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Ikki licked his lips and glanced back at Astolfo.
"I'm sorry, Astolfo. You're genuinely cute, but I'm straight through and through. I can't kiss you."
"What does it matter?" Astolfo sighed. "Just pretend I'm speaking as a woman, okay?"
They didn't press Ikki any further on it.
"Miss Astolfo is indeed quite lovely," Gion said, laughing. "When the Marines get to meet Miss Astolfo, I'm sure they'll be very taken with you."
Astolfo received the praise and proudly puffed out his chest. However much he straightened up, though, the fact remained that there was nothing much there to straighten.
"Ikki, what do you think of Marine Headquarters from up here?"
Gion turned and looked down at the sprawling complex below.
"It should be quite a sight from the sky," Ikki said. "And it is. Imposing. Maybe a little too imposing."
Visible to the naked eye, Marine warships were continuously arriving at the port in steady streams. Ikki even spotted familiar faces: Smoker and Tashigi on one warship, Hina's warship sailing alongside.
It was obvious. With the war against the Whitebeard Pirates drawing near, the Marines were pulling their best people to Marine Headquarters from every corner of the world.
"There's nothing to be done about it," Gion said. "The war is almost here, and it's going to be the largest naval engagement in decades. We have to be careful."
At the mention of the war with the Whitebeard Pirates, Gion's expression turned serious, even though her strength had grown considerably, enough to stand at the level of a Marine Admiral. Looking at the numbers gathered below, she had no way of knowing how many of those Marines moving about the port would still be alive when it was over.
"When the time comes, I'll use Nojiko's life potions to treat the wounded," Ikki said, patting her hand. "I can't promise there won't be deaths on the Marine side, but I'll do everything I can to keep the losses as low as possible."
"Ikki."
Gion pressed her lips together, then pulled him toward her again, this time with far more feeling. The warmth that pressed against his mouth left no question about that. Astolfo watched with a pout, eyeing Gion with unconcealed envy, but for once he kept quiet and let them be.
When they finally separated, Astolfo spoke up.
"Why not just find a room and have a thorough discussion right now?"
Ikki and Gion both burst out laughing.
"I'd very much like to have a more thorough discussion with you, Ikki," Gion said, smiling. "Unfortunately, there's still too much I need to take care of. But if you're willing to wait for me, let's have that talk after the war is over."
She didn't wait for him to respond. Without missing a beat, she continued: "Speaking of which, you mentioned earlier that I should keep an eye on that Blackbeard. How about we go take a look right now? I'm curious about what he's up to."
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried he'll pick a fight the moment he sees me? You know I killed his crewmate. That man probably wants me dead."
"Don't worry." Gion gestured toward Astolfo's eagle. "We'll observe from the shadows, not go anywhere near them. With Astolfo's eagle, we can watch from the air without them ever knowing we're there."
She wouldn't have been foolish enough to let Ikki and Blackbeard meet face to face at a time like this. If those two came within arm's reach of each other, a fight was inevitable.
"I see. Observation from altitude, then." Ikki nodded. "Let's go."
Privately, he was curious about the Blackbeard Pirates' current situation, and especially whether Teach had already moved on Impel Down.
"Miss Astolfo, take us this way."
Gion indicated the direction, and guided by her, the group quickly arrived in the airspace above Teach's location.
They had barely arrived when Gion's brow furrowed.
'Is that CP0?'
She muttered it under her breath, sensing immediately that something was off. She signaled Astolfo to climb higher without delay, getting them well out of range of any Observation Haki from the CP0 agents or the Blackbeard Pirates below.
"Now this is interesting," Ikki said, his tone sharpening with curiosity. "We need to find out what CP0 wants with Blackbeard."
He hadn't expected this. Even with everything he knew from the original story, the World Government reaching out to Blackbeard directly was something he hadn't seen coming, which made him all the more intent on listening.
His Observation Haki had developed to a considerable level by now. Even at this distance, he could reach down and thread his senses into the conversation below. Seeing him do it, Gion extended her own Observation Haki alongside his.
"...That is our proposal. What say you, Blackbeard Teach?"
The CP0 agent's voice was flat and measured.
"Hahaha! Now that I didn't expect." Blackbeard's laugh rolled out loud and easy. "The World Government wants me to deal with Ikki? I'm curious why. Wasn't he the one you recruited to fight the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"We never said we intend to move against him right now," the CP0 agent replied. "We'll bring him down after the war is finished."
"Will the Marines cooperate with me?" Blackbeard asked.
"If circumstances allow for it, yes. And beyond the Marines, the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma will also be made available to work with you."
"Interesting. Even Tyrant Bear is on board." Blackbeard's voice took on an amused edge. "I'd love to know how you managed to convince him."
"That isn't information you need. What you need to tell us is whether you're willing to cooperate."
"Hahaha! You came all this way to find me, so." Blackbeard laughed again, deep and rolling. "I have no reason to refuse."
He knew perfectly well what refusal would cost him. The World Government had long memories, and even a minor grudge from them had a way of finding you at the worst possible moment.
He had no intention of serving as a Shichibukai longer than necessary, but until he could reach Impel Down and secure the forces he needed, he could not afford to have the World Government making trouble. Not while he was still embedded within the Marines.