Note: Let's change her name to "Ain" again because that is what the author named her. I thought "Ain" was a boy's name at first, but it doesn't matter, so it is back to "Ain" instead of "Aine."
...
"So, you took Hancock and the others to the Sabaody Archipelago, and then returned here to find me?"
Within just a few minutes, Wood had heard everything from Gion about what happened after he left.
Because Gion and her group left much earlier than the Fish-Men, they didn't encounter any obstacles on their way.
However, Wood couldn't help but worry about sending those recently freed slaves back to the Sabaody Archipelago. He wondered if they might be captured and sold again...
Noticing the concern on Wood's face, Gion added, "Don't worry, I didn't take them to the illegal zones of the Sabaody Archipelago.
And don't underestimate them, especially that Amazon kid you care about. After eating the Devil Fruit, her power has grown considerably. Ordinary slave traders and pirates shouldn't be a match for her.
Besides, this was their choice. When they found out you were in danger, they insisted on returning home on their own and asked me to come find you as soon as possible."
Indeed, after becoming the wielder of the "Love-Love Fruit," Hancock was no longer just an ordinary kid. The power she demonstrated in Mariejois was comparable to that of a "Lieutenant" in the Navy.
At the current Sabaody Archipelago, there weren't any formidable enemies. As long as they could contact Amazon Lily, the Kuja Pirates would probably come to pick them up.
"Now that you've told me about the Amazon kid, care to explain how this 'Fish-Man Sword Saint Yasuo' business happened?
Didn't we agree earlier that we could teach the Celestial Dragons a lesson, but not to kill anyone?
Now the entire sea is in an uproar, and two days ago, the Navy Headquarters even ordered us to return immediately because they're running out of manpower."
The moment Gion mentioned the Celestial Dragons, she flared up again, grabbing Wood's ear and twisting it.
"There was nothing I could do. I didn't expect the Celestial Dragons to be such scum.
I acted on impulse, and after killing the first one, I figured killing the second one wouldn't make much difference, so I took care of him too.
To be honest, the biggest loss this time was all the treasure I took from Charma Saint's vault. I lost everything while escaping, and now all I have left is this sword."
Wood was thankful that Tiger, knowing how important a famous sword was to a swordsman, had recovered his sword while rescuing him. Otherwise, Wood would have lost everything this time.
"It's a good sword, no doubt, but are you sure it's safe to take something from the Celestial Dragon's vault?"
"Relax. That vault was so full of stuff that even the Celestial Dragon probably didn't know what was in there.
And since that Celestial Dragon is dead, and I burned everything I couldn't take, there's nothing to worry about."
Murder, theft, arson… Wood was still a Navy officer, not some infamous pirate.
Noticing the uneasy look on Gion's face, Wood casually patted her shoulder and reassured her, "After all, it's the Celestial Dragons. It's no big deal. They're worse than pirates, so there's nothing wrong with robbing them."
Wood's twisted logic and worldview left Gion speechless. Although she wanted to assert that she was a righteous Marine and wouldn't stoop to Wood's level, she couldn't help but realize that she was somewhat complicit in the whole situation.
After several days of sailing, Wood and Gion's ship finally docked at the Navy Headquarters' harbor.
During the journey, Wood had hoped that some bounty-hunting pirates might come looking for trouble, giving him a chance to earn some extra cash.
After all, during previous missions, Gion often encountered such characters on the way back.
With all the treasure he had looted from Mariejois now at the bottom of the sea, Wood was desperate to earn some money before returning to that godforsaken place, Impel Down, or else he wouldn't even have enough to buy little Ain a gift when he went back to Maple Leaf Island.
Unfortunately, due to the Mariejois incident, the entire sea was now on high alert, and the Navy Headquarters was frantically hunting down criminals.
Not only was the naval hero Garp involved, but the Navy Headquarters had also deployed the three most powerful Vice Admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji.
Not just small-time pirates, but even the major pirates were lying low during this period, not daring to provoke the Navy.
So, naturally, Wood and Gion's return journey was unusually smooth, without any incidents.
Upon their return to Navy Headquarters, the two went straight to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office to report on their mission.
As they walked down the corridor, receiving salutes from various Marines, Gion couldn't shake her unease.
The reason was simple: the situation had escalated too much. Gion knew that Fleet Admiral Sengoku wasn't a fool; he would undoubtedly connect some dots and realize that they were involved in the incident.
So, when they reported their mission, should they tell the truth about what they did in Mariejois?
"Sengoku didn't forcibly recall us because of the Celestial Dragon incident; he cited a lack of manpower as the reason, meaning he doesn't want this matter to be linked to the Navy.
So, no matter what Sengoku asks later, we must play dumb and insist that we were just there to escort the slaves. As for anything else, it had nothing to do with us!"
Gion was still too inexperienced. While she was quite shrewd and handled things better than most of her peers, her current state was such that she didn't even need to say anything. A seasoned veteran like Sengoku would be able to see through her.
In Wood's view, confessing would be the dumbest move. Even if Sengoku had some suspicions, it didn't mean he wanted to be in the know. After all, knowing too much could mean taking the blame if things went south.
When they entered Sengoku's office, the old man looked up from his paperwork, his sharp gaze piercing through his round glasses as he studied Wood and Gion.
"You've worked hard on this mission. You must have heard about the recent events at sea, right?
A Celestial Dragon was killed. This hasn't happened in hundreds of years. And it's quite the coincidence that you two were also in Mariejois at the time.
So, I want to know if there's anything you know that I don't."