The next day.
Gunko woke up early and personally prepared breakfast for Ian.
Anna and Sally also dared not linger in bed after Gunko woke up, and after washing up with two other noble young ladies, they came to the ship's lounge.
Sally had clearly adapted to life by Ian's side, no longer as reserved as when she first boarded the ship, especially her expression had relaxed considerably.
Of course, the biggest reason was that Ian finally stopped bothering her. Having a rare night off, she naturally seized the opportunity to catch up on sleep, sleeping until she woke up naturally.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, just as the other two noble young ladies also walked into the lounge and sat on the sofa, Anna, who had walked in one after the other with Sally, suddenly quickened her pace towards the sofa on the other side.
Sitting gracefully on this sofa was Kaya, whom Ian had brought from Syrup Village.
As usual, Kaya did not participate in their sisterly affection, instead, she was engrossed in a book, reading with great interest. Although she was only from a wealthy family, her demeanor was even more aristocratic than that of a noble young lady.
However, at this moment, Kaya looked a bit tired, and her eyes were red as if she hadn't slept all night, making anyone who saw her feel pity.
"Kaya, what's wrong with you?"
Noticing Kaya's unusual state, Anna, who had quickly walked over, familiarly grabbed Kaya's slender, boneless hand and asked with concern, "Your eyes are so red. Are you not used to spending the night on a ship?"
Kaya shook her head, saying somewhat weakly, "It's not that I'm not used to spending the night on a ship. It's just that Saint Ian's movements were too loud last night, and Nami, did she anger Saint Ian? She cried intermittently all night!"
As soon as Kaya finished speaking, Sally and the other two noble young ladies all turned to look at her, as if they were looking at a naive innocent girl.
With such a commotion last night, Kaya actually naively thought Nami was being punished for making a mistake?
Is she that naive?
That shouldn't be!
As early as when they were at the big house in Syrup Village, Kaya had already heard Princess Sally and their Young Master's harmonious music. How could she still not understand now?
However, it was precisely Kaya's innocence that made them, who had stood out from Ian's vast harem in the Holy Land, unable to target Kaya. They all wanted to carefully protect this girl.
And at this moment, they finally understood why their Young Master favored Kaya a bit more. Such a pure and beautiful woman, let alone the Young Master, they liked her very much too!
"Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing Anna and the others all looking at her, Kaya blinked blankly and cautiously asked, "Wasn't it Nami?"
"It was Nami, indeed!"
Anna did not hide it, saying with a half-smile, "However, she wasn't being punished for making a mistake, but rather... the Young Master gave her the opportunity to serve him in bed."
Pausing slightly, Anna suddenly leaned closer to Kaya and whispered, "When we arrive at the Holy Land, Kaya will also have the opportunity to serve him in bed once her health improves. At that time, Kaya might 'cry' even more miserably than Nami!"
At the same time.
In Ian's messy bedroom, Nami, who had spent the night in harmony with Ian, was sound asleep. Although Ian had also been busy all night, due to his powerful physique, he not only didn't feel tired or sleepy but even felt a bit unsatisfied.
"Young Master? May I come in?!"
Gunko's voice came from outside the door.
Ian didn't answer but casually grabbed a bathrobe, put it on, and got out of bed.
After waiting for three seconds, Gunko decisively pushed the door open and entered.
After glancing at Nami, who was still sound asleep, Gunko skillfully began to tidy up the room.
She was already used to such scenes; she had seen even messier situations when they were in the Holy Land.
The only difference was that in the Holy Land, there were professional nannies to attend to things, so she didn't need to do it herself.
Now that they were out, as Ian's personal maid, she naturally had to take on the responsibility of tidying up Ian's room.
"Young Master, were you satisfied last night?"
After picking up all the clothes on the floor and throwing them into a trash bag, Gunko looked up at the young, vibrant figure across from her, which made her feel a bit emotional, and then continued, "If you're not satisfied, Gunko will wrap her up and throw her into the sea to feed the fish!"
Upon hearing this, Ian's mouth twitched slightly.
Gunko was getting addicted to throwing women who displeased him into the sea. Throwing them to feed the fish at the slightest disagreement, she truly was the most loyal maid by his mother's side.
"No need,"
Ian waved his hand, looking at the sleeping Nami, a mischievous smile unconsciously curving his lips: "This Young Master is very satisfied with this woman; she's a honey pot."
...Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Garp, Tsuru, and the three Admirals were all gathered in one room, sitting upright and looking at Sengoku, who was seated at the Fleet Admiral's desk.
Because of the news brought back by Kizaru, coupled with Saint Ian's verbal command, Sengoku dared not delay. He immediately ordered an internal investigation of various branches in the East Blue, and the head of the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau, Tencho, codenamed Black Horse, personally went to the East Blue to supervise after receiving the order.
It wasn't that they were making a big deal out of nothing, but rather that internal corruption was a serious issue.
Furthermore, with Saint Ian, the most powerful crown prince of the Holy Land, holding them accountable, how could they dare to be negligent?
"Garp, what exactly is going on here!"
After scanning the three Admirals present, Sengoku's gaze settled on Garp, and he said in a deep voice, "Every time you've taken leave over the years, you've returned to the East Blue, yet you didn't know that former members of the Sun Pirates ran off to the East Blue and established the Arlong Empire for a decade. If it weren't for Saint Ian accidentally appearing in the waters of Cocoyasi Village, the villagers of dozens of surrounding villages would still be living under the high-pressure rule of Arlong's Gang, unable to rise up!"
"This is my oversight!"
Garp, for once, did not shirk responsibility, "Every time I returned to the East Blue, I would randomly select some branches for investigation. Branch 16 was no exception, but every time I went to Branch 16, Colonel Nezumi's investigation report showed no problems!"
"No problems is the biggest problem!"
Sengoku slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "The more perfect the investigation report, the more you should personally go and see their jurisdiction. It's precisely because of your negligence that Nezumi became even more brazen, oppressing civilians with Arlong's Gang for so many years."
"Now, put down everything you're doing, and immediately depart for the East Blue with Vice Admiral Tencho of the Investigation Bureau to eradicate this corrupt practice. At the same time, do a good job of appeasing the public, so that the civilians who have suffered oppression from Arlong's Gang all these years receive due compensation."
"Understood."
Garp nodded in agreement, casually picked up a senbei from the coffee table, and turned to walk out of the office.
"Kizaru, immediately relay my order to Gion, instructing her to lead a Marine warship to conduct a carpet patrol of the waters Saint Ian might pass through. If any pirate traces are found, there's no need for arrest; execute them all on the spot."
"If Saint Ian catches us with another handle, not only will you all be held accountable, but my position as Fleet Admiral will also be hard to maintain."