Bad Influence

"What's going on?" Xia Che looked at the civilians disembarking from the Moke Pirates' ship with a puzzled expression.

Everyone wore grief and indignation on their faces, despair in their eyes. But that was nothing compared to the older man among them, who was still muttering curses under his breath. Listening carefully, it sounded like he was cursing the Marines?

"Why is he cursing the Marines? And Smoker, at that?"

"Wahaha... There was a little misunderstanding." Hearing Boss Xia Che's question, Moke scratched his head awkwardly and said, "We ran into Smoker and his men on the island. Thanks to Smoker's help, we managed to round everyone up much faster."

As soon as he said that.

Xia Che: ...

He stared at Moke with a strange expression.

Although Moke had not explained in detail, Xia Che had once sailed the seas himself and could roughly guess what had happened.

Imagine running into a group of pirates at sea who suddenly told you, "Come on, come on, I'll take you away. There's work, and you'll get enough to eat!"...

Who the hell would believe that?

Even if you claimed to be hiring workers, not many people would trust you.

Hiring workers?

If they did not drag you off to become a slave and make you work 007 for free, that would already be a miracle!

Wages and meals included?

What were you dreaming about?

Forget refugees at sea—even nobles who had spent their whole lives on the ocean had never encountered anyone foolish enough to do something like that!

So, after realizing that no amount of explanation would work, they simply... resorted to pirate methods. Whenever they found someone, they said nothing and tied them up directly!

They could sort out everything else afterward!

Anyway, once the people were brought here, they behaved themselves. Especially after discovering that they really had not been deceived, they instantly became even more grateful.

It could not be helped. Trust between people on the sea... was just that low!

So the Marines helped capture people?

Xia Che felt that he could already picture the scene.

Moral decay, the distortion of human nature!

No wonder those refugees looked so desperate and furious. When they saw righteous Marines actually helping pirates seize people, they must have felt utter despair.

"Smoker?" Kuzan, who had come out as well, seemed to think of something and wore a strange expression. "Oh, right. Smoker was recently reassigned by Headquarters as the new base commander of Loguetown? Marines? Pirates?"

He looked suspiciously at Xia Che.

"I know Smoker. He's only been reassigned for a few days, and you've already led him astray?"

"Come on, we're good friends who've worked together before. Smoker is a good colonel!"

However.

The moment Moke finished speaking.

"What good friends? What good friends?" Xia Che kicked him directly and said sternly, "How many times have I told you? Some relationships cannot be spoken of. You pirates have absolutely no relationship with the Marines, remember that. And also..."

His tone changed into one of criticism.

"Didn't I tell you? Your boss has already gone legit and come ashore. You're no longer old pirates of the sea, but new pirates of the East Blue. You can't just grab people however you want. You need your own rules and regulations. Capture people civilizedly!"

"But... I explained!" Faced with his boss's reprimand, Moke looked troubled. "They wouldn't listen! How am I supposed to be civilized?"

"Can't you smile? Capture them with a smile? A smile is the best language, the best explanation, understand?"

"Got it!"

"Do you know what to do from now on?"

"From now on, I'll have everyone capture them with smiles!"

"..." x2

Listening to their conversation, Princess Vivi and Kuzan, who had just arrived, both stared at the two with black lines across their faces.

Was that something a human being would say?

Capture people with smiles?

That was even more terrifying than just grabbing them outright!

Especially Kuzan... did this guy not realize he was still here? He was openly colluding with pirates right in front of him?

As a Marine Admiral, he felt he had to say something and offer a reminder!

However.

Just as Kuzan was about to speak.

"Come here!" Xia Che beckoned sternly at Moke. Once Moke stepped forward, Xia Che pulled him over to Kuzan and said, "This is Admiral Kuzan from Headquarters. Do you know what a Marine Admiral represents? If you see this face on the sea in the future, run as far away as you can. And do you remember what I just said?"

As soon as he said that.

"?!"

Hearing Boss Xia Che's words, Moke stared at Kuzan in shock.

A Marine Admiral?

Not long ago, Boss had gotten involved with the Marine Hero and a Navy Vice Admiral. Now he had latched onto a Marine Admiral too.

As expected of Boss!

He was truly amazing.

Moke hurriedly nodded with a serious expression. "Don't worry, Boss. I absolutely won't tell anyone that Admiral Kuzan is also our backer!"

"???"

Kuzan stared blankly at the dazed Moke before him.

How had he become these people's backer?

It was as if he had something he did not know whether to say, but he still hurriedly said with black lines on his face, "I'm not!"

"That's right, Admiral Kuzan isn't!" Xia Che nodded seriously as well. "Don't go spreading nonsense everywhere. Go down and finish the handover. It's getting late; we should be leaving too!"

"Got it, Boss. I, Moke, am the tightest-lipped man on the sea. I definitely won't go around telling people."

Moke nodded. Then, with his mouth tightly shut and a solemn expression, he turned around and prepared to go down and hand over the gains from this operation to Big Sis Nojiko, as his boss had ordered.

And Kuzan...

He silently watched Moke leave, then turned to look at Xia Che.

He had only come to watch the excitement, and somehow he had become these people's backer?

Before Kuzan, whose forehead was covered in black lines, could say anything, that brat sighed sentimentally and said, "Moke lost his parents when he was little. He has no home, no family, and no money. He's been poor his whole life and never went to school, so it's normal for him to misunderstand some things. Don't worry, I'll properly warn him not to talk nonsense. Besides, apart from the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, everyone here is one of us."

After patting his chest, Xia Che turned seriously to Vivi, who was standing there stunned, and said, "But I believe Princess Vivi definitely won't go around telling people!"

As soon as he said that.

Vivi turned her head and looked strangely at Kuzan. Then she nodded just as seriously. "Thank you very much for everyone's help. Please rest assured, I absolutely will not tell anyone about such a secret."

"..."

That did not look like someone who would not go around telling people!

No, what secret was there in the first place?!

Kuzan covered his face and said in a lazy yet helpless tone, "Ah... did I just bring a huge problem upon myself? I really should have left this damned place earlier."

Of course~

As a Marine Admiral, he did not truly care about such rumors.

After all, Xia Che was merely the East Blue Overlord, not the overlord of the seas, nor the overlord of the New World. What could a dignified Marine Admiral possibly gain by cooperating with a mere East Blue Overlord?

"I should get going too." Kuzan climbed onto his bicycle, placed his foot on the pedal, and gave Xia Che a deep look. "I hope that when we meet again, I won't have to arrest you personally!"

"I'm a righteous Marine." Xia Che deliberately flicked his white Justice Cape—the one he had exceptionally earned from the training camp and had not worn in a long time—and said with a smile, "Why would I trouble righteous Marines to arrest me?"

"What a sly fellow!"

Kuzan did not say anything more in response. He merely smiled, shook his head, and slowly rode away on his bicycle as Xia Che waved him off.

However.

Just as Kuzan had ridden halfway away.

"Oh, right, I forgot one more thing."

Xia Che's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"The next time you go to Red Romance, remember not to order the seawater bath. There's real seawater in it. It really is comfortable, but it's extremely unfriendly to Devil Fruit users. Red Romance is currently spreading rumors about some lazy big guy who looks tall and strong, but nobody knows just how weak he is underneath! It damages the dignity of a Marine Admiral and leaves a bad influence!"

As soon as he said that.

"..."

Kuzan, who had been leisurely pedaling along, suddenly slipped off a pedal and nearly fell off his bicycle into the sea.

If you know it leaves a bad influence, could you stop shouting so loudly?

After steadying his bicycle again, Kuzan acted as if he had heard nothing, as if Xia Che had not been talking about him at all. He continued pretending that nothing had happened and leisurely rode onward.

Only.

Compared to his slow pace earlier.

At this moment...

Though his upper body still looked lazy, his feet were pedaling so fast that they could no longer be seen clearly.

In only a moment...

His figure vanished from everyone's sight, leaving behind a crowd still watching with strange expressions.

"Serves you right for showing off!" Xia Che muttered in satisfaction. Then he coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention back, and said calmly, "Get ready. It's time for us to set off too... and enter the Grand Line!"