Wait, seriously?
That tsundere Gion actually begged Tsuru to talk Admiral Sengoku into sending troops... for me?
Daren could hardly picture it. The ever-cool, aloof Gion, blushing and stumbling over her words in front of Vice Admiral Tsuru—it was almost too surreal to imagine.
"Husband, you're really not very observant... or maybe it's better to say you don't really pay attention to a girl's heart."
Amatsuki Toki nudged his arm with a soft reproach in her tone.
"Gion is a wonderful girl. Sure, she's a bit stubborn, but she's kind at heart. She may not say it, but she really does like you."
"Go on, now."
This... this sounded like a trap.
Daren's eye twitched slightly. He glanced cautiously at Toki and asked tentatively,
"You... you're not mad?"
Toki responded with a dazzling smile. Pride glowed on her pretty face as she lifted her chin.
"Of course not! I'm your first wife, after all!"
This kind of subtle rivalry between women was both baffling... and terrifying.
Daren silently grumbled in his mind.
Then Toki paused, clearly thinking, and added,
"Besides, Gion holds a special status in headquarters. If she also becomes your lover, wouldn't that be a huge help to your future career?"
Look at that! What a woman!
Daren was so moved he nearly teared up. Without thinking, he wrapped Toki into a tight hug.
"Toki, you're amazing."
Where in the world could you find a wife this understanding, gentle, and gracious?
In that moment, Daren couldn't help but admit—maybe those old-fashioned customs of Wano Country weren't so bad after all.
"Go on, hurry."
Flushed from Daren's sudden affection, Toki shyly twisted in his arms. She looked down with a gentle blush, her voice barely above a whisper.
...
The pitch-black night sky shimmered with bursts of vibrant fireworks, like falling stars streaking through the heavens.
Under that flickering glow, Gion's lone figure walking down the empty street looked particularly small—lonely, even.
"That bastard!"
"I actually let myself have a sliver of hope!"
Arms wrapped tightly around her slender shoulders, Gion pouted in frustration, muttering angrily under her breath.
She kicked at the small pebbles scattered across the road with growing irritation.
Her thoughts drifted back to that peaceful, warm "home"...
And to that gentle, flawless woman—so perfect that even Gion couldn't find it in herself to be mad at her.
For some reason, a hollow emptiness settled in Gion's chest.
A cold year-end breeze blew past, and she instinctively hugged her shoulders a little tighter.
Off in the distance, the sounds of laughing children echoed through the streets, mingled with the lively voices of families and the warm glow of festive lights.
But none of that... belonged to her.
"Bastard!"
A wave of emptiness surged in Gion's chest—an unfamiliar, aching hollowness.
She muttered a curse under her breath and angrily kicked a loose pebble off the street, eyes rimmed faintly with red.
"If you keep kicking like that, the whole street's gonna run out of stones."
A lazy, familiar voice drifted from behind.
Gion froze, quickly wiping at the corner of her eye. She turned around and found the smirking face of a certain Marine Commodore, mischief twinkling in his eyes.
She glared.
"What are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't you be home with your loving wife?"
Seeing her reddened eyes and that sharp, jealous tone, Daren couldn't help but chuckle. Feeling wicked, he leaned into the teasing and winked.
"Well, there's still plenty of night left. I've got time to spend with Toki... no need to rush."
"And besides, as the host, isn't it only right I come see the guest off?"
Time left to spend with her...
The words hit like a knife. Gion bit her lip, eyes reddening even more. She spat bitterly,
"I don't need you to see me off! I can go back on my own! Go be with your perfect, gentle wife... I'm just a guest to you, right?"
"No, no. You're not just a guest."
Daren shook his head.
"Then what am I to you?"
Gion's head snapped up, her eyes flickering with a faint, almost imperceptible hope. Her voice carried softly through the cold night air, tinged with urgency.
"Well…"
Daren scratched his head, acting like he was struggling for words.
"A subordinate who always argues with me."
"A colleague who calls me trash and scum every day."
"A comrade with a cute personality—tough on the outside, soft on the inside."
He started counting on his fingers, listing each one with a maddening seriousness.
"...Yeah, pretty much that."
The more she listened, the darker Gion's face grew. By the end, she looked ready to freeze the whole street with her glare.
"You bastard—mph!!"
She didn't get to finish.
Her lips were suddenly sealed.
She instinctively tried to pull away, but a strong, calloused hand wrapped around her slender waist, yanking her close.
The scent of tobacco hit her first, then the warmth of his breath, and her eyes widened in shock. But slowly... her stiff body began to relax.
All that pent-up frustration, the complicated emotions that had built over weeks—love, hate, longing—they exploded, flooding her mind and short-circuiting her will.
She closed her eyes without realizing it, and before long, her arms found their way around Daren's neck.
And she kissed him back.
Ten seconds passed.
Their lips finally parted.
A thin strand of saliva still connected them briefly as they pulled away.
Gion stood there breathless, face burning crimson.
I just... kissed him. In the middle of the street...
Panic hit her as she suddenly looked around, scanning for witnesses. Seeing the street empty, she let out a small sigh of relief.
Then, she remembered she was supposed to be mad.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing!?"
"What do you take me for!?"
Gion glared at him, biting her lower lip.
Daren, still savoring the kiss, looked at the flustered, red-faced woman in uniform and felt an overwhelming sense of pride.
"Didn't I just answer that?"
Before she could erupt again, he smiled gently and said,
"You're the person I like."
All of Gion's anger and resentment melted away in an instant.
She stared at him in disbelief, stunned.
"You... what did you just say?"
Daren grinned.
"Come on, I want to show you something."
He didn't wait for her reply—just pulled her into his arms again, one hand wrapping firmly around her slim waist, the other raising into the air.
With a sharp swish, a pitch-black blade flew in from the distance, hovering steadily in front of him.
"That sword?!"
Gion forgot to struggle. The moment she saw it, she instantly sensed its power and stared, wide-eyed.
"A famed sword from Wano Country. One of the few cursed blades in the world. They say it can 'cut through hell'... Enma."
Daren spoke casually, then added with a smirk,
"Don't even think about claiming it. It took me ages to tame this thing."