New World, Marine G-1 Branch.
"Follow me, this way!"
"Move all weapons and ammunition onto the warships!"
"Quick, get the cannons up!"
"..."
Cross stepped off a warship and stood on the bustling dock, surrounded by busy Marine officers and soldiers. He looked up at the massive fortress before him, his mind swirling with thoughts.
As one of only two large "G"-prefixed branches in the New World, responsible for guarding the entrance for pirates into the New World and serving as the first line of defense for Mariejois, the Holy Land, its military strength was immense.
Along both coastlines, white sails dotted the horizon like a forest, with over twenty warships of varying sizes moored, enough to make ordinary pirates tremble in fear.
Moreover, the sheer size of the G-1 Branch fortress almost encompassed the entire island, resembling a sturdy castle standing on the sea. The thick cannon barrels protruding from the windows of numerous gun turrets revealed them all to be 48-pound fortress cannons, with even some 68-pound giant fortress cannons, turning the entire fortress into a terrifying war bastion.
"Captain Cross, please follow me!" Suddenly, a familiar face appeared before Cross.
"Huh?! Gion, why are you here too?" Cross looked at the woman before him with surprise and curiosity.
"You didn't even salute your superior, what an ill-mannered brat!" Gion raised her graceful eyebrows, her expression cool as she crossed her arms. Her famous blade, Konpira, hung at her waist, and her gaze inexplicably scanned Cross from head to toe.
After a moment, Gion continued, "You brat, Fleet Admiral Kong truly favors you. You've only been in the Marines for two years and have already climbed to the rank of Captain, almost catching up to me!"
"Hey, what you're saying makes me sound like someone who pulled strings!" Cross glared at her irritably, annoyed. "My achievements are genuine, not a drop of exaggeration!"
"Tsk~ I know, Captain Cross. Hurry and follow me; Sakazuki-san and the others are waiting for you. The meeting is about to begin!" Gion pursed her lips and turned, walking towards the steps leading into the fortress.
"It's truly an honor to be awaited by a group of Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals!" Cross laughed, shaking his head, and quickly followed, stating with clear self-awareness, "At my age, reaching this rank is already the peak. To continue climbing, I'll need to settle down for at least a few years, unless I can independently capture or kill another great pirate like Gecko Moria!"
The two walked side by side. Cross looked at the epaulet on Gion's shoulder and smiled. "Besides, you're not bad either, Commodore Gion! In two years, you've been promoted from Major to Commodore, directly entering the ranks of flag officers. That's something no ordinary Marine soldier can compare to!"
"I can't tell if you're complimenting me!" Gion rolled her eyes at Cross in annoyance, then added with a slight sigh, "However, when I heard you killed Gecko Moria, I was genuinely shocked. I never expected you to have grown to this extent! But then I thought, you dared to fight Doflamingo when you were 15, so it's not impossible for you to kill a guy like Moria now!"
"You're far too kind!" Cross smiled, humbly saying a word, upholding a traditional virtue.
At this time, Doflamingo was still accumulating strength and wealth in the North Blue, rarely venturing into the Grand Line, so Gecko Moria's reputation was still superior. In terms of strength, a Moria who hadn't completely fallen wasn't much weaker than the current Doflamingo either.
"Braggart!" Gion huffed in dissatisfaction. As they entered the fortress gate, her gaze suddenly fell upon the katana at Cross's waist. She couldn't help but ask, "When did you change weapons?"
"This is a spoils of war from defeating Moria, Great Grade Blade, the Black Blade Shusui! It's the legendary sword of Ryuma, the 'Dragon-Slaying Samurai'!" Cross said with a smile, patting the Shusui at his waist, introducing it with some joy.
"No wonder you replaced Kagehide! So it's Shusui, one of the Great Grade Blades. You're so lucky! I never thought Gecko Moria would possess such a treasure!" Gion exclaimed in surprise.
"Don't say that, it makes me sound like I'm fickle and always chasing after new things. The reason I replaced my blade is because during my battle with Moria, Kagehide's blade got a large chip. Although I managed to repair it, it's still noticeable, and that's hard for me to tolerate with my OCD!" Cross quickly explained.
"Isn't that true? I remember you prefer new things!" Gion retorted bluntly, directly exposing Cross's lie.
"Alright, I admit I'm a little bit fickle, but I wasn't lying just now!" Cross earnestly held out his hand, making a gesture with his right index finger and thumb. Yeah, just a tiny bit... he's just a bit of a glory hog!
As the two chatted and laughed, they quickly entered the interior of the G-1 Branch fortress. The immense space inside made Cross's eyes widen. Even on modern-day Earth, he had never seen a building with such a vast interior.
Inside the G-1 Branch fortress, there were many Marine soldiers assembling in formation, and even giants could walk through the passageways without feeling crowded.
"That's Vice Admiral Lacroix, a Giant. He's also one of the five Vice Admirals participating in this subjugation of the Roberts Legion!" Gion pointed to the giant ahead, introducing him.
Cross looked up and saw that the man had a slightly square face and an astonishing height of about twenty meters. He wore a Marine hat, a dark green suit with a white shirt underneath, a dark red tie, and a Marine Justice coat. He held a long sword with a golden hilt.
Of course, for ordinary humans, the "long sword" in Lacroix's hand was almost as long as the main mast of a typical sailboat, but for a twenty-meter-tall giant, it truly was just a "long sword."
"Yo, it's Gion!" Lacroix heard someone mention his name and couldn't help but turn his head, just in time to see Gion and Cross.
"Vice Admiral Lacroix, this is Captain Cross. He just arrived at the G-1 Branch!" Gion introduced Cross, who was beside her, to Lacroix.
"Hahaha~ I'm Lacroix, pleased to meet you!" Lacroix burst into hearty laughter, greeting him warmly.
"I'm Amphitrite Cross, Vice Admiral Lacroix, pleased to meet you for the first time!" Cross replied earnestly.
"I remember you're also in this operation meeting. Let's walk together!"
"This is my first time at the G-1 Branch. Thank you, Vice Admiral, for leading the way!"
"Don't be polite, we're all comrades fighting for justice! Hahahaha~"
"..."
Lacroix enthusiastically invited Cross to walk with him. Cross naturally didn't refuse, and with Gion joining them, the three headed towards the meeting's assembly point.
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