"Vice Admiral Sakazuki will be in charge of arranging this Buster Call. I will appear when needed."
Ross nodded to Sakazuki, expressing his opinion in response.
He was just going there to have some fun and maybe pick up a couple of people he really liked.
As for what happened to Ohara, he didn't care at all.
Those historians weren't studying history; they were studying the taboos of the World Government.
Regardless of the nature of that history, it was a topic that the World Government had explicitly prohibited from researching. To openly conduct research on it in private was no different from treason.
No regime would allow such a group to exist; the only difference was whether the approach was appeasement or radicalism.
After exchanging a few words with Sakazuki, he left the command room with Stella and CP0.
Zephyr was left behind to take over from Sakazuki.
Since he had promised the Marines, Ross would still do his best to complete this Buster Call, which would be considered a merit for him.
If you hadn't destroyed an island or a country, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself an elite Celestial Dragon among the Celestial Dragons, let alone dream of getting that fruit.
"Commander!"
As soon as he stepped out of the command room, a man and a woman came up to him and gave Ross a respectful military salute.
[Gion]
Overall Rating: C+
[Additional calculation]
Overall Rating: C+
"I am Gion!"
"I am Kake!"
The two nervously gave their names, especially Gion, whose face turned pale, while Kake was a little better off.
Knowing that the Celestial Dragons had specifically requested them to join their crew, anyone would feel uneasy, especially since the two were not future Admiral candidates, but just two rookies fresh out of the Zephyr Elite Training Camp.
In terms of strength, they were only at the level of a Rear Admiral in the Marine Headquarters. Zane's mere presence alone exerted a tremendous sense of pressure on them.
Moreover, even their teacher Zephyr had yielded, so how could two insignificant people like them possibly resist?
Ross glanced at the two extremely uneasy people and walked straight into the interior of the ship.
"Come in one by one and discuss among yourselves who wants to come first."
With that, he led Stella and Zane into the cabin that Sakazuki had arranged for him.
Twenty years later, both Kake and Gion became Admiral candidates through their own abilities and the Marine's training.
To become a candidate for Admiral, one had to at least be comparable to the Vice Admiral of an Emperor, and if one was stronger, one could contend with the Four Emperors for a short period of time.
Beings of this caliber could already be considered powerful on the high seas.
On the high seas, there were countless Vice Admirals, but those who could reach the level of vice-royal or Admiral candidate were extremely rare. In each era, only a few dozen people could reach this level.
Kake and Gion, through the Marine system alone, were able to develop into candidates for Admiral.
If Ross were willing to invest some resources, he could quickly turn the two of them into powerhouses.
Ross wanted to keep such promising talent in his grasp, even if it meant coercion and enticement.
Knock knock knock!
Gion and Kake didn't keep Ross waiting long; soon Gion knocked on the door and came in.
Ross wasn't surprised to see that Gion was the first to enter; he simply looked her up and down.
Gion had an excellent figure, only slightly taller than Ross, with long, fair legs that were 1.8 meters tall. Due to long-term exercise, they were very elastic. The spider tattoo on her left thigh added to her charm. The peach-colored dress on her upper body could hardly cover her completely, revealing a large area of snow-white skin and a bottomless cleavage.
"Did you come in voluntarily, or was it decided after discussion that you would come in first?"
Ross sat in his chair, watching Gion with great interest as she looked at him, though she seemed a little uneasy.
"I came in voluntarily without consulting Kake."
Gion took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
The Celestial Dragon standing before her could decide her life or death at will, leaving her no room for carelessness.
As a Marine elite, she had heard about what the Celestial Dragons were like, so she had prepared for the worst before knocking on the door and coming in.
If Ross tried to force himself on her, she would resist with force. Even though Zane exerted immense pressure on her, she would still choose to resist.
Some things were ultimately more important than life.
"Let's chat. Let's find somewhere to sit."
Ross smiled and gestured to the seat next to him. His behavior made Gion even more nervous; this was not the Celestial Dragon she had imagined.
"What, are you afraid I'll eat you up?" Ross laughed.
"No! No!"
Gion quickly shook her head and sat in the seat furthest from Ross, her head bowed low, not daring to watch Ross tease Stella.
Ross's arrogant and domineering behavior in openly bullying Stella matched her impression of Celestial Dragons. However, the fact that his tone was relatively gentle made her quite uncomfortable.
Celestial Dragons shouldn't act like this.
"Tell me about yourself. I started paying attention to you guys after Zephyr became a CP0 instructor. You seem to be from Wano Country?" Ross asked.
Gion was too wary, which was not conducive to carrying out subsequent actions.
There were many ways to conquer a woman, but forcing her to submit was the simplest and most effective method.
If other methods didn't work, Ross didn't mind playing the villain.
Gion's current strength was probably inferior to that of the Vice Admiral of the Headquarters. The female CP0 behind him could easily control her, which was why Ross had brought a female CP0 member with him on this trip.
However, if he did that, Zephyr's goodwill would decrease considerably, so he was reluctant to use force unless absolutely necessary.
"Yes!"
Gion nodded slightly; her background was no secret.
"Actually, I've never lived in Wano Country. It's just that my family is from Wano Country, so I'm used to being influenced by them."
"You're a swordsman? What's your approximate strength? A sword master?"
Ross glanced at the sword hanging at Gion's waist. In the world of One Piece, it was well-known that weapons weren't distinguished; as long as a weapon had a blade, one could be considered a swordsman.
However, the sword Gion carried was not the Kinpira, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, but a standard long sword used by Marine officers.
"I learned how to cut iron three years ago, so I can barely be considered a swordsman, but I'm still far from being a great swordsman on the sea," Gion explained earnestly.
When Ross asked her questions, she felt a sense of unease, like when Zephyr's adjutant had questioned her about her strength and experience before she entered the elite training camp.
Having had a similar experience before, and with Ross asking only simple questions, Gion completely relaxed.
"You want to become a great swordsman?"
"Yes! My goal is to become a great swordsman within five years!" Gion answered truthfully.
"A Devil Fruit should be able to speed up this process. Haven't you thought about wanting one?"
"I don't have any particular ideas. It would be best to get a good fruit, but if I can't, I'll rely on my swordsmanship."
"Women are physically weaker than men, don't you think?"
"Although there aren't many strong women, there are a few. I believe that with my own efforts, I can secure a place for myself in the future. At least, I am stronger than Kake and other male Marines of the same generation."
"I remember the training camp mainly taught the Rokushiki, right? How are you doing with your studies?"
"Rokushiki—I'm quite skilled in Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, and Rankyaku, but I'm not so good at Shigan and Tekkai."
"I suppose Tekkai isn't suitable for you, so as not to harm the body."
"Will weightlifting make my muscles bigger? Aha... If you train for a long time, it will definitely have some effect, but that's definitely not the reason why my Tekkai isn't working."
"..."
...
Stick around, Nobles!
Smash those Powerstones so Ross keeps sailing.
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