" Tashigi, has Mom told you that you have an older sister?"
"Sister? She did mention it, but I've never met her!" Tashigi said regretfully.
"You'll see it later, this sea is amazing!" Vic with some emotion about the little girl's childhood. It was more like a life of constant travel than a life of playing. Fortunately, things were finally settling down.
Afterwards, Vic completed the formalities for Tashigi, and Tashigi could contact Smoker for any future needs. Tashigi would be in charge of Smoker from now on.
Smoker isn't a bad person, Tashigi is good at heart. They'll definitely grow up to be good people too. I just hope Tashigi won't become nearsighted again!
The next day, Vic made Smoker a nourishing soup made with Sea Kings, hoping it would help Smoker recover sooner.
Because Vic received information that the Elite Camp's graduation assessment at sea was only a dozen days away, and time was running out.
Not everyone has a constitution like Vic's, and it's hard to say how long Smoker's injury will take to heal.
Vic still wanted Smoker to achieve good results, after all, he highly respected Smoker's sense of justice, his ability to distinguish right from wrong.
"Oh my, Smoker, you're so brave! You even dared to capture a great pirate like the Corrupt King. That's so Smoker!"
"I didn't think much at the time; I just saw people being forced, and I couldn't stand by and watch!"
"Ah, not bad, Smoker, I didn't misjudge you, you're just my type!"
Vic overheard the conversation coming from Smoker's hospital room from outside. There was a very unfamiliar voice, casual yet calm.
Vic pushed open the door and entered the ward. The first thing he saw was the word "Justice." Vic saw a person with his back to him sitting by Smoker's bed. The person had long, black, explosive hair and appeared to be very tall.
Hearing someone enter, the person turned around and looked over. This person had a green eye patch on his head and was none other than the future Marine Admiral Aokiji, who was still a Vice Admiral at the time.
"Hey, Smoker, we have a guest! Aren't you going to introduce him?" Vic spoke first, even though he knew who this was.
"Ahem! This is the friend I told you about before, the one I wanted you to meet, the current Vice Aokiji of the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. His name is Kuzan. You two can definitely have a spar!" Smoker said in a serious tone.
" Vice Admiral Kuzan, let me introduce you. This is the guy I told you about earlier who defeated the Corrupt King. He's Vic! He's very strong! How about we find a chance to fight him?" Smoker said excitedly.
Vic ignored Smoker and walked towards Aokiji. Aokiji also stood up and looked at Vic intently!
" Vice Admiral Kuzan, I've long admired your name. It's a pleasure to finally meet you today!"
Vic extended his hand, and Aokiji shook hands with Vic earnestly.
"Oh my! I've heard of you too. I've read the newspaper reports. You're this year's super rookie. You defeated Onigumo in your first month at headquarters, and there were all the other things that happened after that. You survived Kaido's attacks. At your age, I could never do that. I'm not as good as you!"
Aokiji was actually watching Vic and Pizarro's fight yesterday. Seeing that Vic had the upper hand, he didn't intervene and left afterwards. However, he didn't want to bring it up now; Kuzan is a man of action, not words.
" Vice Admiral Kuzan is being modest. You should already have the combat strength of Admiral by now. You can go wherever you want on this vast ocean now. I envy that freedom!"
"Oh dear, you do have some strength now, but you're not quite at the top of the ocean. You, however, have potential; becoming a top player shouldn't be a problem. I have high hopes for you!"
After the Ohara Incident, Aokiji has been searching for true justice in his heart. Over the past few years, he has traveled all over the country, wearing out several bicycles in the process. He has finally found some clues and has high hopes for people like Smoker and Vic.
"Hey, how long are you two going to keep being so lovey-dovey? There's a living person here!"
Smoker saw the two of them exchanging sweet nothings in front of him and loudly interrupted them.
"Ahem, Vice Admiral Kuzan, I'm here to bring Smoker some soup. Let him have his soup first, we'll talk later!"
"Oh my, I knew it smelled so good! Turns out you brought soup! Quickly, give me a bowl!"
After Aokiji finished speaking, he snatched the thermos, scooped out a bowl, and began to drink the nourishing soup he had prepared for Smoker.
"Oh, that's great! It's delicious!"
"Giving it to Smoker is a waste; he doesn't know how to enjoy life. Hmm, I'll have another bowl!"
Smoker watched helplessly as Aokiji finished his soup. Vic's soup was truly delicious, made with the best bones from the Sea Kings. Vic didn't make it often, so it was a rare treat for Smoker.
Aokiji finally put down his bowl, satisfied, and handed the rest to Smoker.
"Oh my, it's really great! I feel so energized after drinking it! You should try it!"
Smoker struggled to scoop up two spoonfuls, then put them in his mouth with tears in his eyes.
It's frustrating to think about. He wanted the two of them to fight, preferably with Vic turning into a pig's head, since Aokiji hadn't beaten him up. Now, he's even lost his delicious and nutritious soup. Is it true that you shouldn't have bad intentions?
" Vice Admiral Kuzan, I heard you served on Vice Admiral Garp's ship before, how was it?" Vic started chatting with Aokiji again.
"Oh my, Mr. Garp is really strong! He even casually refused the position of Admiral, so cool!" Aokiji recalled with longing.
That's it?
Ah, that's exactly how I feel!
Tell me more, I'm very interested in things before the Great Pirate Era.
"Back then, my apprenticeship on Mr. Garp's ship was already in its later stages, but many powerful forces had already emerged on the high seas. Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, as well as Golden Lion's forces, were all very powerful. Then there was Roger Pirates, which followed an elite path!"
Aokiji seemed lost in memories, speaking slowly with a somewhat unfocused gaze.
"I heard Roger turned himself in? Not that we caught him?" Vic asked again.
"Oh my, not bad, buddy, you know quite a lot. Roger did indeed turn himself in, a premeditated turn himself in!" Aokiji sighed softly.
"Oh, why do you say that?" Vic asked knowingly.
"Well, Roger had a terminal illness. He knew he was going to die soon, but when he was executed, he didn't seem sick. It's strange, I've never heard of that kind of illness!" Aokiji said with some doubt, as if asking a question.
"Could there be something suspicious about Roger's death?" Vic was very curious, as this was something that wasn't mentioned in the original story.
"Before Roger died, a military doctor discovered some strangely shaped reticular red spots on Roger's chest and back. However, given Roger's strength at the time, he was in his prime and would not have suffered from such a fatal disease. The military doctor had never even heard of that disease before, and in the end, the matter was left unresolved." Aokiji was also puzzled.
"Could he have contracted it in some ruins? Why is he the only one like this? It's a disease I've never seen before. This can't be a coincidence!" Vic pondered silently.
"Oh dear, this is classified information. Just keep it to yourselves and don't spread it around. The higher-ups forbid us from talking about this!" Aokiji pointed his finger towards the Red Line.
What's there? Vic and Smoker knew, of course, and both nodded.
"Well, that's enough for today. I'm heading back now. I've had a lot of meetings lately. We'll talk again later. Vic, the soup's good!" Aokiji seemed to be in a low mood because of the Pirate King Roger incident, and he said goodbye to the two of them and left.
" Smoker, how's it going? Will he be able to recover before the graduation exam?"
"It should be about the same, it won't affect me! If I take this Sea Kings Tonic a few more times, I'll recover even faster!" Smoker looked at Vic with a sincere expression!
"That's good, otherwise when I Vice Admiral, you might still be a lieutenant colonel, and you'd have to salute me then, hahaha!" Vic seemed not to have heard the last sentence.
"How could that be? Absolutely impossible! I'll definitely reach the rank of general before you!"
" Smoker, can't you have some self-awareness? Think about the difference in our strength!"
"Hmph, it's not like whoever is stronger has a higher position. After I graduate, I'll hunt pirates like crazy, and I'll definitely surpass you then!"
"That's not necessarily true! I already have military merits! Hahaha!"
Just as the two were chatting, Hina came to bring Smoker his lunch.
When Vic saw Hina approaching, he decided not to linger any longer.
"Since someone brought you food, I'll head back now. Remember to visit Tashigi after you're discharged!" Vic got up, said goodbye to Hina, and left the ward.
As he walked, Vic released Armament Haki, which enveloped Blood Wither and Allen, while he himself was also bathed in Haki. He slowly walked back to the cabin, completely ignoring the strange looks he received along the way. He now had a legitimate reason, even though covering his entire body in Haki was a bit of a luxury.
Vic was about to eat, but Vic looked at the ocean ahead with some worry. He had hurt the ocean before, and now there were no Sea Kings living there. He had to go a long way to catch them now!
Vic put aside his thoughts and used his Geppo to run towards the sea.