Inside the Town Tavern in Marineford, recruits on their midday break had gathered for drinks, while the din of their voices seemed shut out of one corner.
Kuzan and Gern sat at the bar, seemingly out of place amid the surrounding bustle.
Even so, Gern had been hounded for autographs, and it took over ten minutes of signing before his fervent fans finally dispersed and left him alone.
"Navy Legend. That's an even bigger name than Mr. Garp's Navy Hero!"
"Can't be helped!" Gern brushed a hand across his forehead, sweeping back his bangs and putting on a melancholy expression.
"Sometimes, the strong must bear a price others cannot."
"..."
"I give you a couple of compliments, and you let them go straight to your head, huh?" Kuzan accepted a large mug of beer from the barkeep. The instant it touched his hand, beads of condensation formed on its sides.
He tipped his head back and took a swig, his Adam's apple bobbing as the cold beer slid down his throat and drew out a satisfied sigh.
Then he glanced sideways at Gern with a lazy smile. "Still, the last time we drank together was a few years ago, when you went to Fish-Man Island, wasn't it?"
Gern rested his elbow on the bar, gently swirling his glass with slender fingers. Tiny ripples spread through the amber liquid.
"Yeah!" He smiled faintly, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "Ever since we got promoted, we've been too busy to even have a drink."
"You haven't changed." Kuzan chuckled, his gaze settling on Gern's glass. "Still drinking that hard liquor Instructor Zephyr likes."
"Just a habit." Gern lifted his glass and took a sip.
"What about you? When did you start drinking beer that's as weak as water?"
"Ah la