In the residential area of Marineford, Diarmuid and Gion strolled to their usual tavern, the "Marine Club." Before they even pushed the door open, they could already hear Garp's booming laughter from inside.
"That guy's fast. We left the Fleet Admiral's office at the same time, didn't we?" Diarmuid joked with a smile.
Gion chuckled. "You were held up by Spandine. I'm sure Garp-chan flew here the moment he walked out the door."
"Hahahaha," Diarmuid laughed loudly and pushed the door open. Inside, he saw Nojiko chasing after Ace, trying to hit him. Even though they were both barely three years old, Nojiko's combat skills were clearly superior to Ace's, a testament to her time on the battlefield. Nami and Luffy were placed on a table. The two were still tiny infants who couldn't move much, let alone run around.
Garp sat by the table, laughing heartily as Ace stumbled and dodged Nojiko. He seemed to be in a great mood.
Meanwhile, Belle-mere was wiping down the bar, and not far away, Hina was putting a keg of liquor on the counter.
"I was wondering why the 'closed' sign was up. You guys haven't finished getting ready? And you, Hina, my vacation is over, and you're still lazing around outside. Don't you want to work anymore?" Diarmuid said with a chuckle as he walked up to Garp.
Without turning her head, Hina said, "Admiral, I'm helping out at the tavern. It's not right for you to say that."
"What's not right about it?" Diarmuid asked, flicking Luffy's "little brother," which earned him a fierce glare from Garp.
"You have a share in this tavern. My helping out here is like working for you, Admiral. You don't pay me, and now you're complaining about me?" Hina said, annoyed.
Diarmuid paused, and despite Garp's murderous look, he flicked Luffy one more time before nodding. "You have a point!"
Gion swatted Diarmuid's devilish hand away from Luffy. She then turned to Belle-mere and asked, "Is there anything left to do?"
Belle-mere put down the rag she was holding, washed her hands in the sink, and shook her head with a smile. "We're all set. We've restocked all the alcohol, so we can officially open tomorrow."
"Where's Boss Cripple?" Diarmuid asked.
Hina replied without turning around, "He's already gone. It's been about a week, hasn't it? He went back to his home in the West Blue."
"He left so soon? I didn't even get to say goodbye. That's a shame," Diarmuid said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
He had been coming to Marineford for nearly a decade and had known Boss Cripple for almost as long. Just like that, the old man disappeared from Marineford without a word, returning to his home in the West Blue. He probably wouldn't see him again in this lifetime. It was a little sad.
Garp nodded. "Yeah, he left so fast. I heard Zephyr and Sengoku even had a drink with him before he left. We missed out on everything..."
Diarmuid nodded, then paused. "Wait a minute, I had a membership card with him! I had over two million Berries on it. Belle-mere, did you inherit that stuff from him?"
Belle-mere was surprised and shook her head. "No, he specifically spent a few days here refunding everyone's money before he left. He said he had cleared all the accounts... I even saw Admiral Sengoku and the others get their refunds from him..."
"You've got to be kidding me..." Diarmuid's jaw dropped. That old bastard ripped him off with a fortune before he left?!
Garp almost burst out laughing, patting Diarmuid's shoulder several times. "See? I'm smarter. I never got a membership here. I always paid as I went..."
Diarmuid glared at him but quickly started laughing again. He shook his head. "Forget it. It's not like I haven't been freeloading off him for a while..."
If he were to calculate all the food and drinks he'd had for free over the past ten years, it would probably add up to more than two million Berries.
Just then, Hina said, "Ah, I have the money. The boss refunded me."
Diarmuid's jaw dropped again. I knew it. That guy wasn't that shameless.
Boss Cripple was gone, taking with him his story in Marineford. Now, Belle-mere was here with Nojiko, Ace, Nami, and Luffy. Perhaps the Marine Club would become even more legendary and full of stories in the future.
As Diarmuid was thinking about this, Belle-mere placed three full glasses of alcohol on the table, almost knocking over little Luffy.
"We're officially opening tomorrow, and even though you're all owners, you're not getting any freebies. So tonight, I'm buying you all a drink!" Belle-mere said with a smile.
Diarmuid, Gion, and Garp all picked up their glasses and laughed. "Thank you very much."
"You better bring out some food, too!" Garp added bluntly.
Just then, the tavern door opened again, and a tall, slender figure walked in with a few bags in his hands.
"Arara, Garp-san, Diarmuid, Gion, I knew I'd find you all here," the figure said with a chuckle.
"Kuzan, what are you doing here?" Diarmuid asked, curious.
"When you weren't in Marineford, Hina came to me for help. I know more about what's going on here than you do," Kuzan said, raising an eyebrow. He then held up the bags he was carrying and asked with a grin, "Who said they wanted some food?"
Garp's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "As expected of the man I brought up! Kuzan, hurry, come sit down. Let's eat and drink!"
Gion picked up Nami and placed her in a stroller nearby, then put Luffy in with her, making space for everyone to drink and eat.
As soon as Kuzan sat down, he placed the still-warm takeout containers on the table. Diarmuid helped him, then casually asked, "Kuzan, what's wrong with you? Sakazuki is going to G-1 in a few days, and when he comes back, he's definitely going to be an Admiral. Borsalino is doing great in the Special Science Group and is also a solid Admiral candidate, just waiting for Admiral Sengoku to retire or be promoted. But you've been stuck as a Vice Admiral without any movement. Are you just planning to be a freeloader?"
Kuzan finished setting up the food, then casually took a sip from Diarmuid's glass. He breathed a cold sigh on it, turning the drink into a slushy before drinking it. "I'm not like you common people who chase power and status. I have a higher spiritual pursuit now. You wouldn't understand..."
"Well, now that you've had a sip, you're all talk, huh?" Diarmuid laughed loudly.
Just then, Belle-mere came over with a few more glasses, and Hina came in with another keg of liquor. The two of them sat down and filled the empty glasses.
"You don't know how respected I am at the academy. I finally understand why Zephyr-sensei insisted on stepping down as an Admiral. Seeing our young Marines grow up day by day and become the future of the Navy... the sense of accomplishment... Tsk, tsk," Kuzan said, acting proud.
"Oh, please, Vice Admiral Kuzan," Hina said, exposing his lie right away. "I heard from my juniors at the academy that you only teach a few classes a week and spend most of your time sleeping in the sun on the training grounds."
Kuzan quickly replied, "What do you mean 'sleeping'? I'm thinking about my teaching plan!"
"Hahahaha," everyone laughed.
"Don't celebrate too soon, Kuzan," Gion said suddenly.
Kuzan was stunned for a moment. "What? Did something happen?"
"When we were at the Fleet Admiral's office, Admiral Sengoku said he was going to 'deal' with you after Sakazuki goes to G-1," Gion said, drinking her wine, looking overjoyed at Kuzan's misfortune.
Kuzan breathed a sigh of relief, waving his hand nonchalantly. "It's nothing. Admiral Sengoku has said that many times, but he's always too busy to pay much attention to me. Besides, my attendance is great, and I've been going on missions when I need to!"
He still looked a little unsure, though, and mumbled, "I should be fine, right?"
"Hehe, I'm sure you will be," Diarmuid said with a mischievous smile.
Garp, meanwhile, grabbed a chicken leg, gnawing on it as he spoke. "Sengoku's right. You've been getting lazier and lazier. It's about time he gives you something proper to do..."
"How about I file a request to have Kuzan work under me? I guarantee I won't let him slack off," Diarmuid said, biting down on a cigar with a grin. But before he could light it, Gion snatched it from his mouth and glared at him. "The kids are here!"
Diarmuid realized his mistake and quickly put the cigar away. Belle-mere, who was about to light a cigarette as well, gave an awkward laugh. "Hahaha, I forgot, I forgot..."
Kuzan didn't seem to want to respond to Diarmuid. He simply said, "Dragon had a kid, and Garp-san is a grandfather now. Time really flies, doesn't it?"
Diarmuid remembered the time when he first arrived at Marineford and lived in the same hospital room as Kuzan. A nostalgic smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, time really does fly."
"Smoker said to tell you not to forget his three-year promise," Kuzan said with a sudden smile.
Diarmuid's expression froze for a moment. He said, sounding insincere, "What three-year promise? I didn't promise him anything. Zephyr-sensei was the one who said three years. If he has a problem with it, he can go talk to Zephyr-sensei himself... I don't think he has the guts to betray his teacher."
He counted the days. Smoker had been a pirate for two years, and it would soon be three years. It really was fast.
After a short pause, Diarmuid added, "But I happen to have something to talk to him about. I need to find a way to meet him in secret. Where is he right now?"
"The New World," Kuzan said without looking up.
"The New World, huh?" Diarmuid mumbled. Perfect. He was going to have to bring Stussy in on this as well. He had promised to meet Stussy in the New World but hadn't gotten around to it yet. This would be a good opportunity to meet with her, catch up, and solve the Marines' financial problems.
"Looks like I'll have to find some time to go to the New World again soon," Diarmuid said, taking a sip of his drink.
"I wanna go, too! I haven't seen Smoker in ages!" Hina said, raising her hand.
"Hahaha, alright. I'll take you with me," Diarmuid laughed.
"Alright, that's enough talk. Let's drink!" Garp said, raising his glass.
Then, everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, celebrating the tavern's upcoming official opening. Afterward, they all started chatting about all kinds of different topics.
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