The special care unit on the upper floor of G-5 Naval Base was supposed to be a quiet place. However, just a few minutes ago, the senior nurse on duty was forced to retreat, cold sweat streaming down her temples.
She wasn't shot with a gun, but rather by the piercing gaze of a woman with wavy blue hair who had now taken over her medical tray.
Gunko dipped a small towel into a basin of warm water. Her nimble hands moved with great care, applying compresses to the cuts and bruises on Quentin Seven's body as he lay on the medical bed.
In fact, beneath the bandages and the remaining bloodstains, Seven's body had regenerated perfectly. His physical healing ability, combined with Bijuu chakra, had closed the wounds from Charlotte Linlin's attack since they set sail home.
However, Seven had deliberately halted the healing process at several points on his skin's surface. He let the bandages remain in place, feigning pain every time Gunko's warm towel touched his wounds.
Seven knew exactly what he was doing.
Through their intense Den Den Mushi conversations every weekend, he knew exactly how Nico Olvia felt about him. And from Gunko's gestures, her repetition, and her dedication, Seven also realized that this woman, her personal servant, had fallen into the same abyss of emotion. That was why Seven's wariness toward Gunko gradually diminished. He no longer saw her as a direct threat.
However, within his mind, the scorching heat of a giant two-tailed cat shattered the calm.
"Playing with the feelings of a human whose origins you don't even clearly know," Matatabi snorted, staring at Seven's projection with her sharp yellow and green eyes. "Someday, you will surely regret this, Seven."
In his subconscious, Seven simply let out a sigh of indifference. 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know my limits.'
In the real world, Seven lay comfortably in Gunko's lap, enjoying the gentle strokes of her hands.
The door to the treatment room suddenly swung open.
Fisher Tiger stepped inside. He was no longer wearing the tattered rags typical of an outcast fish-man, but a custom-tailored Navy officer's uniform made for his massive frame. In his hand, he held a roll of the morning newspaper reporting Charlotte Linlin's defeat.
Seeing Tiger, Sakazuki and Borsalino, who had been standing leaning against the room's wall, turned their heads as well.
"You've just returned from the northern coastal patrol, Tiger?" asked Seven, opening one eye without moving from Gunko's lap.
"Yes, Master Seven," Tiger replied stiffly. He placed the newspaper on the table, his face showing a mix of respect and a hint of anxiety. "As per procedure, we cleared the waters. Three pirate ships were sunk. But… there were also two slave-trading ships that we destroyed today."
"Good," Seven praised briefly. "Then what makes your face look like you've just seen a ghost?"
Tiger swallowed hard. The destruction of slave-trading ships made this topic always sensitive for him. "Before their ships were destroyed, the slave-trading captains threatened us. They said they operate under the protection of the Rozward Family of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise."
Hearing the name Sky Dragon mentioned, the atmosphere in the room suddenly grew tense.
For any Navy soldier, mentioning an asset belonging to the Sky Dragon was a one-way ticket to the execution post—or worse, having their entire hometown destroyed by a Buster Call.
Seven slowly rose from Gunko's lap. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the giant fish-man before him. He reached out and patted Fisher Tiger's shoulder firmly.
"Don't worry," said Seven, his voice calm yet firm. "If those pigs from Mary Geoise dare to touch you or cause trouble on Fishman Island… I'll carry out that plan myself. Right, Sakazuki, Borsalino?"
No one noticed how Gunko's breath had caught for a split second upon hearing those words. Her murderous intent nearly flared up. But she quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a deep sense of curiosity.
"Of course," Sakazuki replied from the corner of the room. Suddenly, the temperature around him rose drastically. Drops of molten magma fell from his clenched fist, burning the floor until it sizzled. Sakazuki's face was very serious. "Six more years. There will be a major event that completely shifts the balance of global power. Kaka said that at that time, we can...."
"Terrifying," Borsalino cut in quickly. His long legs stepped forward, closing the distance between Sakazuki and Gunko.
Borsalino's round glasses glinted in the lamplight. He glanced at Gunko out of the corner of his eye; his mind never truly let he slip from his watchful gaze, especially since she was approaching Seven's older brother. "There's no need to discuss those tedious details here, Sakazuki."
Gunko, whose mind was already reeling from that half-baked information, couldn't hold back. Her hand, clutching the compress towel, squeezed slightly.
"Six more years?" she asked in a tone of innocence perfectly disguised. "What will happen in six years, Mr. Sakazuki?"
Sakazuki looked at Gunko. Since this woman was the one who took care of his older brother—even his daily life—Sakazuki trusted her. He snorted softly, folding his arms, which had returned to their normal form.
"The two of you, Gunko and Tiger, have only been under my brother's command for a year," Sakazuki stated firmly. "You can't compare to us, who have followed my brother since the very beginning in the West Sea. What do you know about the Devil Fruit my brother ate?"
Tiger and Gunko exchanged glances briefly before Tiger answered.
"The Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, Susanoo Model," Tiger said confidently, having come to understand the full extent of the Seven's power among everyone at sea. "Capable of creating a giant from energy that can both defend and attack. Capable of short-range teleportation. Manipulating fire, including blue flames that can be used as a sword, and summoning black flames that never go out—though Master Seven rarely uses them. And... illusions."
Sakazuki smiled crookedly, an expression of arrogance he rarely saw. "That's just the surface." He pointed at Borsalino with his chin. "There's one primary ability unknown to anyone else in this world except the two of us."
Gunko's eyes widened. Her heart was pounding. The fact that there was a hidden power within Quentin Seven was golden information for Mary Geoise, especially for Her Majesty Imu.
"What ability is that?" asked Gunko, his eyes radiating hope and an unstoppable curiosity. "Tell us quickly."
Borsalino slipped both hands into his pants pockets, shifting his stance in his signature manner. Since he himself had cut off Sakazuki's remarks about the secret plan, he now took the lead to steer the conversation toward something far more 'terrifying'.
"My brother's ability…" Borsalino's voice filled the room, making the atmosphere feel eerie. "…is to see significant events in the very distant future, though only three times, and partly because they're fragmented."
Fisher Tiger's breath caught in his throat. Gunko froze, her pupils shrinking to the size of needles.
"Seeing… the future?" Gunko whispered. Her mind was buzzing loudly. Advanced Observation Haki can indeed see a few seconds into the future, but seeing significant events in the very distant future? Even if there are only two uses left. That is a power even Her Majesty Imu does not possess; even the Time Devil Fruit, as recorded, can only travel to the future—it cannot fully see the future at that very moment.
"That's right," Borsalino continued casually. "Long before that news appeared in the papers a while back, when we were still patrolling the West Blue, Brother had already said that a man named Rocks would form the most terrifying pirate crew on Honeycomb Island, and gather all the sea monsters under one flag."
The room fell completely silent. Neither Tiger nor Gunko could hear the sound of waves or the ticking of a clock. That fact shattered their perceptions. If Red-Eyed Rear Admiral Quentin Seven could see the future, then every action he took—from recruiting Sakazuki and Borsalino, to saving the fish-men, to challenging Charlotte Linlin—was no mere coincidence. He was someone who already knew about the predetermined outcomes!
On the mattress, Quentin Seven had been placed back on Gunko's lap, who remained frozen stiff. Seven closed his eyes, regulating his breathing to sound like someone fast asleep.
However, behind his peaceful expression, the corners of Seven's lips slowly curled, forming a faint smile that went unnoticed by anyone in the room.