"The West Blue?"
Moses asked in confusion, "What are we going there for? Grandpa, is that under your jurisdiction too?"
With a somewhat distracted look in his eyes, Garp thought this would be a great opportunity to take Moses out to broaden his horizons.
It would keep him from staying cooped up on Drum Island all the time. This was the perfect chance to properly teach him a thing or two, so he wouldn't keep picking up bad habits and constantly giving him that "sweet-talking nonsense."
Of course, whether there were any other thoughts behind this—only he himself knew.
"Ahem, there's just a temporary mission there. Since it's on the way, I figured I'd take you to see another sea."
Though unsure what Garp was really up to, Moses considered it and didn't refuse. "Won't I just be a burden if you take me along?"
Seeing Moses didn't object, Garp grinned. "This battleship is under my command. If I say it's fine, then it's fine."
Moses nodded and turned to Crow Dabao, who had perched on the desk beside him. "I want to go check it out. Can we delay our return a bit longer? Is that okay with you?"
Crow Dabao blinked before reluctantly nodding. "Caw~"
Relieved at its agreement, Moses let out a breath. After all, he had promised just days ago to take it back to see its wife and kids. Changing plans last minute felt a little inconsiderate.
Since Crow Dabao had chosen to follow him, Moses would treat it the same as Bear Cub.
With intelligence no lesser than a human's, it couldn't be treated like an ordinary bird. Moses firmly believed that only by treating others with sincerity could he earn their genuine regard in return.
Garp watched this scene with approval in his eyes. Of course, he knew this was how Moses treated those he considered his own.
"Hah! Good, it's settled then. I'm off to eat first."
Garp strode out of the room, while Moses walked over to Crow Dabao and began smoothing its feathers.
Crow Dabao closed its eyes contentedly, savoring the leisurely moment.
...
Two days later,
Reverse Mountain.
The battleship sailed toward the massive waterway where seawater surged upward in a reverse current, the thunderous roar of the rapids deafening.
A seemingly sky-piercing reverse waterfall came into view.
As they drew closer, the overwhelming grandeur of the sight filled their vision.
With a thunderous crash!
The battleship plunged perfectly into the rushing current, the terrifying pull of the sea acting upon the entire ship.
On deck, without needing orders, the marines expertly lowered the sails and secured themselves in place.
The helmsman gripped the wheel firmly, steering the battleship's direction.
Propelled by the ultra-fast current, the ship raced toward the summit at breakneck speed.
Reverse Mountain was said to be ten thousand meters high, piercing the clouds. Yet, carried by the current, the battleship soared upward in less than ten minutes, reaching the peak.
Boom! The ship slammed heavily onto the intersecting waters where the four seas converged at the mountaintop. The next moment, Moses heard synchronized shouts from within the hull.
"One, two—! One, two—! One, two—!"
Without adjusting course, the battleship continued straight ahead.
Reverse Mountain was one of the safer routes connecting the four outer seas—East, West, South, and North—to the Grand Line, aside from the Calm Belts. Each of the four seas had its own reverse current leading straight to the summit.
From the mountaintop, the waterways of the East Blue and West Blue aligned perfectly on the same straight line.
Now, they descended the reverse current.
Inside the cabin, the marines strained to push and pull various power mechanisms. The rows of large oars extending from both sides of the warship began to move vigorously, propelling the vessel against the current along the waterway as it entered the waters of the West Blue.
Compared to the ten-minute ascent earlier, the descent took nearly an hour and a half. Whether it was due to battling the ocean currents or because the Reverse Mountain waterway in the West Blue was longer than the one in the East Blue, the journey naturally demanded a greater toll.
Along the way, they encountered no sailing ships entering the Grand Line from the West Blue. Through the efforts of the marines, the warship finally exited the Reverse Mountain's countercurrent waterway and officially entered the West Blue.
Half a day later, on the deck, Moses noticed a massive floating ice block in the distance and felt puzzled. Yet, the warship sailed straight toward it. As they drew near, a tall, disheveled man rose from the ice, then stepped through the air carrying a bicycle, heading straight for the warship.
The man appeared to be nearly three meters tall. Within seconds, he landed on the warship's deck and placed the bicycle steadily in a corner. Moses could see the marines, especially the older ones, warmly greeting the newcomer, clearly familiar with him.
Bogart stepped forward, smiling as he patted the man on the shoulder. "Kuzan, what brings you here?"
The man, named Kuzan and roughly in his thirties, yawned lazily, rubbing the sleep from the corners of his eyes. "Yeah, it's me. Where's old man Garp?" He shook his head to wake himself up, then yawned again. "Ah~ You go ahead with your work. I'll go find him."
"Huh?" Kuzan suddenly noticed a kid by the railing staring at him curiously. He pointed in confusion. "Who's this little guy? I don't remember Garp's ship having someone this young."
Bogart chuckled. "That's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. He's just tagging along this time to see the world."
Kuzan's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "That guy, who hates trouble, actually brought a kid? Back when I begged him to take me as a disciple, he just told me to get lost!"
At that moment, Garp stuck his head out from a second-floor cabin window, looking annoyed. "Kuzan, you brat, have you no shame? As if I didn't take you in? What, now that you've become a vice admiral and gone solo, you think you can disown me?"
Kuzan sighed helplessly. "Ara ara~ I was just curious. Besides, back then, it was my charm and persistence that won you over. I'm not wrong—when I first came to you, you just said, 'Shut up and get lost. Don't take away my freedom. Go find another instructor.'"
At this, Kuzan gave Garp a resentful look. Garp blinked, then laughed it off. "Did I say that? I don't remember."
The surrounding marines watched the famous "backbone" of the Marines, Kuzan, and their superior's "love-hate drama" with amused smiles. They absolutely relished such juicy "gossip" about their higher-ups.
"Ara ara, you really do have a selective memory, don't you? By the way, why did you take on such a thankless mission this time? You've always been at odds with this system, haven't you?"
"Come on up," Garp waved his hand with a laugh. "Haven't seen you in a while. Come up and have some fun."
Kuzan smiled and turned to Bogart. "The old man's given the order, so I'll head up first. We'll catch up later."
Bogart waved back, grinning. "Go ahead. I've got nothing pressing here. We'll talk when you're free."
Back in the day, Kuzan had spent a considerable amount of time on Garp's ship and had gotten along well with Bogart. It had been a while since they'd last met, so this was a good opportunity to reconnect.
Moses observed the scene curiously. Seeing Kuzan enter the cabin, he followed along.
Walking behind Kuzan, Moses could feel waves of cold emanating from him. Soon, the two entered Garp's room one after the other.
As soon as he stepped inside, Moses picked up the teapot and poured tea for each of them without being asked. Then he quietly took a seat on the sofa, holding his cup and watching the two in silence.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew somewhat peculiar.
Kuzan glanced at Garp, then at Moses, his expression turning odd. He finally addressed Moses, "Ara ara, little one, we've got serious matters to discuss. Why don't you go out and play for a bit?"
Moses ignored him and instead looked at Garp. "Grandpa, is what you're about to discuss something I shouldn't hear? Some kind of secret?"
Garp blinked, then shook his head. "Nothing major, just some trivial business about recruiting pirates. Stay if you want."
Hearing this, Moses grinned and turned to Kuzan. "You can start now. I'll just listen, won't say a word." As he spoke, he pinched the left corner of his mouth with his right thumb and forefinger, dragging it to the right in a zipping motion to indicate he'd keep quiet.
Seeing this, Kuzan chuckled. "Old man, your grandson's quite the character. No surprise there—bold and unfazed, just like his grandpa."
Garp laughed proudly. "Ahaha, well, whose grandson did you think he was?"
I wasn't complimenting you. What are you so smug about?
Kuzan pursed his lips and sighed. "You haven't changed a bit. Still as carefree as ever."
At this, Garp smiled dismissively, but his eyes lingered on Kuzan as he sighed. "But you... you... ah." He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words, so he just sighed again. "Never mind that. Kuzan, let's talk about the mission. What do you think of that guy? Is he up to the task?"
"King of the Lizards, Hanafuza. He retreated from the New World not long ago for unknown reasons and recently showed up in the West Blue. Interestingly, that Gecko Moria is also in the West Blue. Even more interesting—they both have some connection to Kaido of the Beasts." Kuzan narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"'Warlord of the Sea' Gecko Moria? He used to be a formidable figure, but after losing to Kaido years ago, he's been lying low for quite some time. No one knows what he's been up to these past few years, but wherever he goes, strange ghost stories start circulating—famous battlefield graves being dug up, corpses going missing and reanimating. Given his Devil Fruit abilities, it's no surprise if he's behind all this."
As for that fellow named Hanafuza, he's quite mysterious. After a trip to Wano Country, he somehow returned with a bunch of injuries and suddenly withdrew from the New World. Recently, he's run back to his hometown in the West Blue.
This time, our target is him—the government has specially recruited him as one of the Seven Warlords."
Kuzan nodded in agreement as he listened to Garp's analysis. "Didn't expect you to know so much. That's right, it's him."
"I do have some doubts, though. This mission was originally assigned to me, but why did you suddenly show up?"
This was what puzzled Kuzan. He had just arrived in the West Blue when Fleet Admiral Sengoku notified him to wait for Vice Admiral Garp and carry out the mission together.
Is that Lizard King Hanafuza really so strong that it requires both of us? Kuzan was deeply confused.
Wouldn't this be giving him too much face? With the combined strength of me and Garp, we could easily take down those infamous monsters entrenched in the New World.
Hearing this, Garp laughed. "I had nothing better to do. Going back to headquarters would just mean dealing with trivial matters, so I figured I might as well take a stroll outside. Completing a mission would also shut them up. Since you were here, I thought we could have some fun together."
Kuzan gave Garp a skeptical look. Of what Garp just said, he only believed about thirty percent. The man who hated trouble the most was actually volunteering for a mission?
"I think you just wanted an excuse to go out and play. Working with you on a mission? More likely, I'll end up doing all the work while you just enjoy yourself."
Garp's expression stiffened for a moment before he scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. "What nonsense are you spouting? Anyway, let's drop that. Tell me, where is Hanafuza currently located?"
"The Kingdom of Teroa," Kuzan replied. "The nation next to Hana no Kuni—a World Government-affiliated country that's been in constant turmoil for a long time. It's chaotic, filled with all sorts of shady characters."
"Recently, several major underworld syndicates from the West Blue have gotten involved in the latest conflict there. The fighting has gotten so brutal, it's like people are beating each other's brains out."
"Oh, and I heard that Gecko Moria arrived there half a month ago. Lately, rumors have been spreading in several towns about zombies appearing at night and ghostly murders."
"That's pretty much all the recent intel we have."
"Mm. Alright, enough talk. We'll head there in a few days anyway. We'll figure out what to do based on the situation then. I'm exhausted—I'm gonna take a nap."
With that, Kuzan leaned back, resting his head against the sofa, legs stretched out lazily on the floor. His small sunglasses barely stayed on as, within seconds, snores began to rumble from him.
Moses gave him a deadpan look before turning to Garp. "Boss, is he your disciple? Why does he look so listless and sloppy?"
Garp's lips twitched as he glanced at Kuzan, his expression twisting in exasperation. "Who knows? He wasn't like this when he was younger—back then, he was a pure, hot-blooded young man."
"Then, a few years ago, he took on some damn mission in the West Blue. When he came back, he turned into this mess."
"Did he get dumped?" Moses pondered before his eyes lit up with curiosity. "Or did someone important to him die?"
Garp shot Moses a sidelong glance and snorted in amusement. "Kuzan isn't the type to mope around crying. He's my prized first disciple."
"First disciple?" Moses said. "So that means there's a second one. Who is it? Can you tell me?"
Garp rolled his eyes, looking like he didn't want to say more: "No, I've only taken this one for now. Just this one is already more than I can handle. If I took on any more, I'd be worked to death."
"I think you're just being lazy."
"Hiss!" Garp glared, sucking in a sharp breath. "Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't beat you up, huh?"
Moses made a zipping motion over his lips with his right hand, signaling
he wouldn't say more.
Garp shook his head with an exasperated laugh, then leaned back and closed his eyes, ready to catch some sleep first.
Seeing these two sleep gods.
Moses also started feeling drowsy and curled up on the sofa.
Soon after, the soft sounds of snoring rose and fell.