Appearing before Gion at this moment was a striking pink-haired girl with a towel in hand, carefully wiping sweat from Zoro's brow.
Gion's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. How could she tolerate this? Zoro was her designated man, so how could another woman be so intimately close to him?
Her voice immediately rang out, sharp and demanding, "Hey, what are you two doing?"
Perona froze mid-movement, startled by the voice. The instant she heard someone new, she instinctively floated up and hovered protectively beside Zoro, her grip tightening on his arm.
Zoro had just been put in his place by one of her Negative Hollow ghosts, and Perona's hand was still lingering there when Gion approached.
The moment the two turned, they saw a tall, elegant woman walking toward them, long legs moving with confident steps.
Zoro squinted slightly, puzzled, the familiarity of this figure stirring something in his mind, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.
"Roronoa Zoro, long time no see," Gion said, her voice wavering a little, as if trying to steady herself.
She had imagined that seeing him again would leave her composed, but reality was far from her expectations. Even after all the Marines she had faced, even after facing men far more terrifying than any pirate, Zoro stirred her nerves more than she expected.
"Long time no see? Have we met before?" Zoro asked, confusion in his tone.
It certainly sounded like they had met before, but he genuinely couldn't recall this woman's face.
At that, Gion's expression darkened slightly with frustration, "You haven't forgotten me, have you?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow, puzzled at her strange resentment, and simply asked, "May I ask who you are?"
Gion blinked once, then answered, "You haven't forgotten the things you did to me, have you?"
Zoro's eyes went wide, having no idea what she was talking about. "Hey, woman, don't talk nonsense, alright?"
Perona glared at this stranger with outright confusion, cross-armed and frowning. Someone was actually accusing her favorite toy of wrongdoing?
Her grip tightened on Zoro's arm.
"Hey, you woman, this is my Kuma-shi. What do you want? Did my toy offend you?" she demanded, her voice sharp, as if claiming ownership.
Zoro tried to free himself from Perona's hold, but she clung on stubbornly, refusing to let go.
Gion's eyes narrowed, and she introduced coldly, "Perona, also known as Ghost Princess, former crew member of the Seven Warlord ship under Gecko Moria."
Perona's eyes widened at the mention of Moriah, and instead of being startled at Gion's introduction, she burst into tears again in longing, "Captain Moriah, where are you?"
Tears and snot smeared onto Zoro's sleeve, and even he looked down at his clothing with disgust.
"Hey, what are you doing? Come on, that's gross," he complained.
Turning back to Gion, he snapped, "You better explain yourself clearly."
Gion brushed a lock of hair back from her face, "You… you did something very excessive to me."
Then she flinched slightly and discreetly covered her chest.
Zoro blinked, shocked and slightly red, "Don't talk nonsense, I… I don't even know you, how could I have done anything excessive to you?"
"You actually forgot me?" Gion asked, her tone a mix of hurt and determination. She rarely showed this side outside of using her seductive techniques, the unique method Marines like her employed to lure pirates and capture them.
Letting out a short breath, she continued, "Let me formally introduce myself, my name is Gion, and I used to be a Marine Vice Admiral."
Perona perked up at the word "Marine," quickly hiding behind Zoro and whispering urgently, "Kuma-shi, protect me!"
Zoro glared back, irritated, "I already said I'm not Kuma-shi!"
He then looked at Gion more carefully, a sudden recognition flickering in his eyes.
"Wait… you're that Marine?" he said flatly.
Only then did he remember that this was indeed Gion, the Marine Vice Admiral nicknamed Momousagi, who had been involved in an encirclement against his crew before.
Zoro's guard rose slightly.
"What do you want, former Marine?" he asked, voice blunt and unamused.
Gion lifted her chin, appearing confident but with a subtle vulnerability hidden beneath her composed facade.
"I already told you… I am no longer a Marine," she said, calm yet earnest.
Zoro didn't fully trust her explanation. He knew many Marines used sudden defections or lies as tricks to lower their enemy's guard before capturing them.
"So if you're not a Marine anymore, what are you doing here?" he asked, tone sharp.
Gion took a step closer, her eyes locked on his, "I came here specifically to find you."
"What?" Zoro said flatly, unaffected.
She stepped closer still, holding his gaze, "I like you, so I came to find you."
Zoro blinked once, then leaned back a few steps, expression unchanged but eyes narrowed slightly.
"What did you say?" he repeated.
Gion's voice stayed steady, slow and deliberate, "I said I like you. How about that? Is it clear now?"
"You… I…" Zoro didn't know what to say. This was unexpected, especially considering their past as adversaries on opposite sides. Navigators, Marines, Pirates — rarely did their paths mingle like this.
Perona, finally realizing who this woman was, gasped.
"You're that Marine Vice Admiral Peach Rabbit?" she whispered sharply, pulling tighter against Zoro's arm, "Be careful. She uses geisha-like techniques and seduction to lure pirates and trap them. She might be trying the same tactic on you."
Only then did Zoro fully understand how Gion operated. He curled one side of his mouth into something close to amusement, "Still a Marine at heart, huh?"
With that, he tightened his grip on the dagger at his waist, its edge gleaming faintly in the daylight, and pointed it toward Gion, expression indifferent, as if daring her, "What's with all this flashy stuff? Draw your sword."
Gion's eyes softened, but her lips tightened with sadness.
"I, a dignified woman, abandoned everything to find you," she said quietly, "and this is how you treat me?"
Perona tugged on Zoro's arm again, "Zoro! Don't listen to her! She just wants to trap you!"
But Gion ignored the tiny pink woman. In an instant, she activated Soru and reappeared directly in front of Zoro.
Zoro, still held tightly by Perona's stubborn grasp, barely had time to react. And before he could move, Gion reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, lowering her gaze and pressing her lips to his.
!!!
Zoro's eyes widened slightly in shock. He had expected hostility, combat, even aggression — but not this.
Perona was even more shocked.
This Marine actually kissed her prized toy!
For a moment that felt longer than it was, Gion slowly pulled back, cheeks faintly tinged with red.
This wasn't a seductive trick, not one of her usual manipulative tactics. It was genuine, awkward, and surprisingly sincere — despite everything.
Zoro, usually unfazed, simply blinked, expression unreadable.
Perona's voice finally burst out, "Hey, Zo… Zoro!" she shouted, trying to shake his attention.
That sound snapped Zoro out of the moment.
"What exactly do you want, woman? I'm not just some pirate who'll fall for flirtation," he said calmly, voice dry.
Gion's cheeks warmed, but she lifted her chin proudly.
"Listen… that was my first kiss. I may have used charm to lure enemies before, but I wouldn't even let someone touch my hand, so you can trust it's real," she stated seriously.
Zoro tilted his head, expression unreadable, then asked, blunt and flat,
"What do you want to do?"
Gion met his gaze firmly.
"I want to marry you."
"Nani!!"
===
Look up "_Zeph" on Patreon to get access to chapters in advance.