A knock came at the door, and everyone from the Dream Crew in the hall turned toward it.
"But Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Gion just entered the hotel too. Nami, Robin, you guys go talk with Sabo about the future of this country—and that Devil Fruit," Ryuen said as he stood up, looking at Nami and the others.
"Got it," Nami replied right away.
Robin and the others also nodded at Ryuen.
Reina quickly ran to the door and opened it. Standing outside were Sabo, Liv, and Kana.
"Long time no see!" Sabo looked happy the moment he saw the Dream Crew.
Back then, if the Dream Crew hadn’t passed the message to Luffy that he was still alive, he might’ve missed the chance to help during the Summit War and save Ace.
So he was really thankful to all of them.
"Sabo, I seriously didn’t expect that little rascal from back then to become the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army," Lia laughed, patting Sabo on the shoulder.
"Yeah, you’ve surpassed both Ace and Luffy. That’s impressive," Nojiko added, clearly impressed.
After seeing so many injustices on the sea, she understood how hard it must have been for Sabo to reach where he was—especially since he came from a noble family.
Sabo smiled shyly at their praise, but there was also a bit of helplessness in his expression.
He shook his head and said softly:
"Miss Leah~ Back then, weren’t we all just a bunch of kids who hadn’t grown up yet? Now we’ve all come a long way. And Ace and Luffy are amazing too—they’ve each chosen the path they believe in."
As he said that, his gaze became gentle and determined, like he was picturing Ace and Luffy moving forward on their own paths.
"Alright then!" Ryuen said with a smile as he walked over. "You guys go talk in the meeting room. The others are coming upstairs soon."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Gion, huh..." Sabo glanced toward the stairs, then turned back to Ryuen and said seriously, "You’re right. With my position, now’s not the time to run into them."
"Let’s go," Nojiko said with a nod, leading the way into the meeting room.
The others quickly followed.
Soon, only Ryuen, Hogg, and Sugar—who was still calmly snacking on blueberries on the couch—were left in the living room.
"Sugar, aren’t you going in?" Ryuen looked at her, a little puzzled.
"I want to ask them how my sister is doing first," Sugar said, shaking her head.
"Alright, fair enough. You haven’t seen your sister in a long time."
"Oh right, Sugar—have you thought about bringing your sister to Sky Island too? If you’re willing, this might be a good chance. You could bring it up during the talks today and have her transferred over."
Sugar froze for a moment when she heard that, then her face lit up with excitement.
She bounced over to Ryuen’s side, asking eagerly, "Really? Ryuen! She can really come live on Sky Island too?"
Ryuen smiled and said:
"Of course. As long as you and your sister both agree, then there’s no problem at all."
"Plus, from what I’ve heard, your sister’s got solid abilities too. She could help out with running things on Sky Island once she’s here."
Hogg, standing nearby, nodded in agreement and added:
"We’re still short on good people to help manage Sky Island. It’s not a big deal now since we haven’t fully opened it up, but once we move the welfare center there, Bellemere and the others probably won’t be able to handle it all alone."
"So having someone like your sister join us would definitely be a big help."
"I’m sure she’d be up for it. So... Ryuen, I’ll leave it to you to talk to her, okay?" Sugar said happily. She was overjoyed that she and her sister would finally be on the same side again.
"Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered."
Just as Ryuen finished speaking, his eyes shifted toward the door.
Hogg and Sugar looked that way too.
They saw the elevator doors open, and out stepped Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Gion, and several female marines.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Gion—just the two of you? Where’s that old man Sengoku?" Ryuen said, looking quite pleased to see them.
After all, these two were like walking moneybags.
Vice Admiral Tsuru and her group soon reached Ryuen. She shook her head and said, "Ryuen, you should show a little more respect. Sengoku is still your senior, you know."
"I’ll listen to you this time."
"By the way, Vice Admiral Tsuru—what’s the World Government offering in return this time? This incident isn’t exactly small. If word got out, it’d shock every nation on the sea."
Tsuru sighed in exasperation as she walked into the living room. "Honestly, I think you’d make a great businessman. You never want to be on the losing end of anything. I really don’t get why Garp thinks so highly of you."
She shook her head, clearly thinking this young man was quite the handful.
Ryuen laughed out loud:
"When it comes to dealing with people—aside from family—aren’t all interactions basically just transactions in the end?"
"And if it’s a trade, who would willingly let themselves get the short end of the stick?"
After hearing Ryuen’s words, Vice Admiral Tsuru didn’t know how to respond at first.
She stayed quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod to show she agreed.
Then she suddenly remembered something important and spoke again:
"You’re not entirely wrong."
"But now that I think about it... the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army is supposed to be here too, right? As the Marine’s Chief Strategist myself, I’d really like to meet this talented young officer of the Revolutionary Army."
As she spoke, a hint of curiosity and interest flashed in her eyes, and she glanced—seemingly casually—toward the meeting room.
Ryuen shook his head and said:
"Look at you, getting all worked up, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"Both sides clearly have interests in the Kingdom of Magiatsuka, so let them talk about what’s going on inside, and we’ll talk about our part."
"So, Vice Admiral Tsuru, it’s time for you to lay out what the World Government is offering."
Right after he said that,
Ryuen’s expression turned serious.
Just then, Gion suddenly let out a soft laugh, breaking the tension in the room.
She placed her hand on Ryuen’s shoulder, a teasing glint in her eye. "Ryuen, are you really going to make us stand here and talk? That’s not how someone like you should treat guests~"
Ryuen caught a faint, tempting scent in the air.
"Please, have a seat. Let’s sit down and talk properly." Ryuen casually brushed her hand off and headed toward the nearby dining table.
Right after, a surprised look flashed across Gion’s face.
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