Kuzan

After putting away the Den Den Mushi, Mosen ordered the crew aboard the pirate ship to make full speed for Ohara.

After talking with Dragon, Mosen felt the urgency of the situation more keenly. He wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Under Mosen's "friendly" negotiations, the pirates rowed with all their might, each of them acting as if they'd been pumped full of adrenaline.

A day passed like this. The pirate ship was now very close to Ohara, and Mosen could see the enormous Tree of Knowledge towering over the island through his binoculars.

Mosen took out the Den Den Mushi, ready to contact Dragon.

But to his surprise, the pirate ship suddenly stopped moving. A wave of cold washed over them, frost spread across the deck, and even the ship's rudder froze solid.

Watching this unfold, Mosen thought, This is bad. He'd run into the future Marine Admiral, Aokiji.

Mosen didn't have time to worry about anything else. He quickly called Dragon and told him he'd run into Kuzan.

Dragon's expression changed when he heard the news. He immediately said he'd get there as soon as possible and told Mosen to stall for as long as he could.

"Arara~ A pirate ship dares to come near Ohara at a time like this? You've got some real nerve!"

A tall man wearing a white, long-sleeved V-neck shirt, black trousers, black boots, a dark green coat, and round sunglasses had appeared on the deck without anyone noticing.

Mosen put on a simple disguise. He deliberately mussed his hair, stuck a toothpick in his mouth, put on a pair of sunglasses, and then walked out of the cabin.

Kuzan's demeanor at this point was completely different from when he appeared in the original story. There wasn't a trace of laziness about him. Instead, he seemed full of fiery passion, as if he could erupt at any moment.

Come to think of it, that made sense. At this point, Kuzan's view of justice was "Burning Justice." It was the Ohara Incident, where he saw Sakazuki attack the evacuation ship, along with his friend Saulo's choice, that made him question the justice the Marines stood for.

Because of that, Kuzan had even chosen to spare Nico Robin and helped her escape Ohara.

But none of that had happened yet.

"Hey, kid. Can you tell me the name of your pirate crew?" Kuzan asked, looking at Mosen as he emerged from the cabin.

"What pirates? Are you having trouble with your eyesight, old man? I'm no pirate. I'm just borrowing this ship." To keep Kuzan from suddenly attacking, Mosen made it clear that he wasn't a pirate, though he spoke with considerable arrogance.

Kuzan wasn't bothered by Mosen's attitude. The Marines had plenty of young people who got carried away after gaining a little strength. He used Observation Haki to sense what was happening aboard the ship, then continued, "Borrowing it? So the two bodies lying in the cabin are the former captain of this pirate ship?"

"One of them is. The other belonged to a different pirate crew I ran into along the way. I took care of them too." Mosen put on a smug expression as he spoke.

"You killed pirates and left their bodies behind. Are you a bounty hunter?"

"Something like that! When I'm short on money, I take bounty hunter jobs too.

"By the way, who are you, old man? Why'd you suddenly block my way?" Mosen asked in a flippant tone.

Kuzan looked at the confident, arrogant young man before him and silently shook his head. He figured this was probably another reckless young hothead who'd just gone to sea on an adventure and had no idea how big the world was.

"I'm a Marine."

"You're a Marine? You don't look like one!"

"What makes you say that?" Kuzan asked.

"Your clothes, your whole vibe. Neither of them looks right. You should at least put on a uniform!"

"Wearing a uniform doesn't necessarily make you a Marine, and the reverse is true as well. The Marines don't impose many restrictions on what we wear," Kuzan said expressionlessly.

"Is that so? Since you're a Marine, old man, you must know all about this!" As he spoke, Mosen used Shave to appear beside Kuzan and punched him in the kidney.

Mosen had two reasons for choosing to attack first. The first was that he was playing the part of a young man who didn't know his place. Someone like that would surely pick fights with everyone.

The second was that Dragon had asked him to stall for time. Talking wouldn't buy much time; starting a fight was the best option.

Besides, the man in front of him was Kuzan, not Sakazuki. Given Kuzan's temperament, he wouldn't kill a bounty hunter or civilian.

And that was exactly what happened. Faced with Mosen's attack, Kuzan made no attempt to strike back. He simply shifted to the side and dodged.

Mosen's attack missed. He immediately adjusted his stance and aimed a sweeping kick at Kuzan.

Kuzan raised a hand, caught Mosen's leg, and flung him away.

Mosen got back to his feet, put on a defiant expression, and charged at Kuzan again.

After a wild flurry of moves, Mosen was panting with exhaustion, but he hadn't landed a single hit on Kuzan.

"Had enough?" Kuzan asked Mosen, who was gasping for breath.

"Who... who are you, really?"

"My name is Kuzan."

"Kuzan? You're Kuzan, one of the Marines' three monster Vice Admirals?" Mosen asked, feigning surprise.

"So you've heard of me."

Mosen nodded.

"In our fight just now, you used mostly the Six Powers: Armament Haki combined with Iron Body, Shave, and Finger Pistol.

"The Six Powers aren't particularly advanced techniques, but apart from the Marines and those people in CP, few outsiders can master so many of them—let alone use them so skillfully at your age.

"Did a Marine or someone from the World Government teach you? Or are you actually a Marine or a member of the World Government?"

At Kuzan's question, the corners of Mosen's mouth lifted slightly. He'd deliberately used the Six Powers just now to lead Kuzan to believe he had ties to the Marines or the World Government.

That would help lower Kuzan's hostility even further.

It also paved the way for Dragon to show up later.

Dragon's strength hadn't been shown in the original story, but no matter how strong he was, he couldn't snatch someone away from the future Marine Admiral, Aokiji, without appearing.

So Dragon would definitely have to show himself. By using the Six Powers in advance, Mosen could make Kuzan assume that Dragon had taught them to him when Dragon appeared to protect him. That way, Kuzan wouldn't think too much about Mosen's identity.

As for his appearance and life aura, Mosen wasn't worried about those either.

He was wearing sunglasses and had changed his hairstyle. After only a brief encounter, Kuzan wouldn't remember him the next time they met, which would be at least several months later.

As for his life aura, if his plan in Impel Down succeeded, it would change drastically. Even if Kuzan sensed it, he wouldn't find it familiar.

So when Kuzan asked him that question, Mosen deliberately put on a panicked expression, as if some secret had been exposed.

Please remember to bookmark and recommend the story. Thanks for your support!