Read More, Sleep Less

"Let's get reacquainted, I'm Mo Xingchen."

In the living room, Mo Xingchen looked at Kuzan with a smile and held out the small gift he had brought for his visit.

As the old saying goes, one shouldn't strike a smiling face. Kuzan took the fruit Mo Xingchen handed him.

"Thanks, have a seat and let's chat."

Kuzan sat down first and began to boil water for tea, saying with a slightly awkward expression:

"Oh my~ you're very strong! And thank you for holding back at the end; otherwise, I suspect I might have had to spend a few days in the hospital."

"Hahaha, there's no deep-seated hatred between us, it was just a spar, so of course I wouldn't use heavy blows. Besides, in terms of rank, you're my superior."

Mo Xingchen was looking around the room as he spoke, but upon hearing Kuzan's words, he quickly responded—though he nearly burst out laughing when he looked at Kuzan's hairstyle.

Because Kuzan was resting at home, he wasn't wearing his hat. Mo Xingchen had always assumed Kuzan had a hippie-style afro, but he hadn't expected the top to be a buzz cut with long hair on the sides. If you didn't look closely, you'd think he was wearing headphones.

"Don't call me superior. With your strength, I think you're already on par with Sakazuki and Borsalino. Once you graduate from the training camp, you might even be at the same rank as me. Besides, my idol is Mr. Garp, and before I entered the training camp, I was his adjutant, so don't be so formal. Just call me by my name from now on."

"Hahaha, then I guess we've become friends through a fight. However, I don't plan on entering the training camp. Like Uncle Garp, I'm not too interested in promotions, so... I don't think there's much hope of me catching up to your rank."

"But, by becoming an Admiral or even Fleet Admiral, wouldn't you be better able to carry out the justice in your heart?"

Kuzan looked at him with a puzzled expression. He truly couldn't understand the mindset of people like Mr. Garp and Mo Xingchen, who clearly possessed such great strength yet had no desire for promotion.

Mo Xingchen looked conflicted, not knowing how to explain such things to him. People in the One Piece world were basically illiterate! How could he clearly explain the relationship between the World Government and the member nations, the relationship between the Navy and the World Government, and the conflict between the commoners and their own ruling classes? He feared that by the time he finished, Dragon wouldn't have even become a revolutionary yet, and he himself would have already started forming the core cadres of the Revolutionary Army.

As for Garp, one shouldn't underestimate him just because he looked like a simpleton in the anime. Through his interactions over this period, Mo Xingchen realized that the man was actually wise enough to appear foolish; he saw things very clearly.

Because once you become an Admiral, unless it's a war against the Four Emperors, you're basically just completing missions related to the Celestial Dragons. Garp knew full well what kind of trash these Celestial Dragons were, so to avoid having the justice in his heart tainted, he simply chose to turn a blind eye and remain a Vice Admiral.

Besides, there were always the Fleet Admiral and other Admirals above him to take the heat, so nothing would fall on him. Plus, with his old comrades inevitably holding the reins of power, he could be even more of a law unto himself.

"The positions of Fleet Admiral and Admiral aren't easy to hold. I'm not talking about strength or military merit. These things are hard to explain to you directly. However, I can give you a suggestion: read more books. Any kind of book will do, but the most important thing is to learn how to think through the knowledge you gain from them!"

Seeing Kuzan's furrowed brows, Mo Xingchen patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Do you have anything to do later? If not, why don't you take me around town? Be my guide, and I'll buy you a few books as a token of my appreciation. How about it?"

"Alright, then wait a moment. I'll go change my clothes and we'll head out."

"OK!" Mo Xingchen made a gesture and began to enjoy the tea and snacks.

The two strolled through the town. Mo Xingchen looked at the clean, tidy streets and the dazzling array of goods and shops, seeing people with relaxed expressions and smiles on their faces. He couldn't help but feel moved; as expected of an island belonging to Marine Headquarters, the sense of security and happiness index of the masses was absolutely maxed out.

And it had to be said, while most of the men in this world looked bizarre, the young ladies were truly beautiful, and their figures were great too. Mo Xingchen's eyes were practically glued to them. What? You say I'm a lecher? Bullshit! I just have a pair of eyes that are good at discovering beauty; it's purely an appreciation of fine things.

After wandering around for half a day, Mo Xingchen bought himself a black suit and leather shoes. He couldn't keep wearing board shorts and flip-flops all day long. He might have had the aura of an expert, but he lacked the necessary air of dominance.

Then, I bought Garp a dog-head hat as a token of gratitude for his care during this time, and also picked up some small gifts for Dragon. Naturally, I also selected a few decent history and philosophy books for Kuzan at the bookstore. Dealing with social graces—nailed it!

As the sky grew dark, Kuzan brought Mo Xingchen to a restaurant that looked quite stylish.

"The food here is actually pretty good; it's very popular among Marine officers. You spent a lot today, so let me treat you to dinner."

Kuzan enthusiastically pulled Mo Xingchen over to an empty table, and they sat down.

"Yo, isn't this our famous Marine monster Kuzan, who got defeated by a recruit?"

Just as they sat down, they heard a sarcastic, mocking voice. Turning their heads to look, they saw a tall, long-legged young woman with a long sword at her waist, followed by a middle-aged man walking toward them.

Kuzan looked helpless. He held his forehead and introduced them to Mo Xingchen.

"This is Marine Headquarters Major Gion, also the younger sister of Vice Admiral Tsuru. As for this sarcastic guy behind her, that's Marine Headquarters Major Kake, and well... he's a total playboy." Hearing Kake's teasing, Kuzan didn't hold back in undermining him, then pointed at Mo Xingchen, "Captain Mo Xingchen, Vice Admiral Garp's communications soldier."

"You're the recruit who defeated Kuzan? When you have time, let's have a spar. I want to see how strong you are." Upon hearing Kuzan's introduction, Gion's eyes instantly lit up as she stared at him.

Mo Xingchen was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the future flower of the Marines was such a battle junkie in her youth. He smiled and waved his hands.

"Just luck, pure luck, haha... We'll talk about it if there's a chance, we'll talk later."

"Have you two eaten yet? If not, why don't you sit down and have a bite?" Kuzan was just being polite, but he didn't expect the two of them to be equally impolite, sitting down and starting to order food immediately. His mouth twitched as he began to worry if his wallet would be enough; the prices at this place were not low.

However, since the words were already out, and they were all young people, they drank and ate their fill. They spoke of the justice in their hearts, gossiped about their superiors, and teased one another. It was a pleasant conversation, and a small friendship began to warm up.

The dinner ended with Gion rejecting Kake's confession once again. The group wandered off together, made plans to meet again next time, and then headed their separate ways home.