After chatting with Gion for a while, Ross led her toward the basement.
Every now and then, Gion would contact Zane.
Besides the annual report, Ross also heard some interesting news during this contact.
One hundred days after Vegapunk's death, all the kings of the constituent nations received a Den Den Mushi.
The Den Den Mushi call was a recording prepared by Vegapunk, which detailed a catalog of all his technological achievements.
Furthermore, Vegapunk admitted that he had hidden these achievements in the Kingdom of Giants in the New World.
This message, aside from making the World Government even more disgusted with the Giant Kingdom, did not cause any trouble.
After all, even if a member state wanted to contact the Kingdom of Giants, there was no way to do so.
Sending them directly to the Giant Kingdom would be even less realistic, as the Giant Kingdom was located deep within the New World, and getting there was extremely difficult.
Moreover, they didn't have the Eternal Pose for the Giant Kingdom, let alone the technology of Vegapunk.
Ross, however, realized that this was a last resort for Vegapunk.
After all, time had been too short, and Vegapunk simply hadn't had time to make adequate preparations. Spreading the news throughout the member states had already been his limit.
However, given the strength of these member states, it was highly unlikely that they would be able to reach the Kingdom of Giants or obtain Vegapunk's technology.
However, Ross felt that given Dragon's strength and style, he would probably make a trip to the Kingdom of Giants.
He wasn't particularly interested in the technology Vegapunk had left behind, since Vegapunk's body was in his possession and had been preserved in the best way possible to ensure his brain wouldn't be damaged.
Once Sora fully understood the world and formed a set of values from his perspective, he could involve Sora in the extraction.
Otherwise, Ross might have been genuinely afraid that absorbing Vegapunk's knowledge would create a new hidden danger for himself, which would have been a real loss.
Squeak!!
Gion opened the basement door and, with her long, slender legs, stepped into this dark place first.
With a light snap of her fingers, Gion ignited a cluster of blood-red flames at her fingertips. Though the flames were not intense, they seemed to possess some kind of magic, illuminating the entire basement.
In the basement, the air was stagnant, filled with a nauseating smell of decay and dampness. The cramped space felt like it could collapse at any moment. Old, broken items were piled in the corners, and cobwebs trembled slightly in the firelight.
Right in the center, a large iron cage stood out conspicuously.
Inside the iron cage, Moira huddled up.
Her golden curls were disheveled, strands clinging to her weary face. She had a slender figure, but her clothes were covered in dust and wrinkles. Her once stunning beauty was now etched with exhaustion and despair.
The sudden flash of fire made Moira's lifeless eyes flicker.
She struggled to lift her head and look in the direction of the light source.
There stood two tall figures. One was the woman who had dragged her into the basement, and the other was someone she had never seen before, but judging from her perfect face, aristocratic demeanor, and attire, she looked exactly the type she hated most.
Ha, it had fallen into the hands of the nobles she hated the most?
"Moira, that's the right name, isn't it?"
Ross glanced at Moira's information and immediately revealed her full name.
[Moira]
[Overall Rating: D+]
At such a young age, to have D+ strength without having consumed a Devil Fruit was quite impressive.
"How do you know my surname?"
Moira's voice was very pleasant, with a mature and sophisticated feel to it.
But perhaps because she wasn't feeling well, her voice was a little hoarse. However, this hoarseness didn't diminish her charm; instead, it seemed to veil her voice, making it even more alluring.
"He is Saint Jaygarcia Ross. You can call him Your Highness or Saint Ross."
Gion crossed her arms and smoothly introduced Ross.
She had heard this kind of introduction many times, so she had eventually become Ross's mouthpiece.
"Your Highness? Saint? Pshaw... Damn nobles, damn Celestial Dragons!"
Moira cursed incessantly, her gaze toward Ross filled with hatred.
"As expected of the captain of the Revolutionary Army, look at her high level of ideological awareness."
Ross chuckled, completely unconcerned by Moira's curses.
He had originally intended to have some fun, but hearing Moira's stubbornness piqued his interest.
The recent prey had been easy to catch, so it was a good time to try something different.
Thinking of this, Ross gave Gion a look.
Meeting Ross's gaze, Gion rolled her eyes in annoyance.
They had asked her to play a supporting role, but she just wanted to be a quiet spectator.
"Saint Ross, should we get rid of her?" Gion's tone was icy, as if she might kill Moira at any moment.
"Kill me."
Moira bit her red lips lightly, her eyes revealing a resolute determination.
But deep down, she still held onto a sliver of hope.
She firmly believed that Dragon would come to save her.
"How about using her as bait for Dragon? I heard she likes Dragon a lot, and many people in the Revolutionary Army like her too."
Ross, a smile playing on his lips, walked to the edge of the cage and carefully examined Moira, who was imprisoned inside.
"Stop dreaming, Dragon won't come to save me, you're just delusional."
For a moment, Moira did panic.
At that moment, she was afraid that Dragon wouldn't come to save her, but she was also afraid that Dragon would come to save her.
A complex mix of emotions swirled within her, making it impossible for her to remain calm.
"Saint Ross, your idea is likely futile. She's been captured for almost 20 days, and Dragon hasn't made a single move," Gion said calmly.
"Maybe they can't find the World Government's escort ship," Ross retorted.
Yes, it must be because Dragon couldn't find the escort ship, which was why they hadn't come to the rescue yet.
Moira comforted herself.
"With a life card, how could we not find her location?" Gion scoffed.
Vivre Card... Moira suddenly thought of the Vivre Card that could track her location, and her eyes dimmed.
"Perhaps Dragon doesn't have her Vivre Card?" Ross asked uncertainly.
How could that be!
She had personally handed her own Vivre Card to Dragon.
Moira's eyes dimmed even more.
"Or perhaps, because the escort ship has to cross the Calm Belt, Dragon is unable to provide rescue?" Ross proposed a new hypothesis.
That's even more impossible!
Before Gion could reply, Moira had already mentally refuted him.
She had seen with her own eyes that Dragon had led them across the Calm Belt; how could she possibly doubt that ability?
"According to our intelligence, Dragon does indeed have the ability to cross the Calm Belt. Moreover, given the limited security capabilities of the escort ship, Dragon should be able to rescue people with ease."
Gion glanced at the enigmatic, dark-skinned Moira in the cage and made her final conclusion:
"So, she must have been abandoned by the Revolutionary Army, and Dragon had no intention of rescuing her at all!"
…
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