"Greetings, Saint Ian!"
As the warship pulled alongside the going merry, Gion and Tina, standing on the warship's deck, immediately bowed to Saint Ian.
Because of the approaching Marine warship, Anna did not continue to kneel before Ian. Instead, she stood up discontentedly as the warship drew near, looking with a hint of anger at the two female Marines who had interrupted her service to the Young Master.
Although she and several other maids were long accustomed to serving their Young Master at a moment's notice, no matter when or where he desired, there were still appropriate occasions. After all, in their eyes, the Young Master was a god, and a god's body was not something anyone could gaze upon, not even female Marine officers.
"Vice Admiral Gion, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."
Ian didn't get up, but lay lazily on the deck chair under the orange tree, saying, "Although I don't know why you're here, is it not somewhat disrespectful to This Young Master's status to salute This Young Master from across the sea?"
"Even if you Marines don't have to kneel to the Celestial Dragons, you shouldn't just bow from across the sea, should you?"
Upon hearing this, Gion's nerves instantly tensed.
Although she wasn't worried about what Ian would do to her, the risk factor for Tina, who was beside her, was very high.
From what she understood, Tina's looks and figure both appealed to this noble crown prince. Furthermore, Tina's personality was very likely to arouse Ian's desire for conquest.
At Marineford, Tina could ignore any suitor, but in front of Saint Ian, Tina was merely a Marine Headquarters Colonel. If she displeased Ian, let alone her, even the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters and Vice Admiral Tsuru together wouldn't be able to smooth things over.
However, Ian had already spoken to this extent, and as a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, she could only comply.
After a brief silence, she secretly took a deep breath, faced Tina, and said, "Tina, let's go over!"
"Why should we go over?"
Even if the person opposite was the most noble Celestial Dragon crown prince from the Holy Land, Tina didn't react much, merely blinking in confusion, "Our mission is to maintain the safety of Saint Ian's shipping route. We've already greeted him, so why do we still need to go over? Tina doesn't understand."
"Don't ask so many 'whys' at a time like this."
Gion shook her head and smiled, lowering her voice to remind her, "He is Saint Ian, the Young Master of the Nerona Family, the most noble person in the Holy Land! Let alone you and I, even Sengoku or Commander-in-Chief Kong would have to go over and salute!"
"Let's go."
With that, Gion stopped talking nonsense. Her figure flashed, and she leaped from the warship's deck to the going merry's deck, standing respectfully before Ian.
Although Tina was very puzzled, she still followed onto the going merry.
Before the two could speak, Ian suddenly stood up and ordered the warship, which was sailing alongside them, "I demand that you disappear from This Young Master's sight within ten minutes!"
"!!!!"
Unexpectedly, Ian suddenly ordered the warship to leave. Gion and Tina almost simultaneously widened their eyes.
The Marine officers on the warship also looked up, caught off guard.
"How dare you, are you trying to defy the Young Master's order?"
Seeing that the warship hadn't yet accelerated, Gunko immediately stepped forward and said coldly, "Disobeying the Young Master is tantamount to treason. Do you want to become Marine traitors?"
"Yes, this subordinate will leave now!"
Gion's adjutant dared not delay. After glancing at Gion and Tina, he decisively took out a den den mushi and urgently said, "Full speed ahead, leave this sea area within ten minutes!"
As the adjutant's order was given, the warship immediately accelerated, quickly leaving the going merry behind.
Seeing this, Ian nodded with satisfaction, looking at Gion and Tina with a gentle smile, "Next, you two shouldn't wear these uniforms either. Anna, take the two female officers to change into casual clothes."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Anna walked gracefully to the two, with a hint of jealousy, and said indifferently, "Follow me, both of you!"
"Saint Ian, this isn't appropriate!"
Gion's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Meeting Ian's gaze, she said neither subserviently nor arrogantly, "I am a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. My duty is to maintain order in the sea and ensure the safety of your current voyage. I have no obligation to serve you."
"Don't misunderstand," Ian waved his hand, "I'm merely letting you stay to give you a vacation for a while, to accompany This Young Master on sightseeing trips. As for maintaining order in the sea, as you mentioned, This Young Master doesn't care how you performed before. But this time, This Young Master left the Holy Land, and just by coming to the East Blue, I encountered quite a few things. Especially the escape of Dragon, the revolutionary army leader. This Young Master exerted immense effort to capture him, and what was the result? You actually let him escape during escort. With such incompetence, how dare you mention maintaining order in front of This Young Master?"
"Of course, This Young Master doesn't mean to hold you accountable!"
"The reason I'm having you stay is that This Young Master is going to an interesting place and needs you to accompany me in casual clothes."
Gion, rendered speechless by Ian's remarks, took a step back and bowed slightly, then turned decisively and followed Anna into the cabin.
Tina naturally dared not make any more noise, as she was one of the officers escorting Dragon at the time. She was naturally to blame for Dragon's escape.
Soon, Tina and Gion came out in casual clothes.
Gion's casual attire was simple: tight jeans paired with a shirt. Her hair, which had been coiled on her head, now fell naturally, making her look much younger and exuding more of a mature woman's charm.
Tina, on the other hand, had changed into a dress. Her fair skin radiated a coolness under the sun, and her every gesture carried a queenly aura, even overshadowing the presence of Anna and the others.
"So, whether man or woman, one must rely on clothing!"
Looking at Gion and Tina, who seemed like different people after changing into casual clothes, Ian was very pleased with their attire. He gestured for them to sit down and then continued, "Next, let's start our pleasant journey. I hear Mock Town is nice, how about This Young Master's next stop being there?"
"Mock Town?"
Gion's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
As a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, she not only knew this place but also knew it was a lawless zone, a gathering place for pirates from the Four Seas and the Grand Line. Even if a Marine warship arrived there, they wouldn't easily arrest anyone.
Thinking of this, Gion tentatively asked, "Saint Ian, why did you suddenly decide to go to Mock Town?"
"I heard that not only is the scenery there good, but the hospitality is also very friendly. Especially the group of people entrenched there who call themselves 'New Era Pirates,' they all disdain unrealistic romance and dreams, pursuing instant gratification in reality, which is very much to This Young Master's taste."
"So, This Young Master plans to join them for instant gratification."
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