The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

Sauro is an unavoidable hurdle in the Ohara incident.

Unlike Olvia, who might submit, Saul, given his character, would never submit to Luther.

Similarly, since he refused to submit to Luther, and Luther had no intention of befriending Karp's faction, he naturally had to be killed.

However, due to the current intelligence, Luther could not do this himself; he needed someone to push him along.

And Kizaru, naturally, became the driving force behind this.

It appears that Luther is provoking conflict between two of the navy's top combatants, with the intention of profiting from it.

But Gion doesn't think so.

She understood Luther better than she understood herself, and trusted him more than she trusted herself.

If one day Luther tells her that she can become the world's greatest swordsman, she will never doubt it.

But she herself didn't have that confidence.

Therefore, she was even more aware that the future Luther could envision was not as simple as it appeared.

Such a crude attempt to shift blame was not a tactic Luther would have employed.

So... the target of this isn't Saul, Kuzan, or Kizaru... but...

Gion flipped the papers back to the front, her expression complicated as she looked at the three sheets of paper.

These three sheets of paper each listed the names of three naval admirals of roughly the same era:

Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr...

Gion once again attempted to incorporate Luther's ideas.

If Luther's target was Sengoku, then what he coveted was Sengoku's future position as field marshal, but in this respect, Luther doesn't seem to have done anything...

Killing Saul would only anger Garp, and given Sengoku's personality, he might appear to be trying to mediate but would actually be taking sides.

Given the character of the Sengoku period, it seems unlikely that they would feel guilty about it.

At most, he will be warned because of this incident, and will be more cautious about doing similar things in the future.

Surely Luther couldn't be setting the stage for a future conflict between Garp and Sengoku...

Gion simply smiled and dismissed the thought from her mind. Even Luther wouldn't think about something so far into the future...

After excluding Sengoku, only Garp and Zephyr remain.

Who was Luther's target...?

Chapter 42 Gion's Conjecture

Gion is now almost certain that Luther deliberately lured Garp to cause trouble.

However, Gion still had some doubts about the outcome.

She wasn't sure if Luther had anticipated that Karp would resort to force, or if Luther, presuming on his status, thought it was just a minor conflict.

But considering that Zephyr had returned, Gion felt that things weren't so simple.

Luther must have foreseen all of this...

But what if Zeff doesn't come? And who can stop Garp then?

Gion recalled that time and gave a bitter smile.

If she hadn't been in such a bad state at the time, she might have been able to detect Luther's backup plan.

Although she didn't know Luther's backup plan, she roughly knew why Luther did this.

Everything was staged for the person who came today.

Gion wasn't sure what Luther wanted to gain; perhaps it was to be looked down upon, perhaps it was to obtain some tangible benefits, or perhaps it was to make Satan wary of Garp...

There are many similar possibilities.

Perhaps it was at the behest of the person who came today that Karp dared to cause trouble for Luther.

But the person who came today would never have imagined that Luther would be so badly injured.

Even if Garp had no intention of betraying the Navy, the person who came today might not think the same way.

With Garp's faction falling, Luther would be the biggest beneficiary if he didn't break away from the World Government.

With his extensive network of personal connections, he could practically command the entire navy.

However, although Garp is highly likely to be the one, Gion still has other ideas.

She knew Luther; she had heard countless visions of the future from him.

Therefore, she was even more convinced that Karp was a smokescreen thrown out by Luther, and the person he actually wanted to plot against...

Zephyr!

Gion took a deep breath, closed her eyes slightly, and her hands trembled slightly.

He'd rather use Garp beating him up as a cover and excuse, then seek Zeff's guidance under the pretext of getting stronger...

Is it really worth going this far for Zephyr...?

Gion pulled out Zephyr's information sheet and looked at it carefully again:

【Zefa】

[Current Chief Instructor of the Navy]

[Strength: Average General Level]

Threat Level: 0

[Weakness: Kind-hearted; even after his wife and children were killed, he still couldn't bring himself to kill the pirates. Cowardly and unfit for important tasks!]

[Interpersonal Relationships: Comrades-in-arms: Garp, Tsuru, Sora, Sengoku; Students: Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, Gion, Kakei...]

[Note: Although there are many students, they are mostly treated with respect and will not work for them.]

Gion's fair hand touched the paper, seemingly recalling her days in the elite training camp, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

If this is a top-tier member of the navy, then this intelligence report is indeed accurate.

However, not everyone is a top-tier fighter; the navy has more lower-ranking combatants.

If Professor Zephyr wanted to, a single call to action would surely garner a large following of officers of general rank and colonel caliber...

As Zefa serves as head instructor for longer, the proportion will continue to increase.

Gion herself was a member of the naval system, so she could better understand Luther's actions.

Befriending Zephyr is almost equivalent to befriending the future of the Navy.

Luther's focus has never been on the present.

After figuring these things out, Gion couldn't help but feel admiration for Luther.

The Ohara incident alone connected all these events to achieve the goal.

Of all the people she knew, only Luther could do that.

Your Highness Luther, what have I done to deserve such high regard from you...?

Gion's expression was complicated as she pointed to a piece of paper that hadn't been turned over.

Her name was written on the side of this piece of paper.

After reading this piece of paper, she would most likely know what Luther valued about her, and might even be able to deduce the methods he used to guide her.

Her interactions with Luther were so natural that it wasn't long before she subconsciously came to agree with him.

It's not that Luther lacked personal charisma, but rather that she wasn't someone who made decisions so easily.

Once you look at it, you'll get the answer, right...?

Gion slightly raised her head, glanced at Luther who was sitting with his eyes closed, and suddenly smiled brightly.

Perhaps we can indeed get an answer.

But this answer doesn't seem to matter that much anymore...

Blood-red energy surged from his fingertips, and the fragile paper slowly turned to ashes under the influence of the Gion fruit.

On the other side, Luther, who was meditating with his eyes closed, seemed to sense something. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up a little.

"Your Highness, please have some tea!"

Gion returned with a smile, carrying the brewed tea. She knelt before Luther and offered him the teacup.

"It has a very strong tea aroma!"

Luther, inhaling the delicate fragrance of the tea leaves, took the teacup from Gion's hand, took a small sip, and his eyes lit up as he said:

“Good tea!”

“It’s because Your Highness’s tea is so good!” Gion said sincerely.

"Tea may be of high quality, but without someone who understands and brews it, how can its full potential be realized?"

Luther smiled slightly, took another sip of tea, and closed his eyes to enjoy it.

"Is His Highness that kind of person?" Gion chuckled softly.

"I don't know either, but with Gion around, I guess I only need to be a tea connoisseur," Luther replied with a smile.

"I see..."

Gion murmured meaningfully, her pomegranate-like eyes sparkling, lost in thought.

......

Without keeping Luther and his companion waiting any longer, a series of footsteps sounded ahead.

Upon hearing this sound, Gion frowned slightly and gripped the golden ribbon in her hand.

This is Don Quixote's palace. To trespass so brazenly, even for the Don Quixote himself, is far too arrogant.

Before Gion could do anything, Luther placed his hand on her sword-wielding hand.

Seeing Luther shake his head at her, Gion finally gave up.