Gion nodded with a smile.
"Of course. That's what we Marines are here for."
She glanced at the flowers in the little girl's backpack.
As she spoke, Gion pulled out 200 Berry and placed it in the girl's hand.
The girl looked up in surprise, then clumsily set down her backpack and carefully sorted through the roses.
"Hmm... this one bloomed the prettiest."
She picked out the most vibrant red rose, held it up with both hands, and offered it to Gion.
Gion accepted it with a smile.
"Little one, why are you out here selling flowers at your age?"
The girl beamed sweetly and replied,
"Lia's not that little anymore. I can help my dad now."
Pride lit up her face as she looked at the roses in her pack.
"My dad grows these flowers. They're just as pretty as you, big sister!"
Gion chuckled softly.
So that's it—her dad's a flower grower.
"Mom..." The girl's expression dimmed. "She's sick. Daddy said she went really, really far away to get better."
Gion froze, a flicker of sadness passing through her eyes.
Then the girl turned to Tokikake standing nearby, bowed politely, and asked,
"Uncle, would you like to buy a flower?"
Tokikake's face instantly darkened.
He twitched, crouched down, and forced a smile he thought was friendly.
"Little girl, I'm not even 20 yet. You should be calling me big brother."
The girl blinked in surprise, studying the man in front of her with the brown hat and cigarette in his mouth. After a long look, she shook her head firmly.
"No, you don't look like a big brother. You look like a uncle."
Grinding his teeth, he forced a stiff smile.
"If you call me big brother, I'll buy all your flowers."
The girl's eyes sparkled at first, but she quickly hesitated. Her small hands nervously fidgeted in front of her as she looked conflicted.
"Lia really wants to sell all the flowers... but Daddy said I mustn't lie."
Tokikake collapsed face-first onto the ground.
He scrambled back up, fuming.
"Damn it! Look closely! I'm only 19!!"
He shouted in frustration.
"Alright, alright..." Gion, seeing the girl on the verge of tears, shot Tokikake a glare and kicked him flying with a sharp snap.
She crouched down again and gently patted the girl's head.
"That guy might look a little scary, but he's a good person. Don't be afraid."
The girl blinked her big eyes and slowly nodded.
Then she opened her hand and counted the 200 Berry she'd just earned. After a moment of fumbling, she placed 40 Berry into her left pocket and the remaining 160 into her right.
Seeing this, Gion asked curiously,
"Why do you separate your money?"
The little girl answered seriously,
"Daddy said we have to give up part of what we earn, or people with weapons will come and cause trouble."
Gion's expression shifted slightly.
Just then, a man came running over in a panic. He grabbed the girl's hand and gave Gion a quick, nervous bow.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Marine-sama. Lia doesn't know any better—she was just talking nonsense."
With that, he scooped his daughter into his arms and hurried away like he was fleeing.
"Bye-bye, big sister! Bye, uncle!"
From her father's arms, the girl waved cheerfully at Gion and Tokikake.
"Damn it! I told you I'm a big brother, not a uncle!"
Tokikake snapped in frustration.
Gion watched the father and daughter disappear down the street, a dawning realization flashing across her face. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novｅlfire.net
Handing over part of the income... armed people... taxes...
She frowned deeply, picked up her pace, and moved to intercept Momonga, who was nearby directing troop deployments.
"Lieutenant Commander Momonga, tell me—did that guy Daren go off to do something shady again!?"
Her expression was dead serious.
Momonga let out a sigh, rubbing his temples as he looked at her.
"Lieutenant Commander Gion, as the commanding officer of all Marine forces in the North Blue, Base Commander Daren naturally has matters he needs to handle."
"As his subordinates, our top priority is to carry out the orders he gives."
"And right now, our most important task is to secure the area for Saint Xildes-sama."
Gion shook her head stubbornly.
"No, I want to know exactly what Daren is doing."
"If headquarters has already issued orders, then Marineford must've already coordinated with Batia Island's leadership. There's no reason for Daren to personally oversee the handover."
"And if protecting Saint Xildes-sama is such a critical mission, then Daren, as the commanding officer, has even less reason to leave."
She gritted her teeth.
"Don't tell me... Daren went to collect 'taxes' from the mafia with the mayor!"
Momonga froze, caught off guard.
As naive as Gion could be sometimes, she was sharp—she had hit the mark.
Gion clenched her fists tightly.
Momonga's reaction had confirmed everything.
"How could you all go along with this?!"
p@treon com / PinkSnake