Garp stood at the bow of a Navy warship, staring out at the calm sea with his brow furrowed. His usual carefree ease was nowhere to be seen, as though something weighed on his mind. A scout's report, however, pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Hm?"
Garp took the telescope from the scout and looked ahead, spotting six warships stopped on the sea. He turned the ring on the telescope to adjust its focus until he finally made out Akainu at the bow of one ship, a large cigar clenched between his teeth. That was no surprise, but behind Akainu stood two young men Garp didn't recognize.
"Full speed ahead. Let's join up with that brat Akainu and his men."
Since he didn't recognize them, Garp simply stopped thinking about it. He would find out when he arrived. He promptly gave the order to the soldiers aboard.
"Yes, sir!"
"We've been waiting a long time for you, Vice Admiral Garp."
A broad wooden plank connected two neighboring warships, allowing people to move between them. Garp and Akainu were standing on it.
"Haha, you brat! This isn't your first mission on your own, Akainu. Missing this old man already?"
Akainu didn't answer. His face remained expressionless. The only change was that the cigar between his teeth burned much faster than before...
Seeing Akainu's eternally unchanging expression, Garp lost interest in making himself look foolish.
He had always felt that he and Akainu had little to talk about, so he turned his attention to the two young men standing behind him-the same unfamiliar pair he had seen earlier.
Both were very young. One wore a white shirt with a ruffled collar, his neat short hair complemented by burgundy, gold-trimmed fitted trousers. A massive black sword almost as tall as he was rested