rubbed his own head, explaining to the young man with a helpless tone, "Him? He's a man who upholds a justice that can blot out the sky with a single hand. Hahahahaha! You little brats better be careful lately. Don't you dare provoke him, or you'll get beaten to a pulp."
"Hey, hey, Aokiji! I'm talking to you, you damn fool! Show some respect!"
Seeing Aokiji still staring blankly at Madara's departing figure, Garp felt ignored and landed a heavy punch on him.
"Ow! That hurts, Mr. Garp!"
"Shut up, you damn brat!"
To be continued...