After returning to Navy Headquarters, Kaguya made arrangements for Rebecca and officially had her join the Navy. Once the paperwork was done, she was formally enlisted.
This was something Kaguya had thought through carefully.
Rebecca had lost her entire family in Dressrosa. Even her aunt Violet was missing. Now, she was alone in the world, with no home or support. Given her current strength, she likely wouldn't be able to protect herself. Leaving her outside on her own would be far too dangerous.
Kaguya had other important matters to attend to and couldn't keep Rebecca by her side all the time. So, the best choice was to have her join the Navy.
This would not only give her shelter, but also offer a degree of protection. As a Marine, she would have plenty of time to train, and through battles with pirates, she could further hone her strength.
"Sensei, are you leaving?" Rebecca turned and asked with a trace of worry.
With no other family, she naturally saw Kaguya as a surrogate parent. Though Rebecca had matured a lot from her hardships, she was still a young girl just past ten. Feeling uncertain in a new environment was only natural.
"Don't worry. I won't be gone for long," Kaguya turned to her with a smile. "And if anything comes up, just talk to Tashigi or Ain—they're also my students."
"Those two girls from earlier?" Rebecca asked curiously.
"That's right," Kaguya chuckled. "Relax, everyone here is pretty friendly."
"Okay." Rebecca nodded softly.
Just then, a Navy soldier hurried over, saluted, and said, "Ma'am, Fleet Admiral Sengoku requests your presence."
Kaguya raised a brow. That old man certainly had his ways—she hadn't been back long, and he already knew.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office—
"So? What do you want, old man?" Kaguya plopped unceremoniously onto the sofa. "Let me be clear: my time is valuable. If there's nothing important, I'm leaving."
Sengoku bristled at her utter lack of respect, but then sighed. She had always been like this. If he got angry every time she acted this way, he would've died of rage long ago.
"I do have something important to discuss," Sengoku said, clearing his throat.
"What is it?" Kaguya asked, casually grabbing some rice crackers from the desk and munching without care. "What, are the pirates stirring up trouble again?"
"Yes," Sengoku said gravely. "This concerns the New World."
"The New World?" Kaguya tilted her head, intrigued.
"Exactly," Sengoku's expression grew even more serious. "Recently, the four major pirate crews—Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and the up-and-coming Red-Haired Pirates—have all made appearances in the New World. It seems something major is about to happen."
"So what?" Kaguya said nonchalantly. "Fighting over territory is what pirates do best." She bit into a rice cracker.
"If only it were just that simple," Sengoku said gravely. "I suspect they may be fighting over something... specific. That's why they're all mobilizing so aggressively."
"Something specific?" Kaguya asked, her mouth still half-full.
"I believe," Sengoku said, his eyes narrowing, "that they are fighting over... Devil Fruits."
Kaguya paused. "Devil Fruits?"
"That's right," Sengoku said gravely. "And not just any Devil Fruits—these might be ones with extremely powerful abilities."
Extremely powerful Devil Fruits?
Kaguya suddenly thought of something.
Could it be the Yami Yami no Mi?
If it was the Dark-Dark Fruit, then everything made sense.
Despite its many weaknesses, the Yami Yami no Mi was still considered one of the most formidable Devil Fruits. The reason was simple: not only did it possess immense power, but its most unique trait was the ability to absorb other Devil Fruit powers.
In the original story, Blackbeard used the Yami Yami no Mi to steal Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, gaining its devastating abilities for himself.
Of course, that might also be related to Blackbeard's unique body constitution.
Still, such a fruit was undoubtedly something all the major powers would fight for.
As expected, Sengoku wanted her to head to the New World to observe the movements of the pirate crews. If anything unusual happened, she was to report back to Navy Headquarters.
Normally, if it were just another reconnaissance mission, Kaguya wouldn't bother—too boring. But if the Dark-Dark Fruit was involved, that changed everything.
If she could locate the fruit, she would pursue it whether Sengoku ordered her to or not.
Though the Yami Yami no Mi might not enhance her strength, it had plenty of other uses. It would make for perfect bait.
As she left Sengoku's office, Kaguya suddenly encountered a tall, striking woman walking toward her.
She had long, flowing black hair, flawless fair skin, delicate features, and a graceful elegance. Her eyes were bright and clear, her figure was statuesque with prominent curves, and as she walked, her chest swayed subtly beneath her half-buttoned uniform, exuding a quiet allure.
When did Navy HQ get such a gorgeous woman? Kaguya wondered.
Just as they were about to pass each other, the woman suddenly stopped, turned, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you must be Kaguya?"
Kaguya turned with curiosity. "You know me?"
The woman smiled. "You're known as the world's most beautiful and powerful inspector. If I didn't know who you were, wouldn't that be embarrassingly ignorant of me?"
"That's just idle talk from people outside," Kaguya replied indifferently.
The woman smirked. "Too much modesty becomes insincerity, you know."
"So, may I ask," Kaguya tilted her head, "what business do you have with me?"
"Naturally, I have business with you," the woman replied with a dazzling smile. "I came here today... to challenge you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she drew her sword with blinding speed, stomped the ground, and launched herself at Kaguya like a bolt of lightning.
Faced with the sudden attack, Kaguya's eyes narrowed as she swiftly leapt back. With a light flick of her finger, her blade Liuli flashed out of its sheath. Gripping it firmly, Kaguya stepped forward and countered.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out as the two swords collided, sparking bright flares of light.
"As expected of the woman hailed as the strongest in the world," the beautiful woman said with a faint smile, her blade pressing against Liuli.
"Has my charm reached the point where even women are throwing themselves at me?" Kaguya sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm not into overly passionate types."
With that, she pushed the woman back with her blade, leapt away, and in an instant lunged forward again. Her arm swung, and Liuli turned into a cold flash slicing through the air.
Even before the blade arrived, its killing intent could already be felt.
"Sorry, but I don't have any strange preferences," the woman replied with a graceful smile. Her movements were elegant as she swung her blade with practiced ease, parrying Liuli with another clang!
At the same time, she thrust her sword like a striking viper toward Kaguya's ribs.
"That remains to be seen. Who can say what the future holds?" Kaguya laughed softly, her body moving like a dragon in flight. With a twist of her wrist, she angled her blade upward in a shimmering arc.
"Try defeating me first."
Clang!
Sparks flew as the two clashed again. The duel was fierce and elegant, with rapid exchanges, blades crossing and separating in a flurry of steel. Wind blades swept the arena as their sword techniques generated gale-force bursts.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the woman was sent flying and slammed into the wall.
"Looks like I've won," Kaguya said, walking over with Liuli in hand.
"It's still too early to say," the woman replied, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth with a smile.
"Oh? You still think you can turn this around?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think?" As she spoke, a powerful aura surged from her body. Her sword became shrouded in dark energy—Armament Haki.
Her eyes narrowed. With a stomp, she cracked the ground and shot forward like an arrow. With a sharp cry, her jade-white arm slashed forward, sending a pitch-black blade of energy slicing through the air.
"As expected of Vice Admiral Gion, the Pink Rabbit—the one said to be closest to becoming an admiral," Kaguya said with a gleam in her eyes. "Your strength is impressive, but... it's still far from enough."
In a sudden burst, Kaguya vanished and reappeared beside Gion like a bolt of lightning. With a casual swing, she shattered the massive energy blade with a boom.
Impossible!
Gion's pupils shrank.
That was her most powerful and proudest technique.
Even the three Navy Admirals would struggle to block it unscathed. Yet this woman had broken it so easily.
Before she could react, she felt a chill at her neck—Liuli's blade resting coldly against her skin.
"This is the end," Kaguya said softly in her ear.
"I lost," Gion exhaled, conceding defeat.
Kaguya sheathed Liuli and said, "Don't feel discouraged. Your strength is already impressive."
Gion lifted her head and replied coolly, "What, are you trying to comfort me?"
"Not really," Kaguya said. "Just stating the truth."
"You're not very honest," Gion muttered, rising to her feet. "Well, since I lost, there's nothing more to say."
Looking at Gion, Kaguya had to admit—she was indeed a beauty, and her strength was formidable, slightly weaker than the Admirals Akainu or Aokiji. However, she definitely had the power of an Admiral, but unfortunately, she had encountered Kaguya.
Just then, Gion walked over. When she was close, she hooked her arm around Kaguya's neck. To Kaguya's surprise, Gion leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
What was going on?
Kaguya's eyes widened in shock.
Was she being flirted with?
And not only that, Gion even guided Kaguya's hand to her chest. The sensation of fullness and firmness was transmitted clearly through her palm.
After a moment, Gion pulled away, wiped her lips, and said, "Not bad, actually."
Kaguya was speechless. "You..."
Meeting Kaguya's stunned expression, Gion arched her brow and smiled faintly. "Since I lost, I had to pay a price. But don't get the wrong idea. Next time, I'll definitely defeat you."
With that, she glanced back one more time before walking away with swaying hips.
Kaguya watched her disappear into the distance, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
What an interesting woman.
"Did you hear? Lady Kaguya just defeated Vice Admiral Gion."
"No way! Gion is said to be as strong as an Admiral."
"She really is strong, but she happened to face Lady Kaguya."
"Idiot, isn't that obvious? Even current Admirals have lost to Lady Kaguya. What chance does anyone else have?"
"Lady Kaguya isn't just powerful—she's incredibly beautiful too. It's really enviable."
"If only I could serve under Lady Kaguya someday."
"In your dreams."
"..."
Due to increasing tension, with major pirate factions stirring, Vice Admiral Gion had been specially transferred from another branch to Navy Headquarters.
In the original story, Gion didn't appear often—mainly in a few movie specials. But her strength was unquestionable. The title of "Vice Admiral closest to Admiral" was proof enough. From what Kaguya saw now, she wasn't far off Admiral level.
Over the following days, Gion came to challenge Kaguya a few more times, mostly for friendly sparring. Unfortunately, with her current strength, she was still no match for Kaguya.
Not that Kaguya minded.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven