Kuzan's Anxiety Over Being Left Behind
Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Harbor.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what brings you here?" Kuzan looked at Garp with surprise as he stepped off the warship and quickly went to greet him.
"Hahaha, I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by to see you and the branch office under construction here. Anyway, the coating technology here is the best in the world, it won't take much time and won't cause any delays!"
Garp threw his head back and laughed heartily, attracting curious glances from many mermaid ladies around him, as they had also watched the live broadcast known as the 'One Piece Great Sea Battle'.
Therefore, I am particularly curious about this naval hero who was able to destroy such an exaggerated super tsunami with a single punch.
Garp had actually visited Fish-Man Island many times before, but at that time, the mermaids and Fish-Man had no concept of a Marine hero at all.
That's quite something, it's truly shocked the entire world!
"Come on, take me to see how this branch differs from the ones above."
Under the admiring gazes of the naval soldiers on both sides, Garp strode ahead, accompanied by Kuzan lagged behind and led the way from the side. It was quite an interesting scene.
Although the former is called a naval hero, that is a civilian title, and in the Marine Headquarters, he is actually just an ordinary Vice Admiral. However, the latter, the candidate for Admiral, is a real official title.
Kuzan, however, willingly followed Garp. In his view, even if he became Navy Admiral, he would still respect Garp in private, except for very formal occasions.
"By the way, is Kaido of the Beasts imprisoned on your ship? May I see him?" Kuzan asked with a grin, his hands in his pockets.
Garp readily agreed, saying, "Sure, when I leave, you come up with me to take a look. That kid's got some interesting looks—over seven meters tall, and he even has bull-like horns on his head!"
"Vice Admiral Garp."
Before long, the two men arrived at the construction site of the branch office with a group of subordinates. The site was mostly completed, and some outlines and basic styles could be seen.
"Wow, this is really different from the branches above. The roof is made of big seashells. Interesting. This is the first time I've seen a naval branch like this!"
Garp chuckled, took out a bag of senbei from the large pocket of his Coat of Justice, and started eating. He also handed one to Kuzan, who didn't refuse and took a bite.
"Vice Admiral, I just received an order to go to the Polar Ice Continent to find the treasure of the Kano Country's Happo Navy, Green Chinjao, called something like the Treasure Jade Iceberg."
"Chinjao?"
Upon hearing that familiar name, Garp burst into laughter.
"I've heard about this too. Ever since I punched him in the head and crushed it, he seems to have been unable to produce the treasure beneath the ice anymore, forcing him to go and check it every year!"
After saying that, he thought of something, turned to look at Kuzan, and said, "Be careful when you go there and run into him. Although that guy's fighting power is basically halved after losing his spike, his Armament Haki and Hasshoken Physical Arts are still a considerable threat to you."
"OK."
Kuzan obediently accepted the warning and then said, "However, I can't spare the time right now. The Reverie is about to begin, and I definitely need to be responsible for escorting King Neptune and Queen Otohime."
"Indeed, those royal families located in the Four Seas, far away, should have already set off." Garp nodded; he had experienced countless Reverie and knew them all too well.
"So I can only go there after the Reverie, but there's another problem: it's too far from the Polar Ice Continent in the South Blue. It would take several months to go there and back, during which time Fish-Man Island would be unguarded."
Kuzan made a troubled expression.
"As you know, this place is often frequented by One Piece from the 'New World.' While my marines can handle ordinary One Piece, they can't handle tough ones. We need a Vice Admiral to oversee the branch."
Upon hearing this, Garp immediately understood the kid's meaning. He stuck his finger up his nose, glanced at him sideways, and said with a sneer, "So you want me to guard it for you?"
"Hehehehe, as expected of Vice Admiral Garp!" Kuzan, giving a thumbs up.
"Alright, brat. I don't have anything else to do anyway. Once you get to the Polar Ice Continent, I'll come and keep an eye on things here. The environment on Fish-Man Island is quite nice; it'll be good to live here for a while."
Garp didn't make things difficult for Kuzan and he readily agreed.
"In the future, there will definitely be fewer and fewer One Piece from the first half of the Grand Line, and even fewer who can reach here via the Sabaody Archipelago. Fish-Man Island only needs to guard against One Piece from the 'New World,' and the pressure on your side won't be too great."
"Yes, yes, yes, the Sabaody Archipelago is now under the command of Dragon, and he's doing a great job. It's quite lively. I even heard the day before yesterday that an assassin broke into the Marine branch and was captured."
Kuzan knew Garp's temperament; he wanted him to praise his son, so satisfying him was easy!
"Besides that, I heard from Sengoku that they also need to set up a naval branch at the Reverse Mountain, with Borsalino as the base commander. This would effectively block the entrance to the Four Seas and the Grand Line, and that's the key."
Kuzan exclaimed in surprise, "The Reverse Mountain branch? I've been there too, and I didn't see any islands nearby that could be used as a base."
"Hmph, I didn't ask for details, but they definitely have a way."
Garp said dismissively, then added, "Alright, you've seen enough. I'm going to see King Neptune now. You go ahead with your business!"
"Hey, take care."
Kuzan hurriedly bowed and scraped as he saw the big shot off, then stood there thinking. He remembered the night he celebrated Dragon's promotion to lieutenant Vice Admiral.
"Reverse Mountain, plus the four G-Branch, Sabaody Archipelago, Fish-Man Island, and the four G-1 Branch in the 'New World,' really sets up numerous obstacles along the entire Grand Line."
"From this perspective, if One Piece from Four Seas can't enter the Grand Line, then the One Piece situation in the first half of the Grand Line is stabilized, and the 'New World' in the second half is completely blocked."
After pondering for a moment, he had a feeling that the high command of the Navy—no, he should say the high command of the World Government —was about to make some big move against the 'New World'.
Although Kuzan always appears passionate and energetic, he actually has a lot on his mind, especially his thoughts about the world, which are no less profound than those of Dragon.
He could also see that the World Government had always intentionally maintained a balance between the Navy and One Piece, ensuring that they were in conflict but not in serious confrontation.
But it seems the World Government's attitude towards One Piece has changed!
"Forget it, we'll find out as we go along. It would be a good thing to eliminate those great One Piece, but it's best to wait a few years, otherwise I won't be able to participate in anything big with my current strength."
Kuzan shook his head helplessly, thinking that he was indeed getting anxious. Among the candidates for admiral, he was the only one who hadn't Awakening his powers yet, while Admiral Dragon, who had only eaten the Hurricane Fruit a year ago, had already Awakening.
But how do I Awakening my Ice-Ice Fruit power? I have no clue.
He also consulted Borsalino, but the latter simply said that Awakening after taking a nap in the sun one day.
This is truly speechless. Awakening to such a thing and ability has nothing to do with training; it's entirely dependent on chance!
"I'm starting to doubt whether I have the ability to break through the polar ice. If I spend months going there and then find out I can't, that would be a real mess, especially if people found out."