Sunset.

The orange-red light streamed in through the window. Mercer rubbed his eyes and sat up, still groggy from sleep.

"Is it morning?"

Mercer gazed out the window, looking confused.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the sun was rising or setting.

"Obviously, it's evening. The sun's setting. You must've slept yourself silly, little guy."

Kuzan sat across from him on the sofa, scratching his head and yawning. He looked like he'd only just woken up, too.

"Oh, I see. Hahaha~" Mercer laughed, then took a deep breath and let it out. As Qi coursed through his whole body, his energy seemed to change in an instant.

The confusion faded from his eyes.

He reached for the cup on the coffee table in front of him and drained the cold tea inside.

"By the way, my name is Mercer, not 'little guy.' And your name is Kuzan, right? I remember Uncle Bogard calling you that first."

Kuzan stared at Mercer in bewilderment. "Wait, you're just going to call me by my name?

"I'm your grandfather's disciple, after all. By seniority, you should call me uncle. Calling me by my name is a bit much, don't you think?"

Mercer smiled. "I don't know you that well. For now, let's keep things casual. Once we get to know each other, I can call you big brother."

Kuzan's mouth twitched. Just like that, the kid had knocked him down a generation.

He rubbed his forehead helplessly, looking exasperated. "Then just call me by my name. Anything but big brother. Call me whatever you like."

Mercer gave him a sidelong glance, looking utterly exasperated with him.

Kuzan was so annoyed his teeth hurt.

This kid was way too unpleasant. He wasn't the least bit as cute as that guy.

He sniffed the air. The smell of food drifted in through the window, and Mercer knew dinner was ready.

He immediately stood up, brushed off his backside, and looked at Kuzan. "The mess hall's serving dinner. Come on, let's eat."

With that, he left without waiting for a reply.

Kuzan sighed, then got up and followed him outside.

When they arrived at the dining hall, it was already bustling with activity. After greeting some familiar faces, Mercer went to the serving window and got two heaping portions of dinner.

Stir-fried noodles with Sea Beast meat.

He carried them to an unoccupied table and dug in. Karasu landed in front of his own portion and started pecking at it too.

A moment later, Kuzan's tall figure approached. He sat across from Mercer and began eating heartily as well.

The two ate in silence, each minding his own food. Before long, Bogard arrived too.

Looking at them, he smiled. "Hey, you two seem to be getting along pretty well. Even sharing a table for dinner."

Mercer smiled at him, then went back to eating. He focused on the food entering his stomach as his breathing continued and his stomach and intestines broke it down.

Before long, Kuzan watched Mercer keep eating even after consuming the equivalent of five adult portions. His stomach barely bulged, and Kuzan's eyes narrowed.

He quietly sensed Mercer with Observation Haki.

The next moment, their Observation Haki met in an invisible clash of perception.

Kuzan's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

He couldn't believe it.

With his cheeks full, Mercer looked up and glared at him. "That's rude, you know."

Seeing that Kuzan was still stunned, Mercer pursed his lips. "You're provoking me. Think I won't challenge you to a one-on-one fight?"

At that, Kuzan came back to his senses and curled his lips with interest.

"A one-on-one? Sounds fun. I don't really want to bully a kid, but if you really want to fight me, I suppose I can accept."

Bogard looked at Kuzan with an odd expression, as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it.

The next moment, Mercer smiled.

"Sure. In a minute, let's see who can pee straighter and farther into the wind from the top of the mast. You up for it?"

Kuzan's face stiffened.

If he went through with it, he was sure this "glorious achievement" would spread all over Marine Headquarters, and he'd be disgraced on the spot.

That wasn't all.

If he actually did it, he'd be a shoo-in for first place on Marine Headquarters' list of the year's dumbest idiots.

From then on, every pretty female Marine would have him marked down as a pervert.

That would destroy his chances with any of the pretty female Marines.

A total loss.

He didn't even care about those women, but just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

All at once, his gaze toward Mercer grew clear and steady. The kid was ruthless. He'd come up with a dirty trick that would hurt his opponent while hurting himself just as badly.

He really was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson.

Mercer frowned at Kuzan's changing expressions. "Are you thinking something rude? Give me a straight answer. Are we doing it or not?"

Kuzan: "..."

Seeing how serious Mercer looked, Kuzan's mouth twitched. He couldn't quite figure out what the kid was thinking.

He had to admit—

"I think we should forget it. How about you think of another kind of contest?"

Pfft!

At a nearby seat, Bogard's shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh. The famous Kuzan, the future "Aokiji," had been defeated by a little kid.

No way. He had to share this. Something this funny couldn't be kept to himself.

Kuzan shot him a sidelong glare, and Bogard turned away with a grin.

Mercer thought for a moment, then said with a mischievous look, "How about we compete to see who can wear women's clothes? The kind that shows off your thighs?"

At that,

Bogard couldn't hold it in anymore. The corners of his mouth twitched violently, and the thought of Kuzan in women's clothes, showing off a pair of hairy legs, was too much. He burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Kuzan, I think Mercer's contest sounds great. I want to see you—"

Before he could finish, a bone-chilling cold swept over him. In an instant, a layer of frost covered his eyebrows and hair.

He shivered from the cold.

Bogard finally remembered just how powerful the "monster" junior in front of him was. His mouth twitched.

He quickly said, "I was wrong. Please let me go."

Kuzan exhaled, releasing a cloud of cold mist, then looked at Mercer in exasperation.

"I give up. I'm sorry. I was wrong to sense you with Observation Haki just now. Can we call it even?"

Seeing that, Mercer knew when to quit. He'd only been joking. Even if Kuzan had agreed, Mercer wouldn't have gone through with it.

Childhood blackmail material was the last thing he needed. That kind of thing followed you for life.

Mercer knew exactly where he stood.

He also knew when to quit while he was ahead.

After all, he couldn't beat the man in front of him right now.

A little teasing was enough.

Too much of a good thing was bad.

Mercer straightened his face and said, "Since you've already admitted defeat, I'll graciously let you off. Don't let it happen again, Kuzan."

At that, Kuzan's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He felt like he'd had an unusually unlucky day.

He hadn't gotten the better of either of these two. They'd both completely outmaneuvered him.

"Sigh." Kuzan sighed, finished his food in a few bites, and nodded to the two of them. "I'm done eating. Enjoy your meal.

"I'll head out first."

With that, he went to return his dishes.

Mercer smiled.

He looked rather pleased with himself.

Bogard glanced at Mercer, a strange look in his eyes. "Kuzan never stood a chance. You played him like a fiddle."

"Who knows?"

Five days later.

The warship sailed into a Sea Area. In the distance, a large island wreathed in smoke came into view.

"Troya."

A World Government-affiliated kingdom that had been in a state of war for years.

Civil war within.

War with outsiders beyond its borders.

Strangely enough, this country had never been wiped out in all the fighting. Instead, it had endured in a peculiar state.

"The Kingdom of Troia is a country with a long history."

"It has no royal family—or rather, it has three. Several hundred years ago, when the old king died, his three children refused to yield to one another. Each wanted to become king and rule the country.

"And so began a century of war.

"The eldest princess, Elizabeth, was a hardline military strategist who controlled part of the country's army.

"The second prince, Ishu, was a smooth operator who controlled the country's economy, with money and merchant fleets at his disposal.

"The third prince, Morgan, was a powerful swordsman who commanded an elite unit of swordsmen.

"All three heirs were capable, and each had plenty of supporters in the country. They each controlled a portion of its power, too.

"And so the fighting began.

"A century later, all three heirs had died of old age, and the country still had no king.

"But after several hundred years, everything had changed.

"From the ruins of this once-prosperous country, three families had emerged to control the island.

"The Elizabeth Family, whose members were descended from the eldest princess and formed the island's law enforcement force.

"The Ishu Family, descended from the second prince and in control of a commercial alliance operating both on and off the island.

"And the Morgan Family, descended from the third prince and running an underworld organization of assassins across the nearby Sea Area.

"They depended on one another, yet remained wary of one another. In this new age of piracy, none of them could do without the others, and each wished the other two would hurry up and die so they could rule the country again.

"That's how things stand in the country on this island.

"That's also why the island has been at war for so long.

"When an outside enemy invades, the three families unite against it.

"But without an outside enemy, they're usually scheming behind each other's backs, each wishing the other two would be wiped out.

"Their leaders are clever enough to know that the World Government is a powerful backer, so they've remained one of its affiliated countries.

"So as long as they pay the Heavenly Tribute on time each year, the Government won't interfere, no matter how fiercely they fight among themselves.

"And if they face an outside enemy they can't handle, the Marines have to step in and help.

"It's a very strange country that isn't really a country at all."

Bogard calmly recounted the history of this bizarre country. Mercer stood beside him on deck, listening to his story.

"Now that's something you don't see every day. So the fighting on the island is just infighting?"

"Yeah, it's infighting. But this is the fiercest fighting they've seen in years.

"A lot of outside gangs have been hired to take part.

"It wouldn't surprise me if one of the families managed to unify the country this time."

"Which family do you think it'll be?" Mercer asked curiously. "Do you have a sense of which one has the best odds?"

Bogard thought for a moment. "I don't know. It's possible the country might actually be wiped out this time."

Mercer smiled. "Who knows? It's none of your Marines' business anyway. They're an affiliated country protected by the World Government, so you can't interfere."

"True," Bogard said helplessly. "But it's the civilians who'll suffer."

"Isn't that giving them too little credit? The fighting's been going on for hundreds of years. Any civilians who've survived and adapted must have some skills."

Bogard had no answer.

Still, he had to admit that this country had managed to exist through constant war, right next to the militarily powerful Land of Flowers, without being swallowed up. Its three rulers clearly weren't pushovers.

"Ikas."

The port city on the island.

The harbor.

The warship docked in a corner nearby. Leaning against the railing, Mercer watched the people in the harbor. They hurried about, their faces all carrying a trace of wariness.

Everyone coming and going from the harbor bore obvious signs of being armed.

Some carried swords.

Others had guns.

That wasn't all. Mercer even saw people with kitchen knives and rolling pins tucked away on them.

It was a little comical,

but understandable.

To the people here, only weapons could give them a sense of security.

"So when are you going to look for that person? For your mission."

Mercer asked.

Bogard complained with a helpless expression. "How would I know? That's something Kuzan and Vice Admiral Garp have to worry about. I just follow orders."

"Oh."

Mercer made no comment. Then he waved to Karasu, who was flying overhead. Karasu immediately descended and landed on Mercer's shoulder.

"Mercer, what is it?"

Mercer said, "Why don't you go explore the island? See if you can find out whether anything interesting is happening. Just remember to stay safe."

Karasu nodded, then pushed off with both claws and flew into the sky, heading toward the port city.

Watching this scene, Bogard was filled with envy and couldn't help saying,

"Your crow is really smart and unobtrusive. It's practically a born intelligence agent."

"Envy is useless. This kind of information gathering shouldn't be of much use to you anyway.

Backed by the big tree of the navy, you shouldn't have to worry about sources of intelligence."

Bogard disagreed slightly and said, "It's different. The navy's intelligence system won't serve just me alone; how could it compare to the convenience of your birds?

By the way Mercer, if I really catch a few crows, will you actually train them for me?"

"At most three, and the domestication fee for each is one million Beli. Not to mention my labor costs, the crucial part is that the preparation of certain medicinal herbs requires expenses."

A flash of understanding crossed Bogard's eyes. As expected, this kind of domestication involved intervention with medicine.

"Alright, then when I catch them, I'll contact you."

Mercer looked at the distant port and suddenly smiled, "I'm going to wander around over there. We should be staying here for a while, right?"

Bogard nodded, "Barring any accidents, we'll be staying for several days."

"Great, I'm going to have some fun."

Mercer propped his left hand on the railing, nimbly vaulted over the fence, and jumped down from the deck.

He landed steadily on the ground of the port.

Turning back, he smiled and waved at Bogard, then took stride and walked with a brisk pace toward the city.