Among the group of Marines, aside from Vice Admiral Tsuru, there was another striking figure—a stunning woman with long black hair, a beauty mark at the corner of her lips, a peach-colored blouse, a blade at her hip, and a spider tattoo curling around her long, toned thigh.
The future admiral candidate, Vice Admiral Gion—known by her codename, Pink Rabbit. Though at this point, Zhang Da Ye wasn't sure what rank she held yet.
Understanding his place, Zhang Da Ye stepped politely to the side to make way for the Marines. With such a large formation, it was obvious they were here for that flamingo. Still, if things followed the "original script," Vice Admiral Tsuru's operation would likely come up empty this time.
As they passed, Tsuru's sharp eyes lingered on Artoria and Rui Mengmeng for several seconds longer than necessary. The look she gave them wasn't suspicion, but… admiration?
Don't tell me this old lady is here to poach them?
But with a mission at hand, Tsuru said nothing and moved on.
Later, Da Ye pieced the story together from drunken gossip in the tavern. Stripping away the exaggerated nonsense, the facts seemed to be these:
Doflamingo and a bunch of lackeys were encircled by Tsuru's forces. The fight was nearly one-sided; his underlings were wiped out in short order.
But Doflamingo himself vanished without a trace. None of his top officers appeared at all.
Which meant, most likely, the one who had been cornered was a string clone he created with the Ito Ito no Mi. After sacrificing a batch of cannon fodder to buy time, the real Doflamingo had already slipped away with his family.
If Da Ye remembered correctly, this was about the time Doflamingo was scheming to become a Warlord of the Sea. Didn't he end up robbing the Heavenly Tribute and blackmailing the World Government to secure the title?
Wait… could that have been why he came here in the first place?
After all, the Heavenly Tribute bound for Mary Geoise had to be lifted thousands of meters into the sky by the Bubble Lift.
And Doflamingo could fly. If he intercepted the tribute midair, who could possibly stop him?
Or perhaps he was planning to ambush the transport before it even reached the lift. After all, with that much wealth, he'd need more than just himself to haul it all away.
No one really knew how much money the Heavenly Tribute contained, only that it was enough to fuel the wasteful indulgence of every Celestial Dragon.
In any case, after this incident, Doflamingo was gone. He never seemed keen on a direct clash with Vice Admiral Tsuru.
The following day at noon, Tsuru appeared at the tavern, accompanied by a blonde female Marine.
She wasn't wearing a uniform, but plenty of patrons recognized her instantly. As she passed through the crowd, whispers erupted on all sides.
Tsuru was dressed simply—a pale violet blouse, cropped black pants, plain leather shoes. She walked straight to the counter before stopping. The blonde officer stood neatly behind her.
Don't tell me she's really here to poach people?
Zhang Da Ye quickly greeted them. "What can I get you two to drink?"
Tsuru's smile was kind, grandmotherly even. She glanced at the teapot before Artoria. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like a cup of tea."
Da Ye chuckled. "A tea order in a tavern… that's a first."
"Is it inconvenient?" Tsuru asked lightly.
"Inconvenient? Of course not. If you ask, I'd be a fool not to oblige." Da Ye turned to Artoria and spoke a few quiet words.
Artoria nodded, poured out two cups of tea, and set them before the women, adding a plate of pastries on the side.
"Thank you," Tsuru said, lifting the cup and blowing gently on it. "It seems you recognize me, young man?"
"Of course. Just yesterday I saw you out in the street. Vice Admiral Tsuru—the name is famous everywhere." Years of soaking in tavern banter had made Da Ye fluent in polite flattery. "I grew up listening to your stories."
"Oh?" Tsuru sipped her tea, her eyes twinkling. "And which stories would those be?"
"Uh…" Da Ye froze. That was just something people say! He knew she was powerful, sure, but Oda-sensei never exactly published her résumé.
Her teasing look, and the way the blonde officer behind her covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, left Da Ye feeling distinctly awkward.
"Such a young boy, already learning how to smooth-talk," Tsuru chided gently, like a grandmother scolding a mischievous child.
"Heh… well, I do know you're one of the great Marines, and that's enough, isn't it? By the way, may I ask why you've come today?"
"Then I'll be frank," Tsuru said. "I want to invite you to join the Navy."
Before coming here, she'd already investigated the tavern through local Marines. She hadn't even learned Da Ye's name, but their group was impossible to miss: two beautiful women, and above all, that cat with the astonishingly expressive face. Ironically, the boy leading them was the least memorable of the bunch.
The reports were clear. A youth who'd drifted here after a shipwreck, a clever cat, a mysterious but powerful and graceful guardian, and a seemingly ordinary waitress.
Tsuru didn't pry too deeply into their past. What mattered to her were their actions and character. They'd captured bounty targets more than once, even taken down an entire pirate crew recently. And yet they didn't live like bounty hunters—no arrogance, no vulgarity. They even stepped aside respectfully when Marines were on duty.
From her perspective, they weren't bad people. That alone was more important than any hidden background.
Of course, what really drew her eye was Artoria's strength. It was enough for Tsuru to come personally.
"Join the Navy?" Da Ye thought carefully, already considering how best to decline politely. His impression of Tsuru was good—he didn't want to offend her.
But joining the Marines meant living and dying by orders. And the one giving those orders might not always be someone worth following.
"Why should we join the Navy?" he finally asked.
At that, Tsuru's heart sank. It seemed this wouldn't be an easy sell.
Still, that was to be expected. If he'd been the type to agree instantly, he'd already have signed up when they cashed in bounties. After all, there was always the routine offer.
What she couldn't know, of course, was just how perfunctory that "routine offer" had been when it came from the local major.