Mission!

"West Blue?"

Mercer asked in confusion, "What are we going there for? Are you in charge of that area too, Grandpa?"

Garp's eyes wandered a little. He felt this was a good opportunity to take Mercer out and broaden his horizons.

He didn't want Mercer staying on Drum Island all the time. This was a good chance to teach him a thing or two, so he wouldn't keep getting up to no good and making those snide remarks at him every other day.

Of course, whether he had any other ideas in mind was something only he knew.

"Ahem. It's just a temporary mission, and it happens to be on the way. So I thought I'd take you to see another sea."

Mercer didn't know what Garp was really up to, but after thinking it over, he didn't refuse. "Won't I be a bother if I come along?"

Seeing that Mercer hadn't refused, Garp laughed. "I'm in charge of this battleship. If I say it's fine, then it's fine."

Mercer nodded, then looked at Bear Cub, perched on the desk beside him. "I want to go have some fun. Can we wait a little longer before heading back? Are you okay with that?"

Bear Cub blinked, then nodded reluctantly. "Caw~"

Seeing it nod, Mercer let out a breath of relief. After all, he'd said a few days ago that he would take it home to see its wife and children. Changing plans at the last minute made him feel a little guilty.

Since Bear Cub had chosen to follow him, Mercer would treat it just like he treated Bear Cub's companion.

It had intelligence no less than a human's, so he couldn't treat it like an ordinary bird. Mercer believed that only by treating others sincerely could you earn their sincerity in return.

Garp watched the scene, approval in his eyes. Of course, he knew Mercer was acting this way because he considered the crow one of his own.

"Hahaha, all right, then it's settled. I'm going to get something to eat."

Garp strode out of the room. Mercer went over to Bear Cub and began smoothing its feathers.

Bear Cub contentedly narrowed its eyes, enjoying the peaceful moment.

Two days later,

Reverse Mountain.

The battleship headed toward the enormous waterway ahead, where the sea surged uphill. A terrifying rumble filled the air.

A rising current that seemed to reach all the way to the heavens came into view.

As they drew closer, its unmatched grandeur filled their field of vision.

With a crash, the battleship entered the rushing channel perfectly. The terrifying pull of the current acted on the entire ship.

On deck, the Marines lowered the sails with practiced ease and secured themselves without anyone needing to shout at them.

The helmsman gripped the wheel firmly, keeping the battleship on course.

Carried by the incredibly fast current, the battleship sped toward the mountaintop.

They said Reverse Mountain stood ten thousand meters tall, reaching straight into the clouds. Yet carried by the current, the battleship shot skyward and reached the summit in less than ten minutes.

Boom! The battleship slammed down onto the crossing waters at the summit, where the four seas converged. The next moment, Mercer heard a chorus of shouts coming from inside the ship.

"One, two! One, two! One, two!"

The battleship didn't change course. It sailed straight ahead.

Reverse Mountain was one of the safer routes from the Four Great Seas to the Grand Line, aside from the Calm Belt. Each of the Four Great Seas had a rising current that led straight to the mountain's summit.

From the top of the mountain, the routes from East Blue and West Blue lay on the very same straight line.

Downstream.

Inside the ship, the Marines worked hard to push and pull the various mechanisms. The rows of large oars extending from both sides of the battleship began to move, carrying it downstream along the channel and into the waters of West Blue.

Compared to the ten minutes it had taken to climb the mountain, the trip down took nearly an hour and a half.

It wasn't just because they were fighting against the current and nature; the channel on the West Blue side of Reverse Mountain was also longer than the one on the East Blue side.

Naturally, that meant it took more effort.

They didn't encounter any sailing ships entering the Grand Line from West Blue along the way.

With the Marines' hard work, the battleship sailed out of Reverse Mountain's rising current and officially entered West Blue.

Half a day later, on deck, Mercer gazed at the sea ahead. A massive iceberg had appeared in the distance, and he was puzzled. But the battleship sailed straight toward it.

As they drew near,

a tall, scruffy man stood up on the ice. He hoisted a bicycle onto his shoulder, then ran toward the battleship through the air.

The man looked nearly three meters tall. A few seconds later, he landed on the battleship's deck and set his bicycle down safely in a corner.

Mercer could see the Marines aboard the ship, especially the older ones, warmly greeting the newcomer. They were clearly familiar with him.

Bogard walked over and smiled as he patted the newcomer on the shoulder. "Kuzan, what are you doing here?"

The man called Kuzan was about thirty years old. He yawned lazily and rubbed the sleep from the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. Where's the old man, Garp?"

As he spoke, he shook his head to wake himself up, then yawned again. "Ah~ You carry on. I'll go find him."

"Hm?" Kuzan suddenly spotted a kid by the railing, watching him curiously. Puzzled, he pointed at Mercer.

"Who's this little guy? I don't remember someone this young being on Vice Admiral Garp's ship."

Bogard smiled. "Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. He brought him along this time to see the world."

Kuzan's eyes widened. "That guy hates trouble so much, and he's bringing a kid along? I asked him to take me on as a disciple once, and he told me to get lost!"

At that moment, Garp poked his head out of a second-floor cabin window, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Kuzan, don't you have any shame?

You make it sound like I didn't take you in!

What?

You became a vice admiral and went off on your own, and now that your wings have grown strong, you don't recognize me anymore?"

Kuzan looked helpless. "Ah, come on. I was just curious. Besides, it was my charm and perseverance that finally won you over back then.

I'm not wrong, am I? When I came to ask you to be my master, didn't you say, 'Shut up, get lost, and stop trying to take away my freedom. Go find another instructor'?"

As he said this, Kuzan looked at Garp with a wounded expression. Garp blinked, then chuckled awkwardly.

"Did that happen? I don't remember."

The Marines nearby watched the famous "pillar of strength" within the Navy and their own superior's "love-hate relationship." One by one, they all wore knowing smiles.

They loved a juicy bit of gossip about their superiors.

"Ah, you really do forget things when you're important. By the way, why did you volunteer to take on such a thankless mission this time?"

"Aren't you always opposed to this system?"

"Come on up," Garp said with a wave, smiling. "It's been a while since I saw you. Come up and hang out."

Kuzan smiled and said to Bogard, "The old man's calling. I'll head up first. I'll catch up with you later."

Bogard waved him off with a smile. "Go on. I don't have anything to do. We'll talk when we're free."

Kuzan had spent quite a long time aboard Garp's ship back in the day, and he and Bogard had gotten along well. They hadn't had a chance to get together in ages, so it was a good opportunity to catch up.

Mercer watched them, curious. When Kuzan entered the cabin, he followed him inside.

Walking behind Kuzan, he could feel waves of cold air. Before long, they entered Garp's room one after the other.

As soon as he entered, Mercer poured tea for all three of them from the teapot, then sat quietly on the sofa with his cup, watching the two men.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room felt a little strange.

Kuzan looked at Garp, then at Mercer. His expression turned peculiar. He looked at Mercer and said, "Ah, little brother, we need to discuss something serious. Why don't you go play outside for a bit?"

Mercer ignored him and looked at Garp. "Grandpa, are you about to discuss some secret that I'm not allowed to hear?"

Garp blinked, then shook his head. "It's nothing major. Just some nonsense about recruiting a pirate. You can listen if you want."

Mercer grinned and looked at Kuzan. "Go ahead. I'll just listen and won't say anything."

As he spoke, he put his right index finger and thumb to the left corner of his mouth and drew them across to the right, indicating that he would keep quiet.

Kuzan smiled at the sight. "Old man, your grandson's pretty interesting. Just like you, he's got guts and isn't shy around strangers."

Garp laughed proudly.

"Hahaha, well, do you know whose grandson Mercer is?"

I wasn't complimenting you.

What are you so proud of?

Kuzan rolled his eyes and sighed. "You haven't changed. You're still as easygoing as ever."

Garp laughed it off, but his eyes turned to Kuzan as he sighed.

"But you... You. Sigh."

He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin. All he could do was sigh.

"Forget that. Kuzan, let's talk about this mission. What do you think of the guy? Can he handle it?"

"King of Lizards Hanafuza recently returned from the New World for reasons unknown. Recently, he showed up in West Blue.

"The interesting thing is, Gecko Moria is also in West Blue. Even more interesting, both of them have some connection to Beasts Kaido."

Kuzan narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Gecko Moria, the Shichibukai? He used to be a powerful guy, but after losing to Kaido a few years ago, he disappeared for quite a while.

"No one knows what he's been doing these past few years. But after every place he visits, strange ghost stories start circulating. There are tales of famous battlefields being dug up and corpses coming back to life and wandering off. Considering his Devil Fruit ability, he's probably behind it.

"As for that guy called Hanafuza, he's pretty mysterious. He went to Wano Country, and somehow came back covered in wounds before suddenly leaving the New World. Recently, he returned to his old stomping grounds in West Blue.

"He's our target this time. The World Government wants to recruit him as a Shichibukai."

Kuzan nodded in agreement as he listened to Garp's analysis. "I didn't realize you knew so much. That's right, it's him.

"I'm a little puzzled. This mission was originally supposed to be mine, but why did you suddenly come along?"

That was what Kuzan couldn't figure out. He'd just arrived in West Blue when Fleet Admiral Sengoku told him to wait for Vice Admiral Garp and carry out the mission with him.

Was King of Lizards Hanafuza really that strong? Did it take the two of them to handle him? Kuzan was puzzled.

Wasn't that giving Hanafuza too much credit? With his and Garp's strength, they could go deal with the famous monsters who ruled the New World.

At that, Garp laughed. "I had nothing to do. Going back to Headquarters would just mean dealing with a load of nonsense, so I figured I might as well get out and have a look around. Taking on a mission would also shut them up. Since you were there, I thought we could go out together."

Kuzan looked at Garp with an odd expression. He only believed about a third of what Garp was saying. The man hated trouble most of all, yet he'd volunteered to take on a mission?

"I think you just wanted to get out and have some fun. Going on a mission with you? I'll probably be the one doing all the work while you just have fun."

Garp's expression stiffened. He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. "What are you talking about? Never mind that. Where is Hanafuza now?"

"Kingdom of Troia," Kuzan said. "It's the kingdom next to the Land of Flowers, a member country of the World Government that's been at war for a long time. It's a mess, and all kinds of people are mixed up in it.

"I heard several major West Blue gangs have joined the latest war. The people there are beating each other to a pulp."

"Oh, right. I heard Gecko Moria got there half a month ago, too. Recently, more and more towns there have started spreading tales of zombies appearing at night and killing people."

"That's about all the recent information."

"Hmm! All right, enough talk. We'll be there in a few days anyway. We'll see what needs doing when we get there. I've been exhausted these past few days. I'm going to take a nap."

With that, Kuzan leaned back against the sofa, stretched his legs out on the floor, and put on his little sunglasses. Within seconds, he was snoring.

Mercer looked at him speechlessly, then asked Garp, "Grandpa, is he your disciple?

"Why does he look so listless and scruffy?"

Garp's mouth twitched. He glanced at Kuzan and twisted his face into an annoyed grimace.

"Who knows? He wasn't like this when he was young. Back then, he was a pure, hot-blooded young man."

"Then he went and did some awful mission in West Blue a few years ago. When he came back, he looked like this."

"Did he get dumped?" Mercer thought for a moment, then asked with curiosity, "Or did someone important to him die?"

Garp glanced at Mercer and laughed in exasperation. "Kuzan isn't the type to sit around crying. He's my proudest disciple."

"Your first disciple?" Mercer said. "That means you have younger disciples, too. Who are they? Can you tell me?"

Garp rolled his eyes, clearly unwilling to say more. "There aren't any. He's the only one I've taken in so far. One's already enough to wear me out. If I took on a few more, I'd be exhausted to death."

"I think you're just lazy."

"Tsk!" Garp's eyes widened as he drew in a sharp breath. "Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't wallop you!"

Mercer made the zipping motion by his mouth again, indicating that he wouldn't say anything more.

Garp laughed and shook his head, then leaned back too and closed his eyes, ready to catch a nap.

Seeing the two sleepyheads,

Mercer began to feel drowsy too, so he curled up on the sofa.

Before long, soft snores began to rise and fall.

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