Chapter 319: NEO Marines! Z, or Shane?
Uncle Akainu? Hearing Luffy's tentative address, Aokiji's eye twitched.
"It's Aokiji. But that's my old name. You can just call me Kuzan," Aokiji corrected with a sigh, squatting down to ruffle Luffy's hair. The kid was beaten black and blue, his eyes swollen like light bulbs. It was only natural that he would get them mixed up. He wouldn't hold it against him.
"Well, it's good to see you here," Garp said with a laugh, slinging an arm around Aokiji's shoulder. "Come on, I'll treat you to a drink! We can talk about this brat's training later!"
Luffy, as if granted a pardon, tried to sneak away, but Garp's glare stopped him in his tracks. "You try to run! I'm the one taking a break, not you! Get back to it!" Garp clenched a fist that was four times the size of Luffy's head.
Luffy's face fell, and with a long-suffering expression, he went back to trying to conjure that faint, flickering Armament Haki against the rock.
In Makino's tavern.
"So, what are you planning to do now, kid?" Garp asked, chugging a large mug of ale. "I'm an old man. I don't mind retiring in this little village. But you're still in your prime. You have to find a place to go, right?"
Forty-four years old, the prime of his life.
Aokiji stared at the swirling liquid in his mug, silent for a long time. "I don't know. What do you think?"
"How about a trip to the New World?" Garp said, sneaking a glance at his prized student's face. "Compared to Borsalino and Sakazuki, you haven't fought that kid yet, have you?" Garp was a little unsure and looked down. —Hmm, all limbs intact. So probably not.
"So you two have no history, no grudge," Garp refilled his mug and grinned. "Go and meet him! Don't be fooled by the World Government's slander. Once you talk to him, you'll find he's a pretty good guy… Hmm? Why are you staring at me like that? What, you don't believe me?"
"…I don't doubt that," Aokiji said, shaking his head. He took a sip of his drink. "I just didn't expect you to recommend the Curtain Call. I thought you would tell me to go find Master Z."
"Z? His NEO Marines?" Garp put down his mug, his expression suddenly complex. He was silent for a moment, then sighed. "If Tsuru had left with him, I would have thought it wasn't a bad idea for you to join the NEO Marines. But with just him…" Garp shook his head and took another large gulp of ale. "That old geezer is too stubborn. His temper is getting worse, and he's becoming more and more extreme. You and he have different ideals. It wouldn't be a happy reunion."
Aokiji was silent. That was to be expected. He knew Master Z all too well. Ever since his family was killed by pirates, the once-merciful Admiral had become more and more radical, his hatred for pirates almost twisting his sense of justice. Now that that hatred had spread to the Marine Headquarters itself, the NEO Marines would probably be even more radical than before.
"But that's not the biggest problem with the NEO Marines," Garp said after a moment's thought. "Maybe it's not a bad idea for you to go and see Z. Don't take what I said just now too seriously. Compare your options. The path you feel you should choose is the one that's right for you."
Aokiji nodded hesitantly and drained his mug. The cold ale calmed his racing thoughts.
Just then, the tavern door was thrown open, and a figure in a straw hat strode in proudly. "Grandpa! I think I've got the hang of it!" Luffy said with a grin, showing off his blackened arms. "Here, look! Pretty good, right? Can I get a big meal as a reward now? I'm starving!"
Garp's eyes lit up with joy. "Oh? You can already use Armament Haki?" He shot to his feet, grabbed Luffy by the collar, and dragged him towards the door. "Come on! Let me test it out!"
"Eh? Test it? Now? Can't I eat first, and then… oww, that hurts!"
"You little brat! You dare to lie to me! This is just ink! You've really learned bad habits from that Red-Hair, starting to fake things! The more I think about it, the angrier I get! And you dare to ask for meat? First, you'll get a taste of my fist!"
"URGHH—!!!"
Hearing the screams, watching the grandfather and grandson bickering as they left, Aokiji couldn't help but smile. He looked down at his empty mug and murmured to himself, "See for myself… that's a good idea."
"Excuse me, miss, the check," Aokiji stood up and waved at the bar.
"After rounding down, that'll be 2.7 million Berries, thank you," Makino said with a smile, handing him the bill.
"Eh?" Aokiji's hand froze in his wallet. He looked up, stunned. How much? 2.7 million Berries after rounding down? He had only had two mugs of ale!
"Mr. Garp was drowning his sorrows here for a while after he came back. He's only just started to feel better," Makino said with a twinkle in her eye. "He ran up a tab of over a thousand bottles of sake. He said you would be paying for it all. Isn't that right?"
So that's why he ran off, beating his grandson! A dark line appeared on Aokiji's forehead. He sighed, opened his wallet, and began to count out the money. "The old man is the same as always…" But at least his spirits seem to have recovered. And I suppose mine have too.
He paid the bill and walked out of the tavern. The sun was shining down, warm and a little bright, but comfortable. And it seemed to be pointing the way for this lost traveler.
Ting-a-ling~
The bicycle bell rang again. An ice path stretched out across the sea, and he slowly rode away.
"Excuse me… oh? It's you again."
"QUACK?!" The green-skinned duck was sent flying into the sea. Aokiji sighed and bowed apologetically in that direction.
Days passed. It was now late August.
"Is this it?" Aokiji stopped his bicycle and looked up at the massive fortress before him. In the setting sun, the steel fortress, made of several large warships joined together, was anchored in the bay of a deserted island. A fortress in peacetime, a powerful fleet in an emergency. This was the headquarters of the NEO Marines, a new and powerful force that had recently risen to prominence in the New World.
"I actually managed to find it, just by following the clues. Maybe I have a talent for being a CP agent," he murmured to himself. Aokiji's gaze shifted from the massive black flag to the soldiers on the deck. They wore white uniforms similar to the Marines', but with a prominent "NEO" printed on the chest and back. He spread his Observation Haki and estimated that there were at least ten thousand NEO Marines in the fortress alone, with a considerable number on missions. It's even bigger than I expected.
"Halt!" As he approached the port, a team of fully armed soldiers blocked his path. The Major in the lead stared at the tall man warily. "This is a NEO Marine base! Unauthorized personnel are forbidden!" He had his hand on the hilt of his sword, but in the next second, as Aokiji took off his sunglasses and hat, his eyes widened. "A-Admiral Kuzan?!"
"Not anymore," Aokiji waved a hand, his gaze looking past him, towards the depths of the base. "Is Master Z here?"
Ten minutes later, in the NEO headquarters office, "A rare guest," the purple-haired, muscular old man said with a grin, his legs crossed. "I heard you left the Marines too, kid. Good! You've got guts! That's why I agreed to see you. If Borsalino or Sakazuki had shown up, I wouldn't have spared them!"
Aokiji looked at his former teacher. In the few months since he had last seen him, his purple hair had a few more strands of silver, and the ferocity in his eyes was even more pronounced.
"Master, you look…"
"Old? Or more irritable?" Z sneered, cutting him off. "Cut the crap. What are you doing here? If you're here to join my NEO Marines, then you're welcome! But you don't look like it. Did you hear something and come to talk me out of it?"
Talk him out of what? Aokiji was confused. He looked around. On the office wall was a map of the New World, covered in markings showing the NEO Marines' recent movements. Now that he was closer, he saw that most of the operations were surprise attacks on Marine supply ships and bases, as well as a few pirate strongholds. But there were a few markings that stood out—several port towns of affiliated nations. Aokiji's gaze fell on those markings, and his brow furrowed.
"Master, it seems the NEO Marines' scope of operations is wider than I thought," he said, choosing his words carefully. "These places… they don't seem to be pirate strongholds."
"Hmph, I knew you were here for this," Z sneered. He walked to the map and slammed a thick finger on the markings. "These? They're all dogs of the World Government! The World Government and the Marines are able to continue their corrupt and disgusting order because of the money and supplies they get from these affiliated nations!"
His voice grew more passionate. "Hey! Kuzan, you've heard the creed of my NEO Marines, haven't you?!"
"All pirates are targets for extermination! And so are all those who, for the sake of fame and fortune, have chosen to remain in the Marines!"
"And these towns are the same! We must cut out these tumors! Only by making those who aid and abet evil pay the price can true justice be served and this order be completely shattered!"
Aokiji stared at the agitated Z, stunned. The teacher he remembered, though he had become radical and irritable after a series of blows, his sense of justice had never wavered. But now… Z seemed like a stranger.
"Don't look at me like that!" Z snorted. "My bottom line hasn't changed. I've only taken from the town's treasury and the homes of those government officials! I haven't shelled any civilians!"
"To put it bluntly, the NEO Marines' current funds, just from what we've taken from those warships and pirate ships, are far from enough. We have to take some from these dogs of the World Government too!"
Is that so? That was still barely acceptable… Aokiji thought for a moment and then asked, "Master, so the NEO Marines' source of funding is plunder?"
Z's brow furrowed, and his face darkened. "Plunder?" he repeated the word coldly. "Kuzan, do you see me as being as despicable as those pirates?"
"Ara, sorry, my bad choice of words," Aokiji held up his hands in apology. "I was just curious about how the NEO Marines operate. After all, to maintain an army of this size, just by… taking those ill-gotten gains, it's difficult to…"
"To last for long?" Z laughed. "But I don't need long! Three months! I only need three months!"
Aokiji was taken aback, and a sense of foreboding grew in his heart. "Master, what do you mean by three months?"
"Bwahahaha!" Z threw his head back and laughed. "Hey, what's wrong, Kuzan! You still don't get it? I remember you were the quickest of your generation!"
He took a map from his desk drawer and slammed it on the coffee table. Aokiji looked down, and his pupils shrank. —It was a top-secret map showing the locations of large stockpiles of Dyna Stones!
"After the last few operations, my motives are no longer a secret. With Tsuru at Headquarters, they're probably already planning to ambush me. So I might as well tell you," Z's index finger traced a line across the map. "Tsk, this is probably the one good thing about being the head instructor for all those years. I have people I can contact at all the bases on the Grand Line! They've told me where the World Government's Dyna Stone resources are stored, saving me the trouble of gathering intelligence. At this rate, I'll have enough in five months at most!"
"And when that happens…" Z clenched his fist and laughed wildly. "…I will return to Marineford, to the foot of Mary Geoise! And with one grand explosion, I will destroy Marine Headquarters, collapse the Red Line! And I will make those high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons pay for this disgusting world!!!"
"And this plan is now officially named, 'Return to Marineford'!"
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