In the restaurant, Cudius and Gion sat across from each ion, once again dressed in her maid e, silently picked at her lunch. Cudius, too, ate quietly. The air between them was awkward and heavy, as her seemed willing to break the silence.

  This had beemosphere for the past two days. Cudius wao say something to ease the tension, but every time he opened his mouth, the words just wouldn't e.

  As Cudius cut into his steak, preparing to take a bite, Dofmingo's unmistakable figure strolled into the room, his signature swagger and fmboyant grin lighting up the space.

  "Fufufufu… You've already started eating, huh?" Dofmingo greeted with a ugh.

  Cudius smiled as he looked up, relieved at the interruption. At least the awkwardness was broken. "Doffy, it seems you've already met Charlotte Linlin?" he asked casually.

  Dofmingo pulled out a chair and sat beside Cudius. "That's right," he said with a nod, reag for a dessert oable. He took a few bites before tinuing, "It's the first time I've seen her in persoe hearing about her for so many years."

  "And?" Cudius asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Dofmingo stroked his thoughtfully. "She's… terrifyingly powerful," he admitted after a moment.

  "Ahahaha! Did she scare you?" Cudius teased, clearly amused.

  "Fufufufu, not quite," Dofmingo replied with a smirk. "But she's certainly intimidating. Even though nothing happened between us, the sheer pressure she exudes… it's like being stantly watched by a predator. It felt as if she might eat me alive at any moment."

  Cudius ughed. "Maybe she's into you. Fell for that handsome face of yours, huh?"

  Dofmingo rolled his eyes. "Not that kind of eating," he retorted. "It's more like the appetite of a predator sizing up its prey. Her aura is suffog, unlike anything I've ever felt. It's not just strength; it's the way she projects it, as if everyone is beh her. It's… uling."

  Cudius houghtfully. He had heard before that Charlotte Linlin's presence alone was enough to cow even the boldest individuals. Unlike Garp or Sengoku, who could suppress their power and seem approachable, Linlin's aura was overwhelming, stantly asserting her dominance.

  "So, what do you think? you handle her?" Cudius asked with a sly grin.

  Dofmingo snorted. "Corazon, you're joking, right? One-on-one? Absolutely not. If I could handle her alone, she wouldn't still be ruling Totto Land, would she? But if we're talking about our collective firepower in this operation… well, I thiand a det ce. With the right strategy, we suppress her and maybe even kill her."

  Cudius leaned ba his chair, clearly pleased with Dofmingo's fidence. "How does she pare to the Admirals, in your opinion?" he asked.

  Dofmingo hesitated, giving the question some serious thought. "They're probably on the same level," he finally said. "I'd say Sakazuki could potentially pose a signifit threat to her, but it wouldn't be easy. Kuzan… he's strong, but he might be a little outmatched. As for Borsalino… well, that guy's a mystery. Who knows what he's truly capable of?"

  Cudius chuckled, nodding in agreement. Sakazuki's strength was widely regarded as the most formidable among the current Admirals. Kuzan, while immensely powerful, had always seemed just a hair weaker. The fact that he had lost his leg in his duel with Sakazuki only ted that perception.

  But Kizaru was an enigma. His id-back demeanor masked an uable aating power. His speed and ser-based attacks made him a wildcard in any fight. Even Sakazuki teo avoid provoking him unnecessarily.

  "No one's ever seen Borsalino truly pushed to his limits," Cudius mused aloud. "If he ever decided to go all out, I wouldn't be surprised if he could match—or even surpass—Kaido or Charlotte Linlin. Of course, that's just specution. He'd never ht domihem, but he could certainly hold his own."

  Dofmingo nodded. "That's what makes him so dangerous. You 't predict what he's capable of."

  Cudius smirked. "And what about me? Where do you think I stand?"

  Dofmingo tilted his head, studying Cudius carefully. "Holy? I 't say for sure," he admitted. "You're definitely strohahat much is obvious. But whether you're at the level of the Admirals… it's hard to tell. You've never had a prht to show your full strength. The only time I've seen you in a was against the Red t, and even then, I don't think you were trying your hardest."

  Cudius grinned, clearly enjoying the fttery. "A top-tier fighter, for sure," he said fidently. "No question about that."

  Then, turning to Gion, who had been silently eating her meal throughout the versation, Cudius added with a mischievous smile, "After all, I've already quered a Marine Admiral, haven't I?"

  Gion froze mid-bite, her fork h in the air as her face turned crimson.

  Dofmingo raised an eyebrow, a grin creeping across his face. "Fufufufu… Are you serious, Corazon? quering a Marine Admiral? That's a bold cim."

  "Too bold, if you ask me," Gion muttered, gring at Cudius.

  Cudius leaned back, clearly unbothered. "Oh, e on, Doffy. You know I'm not oo exaggerate. If I say I handle a Marine Admiral, I mean it."

  Dofmingo chuckled. "Handle, sure. But you're talking about ht domination? Crushing someone like Kuzan or Sakazuki? That's a stretch, even for you."

  Cudius smirked. "You're still young, Doffy. You'll uand someday."

  Dofmingo's grin faltered as he gnced between Cudius and Gion. Something about their dynamic felt… off. The awkwardness in the air, the tensiohe past two days—it suddenly clicked.

  "Fufufufu… I was going to ask yesterday," Dofmingo said, his tone pyful. "But I guess now's as good a time as any. What's going oweewo of you?"

  The knife and fork in Gion's hands cttered onto the pte as she shot Dofmingo a withering gre. "Do you think you beat me?" she asked coldly.

  Dofmingo froze, the sharpness in her voice sending a chill down his spine. Probably not, he thought grimly. While Gion wasn't quite on the level of the Admirals, she was still an Admiral didate, a powerhouse in her ht.

  Cudius, meanwhile, simply grinned, enjoying the exge far too much.

  Realizing he'd hit a nerve, Dofmingo raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I get it. o get worked up. We're all family here, aren't we?"

  Gion opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself. She wao say, Who's family? But the words wouldn't e. Instead, she g Cudius, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

  The truth was, despite the distahey maintained during the day, things were different at night. Without fail, they ended up sharing the same bed, a tacit agreemeher of them addressed. And every m, Gion woke up to find herself tangled with Cudius, her head on his chest or her arm draped over him.

  This unspoken intimacy lingered between them, leaving Gion flustered and fused. She didn't know how to interpret it or how to stop it.

  Meanwhile, Cudius leaned ba his chair, clearly pleased with himself.