"I never thought I'd run into you two here. What a coincidence."
Werther broke the silence first, then stepped into the Hot Spring.
The water in the Hot Spring was remarkably soft. As it rippled, it washed over his skin like silk, smooth and gentle.
Werther felt his whole body relax. The gloom left by the storm faded, as though the soothing water of the Hot Spring had washed over his very soul.
No wonder so many people liked bathing in the Hot Spring. This felt great.
"Well, well. I'm surprised too. To run into the famous Thunder Swordsman here—I'm almost overwhelmed."
One of the two men across from Werther spoke slowly, though his voice sounded rather listless.
"Heh, don't joke. I'm nobody important. When you froze me back then, you nearly killed me."
The man who had spoken laughed at Werther's reply.
"Thunder Swordsman, what else are you doing here?"
The other man spoke, his aging voice questioning Werther.
Werther felt far too comfortable to bother with the old man.
"Garp, I really worry about your intelligence. I came to soak in the Hot Spring, obviously. Did you think I came to drink the water?"
There was a hint of laughter in Werther's voice. He was surprised himself that a casual trip to the Hot Spring had brought him face-to-face with Garp the Hero and the former Marine Admiral Aokiji.
But they weren't enemies at the moment, and neither man particularly interested him.
One was an old man with one foot in the grave. The other was an opponent he had already fought.
As for Garp, Werther had no desire to fight him at all.
It wasn't that Garp was too weak. Werther simply felt some sympathy for what he had been through.
Perhaps Garp's heart had died after