"So..."
A few minutes later, after hearing Noah explain why he had come, Hina blinked in surprise.
"Noah, you came here specifically for Mr. Garp's grandson?"
"Yeah."
Noah's gaze wandered over the streets on both sides as he replied casually, "The old man's worried about his grandson, but he's too busy to get away himself. And I happened to be in the East Blue..."
He shrugged. "Couldn't help it. I had to make the trip for him."
They had already entered the village. Quite a few passing children cast curious glances at these Marines, who were rarely seen around here.
"That's strange. Since Mr. Garp wants his grandson to become a Marine, and he's afraid the boy might really become a pirate..."
Smoker puffed on his cigar behind them, utterly unable to figure it out. "Why not just keep him at Marine Headquarters and raise him carefully?"
"I heard from Grandma Shizi that the kid is incredibly naughty."
Hina stepped out of Noah's embrace. In front of her subordinates, she resumed the cold, beautiful demeanor of an iceberg and said blandly, "Maybe he was afraid the kid would throw his weight around at Marine Headquarters, cause trouble all day, learn bad habits from the other privileged brats, and turn Marineford upside down."
She suddenly froze and instinctively looked at Noah beside her. "Noah, I wasn't talking about Nami..."
"It's fine."
The corner of Noah's eye twitched. "That kid really is a troublemaker, and she's getting older and older. Once I get back to Marine Headquarters, I'll definitely have to discipline her properly."
"What you said may be one of the reasons."
He pondered for a moment. "But if we're getting to the root of it, it's probably because of that kid's background... or rather, his father."
"His father?"
Hina and