Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

The sun shines brightly on an unnamed stretch of sea in Beihai.

A slightly salty sea breeze gently stirred the sails of the warship.

It has been more than a week since the last battle with Doflamingo.

Raleigh and his group are currently on their way back.

"Hmm, the weather is perfect for fishing today."

Raleigh was in a good mood after drinking a glass of iced fresh coconut juice.

Work-related matters can be temporarily put on hold.

Although, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.

However, after defeating Doflamingo, he suddenly felt much more relaxed.

It can be said that the most important piece in the plan regarding Beihai has already been laid.

"Raleigh, it seems you really trust that Doflamingo?"

Gion also walked over from the restaurant carrying a fresh coconut.

Today, she didn't wear her previous clothes; instead, she changed into a swimsuit that accentuated her figure.

It's also possible that he was influenced by Raleigh.

Now, Gion relaxes every now and then, taking a break like Raleigh does.

Raleigh waved to Miles.

"Miles, go to the warehouse and get my fishing rod. We'll catch a few fish for lunch."

Then he turned to look at Gion.

"No, I don't believe that guy at all."

"Then why did you let him go back without any supervision from his family?"

Gion was quite surprised.

After all, for the navy, sending spies to forces they don't trust is the most reliable approach.

Raleigh smiled confidently:

"unnecessary."

"I don't believe in Doflamingo, but I believe in myself."

"Besides, Doflamingo is a smart man. He won't do anything stupid until he has accumulated enough strength."

Doflamingo is a treacherous person; that statement is very true.

However, Doflamingo is also someone who values ​​his life and cares about the people around him.

Such people have weaknesses.

No matter what you're doing, you won't get carried away.

They are the easiest type of people to control.

If he encounters a hothead, then Raleigh should seriously reconsider.

"Master, here's your fishing rod."

Miles quickly appeared behind Raleigh, holding two exquisite fishing rods.

Raleigh took the fishing rod and extended an invitation to Gion.

"Want to go fishing together in Gion?"

"it is good."

Gion readily agreed.

During the time she spent with Rowley, her fondness for this person close to her grew rapidly.

Gion realized that her previous view of Raleigh might have been too one-sided.

Because I never entered Raleigh's life.

So they were fooled by Raleigh's appearance for a long time.

Gion sometimes envies the flying squirrel, who was able to have such a good relationship with Raleigh back in military school.

The two walked side by side toward the deck railing.

Raleigh gracefully leaped onto the ram at the bow of the ship, then stretched his hand back.

He looked at Gion with a smile on his face.

"Beautiful lady, would you like me to help you up?"

"Glib-tongued."

Gion said angrily.

However, despite saying that, Gion did not refuse Raleigh's invitation.

A slender little hand reached up.

Raleigh looked down, and the white waves made his eyes dizzy.

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

After silently reciting a few scriptures, he pulled Gion up before she could notice anything amiss.

The area around the ram was large, but Raleigh and Gion sat very close together.

"Rayle, have you thought about what your goals will be in the future?"

Gion asked curiously.

The longer she spent with Raleigh, the more she felt that he was shrouded in a thick fog of mystery.

This feeling is strange.

It was like trying to reach Raleigh through a thin, indistinct mist.

Gion disliked this feeling; she was used to seeing through people's hearts.

Just like Kake, Gion could see through it without expending much brainpower.

However, Gion has seen far too many people like this among those she has met.

On the contrary, it was the incomprehensible Raleigh that stirred her curiosity.

Raleigh is such a strange classmate.

From the moment Gion met Raleigh in the East Blue, they were practically inseparable.

But she had never seen Raleigh train.

However, Raleigh's strength has been steadily improving, as if there is no upper limit.

Every time he successfully broke through his limits through hard training, he would find that Raleigh had already reached an even higher peak.

This once made Gion feel very frustrated.

However, the longer they spent together, the more curious Gion became about Raleigh, which is why she asked that question.

"Goal? I don't have any goals. I just want to find a beautiful girl and then slack off happily together in the navy."

Raleigh shrugged, seemingly unprepared for his future.

"Don't you want to be an admiral or a fleet admiral?"

Gion asked, puzzled.

Whether it's her, Kake, or anyone else in the Navy.

Everyone is aiming for the position of admiral or even fleet admiral.

Because if you want to uphold justice, you must climb step by step to truly realize your ideals.

"But if you want to achieve your own sense of justice, then you have no choice but to go up."

Gion said with a hint of disappointment.

Raleigh is a great guy in every way, but he just doesn't seem to have any motivation to get promoted.

During this period of pirate-catching operations, Raleigh evenly distributed the credit to Gion and Kakei.

Even without Raleigh telling Gion, he knew the reason: he didn't want a promotion and felt the two of them were in his way.

By distributing military merits to them, the headquarters will naturally promote their ranks.

Gion and Kakei, who did not hold specific positions in the Shikai branch, could only return to their headquarters once they reached the required rank.

Of course, Raleigh didn't know what Gion was thinking.

He wasn't keen on climbing the ranks in the navy to begin with.

His base of operations is the entire world.

He wouldn't be promoted to a position at headquarters so soon before he had finalized the entire strategic plan across the four seas.

"Gion, you're wrong about that. I believe that upholding justice has nothing to do with one's position."

"Justice is judged by the heart, not by the deeds. Does this mean that those without power cannot uphold justice?"

"More than two-thirds of the navy are pitiful people who have been persecuted by pirates. They may not have extraordinary talents, but aren't they also protecting the lives of ordinary people with their passion and swords?"

"Everyone is doing what they believe is justice, so there's no need to climb the social ladder."

Raleigh glanced at Gion sitting to the side and felt that Gion's words were a bit strange today.

"But if I were to be promoted to Headquarters, and later on the Grand Line, would you leave the North Blue to take up a position there?"

Gion was very uneasy.

After saying this, she blushed, which was uncharacteristic of her.

After all, in her eyes, this sentence was no different from a confession.

Raleigh glanced at the blushing Gion, a strange feeling flowing through his body.

It's like peach blossoms blooming in spring.

"I'll be there for you whenever you need me."