After talking with Gion for nearly half an hour, Ross had a general understanding of Gion's situation, which also allowed Gion to completely relax.
There are always some differences between looking at documents and listening to the parties involved.
Gion's current strength was roughly comparable to that of pirates with bounties of 100-200 million. She had a good grasp of the Rokushiki of the Marines, and her Observation Haki and Armament Haki were both in the early stages of awakening. She had also just mastered the Flying Slash.
Gion was only 20 years old, so her future looked promising.
With sufficient resources, it would be possible to reach A-rank strength within 1-2 years. With a powerful Devil Fruit, this process could be accelerated.
Beyond that, it was a realm that couldn't be reached through talent and hard work alone. Without any special advantages, every step forward required a life-or-death battle with top experts to have any hope of advancing further.
"What's your relationship with Kake?" Ross suddenly asked.
"So-so. Although he was my only rival in the training camp, I don't think anyone would like a perverted guy who harasses women every day."
When Kake was mentioned, Gion's face showed almost undisguised disgust.
From the moment she first met Kake, he relentlessly pursued her. Before Ross came out of the command room, Kake proposed to her yet again.
Gion was utterly fed up with this shameless behavior, despite their mediocre relationship.
Gion.
Upon hearing Ross suddenly mention her name, Gion's relaxed body instinctively tensed up.
It's here!
Although she didn't know why Ross was willing to chat with her, after talking for so long, it was time to get down to business.
Ross's willingness to talk to her made her less nervous than before, which already gave her a very good impression of him.
Gion felt she wouldn't refuse unless there were some unreasonable demands.
I'll give you three choices.
"Please speak."
Gion's pretty face slightly furrowed, and she straightened her body slightly.
Knowing that she still had options, Gion subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"First, you can continue to serve in the Marines. I remember the Marine Headquarters assigned you to Vice Admiral Tsuru's ship to learn and train under her. If you choose this path, after this Buster Call, her warship should encounter an accident, and only Vice Admiral Tsuru will survive if nothing goes wrong."
After Ross finished speaking calmly, Gion's face immediately turned pale.
This statement clearly indicated that she would no longer be able to serve in the Marines.
If she continued to serve in the Marines, not only would she perish at sea, but all of Vice Admiral Tsuru's subordinates would also have to die with her.
She hadn't reported to Vice Admiral Tsuru yet, so there wasn't much of a bond between them, but she would never do something that would lead to certain death and drag others down with her.
He's a Celestial Dragon after all...
At this moment, Gion had no more illusions left. Just from hearing the first option, she knew that the subsequent options would also be very difficult.
"The second one," Ross's voice remained calm and unhurried, "you will become my personal CP0, and your growth will be in accordance with the standards of a normal CP0."
"However, this choice is risky, and I can tell you that directly. I will also give Kake three options. If he chooses the first two, then you and he will be fine."
"But at the same time, I will offer you a third option. Your third option is to become my woman. And his third option is to bow down to me and serve me."
"If he chooses the third option and you choose the second, then I'm sorry, his priority will be above yours. If he makes any requests, I will not provide you with shelter, and some things that you don't want to happen may become reality."
"I choose the third one!"
Gion pursed her lips, but still spoke with unwavering certainty.
Ross had made the threat public, and it was a threat she couldn't refuse.
Choosing the first option was a dead end.
If she chose the second option, becoming a CP0 member wasn't unacceptable, but if Kake chose the third option, then Ross might end up in Kake's hands.
Just imagining that scene sent chills down Gion's spine.
She would rather accept Ross than that.
After all, in terms of status, manner of speaking, and appearance, Ross was far superior to the short, fat, and sleazy Kake.
She wouldn't have accepted the third option if Ross hadn't given her so many choices.
But when faced with several worse possibilities, Gion found that becoming Ross's woman wasn't as bad as she initially thought.
At least Ross was different from the Celestial Dragons she had imagined, and from any perspective, she was lucky to have climbed the social ladder.
Gion reassured herself, her long legs slightly pressed together, showing her extreme nervousness.
"Now that you've made your choice, let me see your sincerity." Ross smiled, his gaze brazenly sweeping over Gion, whose face showed signs of struggle.
He wasn't in a hurry. Since Gion had agreed, he believed she would do as she said; it was just a matter of waiting a little while.
He preferred to use power to coerce people into agreeing willingly rather than force them with violence.
In just half an hour of conversation, Ross knew how to take over Gion.
From Gion's demeanor, it was clear that she was a very simple person whose daily life revolved around training to become stronger and honing her swordsmanship.
The only romantic experience she had was being relentlessly pursued by Kake, which was definitely not a normal experience.
Given Gion's limited experience, Ross didn't need to do much. He only needed to break down Gion's prejudice against the Celestial Dragons through conversation, then present the current situation to her and let her choose from the options he offered. She would inevitably gravitate towards the ending Ross desired.
The key lay in the three options Ross offered.
He seemed to have given three options, but in reality, he only wanted the last one.
Gion was given only one last option, which would inevitably cause her to rebel, and the negotiations might fall apart.
However, if the other party was given three options, given Gion's Marine experience, she would subconsciously choose from the three options rather than stepping outside of those options to negotiate terms.
In that case, Gion would almost certainly choose the last option.
If Gion still chose the second option under these circumstances, it either proved that Gion trusted Kake's character, or it proved that in Gion's heart, Kake was not as good as her.
Regardless of the type, Ross would show no mercy; after forcibly tasting the delicacy, he would send Gion to hell.
Two future Admiral candidates were valuable, but there were too many future powerhouses who had not yet risen to prominence, and Ross didn't really need one or two more.
Is it right here?
Gion hesitated before speaking, her hand unconsciously loosening its grip on her clothes.
From the moment she agreed to the third option, she knew what was going to happen.
She was only focused on becoming stronger, but that didn't mean she was 20 years old and still knew nothing about relationships.
She also fantasized about what kind of person her future partner would be.
But she never imagined it would be a Celestial Dragon...
"Right here, is that not allowed?"
Ross asked, puzzled, as if unaware of what Gion was worried about.
"But..."
Gion pursed her lips, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards Stella and the female CP0. Who does such a thing with other people around?
Is there a problem?
Ross frowned and asked, seemingly not understanding Gion's meaning at all.
He was willing to trust Gion, but not to the point of risking his own life.
With Zane present, even if Gion were to suddenly start a murder, he could quickly suppress her; this was his guarantee to himself.
"All right..."
Gion opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
This was the first time she had ever done this, and she hadn't expected such a scenario before.
Perhaps for the Celestial Dragons, this was the norm?