Waving a hand dismissively, Admiral Kuzan (Aokiji) replied in his usual lazy tone, "Of course, of course."
But his indifferent answer only made Garp's veins bulge with irritation. "You lazy bastard, Kuzan! You're stationed in G1 and should've arrived yesterday evening, not noon the next day!"
Kuzan simply shrugged and dropped onto the empty sofa, glancing around the room. His gaze lingered on Hancock, and a look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh? Isn't this Miss Boa Hancock? I heard Kuja Island's got so skilled and lovely warriors. My ship could use so help," he said with a hint of interest.
Hancock scoffed, crossing her arms and turning away. "No."
Kuzan let out a mock sigh. "That's a pity. Wouldn't mind having a fleet of female warriors…."
Garp, growing more impatient, cleared his throat, waiting for Kuzan to answer his question. With a lazy sigh, Kuzan finally turned to him. "I heard Luffy was here at G2, so I… let myself take my ti. But then, news ca that Jack the Drought was defeated, so I figured I'd just head back to G1 and get so sleep." He scratched his head. "But Sengoku called back, so here I am."
On the other side of the room, Kizaru (Borsalino) picked up a newspaper, adjusting his sunglasses as he skimd the front page. "Sa for . Sengoku originally wanted Sakazuki to co over, but since he got summoned to Marijoa, I had to fill in. I was going to take a few days off, maybe head to Punk Hazard, but now my vacation's gone." He looked over at Luffy with a mock frown. "Luffy-san, you owe for this one."
He suddenly paused, his eyes landing on a photo of Jack with a gaping hole in his chest. He made an exaggerated expression. "Jack's chest and internal organs are just… gone. Young people these days are truly sothing else. I could never pull off sothing like this at your age."
Watching the two admirals' casual attitudes, Garp shook his head in disbelief. He muttered under his breath, wondering why Sengoku would send these two laid-back personalities for such a critical situation. They'd probably sit back and enjoy tea if things really escalated, he thought wryly.
Luffy, however, was used to their personalities from years of knowing them. He grinned at Kizaru's drawling "young people these days," shrugging off the comnts. "Eh, it's no big deal. I can handle the small fries. But if one of the Four Emperors shows up, I'd still need you guys to back up."
Kizaru dropped the newspaper, spreading his hands in mock horror. "Oh, spare , please! I'm not fighting those monsters. Especially not Whitebeard—that uncle is way too terrifying for my taste."
Kuzan chid in, equally laid-back. "Alala, he's right. Any of those four could flatten us. Best to stay out of their way whenever possible."
Hancock rolled her eyes, disgusted by the two admirals' open reluctance. Ain and Hina exchanged embarrassed glances, covering their faces in exasperation, while Kujaku remained calm, used to the two admirals' personalities by now.
Luffy, unfazed, gave the two admirals a sly grin. "Co on, you two, stop joking around. If Kaido shows up, we'll be counting on you to step in. After all, we're just bunch of old, weak, won and children with no real power."
Kizaru looked up from the newspaper, raising an eyebrow as he observed Luffy's casual manipulation. "Luffy-san, you're quite the marine, aren't you? If the Marines are filled with young minds like yours, I'd say we're in good hands."
Luffy laughed, playing along. "It's all thanks to my training, really. I'm just using what I learned from Instructor Zephyr."
Kizaru nodded, smirking as he sipped his tea. While he doubted they'd actually taught shaless flattery and manipulation in marine training, he decided not to press further.
The group continued to chat, touching on a range of lighthearted topics, when suddenly, Garp seed to rember sothing. He bit into a donut, then glanced at Kuzan thoughtfully. "Hey, Kuzan," he said, speaking around a mouthful, "how's that girl you've been keeping tabs on? Haven't heard about her in a while."
At Garp's question, the entire room perked up, interest flickering across every face. Even Kizaru looked over, his usual indifference replaced by a curious gleam. Only Luffy remained calm, having guessed whom Garp was talking about, but he glanced at Kuzan along with everyone else.
Despite Garp's open ntion of the subject, Kuzan didn't seem fazed. He rely shrugged, sighing as if burdened by the thought.
"Ah, don't remind ," he replied, rubbing his temple. "It's been a headache. Last I heard from our intel, she was spotted in Alabasta, in the first half of the Grand Line. Looked like she'd joined up with Crocodile in the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
He cast a quick glance at Luffy, a wry smile forming. "But after Luffy took down Crocodile, it was like she vanished off the face of the earth. No trace of her anywhere."
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