Before Wood removed his restraints, he was already able to slightly suppress Gion. Now, with the restraints completely lifted, Wood's combat power had undergone a complete and overwhelming transformation.
"So fast!"
With just a single flash step, Wood's feet had already exploded through the air, and in a split second, the distance of a hundred meters was reduced to zero as he appeared directly in front of Gion.
Although Gion's Observation Haki detected Wood's sudden appearance, and she managed to hastily make a defensive move, when Konpira blocked the strike from Tenko, the immense pressure on her arm made Gion keenly aware of the significant gap between them.
Gion was defending with both hands on her sword, while Wood was attacking with only one hand. However, the moment their blades clashed, Gion, who was using both hands, couldn't hold out even for a second before she was sent flying, along with her sword, by Wood's single strike.
As she was sent flying backward, Gion's body skimmed across the surface of the sea, creating massive splashes of water. But before she could even gather herself, Wood's figure suddenly appeared behind her again.
Just like two years ago during their sparring at the Navy Academy, Wood had similarly appeared behind Gion without any warning.
And just like two years ago, Gion had a premonition and made the same move as before.
Back then, Wood's sneak attack from behind had been countered by Gion, but this time, the outcome was drastically different.
As Gion turned around to counterattack, her hand holding Konpira hadn't even completed its swing before her wrist was seized by Wood's right hand. Before Gion could make her next move, Wood's left hand had already formed a knife hand and struck toward Gion's neck.
A sharp pain shot through her neck, and Gion felt her consciousness blur, with darkness slowly encroaching on her vision.
With a single knife hand strike, Wood knocked Gion unconscious and then lifted her up in a princess carry, using Moonwalk to return to the navy ship.
Having witnessed the complete defeat of their Rear Admiral, the dozens of subordinates Gion had brought along were now in a state of panic.
Initially, they thought this mission would be an easy one, merely a matter of claiming some credit. After all, how could a mere traitorous Navy Major be a match for Rear Admiral Gion?
But who could have expected such an unexpected outcome? Rear Admiral Gion, who was considered one of the best among the Navy's Rear Admirals, was utterly defeated by a former Navy Major.
Wood, however, didn't intend to make things difficult for Gion's subordinates. After all, he was just going undercover and wasn't truly betraying the Navy.
"You bastard! What do you intend to do to Rear Admiral Gion?"
"You scoundrel! If you have any decency, come at me! Don't lay a hand on Rear Admiral Gion!"
"To think you were once a member of the Navy! Don't think the Navy will let you off for doing this!"
With Gion's defeat, the situation on the ship had completely reversed.
Russ and the others, who had been prisoners just moments ago, regained their spirits after Wood's victorious return, and they quickly bound Gion's subordinates like worms.
However, the reason these Navy soldiers were so agitated wasn't because they had become prisoners but because of what Wood was doing.
After knocking Gion unconscious, Wood tossed her onto the deck and then, without a care in the world, began rummaging through her belongings.
Seeing Wood's hands all over the unconscious Gion, her subordinates were instantly enraged, thinking he was about to do something unforgivable.
Female Navy officers were already rare, and Gion was a well-known goddess within the Navy. To see her treated in such a manner was infuriating.
Defeating Rear Admiral Gion wasn't enough; now, Wood was trying to break her spirit with such despicable actions? It was too much!
"What are you thinking? Even if I were desperate, I wouldn't go after someone like Gion. Don't you know how ruthless she is? If I actually did something to her, don't you think she'd hunt me down all the way to Raftel?"
As it turned out, the Navy soldiers' worst fears didn't come to pass. Wood was only searching Gion to retrieve his Vivre Card.
Wood knew all too well how relentless Gion could be. If his Vivre Card remained with her, it wouldn't be impossible for him to be constantly hunted down by her.
To prevent future problems, he had to destroy his Vivre Card.
Of course, Wood didn't deny that during his search for the Vivre Card, he did "accidentally" touch many places he shouldn't have. But it couldn't be helped; since he didn't know where Gion had hidden the Vivre Card, he had to search her thoroughly.
After retrieving his Vivre Card from Gion, Wood didn't linger any longer and ordered Russ and the others to set sail immediately.
First, it was Golden Lion Shiki, and now Gion. Even if the Navy Headquarters was slow to react, after finding Impel Down empty, they would soon catch up to them.
A few days passed, and the news birds of the News Department once again flew across the sea, bringing another major news story to every corner of the world.
The supposedly impregnable Impel Down prison had been breached!
Golden Lion Shiki had not only severed his own legs and successfully become the first person in the world to escape Impel Down, but he also killed the warden of the prison.
The infamous pirate, whose name had almost been forgotten, was back, and he showed the entire world that Golden Lion Shiki had returned!
Compared to the headline-grabbing news about Golden Lion Shiki, the news of Wood's defection from the Navy seemed insignificant.
After all, he was just a Navy Major. At the branch level, such a rank might make him a notable figure, but in the New World, a Navy Major was nothing.
To put it bluntly, most of the slightly famous pirate crews out there have killed several Navy officers of this rank.
If it weren't for Wood releasing over a hundred prisoners from Impel Down during Golden Lion Shiki's escape, he wouldn't have even made it into the newspaper today.
"Captain, Captain, you've been officially listed with a bounty by Navy Headquarters, but the amount is far too low considering your accomplishments and what you've done."
On a pirate ship that had been crudely modified from a Navy ship, the new vice-captain, Russ, came rushing into the captain's cabin with today's newspaper, holding a freshly bought copy from the news bird and Wood's latest bounty poster.
Wood didn't need to read the newspaper to know what was written, as he was one of the main characters in the story.
So, he focused on the latest bounty poster lying on the table in front of him…
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.