Chapter 115: Kuzan's Anxiety from the Internal Competition!
Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Cove.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what brings you here?" Kuzan looked at Garp walking down from the Warship with a look of pleasant surprise and quickly went forward to greet him.
"Hahahaha, aren't I just passing by? I thought I'd drop by and see you, and also the Branch being built here. Anyway, the Coating Technology here is the best in the World, it won't take much Time and won't delay anything!"
Garp threw his head back and laughed heartily, attracting curious glances from many Mermaid Misses around, as they had also watched the Live Broadcast of the event called the 'ONE PIECE Great Sea Battle' before.
Therefore, they were particularly curious about this Marine Hero who could punch and shatter such an exaggerated Super Tsunami.
Actually, Garp had been to Fish-Man Island many times before, but back then, these Mermaids and Fish-men had no concept of a Marine Hero.
This time, it can be considered something that shocked the entire World!
"Let's go, take me to see how the Branch here is different from the ones up above."
Under the worshipful gazes of the Navy Soldiers on both sides, Garp strode forward, with Kuzan following a step behind, leading the way from the side. The scene was quite interesting.
Although the former was called a Marine Hero, that was a civilian title. In Marine Headquarters, he was actually just a regular Vice Admiral Rank, but the latter's Admiral Candidate was a solid official title.
Yet, Kuzan willingly followed behind Garp. In his opinion, even if he became a Marine Admiral, except for very formal occasions, he should still treat Garp with respect in private.
"Oh right, is Kaido of the Beasts imprisoned on your Ship? Can I take a look?" Kuzan asked with a grin, his hands in his Pockets as he followed along.
Garp agreed nonchalantly, saying, "Sure, when this old man leaves, you can come up with me and take a look. That kid's appearance is really quite something, over seven meters tall, and he has long horns on his head like a bull!"
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Garp."
Not long after, the two of them led a group of subordinates to the construction site of the Branch. Most of it had already been built, and some outlines and basic Style could be seen.
"Yo, it really is different from the Branches up above. The roofs are all made of large Seashells, that's interesting. This is the first time I've seen a Marine Branch like this!"
Garp was amused. He directly took out a Senbei Bag from the large Pocket of his Coat of Justice and started eating Senbei. He also handed a piece to Kuzan, who didn't refuse and took a bite.
"Vice Admiral, I just received an Order saying that I need to go to the Extreme Ice Continent to find the Treasure of Chinjao of the Happo Navy from Flower Country, something called Jewel Iceberg."
"Chinjao?"
Garp burst into laughter upon hearing the Familiar Name.
"This old man has heard about that Matter too. Ever since his head was flattened by my punch, he seems to have been unable to retrieve the Treasure under the Ice layer. It makes him go there once every year to check!"
After speaking, he thought of something and turned to look at Kuzan, saying, "Be careful if you run into him when you go. Although that guy's Combat Power is basically halved after losing his pointed head, his Armament Haki and Eight Impact Fist Martial Arts are still a considerable threat to you."
"Okay."
Kuzan obediently accepted the Warning, then said, "However, I can't spare the Time right now. The Reverie is about to be held, and I definitely need to be responsible for escorting King Neptune and Queen Otohime."
"Indeed, the Royalty located in the Four Seas, those who are relatively far away, should have already set off." Garp nodded. He had experienced countless Reveries and was very Familiar with them.
"So I can only go after the Reverie. But there's another problem, this place is too far from the Extreme Ice Continent in the South Blue. It will take several months for a round trip, and during this Time, Fish-Man Island will be left unguarded."
Kuzan put on a troubled expression.
"As you know, this place often has Pirates from the 'New World'. Although my Marines can handle ordinary Pirates, they can't deal with Tough Opponents. There must be a Vice Admiral stationed at the Branch."
Garp immediately understood the meaning behind the kid's words. He stuck his finger into his nostril, looked sideways, and pouted, saying, "You want this old man to guard it for you, huh?"
"Hehehehehe, as expected of Vice Admiral Garp!" Kuzan praised, giving a thumbs-up.
"You brat, fine. Anyway, I don't have much to do. When you go to the Extreme Ice Continent, this old man will come here to watch over things. The Environment of Fish-Man Island is pretty good, living here for a while is also nice."
Garp didn't make things difficult for Kuzan and readily agreed.
"In the future, there will definitely be fewer and fewer Pirates from the First Half of the Grand Line, and even fewer who can reach here through the Sabaody Archipelago. This place, Fish-Man Island, only needs to guard against Pirates from the 'New World'. Your pressure here won't be very high in the future."
"Yes, yes, yes. The Sabaody Archipelago is now guarded by Dragon, and he's doing a great job, it's very lively there. Just the day before yesterday, I heard that a killer broke into the Marine Branch and was caught by him."
Kuzan understood Garp's temper. This was him wanting to be praised about his Son, so how simple was it to satisfy that!
"Besides that, this old man heard from Sengoku that they are also setting up a Marine Branch at Reverse Mountain, with Borsalino serving as Base Commander to guard it. It's like blocking the entrance between the Four Seas and the Grand Line, that's the key."
Kuzan said in surprise, "Reverse Mountain Branch? I've been there too, I didn't see any Island nearby that could serve as a Base."
"Hmph hmph, this old man didn't ask for the specifics, but they definitely have a way."
Garp said nonchalantly, then added, "Alright, I've seen enough. This old man will go meet King Neptune first, you go get busy!"
"Okay, please take your Time."
Kuzan quickly bowed and saw the important figure off. He then stood in place and started thinking. He recalled the night they celebrated Dragon's Promotion to Vice Admiral.
"Reverse Mountain, plus four G-Branches, Sabaody Archipelago, Fish-Man Island, plus the four G-1 Branches in the 'New World'. They really have set up heavy Checkpoints along the entire Grand Line."
"Looking at it this way, Pirates from the Four Seas can't enter the Grand Line, so the Pirate situation in the First Half is stabilized. At the same Time, the 'New World' in the Second Half is completely blocked off..."
After pondering for a moment, he felt that the higher-ups of the Marines, no, it should be said the higher-ups of the World Government, were planning some major action against the 'New World'.
Although Kuzan usually appeared hot-blooded, he actually thought quite a lot deep down, especially his thoughts on the World were no less than Dragon's.
He could also see that the World Government had always intentionally kept the Marines and Pirates in a state of balance, where they were in opposition but did not engage in serious Conflict.
But now, it seems the World Government's Attitude towards Pirates has changed!
"Forget it, I'll find out about these things as Time goes on. If they really are going to clear out those Great Pirates, it's a good thing, but it would be best if it happened a few years later. Otherwise, with my current Strength, I can't participate in major Matters."
Kuzan shook his head helplessly, thinking. He was indeed a bit anxious. Among the Admiral Candidates, he was the only one who hadn't Awakened. Dragon had only eaten the Hurricane Fruit for a little over a year and had already Awakened.
But how was his Ice-Ice Fruit Ability supposed to Awaken? He had no clue.
He had also consulted Borsalino, but the latter had simply said that he Awakened one day after taking a nap in the Sun...
This was truly speechless. Awakening this kind of thing and Ability had nothing to do with training, it completely depended on Opportunity!
"I'm even starting to doubt if my current Ability can open the Ice layer in the Polar Region. If I spend several months going there and then find out I can't open it, that would really be a joke. If people found out..."
(End of Chapter)