The sun was setting in the west.
Orange-red light streamed in through the window as Moses rubbed his eyes and sat up, still groggy from sleep.
"Is it morning already?"
Moses gazed blankly out the window, momentarily unable to tell whether it was sunrise or sunset.
"Clearly, it's sunset, kid. You must still be half-asleep," Kuzan, sitting across on the sofa, scratched his head and yawned, clearly having just woken up as well.
"Oh, right, haha~" Moses chuckled, then took a deep breath in and out. With Qi Circulation Throughout the Body, his entire demeanor instantly sharpened.
The confusion in his eyes faded.
He reached for the cup on the coffee table in front of him and downed the cold tea in one gulp.
"By the way, my name's Moses, not 'kid.' You're Kuzan, right? I remember Bogart calling you that earlier."
Kuzan stared at Moses in bewilderment. "Wait, you're just gonna call me by my name like that?
I'm your grandpa's disciple, you know. By seniority, you should at least call me 'uncle.' Just using my name is kinda rude."
Moses grinned. "We're not that close yet. For now, let's just keep it casual. If we get closer later, I might call you 'bro.'"
Kuzan's eye twitched. In one sentence, this kid had demoted him a whole generation.
Helplessly rubbing his forehead, he sighed. "Fine, just call me by my name then. Anything but 'bro.'"
Moses shot him a look, as if to say, You're hopeless.
Kuzan gritted his teeth in frustration.
This brat was seriously not cute at all—nothing like that guy.
Sniffing the air, Moses caught the scent of food wafting in through the window. Dinner was ready.
He immediately stood up, patted his pants, and glanced at Kuzan. "Mess hall's open. Let's go eat."
Without waiting for a response, he headed outside.
Kuzan sighed and followed.
The dining hall was already bustling with energy. After greeting a few familiar faces, Moses grabbed two full servings of dinner from the counter—
Sea Kings shredded meat stir-fried noodles.
He carried them to an empty spot and dug in. Crow Dabao perched on the table in front of his own portion and began pecking away.
Soon, Kuzan's towering figure approached and sat across from Moses, eating just as heartily.
Neither spoke as they focused on their meals. Before long, Bogart joined them.
Seeing the two together, he grinned. "Oh? You two getting along? Sharing a table already?"
Moses smiled at him before shoveling more food into his mouth, sensing the meal being broken down and digested by his stomach and intestines with each Breath.
After a while, Kuzan narrowed his eyes as he watched Moses, who had already eaten enough for five grown men, continue eating without his stomach showing any noticeable bulge.
Subtly, he extended his Observation Haki toward him.
The next moment, their Observation Haki clashed in an imperceptible collision of senses.
Kuzan's eyes widened slightly, his mouth parting in surprise.
Mouth full, Moses looked up and glared. "That's really rude, you know."
When Kuzan remained stunned, Moses scoffed. "That's a challenge. Wanna take this outside?"
Snapping out of it, Kuzan smirked, intrigued.
"One-on-one? Interesting. Though I don't really want to bully a kid, if you're serious about fighting me, I can't say no."
Bogart looked at Kuzan with a strange expression, hesitating to speak.
The next moment, Moses laughed.
"Alright then, let's compete by pissing against the wind from the top of the mast later. We'll see who can do it straighter and farther. Dare to try?"
Kuzan's face stiffened.
If they actually did this, he was certain such a "glorious feat" would spread throughout Marine HQ, and he'd immediately suffer social death.
Not only that.
If he really went through with it, he'd undoubtedly top Marine HQ's annual "Biggest Idiot" ranking.
From then on, the beautiful female Marines would definitely label him as a pervert.
And he'd lose any advantage in courting pretty female Marines.
A total loss.
Even if he didn't care about those women, the thought still made his scalp tingle.
His gaze toward Moses suddenly became clear—this kid was ruthless, coming up with a move that hurt the enemy a thousand while damaging himself eight hundred.
Truly worthy of being Garp's grandson.
Moses frowned at Kuzan's rapidly changing expressions. "Are you thinking something rude? Give me a straight answer—are we doing this or not?"
Kuzan: "..."
Seeing Moses' dead-serious face, Kuzan's lips twitched, unsure what to make of the kid.
Helplessly, he said, "Let's forget it. Can you think of another competition?"
Pfft!
Bogart, sitting nearby, shook with suppressed laughter. The famously cool Admiral Aokiji Kuzan had been bested by a brat.
No way he could keep this to himself—this was too good not to share.
Immediately, Kuzan shot him a glare, and Bogart chuckled while turning away.
Moses pondered, then said playfully, "How about we compete by crossdressing? The kind that shows thighs?"
Hearing this—
Nope, couldn't hold it in. Bogart's lips trembled violently at the mental image of Kuzan in a dress, hairy legs on display, and burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA! Kuzan, I think Moses' idea is great. I want to see you—"
Before he could finish, a chilling cold enveloped him, frosting his eyebrows and hair in an instant.
He shivered violently.
Bogart finally remembered just how terrifying this "monster" of a junior was and grimaced.
"Sorry! Please spare me!" he begged.
Kuzan exhaled, releasing a frosty mist, then glared at Moses in exasperation.
"I surrender. I apologize. Using Observation Haki to sense you was wrong. Let's drop this, okay?"
Seeing this, Moses knew when to quit. It was just a joke—even if Kuzan agreed, Moses wouldn't.
Childhood blackmail material was a no-go; that stuff followed you for life.
Moses had enough sense to stop while ahead.
After all, he couldn't beat this man yet.
A small victory was enough.
Pushing further would backfire.
Straightening his face, Moses declared, "Since you've admitted defeat, I'll reluctantly let you off this time. Don't let it happen again, Kuzan."
Hearing this, Kuzan couldn't help but twitch his lips, feeling like today was just too unlucky.
He hadn't managed to gain any advantage from this father-son duo—they had him completely pinned down.
"Ah," Kuzan sighed, finishing his meal in a few quick bites before nodding at the two. "I'm done. Take your time. I'll head out first."
With that, he went to return his tableware.
Moses smirked, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Bogart glanced at Moses, a strange look flashing in his eyes. "Kuzan didn't lose for nothing. You really played him."
"Who knows?"
...
Five days later.
The warship sailed into a stretch of sea, and in the distance, a large island shrouded in smoke and gunfire came into view.
Troyia—
A member nation of the World Government, perpetually embroiled in war.
Internal strife.
External conflicts.
Yet, strangely, this country had never been wiped out by the endless battles. Instead, it persisted in a bizarre state of existence.
"The Kingdom of Troyia—a nation with a long history."
"It has no royal family—no, rather, it has three royal families. Centuries ago, after the death of the old king, his three children refused to submit to one another, each vying to become the ruler of the country.
Thus began the Hundred Years' War.
The eldest princess, Elizabeth, was a ruthless militarist who controlled a portion of the nation's army.
The second prince, Ishu, was a smooth operator who held the nation's economy in his grasp, commanding wealth and merchant fleets.
The third prince, Morgan, was a formidable swordsman, leading an elite force of swordsmen.
All three heirs were talented individuals, each with significant support within the country and control over a portion of its power.
And so, the war began.
Even a hundred years later, even after the three heirs had all died of old age, the ruler of the country remained undecided.
But centuries passed, and everything changed.
On the corpse of this once-prosperous nation, on this very island, three families emerged—each now the de facto rulers of the island (country).
The Elizabeth Family, descendants of the eldest princess, commanding the island's law enforcement forces.
The Ishu Family, descendants of the second prince, controlling the island's internal and external trade alliances.
The Morgan Family, descendants of the third prince, operating an underground assassin organization spanning the surrounding seas.
They relied on each other yet remained wary, trapped in this new age of pirates where none could survive without the others—yet each secretly wished for the other two to perish so they could reclaim the throne.
This was the current state of the island nation.
And because of this, the island remained in perpetual conflict.
When faced with external threats, the three families would unite against a common enemy.
But in times of peace, they would scheme in the shadows, eager to destroy one another.
Their leaders were shrewd, knowing the World Government was a powerful ally, so they remained a member nation.
Thus, as long as they paid the Heavenly Tribute on time each year, the government wouldn't interfere in their internal struggles.
And if they ever faced an enemy they couldn't handle, the Marines would step in to help.
A truly bizarre nation that wasn't quite a nation."
Bogart recounted the strange history of this country in a calm tone as he and Moses stood on the deck, listening.
"Quite a rare sight indeed. So, the turmoil on the island is just infighting?"
"Yes, it's infighting, but this time it's the most intense in recent years. Many underworld factions from outside have been hired to participate. Who knows, this might actually be the time one family unifies the country."
"Which family do you think it'll be?" Moses asked curiously. "Any sense of who has the upper hand?"
Bogart pondered for a moment. "Hard to say. There's even a chance this country might face destruction this time."
Moses chuckled. "Who knows? Not your Navy's concern anyway. They're a World Government affiliate nation under protection—you can't interfere."
"True," Bogart conceded helplessly. "But it's the civilians who'll suffer."
"Overthinking it, aren't you? This war has lasted centuries. Any civilian who's survived and adapted must have some skills."
Bogart had no rebuttal.
Yet it had to be said—for a country bordering the military powerhouse Flower Country to endure constant warfare without being annexed, its three ruling powers were clearly no pushovers.
Icarus
The port city on the island.
At the harbor.
The naval warship docked in a secluded corner. Leaning on the railing, Moses observed the passersby in the port—their hurried steps and thinly veiled wariness.
Everyone coming and going bore obvious traces of weaponry.
Some carried blades.
Others, firearms.
Beyond that, Moses even spotted people with kitchen knives and rolling pins tucked into their belts.
It was almost comical.
But understandable.
For the people here, only weapons could provide a sense of security.
"So when are you going after that person? For your mission," Moses asked.
Bogart sighed in exasperation. "How should I know? That's Kuzan and Vice Admiral Garp's headache. I just follow orders."
"Oh."
Moses offered no further comment, then waved at Crow Dabao soaring overhead. The bird immediately descended, landing on Moses' shoulder.
"What's up, Me?"
Moses said, "Go scout the island. See if anything interesting is happening. Just stay safe."
Crow Dabao nodded, then pushed off with its claws, wings flapping as it soared toward the port city.
Watching this, Bogart couldn't hide his envy. "That crow of yours is incredibly smart and inconspicuous—a born intelligence gatherer."
"Envy won't help. Intel gathering like this probably isn't useful for you anyway. With the Navy as your backing, you shouldn't lack sources."
Bogart disagreed. "It's not the same. The Navy's intelligence network doesn't cater to individuals. Nothing beats the convenience of your bird. Speaking of which, Moses—if I actually catch a few crows, will you really train them for me?"
"Three at most. And the Taming fee is a million Belly per bird. Never mind my labor—the medicinal preparations alone are costly."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Bogart's eyes. So, drugs were involved in this Taming process.
"Deal. Once I catch them, I'll contact you."
Moses looked at the distant harbor and suddenly laughed. "I'm going to take a stroll there. We'll probably be staying here for a while, right?"
Bogart nodded. "We'll likely be here for several days if nothing unexpected happens."
"Great, I'm off to have some fun."
With his left hand resting on the railing, Moses nimbly vaulted over the barrier and leaped down from the deck.
He landed steadily on the harbor's ground.
Turning back, he waved at Bogart with a smile before striding confidently toward the city.