One Piece: Marine to Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Chapter 90

"The Marine 16th Branch?" Mihawk’s frowned as he stared at the approaching base from the deck of the dog-headed ship.

"Bwahaha! We’ll take a little break here," Garp said, digging at his nose without a care in the world. The fact that he was sitting next to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea ant nothing to him. "I’m surprised you actually ca along."

"Killing ti is the sa everywhere," Mihawk replied, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the horizon, ignoring the implication in the Vice Admiral’s words. "I was curious to see how the fad ’Marine Hero’ enjoys his downti."

As a Shichibukai, he knew little of the man’s reputation beyond the headlines, but he’d heard enough to form an impression. He glanced at the boisterous man standing on the other side of Garp, the self-proclaid overlord of the East Blue.

"Rest assured," Mihawk said, his voice flat. "I have no interest in whatever dirty dealings you have with him."

"Is that so? Then you’d better keep it a secret!"

’Does this man have no sha at all?’ A flicker of disbelief crossed Mihawk’s stoic face as he looked at Garp, who remained completely unfazed.

Before he could respond, Mock, the East Blue Overlord in the golden cape, crossed his arms and nodded with grave seriousness. " too! Don’t worry, Boss Garp, I won’t tell a soul that you’re my backer." He puffed out his chest and declared in a firm voice, "I, Mock, am the most tight-lipped man on the seas!"

A dead silence fell over the deck.

Even Mihawk gave the man a strange look. ’He has to be doing that on purpose.’

Garp, however, just threw his head back and laughed. "Well, you’d better keep it that way! Don’t go shouting it from the rooftops!" He paid no mind to Mock’s outburst and pointed cheerfully toward the shore.

"We’re docking!"

At his words, the others looked up. The warship was indeed pulling into the harbor. Mihawk was surprised by the scale of the pier, it seed far too large for a simple Marine branch. ’Is this East Blue branch so wealthy?’

Just as he was pondering this, Mock suddenly shouted, "Boss!"

Garp grinned and walked to the railing. "Dante! You really owe

for this one!"

"Understood! It’s all arranged!" Dante replied, grabbing Garp’s hand and shaking it with vigor.

The handshake confused Garp for a second. ’Why is the kid so formal today?’ Then he felt sothing pressed into his palm and glanced down.

It was a gleaming gold card.

"What do you take

for, kid?" Garp’s voice went cold. He scoffed, adding with mock righteousness, "Don’t let this happen again." Then, he discreetly slipped the card into his coat.

Though the exchange was subtle, Mihawk’s sharp eyes caught every detail. He looked at the Marine Hero with a newfound understanding. ’So it’s not just a deal between a hero and a criminal, but a cozy local arrangent as well. This man is more complicated than the stories suggest.’

Nearby, Garp’s subordinate, Bogard, looked on with a familiar sense of resignation. He knew his superior well enough to know he wouldn’t actually be bribed by sothing like this. ’The Vice Admiral may have gotten lazy these past few years,’ Bogard thought, ’but he hasn’t fallen that far. If he had, he wouldn’t still be a Vice Admiral, dodging work at every opportunity.’

Still, Bogard felt the need to offer a word of caution. "Vice Admiral Garp... a little restraint, perhaps."

"Bwahaha, I know what I am doing!"

From the completely carefree look on his superior’s face, Bogard knew Garp hadn’t heard a word he said.

At that mont, Captain Dante, commander of the 16th Branch, began his enthusiastic welco. "Everything has been arranged, the food, accommodations, and entertainnt are all set. I’ve also prepared your special health rub, and I even paid a hefty price for a special healthy soup recipe from the Pirate King’s forr ship doctor! There’s an Elderly Health Scrub, too, a formula customized for the middle-aged and elderly. It’s tailored to their physical needs and is more easily absorbed. One rub will refresh your mind, and a second will leave you full of energy!"

"Oh? Sothing that good, you say?" Garp’s eyes lit up. "Then I will have to enjoy my vacation properly. If it’s really that effective, I’ll introduce you to the Fleet Admiral!"

’That’s the last thing I need!’ Dante thought, though he just nodded enthusiastically. "That would be a great honor!"

"Makes bringing you that grand gift worthwhile," Garp said with a satisfied nod. "Well, I won’t bother you any longer! If there’s nothing important, don’t disturb . When I’m on vacation, I’m not in the mood for work." With that, he waved to Mock and Bogard. "Let’s go! After so long on a ship, it’s ti to relax!"

He then gestured to the frowning Mihawk. "Hey, Hawkeye, you coming?"

Bogard remained silent, looking at his superior before letting out a quiet sigh and following along. Mock, despite having work to report, got an encouraging nod from his own boss and happily tagged along at Garp’s invitation.

As for Mihawk...

"Not interested." He had no desire for so health treatnt. His gaze fell upon the black blade at the Marine Captain’s hip, and his eyes widened slightly. ’Shusui. The Black Blade.’ He didn’t expect a satisfying fight from this corrupt captain, but the sight of that sword was enough to make him want to test the man’s skill.

He looked at Dante and said coolly, "It seems this trip to the East Blue won’t be so bo-"

Before he could finish, Garp grabbed him by the arm. "What’s this about not being interested? You’re already here! Didn’t you say you wanted to see how I slack off?" The Vice Admiral started pulling the swordsman along. "Well, now I’m going to show you exactly how I do it."

"That’s right! Never mind so ’Shu-suey’! That’s just a sword! There’s a ’Sue’ over there I can order for you later, Dracula!" Mock laughed heartily from beside them. "You gotta learn to have fun! Oh, right, I think I forgot sothing... Ah, whatever, let’s just relax! My brain isn’t working right."

’And this one, too? And who is he calling Dracula?’ Mihawk’s expression turned thunderous, and his hand instinctively moved toward his sword.

"Rember to have fun!" Dante waved to them cheerfully. "I won’t disturb you, then."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

Mihawk stood frozen for a mont. He watched Dante disappear, then turned his stiff neck to glare at Garp. "Let go of ."

’Fine,’ he thought with a resigned sigh. ’Since I’m already here, a little ti won’t make a difference. I’ll see what what Mock and Garp were talking. I’ll consider it relaxation.’

"I can walk on my own."

--**--**

In no ti, led by the regular Mock and the repeat custor Garp, the group arrived at a place called Romance Dawn. They were warmly welcod and shown to a large, luxurious room that had been reserved for them.

With his feet soaking in a warm small tub of water, Mihawk began to relax slightly.

"Just a foot bath?" he remarked. "There’s nothing special about this." He had assud it must be sothing extraordinary to attract the Marine Hero all the way out here.

"Bwahaha, this is just the beginning!" Garp chuckled from his own basin. "Just you wait."

"That’s right! Dracula, I already made the arrangents for you!" Mock added.

"Stop calling

Dracula."

"Okay, Dracula!"

A short while later, a woman entered the room. "Masseuse number forty-four, Komomo, is at your service."

A mont later, a low sigh of satisfaction escaped Mihawk’s lips.

"How is it, Dracula?" Mock asked, looking pleased with himself. "When you co here, you have to relax properly!"

"It’s rely average," Mihawk said, snapping back to his usual stoicism. "I am only interested in swords." A hint of intrigue entered his voice as he added, "That base commander, however, does interest ."

"The boss? He’s a very skilled swordsman, after all!"

"That corrupt marine is a skilled swordsman? Interesting." Mihawk’s interest was piqued, and he started to stand.

"You want to cross swords with that kid? Forget it," Garp said cheerfully. "He probably doesn’t have ti for you today. Why do you think I dragged you over here? It was his idea. The kid said he’s looking forward to a match with the World’s Strongest Swordsman and wants to take it very seriously. He believes a duel of this importance can’t begin so casually, so he hopes you’ll grant him one night to prepare."

"Looking forward to it? Takes it seriously?" Mihawk was taken aback for a mont, then a cold smile touched his lips. "It seems I’ve underestimated him." ’So he respects the way of the sword,’ he mused. ’Perhaps this won’t be a waste of ti after all.’

"If that’s the case, then let him prepare," Mihawk said, a faint sense of anticipation in his voice. "He had better not disappoint ."

"Bwahaha, that guy might just surprise you. You should really look forward to it!"

"I hope so." A glint flashed in Mihawk’s eyes as he leaned back again. "I will."

’Since he’s taking this so seriously,’ he thought, ’I might as well relax and gather my strength.’ He had to admit, this was surprisingly comfortable.

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