Upon hearing Saint Gawain's words, Gion nodded thoughtfully. As for Shalria...
She simply filtered out anything she couldn't understand and kept swinging Saint Gawain's hand, shouting excitedly.
"You're so bad, Brother Gawain! Killing slaves worth billions without hesitation, it's so impressive! I love it!"
"Heh."
Saint Gawain rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away from Shalria's embrace. Shalria pouted and tried to cling to him again, but Gawain placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her seriously.
"Shalria, quiet down for a moment. I need your help with something important."
"Huh?!"
Shalria was both surprised and delighted. She eagerly asked Gawain, "I can help you? That's amazing! Just tell me what you need me to do!"
"You enjoy buying slaves, don't you? What I need your help with is related to that."
"Oh, Brother Gawain, are you running out of money to buy slaves? Don't worry, I have plenty of Berries! If you want, I'll have them bring some over!"
"That's not necessary."
Saint Gawain shook his head.
"I just want you to buy higher-quality slaves, like that one, Jebel. Shalria, what do you think about the high-bounty criminals in Impel Down? If possible, I want you to contact your people and see if you can open up a channel with Impel Down to acquire slaves from them."
As he spoke, Gawain smiled and patted Shalria's shoulder.
"If you manage to turn the criminals in Impel Down into slaves, you'll be the most dazzling woman in all of Mary Geoise. After all, Impel Down has never sold slaves to anyone before!"
"Wow!!!"
Shalria's eyes sparkled as she imagined herself riding an exclusive Impel Down mount, envied by her fellow Celestial Dragons. As for what kind of slave market Impel Down was, why they didn't sell slaves, or how much those slaves would cost if they did…
None of that was within Shalria's consideration!
Off to the side, as Gawain watched Shalria deep in thought, he smiled and took her hand. While gently stroking the delicate hand of this girl, whose heart was both as venomous as a snake's and yet pure in some aspects, Gawain spoke softly to the distracted Shalria.
"I'm not only interested in the prisoners of Impel Down but also in their current Deputy Warden. If you can secure a steady supply from Impel Down and prove that their prisoners can be turned into trade goods instead of being locked away forever, I'll be really happy."
"Don't worry, I'll go and investigate right away! Even if I have to throw tantrums, cry, or pretend to die, I'll get those slaves from Impel Down!"
The moment Shalria finished speaking, she was about to leave. She could barely contain her excitement at the thought of riding her Impel Down slaves.
Seeing her turn to go, Gawain quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Don't rush off. My Vivre Card isn't finished yet. Wait until it's done, and keep a piece for yourself."
"Huh?!"
Shalria's already flushed face turned even redder with excitement. Tilting her head, she murmured, "Is this… Is this how we exchange Vivre Cards?"
Her small hand trembled, and she lowered her head, fingers twining together, as she spoke expectantly.
"Alright, once I'm back, I'll bring a piece of my Vivre Card for you too, and give it to you~."
"Good. It's a deal."
At that moment, Saint Gawain's smile imprinted itself deeply in Shalria's mind. Even as she returned to Mary Geoise, her face remained flushed, and she couldn't stop murmuring to herself.
"How can there be such a handsome fellow Celestial Dragon as Gawain?"
And after she finished gushing, she got to work, gathering information, contacting her channels, and throwing tantrums to get her way.
This caused quite the headache for the Navy. By that very afternoon, Saint Rosward's entire family showed up at Navy Headquarters.
Rosward himself was as arrogant as ever, spoiling his daughter endlessly, demanding the Navy hand over the prisoners from Impel Down.
As for Shalria, she dragged the already beaten and battered Saint Charlos and continuously harassed Sengoku, threatening to kill her own brother on the spot if she wasn't given the right to purchase limited-edition prisoners from Impel Down.
All afternoon, poor Charlos was filled with grievances, the Navy Headquarters was in turmoil, the three Admirals were away on missions, and Vice Admirals were scrambling across the seas, leaving countless pirates bewildered by the overwhelming naval presence.
And Sengoku…
After being forced to promise Rosward's family a quota of three prisoners a month, he hid in his office and, while Garp was away in the East Blue, dyed his hair again.
As for Impel Down…
After hanging up the call, Magellan's assistant, Shiryu, sneered.
"Damn Celestial Dragons, tsk tsk."
He hugged his Raikō blade tighter and continued to sneer.
"No prisoner here should ever gain freedom because of those filthy Celestial Dragons, Magellan. If it were up to me, I'd take them instead. I could make them useful in ways you wouldn't believe, ha!"
"That's enough, Shiryu!"
Magellan frowned.
"The Celestial Dragons have given their orders, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku has no power to refuse them. Thankfully, it's only three per month. Besides, they're not truly free—they're becoming slaves for the Celestial Dragons, which may be a far worse fate than staying in Impel Down."
Magellan sighed and then turned to Shiryu with a stern warning.
"And as for you, Shiryu, no matter what your reasons are, I won't allow you to keep killing those prisoners. This is a prison, not an execution ground. If I find you doing it again, I'll personally lock you up and see to your execution!"
…
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago, at the largest and most luxurious mansion on Island #79, Saint Gawain was sprinting across the vast courtyard.
To be honest, Gawain wasn't just sweating—tears were nearly falling from his eyes. Not because he was exhausted to the point of crying, but because so much sweat had gotten into his eyes that they stung unbearably.
At the edge of the courtyard, Gion had the Konpira strapped to her waist, holding a wooden sword in her hand, watching Gawain expectantly. While others feared the Celestial Dragons like the plague, Gion had no qualms about hitting Saint Gawain with her wooden sword the moment he slowed to a jog.
Smack!
With a crisp sound, Gawain, who was attempting to slow down to a jog, felt a sharp pain in his back and stumbled forward, crashing to the ground.
"What the hell!"
Gawain was so tired he was nearly passing out. He even reverted to his old speech habits from before he crossed into this world. He didn't even care about the fall and, instead of being upset, felt nothing but happiness as he lay face down on the ground.
In just a moment, Gawain was blissfully sprawled out, finally understanding the old adage: 'It's more comfortable to lie down.'
But his bliss didn't last long. In barely two seconds, Gion was there, pulling him back up with her slender but strong hand.
"My lord, you're far from done. Keep going."
"I..."
"If you can still speak, you're nowhere near your limit. Keep going, my lord!"
Gion pushed Gawain forward once more.
The guards stationed around the courtyard, drenched in sweat, looked at Gion like she was a monster. She dared to push a Celestial Dragon to his breaking point, even though he had repeatedly ordered them to let him rest!
But Gion didn't care about the guards, who had long since been turned into obedient dogs by the Celestial Dragons. She continued to jog beside Gawain, wooden sword in hand, while explaining.
"In this world, power comes from only one thing—your body! Whether you rely on a Devil Fruit or specialize in Haki, you need a strong body and unmatched stamina to back it up. Thirty-three years ago, during the God Valley Incident, Garp, Roger, and Rocks fought for four days straight—four days and nights of unrelenting Haki and Devil Fruit battles!
Twenty-two years ago, Shiki and Roger fought for three days and nights at the Battle of Edd War, only ending when a storm destroyed Shiki's fleet.
And nineteen years ago, Shiki stormed Marineford alone, waging a battle against Garp and Sengoku for a full day and night before finally being defeated and captured.
See? The battles of the strong are all measured in days and nights! The key is stamina. Your body is your most trustworthy weapon, my lord!"
As Gawain's steps became more unsteady, Gion lightly tapped his thigh with the wooden sword. Though it was a gentle strike, the force nearly made him leap in pain.
After letting out a scream, Gawain picked up his pace and ran a bit further.
Finally, when Gawain was completely spent, Gion pressed him to the ground.
Without hesitation, she removed his linen shirt and began applying medicine to the spots where she had struck him with the sword.
As she applied the ointment, Gion spoke coldly.
"My lord, you harbor a fierce will and a grand strategy, with ambitions for the world. But all that is
meaningless if your body can't support it. You need more than just wit to survive at the top."
At that moment, Gawain wanted to retort, but he was too exhausted. All he could do was nod, silently promising himself: One day, I'll make you pay for this training, Gion!