One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

After leaving the fortress headquarters meeting, the officers returned to their dormitories to rest. Draped in his coat of justice, Sakazuki hung it carefully. Having kept his nerves tightly strung all day, the Vice Admiral allowed himself a brief comparison and even felt that the sense of threat Gion brought to him far surpassed that of Golden Lion Shiki.

After a quick wash and tidying up, he lay on the bed. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a grumble from his stomach broke the silence, reminding Sakazuki that he hadn't eaten dinner.

Searching through his dorm, he could only find a bag of instant noodles and a dozen eggs. These were leftovers from the last time Jonathan visited, a gift he had brought, which hadn't passed the navy's standards for military food supplies but now, surprisingly, came in handy.

Instant noodles were convenient and quick to prepare, but they lacked proper nutrition. Most importantly, in the context of the navy, where freshwater resources were exceedingly precious, this kind of quick food that required plenty of hot water for preparation was outright rejected by both sailors and chefs alike.

The food supplier, upon failing to win the navy's endorsement, handed the bag of noodles to Jonathan out of disappointment. And with a "better you than me" mentality, Jonathan had given the noodles to Sakazuki during a celebratory drinking session three months ago.

Instant noodles are a solitary food. The water boils at 100°C, and the noodles cook through in three minutes, but right before they're completely soft, they're at their chewiest. Perfection exists only in that fleeting moment—time is the enemy of noodles. The noodles of this second and the noodles of the next are entirely different meals.

Topping the dish with a golden, fluffy, and spread-out fried egg, the piping-hot broth was lightly coated with a thin layer of oil.

The tall Vice Admiral, shirtless, fiddled cautiously in the kitchen before bringing tonight's dinner to the table. Gazing at the steaming bowl of instant noodles, Sakazuki was struck by a sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to a past life—a time when he studied alone in his dormitory, accompanied by nothing but a cup of instant noodles and a book.

When alone, one is most easily touched by their surroundings, able to see their true self. A solitary dinner, a solitary meeting and parting.

Walking alone in a world that seems familiar but is actually foreign, treading forward alone, solitary and desolate. There was only him, only him…

"Knock, knock." Two crisp and brief knocks interrupted his reverie. Sakazuki snapped back to reality. Who could be bothering him so late? Could it be some urgent mission directive requiring immediate execution? Without much thought, Sakazuki opened the door—

From that day forward, he developed the habit of using Observation Haki to scan before opening any door, no matter the time or place—because standing outside were Robin and Gion.

The little girl, Robin, held a bento box in her left hand, her right hand still in the air, intending to knock again after a brief pause. Behind her stood Gion, silently.

"Why aren't you resting so late?" The experienced officer spoke first.

"Miss Jessica guessed that you hadn't eaten dinner either, so she asked me to bring this bento over…" Robin stammered slightly as she finished her sentence, lowering her head to avoid looking at Sakazuki directly.

"The rear admirals adjourned the meeting early, which you must know. Afterward, I went to Jessica's place to check on Robin since I was the one who arranged for this child to stay at the ice cream shop." Gion took the initiative to explain. She reached out to ruffle Robin's soft hair and, with a faint smile, examined Sakazuki. "By the way, nice physique."

The Vice Admiral, blocked at his door, stood with his eight well-defined abdominal muscles exposed. Two sturdy pectoral muscles, resembling hard rocks, were adorned with exquisite little roses that dotted the dark navy-blue fire-patterned tattoo covering most of his left side.

Unlike Robin, who shyly avoided looking at a shirtless man, Gion wasn't the type to be easily flustered. After all, among the pirates she had fought, perverts and creeps were far from uncommon. These scoundrels would resort to all kinds of underhanded tactics to win or escape from the navy.

For those who dared perform vulgar acts in front of her, the female admiral was ruthless, ensuring they lost their "manhood" forever. Naivety? She was a naval officer commanding a warship. These scumbags trying to outsmart her? They were courting death!

If it weren't for the inappropriate timing, the female swordsman might have even been tempted to study the tattoos on Sakazuki's body.

This shameless woman! Sakazuki tried to suppress the downward twitch of his lips, striving to maintain his stern demeanor. "I'll go put on some clothes."

Fleeing from Gion's teasing gaze, Sakazuki used Soru to dash into his room, quickly pulling out a maroon beach-style shirt and putting it on.

After confirming there was no sign of Golden Lion Shiki, Robin was taken to Jessica's home in the afternoon. The two were anxious about the situation outside, especially concerned for Jonathan and others out on duty.

Distracted, the two hurriedly finished their dinner. It wasn't until Gion, who was familiar with Jessica, arrived to check on the child's safety that they learned what had happened.

Relieved to hear that everyone had returned safely and was attending a meeting at headquarters, Jessica finally relaxed.

Jessica and Gion were old acquaintances, having once served together on Tsuru's warship. Gion was naturally familiar with Jessica's cooking, so when Jessica invited her to stay and have a bite, the swordswoman readily agreed.

Gossip is a woman's nature and an effective way for two old friends to quickly reconnect after a long time apart.

"How did you meet this child?" Jessica played the child card, her curiosity (and slight sense of crisis) piqued by Gion coming to check on Robin.

Gion put down her fork, elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth, and replied, "I met her at the ice cream shop when Sakazuki brought me there. Although I had already heard about little Robin from Tsuru before then."

Realizing Gion wasn't there because of her own boyfriend, Jonathan, Jessica secretly felt relieved. Of course, she couldn't resist gossiping about Sakazuki instead.

"Sakazuki? How did you end up going to an ice cream shop with him? You two didn't know each other before, right? Hey, Gion-chan, don't tell me you two are…" Jessica deliberately left her sentence unfinished, smiling as she waited for Gion's response.

"The Fleet Admiral and Tsuru assigned me to guide Vice Admiral Sakazuki on how to better handle situations involving young girls." Despite having received Sakazuki's consent for their relationship during the fortress meeting, Gion wasn't one to flaunt it publicly. Knowing Sakazuki's low-key nature, she had no intention of advertising their situation.

"Ohhh~ I see~ I totally understand~" Jessica, with a knowing look, sidled up to Gion, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "It's a mission, right?"

"Would you like big sis to teach you how to elevate this kind of pure 'revolutionary camaraderie' to something more?" Jessica grinned like a cat that had caught a fish.

"Well… I'd appreciate it!" Gion shamefully wavered!