Calling Brother

"Yohohoho, you're good, kid! You've got my old flair! What happened next?"

"After that, Admiral Zephyr wanted to recruit me into the training camp, but I refused. I said I wanted to train under Uncle for a few more years. Admiral Zephyr's face turned green then. He kept scolding you for being a bad influence, hahahaha. Then you sent someone to find me, and I came back."

Mo Xingchen said while pouring tea, the old man and the young man chatting casually.

Garp took the opportunity to introduce him to the core high-ranking officials of the Marines and mentioned the current Fleet Admiral's intention to pass the position to his old partner, Sengoku. As the sky began to darken, Garp ordered a guard to pack some food from the mess hall.

"I'm back."

The two men, engrossed in conversation, heard the voice and turned to look at the doorway. They saw Dragon, covered in dirt, changing his shoes at the entrance. He looked up and saw Mo Xingchen and Garp sitting in the living room, drinking tea.

He paused for a moment, thinking that although his old man was usually careless, it depended on who he was with. This situation didn't seem like a typical superior-subordinate relationship. It seemed his father placed great importance on this young man. So, he took the initiative to greet them.

"Mo Xingchen, hello! I'm Dragon, this old geezer's son. I saw you in Loguetown before. I thought you'd set sail to find the One Piece, but I didn't expect you to become a Marine. Still, you looked really cool beating up Kuzan today!"

Mo Xingchen looked at Dragon, who was giving him a thumbs-up, his face not yet adorned with tattoos. He decided to tease the kid.

"Want to learn? Call me 'Brother,' and I'll teach you!"

"After dinner, we'll have a match. If I win, I'll call you that! It's a shame my Armament Haki isn't proficient yet. Otherwise, I would have beaten Kuzan up long ago, letting him show off his Logia Type fruit all day."

Dragon said with a smug look and sat down to pour himself a cup of hot tea, downing it in one gulp.

"Yohohoho, you brat, go wash up first. Dinner will be soon."

"So bossy!"

Dragon got up and walked towards the bathroom.

Night fell, the stars were like a dream.

A bruised and swollen Dragon and Mo Xingchen lay on the grass by the training field.

"Brother Mo, why did you become a Marine?"

"Hmm~ Couldn't beat your dad."

"Huh? What kind of reason is that? Does it mean if you could have beaten him, you would have become a Pirate?" Dragon turned his head in shock to look at Mo Xingchen.

"That wouldn't be the case. I still have a bit of justice in my heart. I originally planned to be a traveler. It's also my own fault for being too talkative and asking Roger about the One Piece. Then your dad caught me. I couldn't fight him, and I couldn't run away. After he talked me into it, I ended up here."

Mo Xingchen held a blade of grass in his mouth, gazing at the starry sky, and replied lazily.

"So that's how it is. Then, Brother Mo, will you teach me your martial arts later? It looks so cool!"

"Heh, your dad is much more powerful than me. Why don't you ask him to teach you?"

"Tch, that old geezer doesn't know how to teach anyone. He just knows how to hit people and tells you to figure it out yourself. The worst part is he doesn't hold back and it really hurts! Heh heh, mainly, he just keeps throwing that one punch. Being strong is temporary, but being cool! That's for a lifetime!"

Dragon said with a look of disdain.

"Hahahaha, good kid, I didn't realize you had such high aspirations! Alright! Starting tomorrow, I'll give you private lessons every evening."

Mo Xingchen laughed heartily, thinking, Anime is just anime after all. This is a real world, and Dragon beside me is a living person. Young people should be full of youthful exuberance.

"Then... one more round?"

"Let's go!"

The next day, Mo Xingchen woke up to find the room empty. He figured Dragon must have gone for training. As for Garp? Dragon was a Major in the main force, so he had his own independent room! Mo Xingchen only went to Garp's place for meals and chats after training during the day when Garp was at headquarters, but he slept in his own room at night.

After washing up, Mo Xingchen saw it was almost noon. He put on his hat and leisurely headed towards the mess hall, ready for a meal. Along the way, he noticed soldiers whispering about him.

He looked down at himself, but saw nothing wrong. He touched his face, and felt nothing unusual. When he turned to try and listen closely to what they were discussing, they quickly scattered, leaving him completely baffled.

Puzzled, he walked into the mess hall, got his food, and then heard someone call him.

"Brother Mo, over here! Brother Mo!"

He looked up and saw Dragon, standing on a stool and waving at him. He raised his hand in acknowledgment and walked over.

"Dragon, I've noticed a lot of people looking at me strangely today. Do you know what's going on?"

He sat down next to Dragon and asked the people around him, "Heh, what else could it be? The news of you beating up Kuzan has spread. And it's gotten more and more exaggerated. So everyone's curious about what kind of person you are. They even gave you a nickname, something like 'Strongest New Recruit'."

"Hmm, I thought I'd done something wrong. What kind of stupid nickname is this?" Mo Xingchen mumbled while eating, "By the way, how's Kuzan?"

"No major issues. He was discharged this morning. He just can't do high-intensity training for a few days. Teacher Zephyr gave him two days off. Brother Mo, what are you planning to do this afternoon?"

Mo Xingchen thought for a moment, "Hmm... I'll go see Kuzan first. After all, I beat him up on our first meeting. Then I'll go wander around town."

"Aren't you coming to watch our training?"

"What's there to see with a bunch of grown men exercising? If Admiral Zephyr catches me, he'll drag me into the training camp again. I won't be back for dinner. You can tell Uncle Garp for me. I'll find you for extra training when I get back. Enough talk, focus on eating!"

Not to mention, the food at Marine Headquarters was really quite good. There were dishes prepared by chefs from all over the world for the soldiers to choose from, and the taste was excellent. Even Mo Xingchen, who came from China, couldn't help but give it a thumbs-up. There was even food made from Sea Kings.

After eating their fill, the two walked out of the mess hall, arm in arm. Dragon gave Mo Xingchen the general location of Kuzan's house, and then headed back to the training grounds with the other trainees. Mo Xingchen carried a bag of fruit, planning to visit the future Marine Admiral.

"Knock knock... knock" A series of knocks on the door.

"Coming!"

Kuzan opened the door and saw the bastard who had beaten him yesterday, chewing on a toothpick, holding the fruit chest-high, a smug grin plastered on his face as he looked at him.

"Good morning! Superior officer!"

Kuzan looked up at the sun, which had already reached its zenith. The corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily, and he sighed wordlessly.

"Come in."

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