One Piece : Glory To The Fleet Admiral

Chapter 499 499: Why Is Gion Jealous? Hina Is Perplexed!

After bidding farewell to the Veterans' Home, Orion and his companions did not linger long in An Port.

The next day, they set sail for the next island.

On old-era nautical charts, this island was marked as the Island of Wailing.

The reason was simple: the pirate crew that had occupied it took pleasure in tormenting civilians, and the entire island was perpetually shrouded in cries and wails.

Now, its name was the Island of Hope.

As the ship docked, the four of them disembarked via the gangway.

Unlike the bustling order of An Port, the town on Hope Island had a nascent, rebuilding feel.

Many houses were still under construction, and workers carrying building materials were a common sight on the streets.

The air was filled with the scent of sawdust and lime.

Yet, everyone's faces were lit with the vigor and hope of rebuilding their homeland.

"Wow! This place looks like a giant construction site!" Aqua exclaimed, curiously looking around and sniffing the air.

"But it doesn't smell very nice."

Orion walked at the front, his gaze sweeping over the busy figures.

Just then, a squad of marines patrolling the street approached them.

Leading them was a young lieutenant from the local branch.

His eyes casually swept over Orion's group at first, a routine glance, but the next moment, his steps faltered abruptly, and he froze in place.

That youthful face—he had seen it countless times in newspapers, on broadcast screens, and on the honor walls of the Marine Academy.

It was the sole reason he had joined the Marines, his supreme faith.

The young lieutenant's eyes widened slowly, his breathing grew rapid, and his lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

The soldiers behind him noticed their superior's odd behavior and asked in confusion.

"Lieutenant, what's wrong?"

The lieutenant did not answer.He abruptly raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

When he clearly saw that calm and familiar face again, his pent-up emotions erupted like a volcano.

"It's... it's... it's Fleet Admiral Orion!!!"

At the lieutenant's excited shout, all the busy figures on the street instantly froze.

The next second, the entire town exploded into chaos.

Countless people dropped their tools, rushing madly from scaffolding, shops, and newly built houses toward the same direction.

The crowd converged like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

What began as dozens, then hundreds, quickly swelled to thousands, then tens of thousands.

"Fleet Admiral Orion!"

"It's really Fleet Admiral Orion! Mom, mom, I saw Fleet Admiral Orion!"

"Long live Fleet Admiral Orion!"

The shouts merged into a deafening wave of sound that pierced the clouds.

Imu, Gunko, and Aqua were almost instantly pushed to the outermost edge by the surging crowd.

"Hey! Stop pushing me!" Aqua spin like a top as she was jostled through the crowd, hopping anxiously.

"Do you know who I am? I'm—"

Before she could finish, she was suddenly embraced by an elderly woman with tears streaming down her face, who planted a firm kiss on her cheek.

"Little girl, do you see?! It's Orion-sama! Our savior!"

Before Aqua could react, the woman had already disappeared into the crowd.

Gunko instinctively moved to shield Imu and Aqua, watching the frenzied ocean of countless arms and faces with equally profound shock.

Imu, however, showed little reaction, standing quietly at the crowd's edge, her gaze piercing through the sea of bobbing heads to rest on the figure being surrounded by thousands.

The young figure neither spoke nor moved, merely watching the densely packed citizens rushing toward him with a gentle smile.

The enthusiastic and excited masses voluntarily stopped three steps away from him—some shouting "Fleet Admiral Orion!"" in excitement, others kneeling in worship as if he were a deity.

Observing the figure being surrounded and revered like a god, Imu seemed to reach some realization, murmuring to herself.

"Orion's ability to unite the Marines so unprecedentedly speaks volumes about his charisma as a leader. But I never imagined his reputation among the common people would be this immense."

Pausing briefly, Imu suddenly smiled. "Now I understand why Orion possesses Conqueror's Haki so powerful that even Joy Boy could never hope to match it."

"Why?" Gunko instinctively asked.

"The factors determining the upper limit of Conqueror's Haki extend beyond pure strength to include personal aura, charisma, magnanimity, and the scale of one's ambitions."

"The broader the vision and the more dominant the goals of a Conqueror's Haki user, the greater its deterrent power and destructive power becomes."

"Back then, Rocks possessed Conqueror's Haki that far surpassed every other powerhouse on the seas precisely because he possessed considerable charisma and the world-domination scale of his ambitions. That's why even the combined efforts of Garp and Roger initially struggled to break through Rocks' Conqueror's Haki defense under his dominion."

"Roger was naturally no exception. Though his vision and charisma couldn't match Rocks', he possessed the ambition to overthrow the world and become the Pirate King."

"Yet even so, they were like fireflies compared to the bright moon when standing before Orion!"

"Because Orion not only possesses radiant charisma and great magnanimity, but also carries the people of the entire world in his heart."

At this point, Imu gazed at Orion who was being cheered by the masses, her eyes gradually narrowing.

Orion's appearance had not only broken the cyclical fate of this world, but also made her understand one truth.

Though she was the world,

The world needed its people.

While Orion took Imu, Gunko, and Aqua away from the Holy Land to get closer to the common people, Marine Headquarters was bustling with activity.

Because Orion had ordered the implementation of the Thousand-Ship Patrol plan in the New World, Gion, newly promoted to Fleet Admiral, was busy both coordinating personnel from various bases and managing the warships required for the patrol.

Most importantly, the starting point of this Thousand-Ship Patrol wasn't Marine Headquarters, nor was it a marine fortress in the New World, but Egghead Island where Vegapunk's research institute was located.

...

Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.

Hina, now promoted to Vice Admiral, hurried to the desk with a thick stack of documents and addressed Gion who sat solemnly in the Fleet Admiral's chair.

"Fleet Admiral Gion, we've just received word from Water 7 - they can deliver three hundred new-style warships today, with another batch available in two days! Should we immediately transport these warships to Egghead Island?"

"Approved!" Gion nodded, then seemed to recall something as she looked up at Hina. "Do we have track of Orion-sama's whereabouts?"

"Orion-sama has taken Imu, Gunko, and Princess Aqua to Hope Island." Hina pulled out a document and placed it on the desk.

"This is a document just sent from the Chamber of Authority. They hope Orion-sama can return to the Holy Land to take charge before the patrol begins!"

"Orion-sama will not return to the Holy Land!"

Gion immediately rejected the idea. "Because when the patrol begins, Orion-sama will appear on Egghead Island to address the entire world through Dr. Vegapunk's broadcast equipment."

After a slight pause, Gion quickly changed the subject, tentatively asking.

"During the time Orion-sama has been away from the Holy Land with Imu, Gunko, and Aqua, has that jealous pot Hancock caused any trouble?"

"No," Hina shook her head, puzzled. "Gion, you're the Fleet Admiral now, why bother with such trivial matters? Hina doesn't understand!"

"Because I'm jealous too!" Gion pretended to be angry. "Why do Imu and Gunko get to travel with Orion-sama? While I have to work here without sleep for days! It's not fair!"

"Indeed unfair!" Hina said with a serious expression. "But why are you jealous? Hina is confused!"

"You..." Gion shook her head with a smile, stood up and put on the Fleet Admiral coat hanging nearby, stating decisively.

"By my order, Headquarters warships will depart for Egghead Island in fifteen minutes!"