One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 320 NEO Navy! Zephyr, or Shano?

Uncle Akainu?

Hearing Luffy tentatively call out that name, Aokiji's eye twitched.

"It's Aokiji, Aokiji, but that's a name from the past. Just call me Kuzan from now on."

Aokiji corrected him helplessly, squatting down to rub Luffy's head.

This kid was so badly beaten up by Garp that his face was bruised and swollen, and his eyes were like light bulbs. It's normal for him to mistake someone for someone else, so Garp didn't hold it against him.

"Alright, it's rare to see you here."

Garp laughed and put his arm around Aokiji's shoulder. "Come on, it's my treat! Come have a drink with me! We can talk about this brat's training later!"

Luffy felt like he'd been granted a pardon and immediately tried to slip away, but Garp turned around and glared at him: "Dare to run away?! It's me who's going to rest, not you. Keep going!"

He clenched his fist, which was four times the size of Luffy's head, with all his might.

Luffy immediately deflated, his face crestfallen, and continued to try to gather his faint Armament Haki towards the rock.

…………

In Makino's tavern.

"So, what are you planning to do next?"

Karp gulped down a large glass of ale, smacked his lips, and asked, "I'm an old man, I'd be fine just to retire in this little mountain village, but you, you're still in your prime, you should find somewhere to go, right?"

Forty-four years old is the perfect age to strive and work hard.

Aokiji stared at the swirling liquid in the glass, remaining silent for a long time.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

"How about we go check out the New World?"

Garp glanced furtively at his prized disciple's expression. "Compared to Borsalino and Sakazuki, you haven't even fought that kid yet, have you?"

At this point, Garp seemed a little uncertain, and his gaze shifted downwards.

—Well, there shouldn't be any missing limbs.

"So the two of you have never interacted and have no history of conflict."

Garp refilled his cup and chuckled, "Let's go meet him! Don't be fooled by the World Government's smear campaign. Once you've dealt with him, you'll find that the kid is actually a pretty good person... Hmm? Why are you staring at me like that? What, don't you believe me?"

"...I have no doubt about that."

Aokiji shook his head speechlessly, picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "I just didn't expect that you would recommend The Enderman more, sir. I thought you would advise me to go to Professor Zephyr."

"Zeff? His NEO Navy?"

Karp put down his glass, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat complicated. He remained silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

“If Xiaohe also runs away with him, I don’t think it’s a bad idea for you to go to the NEO Navy, but if he’s alone…”

Karp shook his head and took another big gulp of wine. "That old guy is too stubborn. His temper is getting worse and worse, and he's becoming more and more extreme in his actions. You don't share his ideas, and going there will only cause trouble."

Aokiji remained silent.

This was indeed foreseeable.

He knew Zephyr all too well. Ever since his family was killed by pirates, the former admiral who never killed anyone had become increasingly extreme, and his hatred for pirates had almost distorted his sense of justice.

This hatred has now spread to the Navy Headquarters, and the establishment of the NEO Navy will likely be even more radical than before.

"But the biggest problem for the NEO Navy is not here."

Karp thought for a moment, "Perhaps it's not a bad idea for you to go and see Zephyr. Don't take what I just said too seriously. Compare different options. The path that you feel and want to choose is the one that is most suitable for you."

Aokiji hesitated for a moment, then nodded and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

The cool ale down his throat gradually calmed his previously scattered and complex thoughts.

at this time.

The tavern door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure wearing a straw hat strode in triumphantly.

"Grandpa! I think I've figured out a bit of the trick!"

Luffy grinned, showing off his jet-black arms. "Look, look here! How's that? Pretty good, right? Shouldn't I get a big meal as a reward? I'm starving!"

Garp's eyes lit up, overjoyed.

"Oh? You've already achieved Armament Haki hardening?"

He suddenly stood up, grabbed Luffy by the collar, and dragged him out the door. "Come on! Let this old man give you a good inspection!"

"Huh? An examination? Now? Maybe I should fill my stomach first, and then... Ouch, that hurts!"

"You brat! How dare you lie to me! This is clearly ink! You bastard, you've really learned bad habits from that redhead, you've started cheating now! The more I think about it, the angrier I get! You even dared to say you wanted to eat meat? Take this punch first!"

“Ughh ...!!!”

Hearing the screams around him and watching the grandfather and grandson bickering as they left, Aokiji couldn't help but smile.

He looked down at the empty wine glass and muttered to himself, "Comparing them with my own eyes...that's a good idea."

"Excuse me, ma'am, could you please settle the bill?"

Aokiji stood up and waved towards the bar.

"Rounding down, the total is 270 million Berries, thank you." Makino handed over the bill with a smile.

"Eh?"

Aokiji froze as he reached for his wallet, then looked up in disbelief.

Take less?

Even after rounding down to zero, it still costs 2.7 million Berries?

What's going on? I only drank two bottles of beer!
"After Mr. Karp returned to the village, he spent a lot of time drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and he has only recently started to feel better."

Makino blinked, somewhat puzzled. "We drank over a thousand bottles of wine on credit. When we came in, they told me you would pay for everything. Isn't that right?"

No wonder he ran away while beating his grandson; so that's what happened!
Aokiji's forehead creased with annoyance. He opened his wallet to its widest extent, shaking his head as he took out money: "The old man is still the same as ever..."

Yeah.

It seems that the old man has indeed adjusted his mindset.

I think I'm almost there too.

He got up, paid the bill, and walked out of the tavern.

The sunlight shone down just right, warm and pleasant, a little dazzling, but also quite comfortable.

It also seemed to point out a direction for this lost traveler.

Jingle bell bell~
The bicycle bell rang again, and a line of ice stretched out across the sea, slowly drifting into the distance.

"Excuse me, could you move aside... Oh? It's you again."

"Gah?!"

The green duck took flight and plunged into the sea. The blue pheasant sighed and bowed in that direction with a look of shame.

Time passed, day by day.

Before we knew it, it was already late August.

"Reached?"

Aokiji stopped his bicycle and looked up at the massive fortress in front of him.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, this steel fortress, pieced together from several large warships, stands in the harbor of the isolated island.

Normally it is a fortress, but in case of emergency it can be separated and transformed into a powerful fleet.

This is the headquarters of the NEO Navy, a new and powerful force that has recently gained fame in the New World and cannot be ignored by anyone.

"Following the clues, I actually found out. It seems I have a talent for being a CP agent."

Muttering a self-deprecating remark, Aokiji turned his gaze away from the huge black flag fluttering in the wind and looked back at the soldiers on the deck.

They wore white uniforms similar to those of the Navy Headquarters, but with the prominent "NEO" lettering printed on their chests and backs.

Using my Observation Haki, I roughly sensed that there were probably tens of thousands of NEO Marines in this fortress alone.

A significant portion of them are on missions abroad.

It's actually larger than we expected.

"stop!"

As soon as they approached the port, a squad of fully armed soldiers blocked their way.

The leading major stared warily at the tall man: "This is a NEO Navy base. Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from approaching!"

His hand was already on the hilt of the sword, but the next second, as Aokiji took off his sunglasses and hat, his eyes widened, and he stammered:
"General Kuzan?!"

"Not anymore."

Aokiji waved his hand, his gaze passing over him and looking deeper into the base. "Is Professor Zephyr here?"

ten minutes later.

In the center of the base, inside the NEO commander's office.

"A rare guest indeed."

The burly, purple-haired old man crossed his legs and grinned.
"I heard you left the Navy too, not bad! You have guts! That's why I'm willing to see you. If it were Borsalino or Sakazuki coming here, I wouldn't let them get away with it!"

Aokiji gazed at his former mentor across the coffee table.

After not seeing him for several months, he noticed that the other person had a few more silver strands in his purple hair, and the fierceness between his brows was even stronger than he remembered.

"Teacher, you look..."

"Are you getting older? Or just more irritable?"

Zephyr scoffed and impatiently interrupted, "Stop spouting this useless nonsense. Tell me, what are you doing here? If you're here to join my NEO Navy, then of course you're welcome! But you don't seem like it. Perhaps you've heard some rumors and come here to persuade me?"

advise?
what news?
Aokiji looked around, somewhat puzzled.

He had just noticed that a New World nautical chart was hanging on the office wall, densely marked with the recent movements of the NEO Navy.

Now that I'm sitting closer, I only noticed it upon closer inspection.

These operations mostly involved raids on naval supply ships and branch bases, as well as several pirate strongholds. However, a few markings stood out, clearly indicating that they were port towns belonging to member states.

Aokiji's gaze fell on those markings, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Teacher, it seems the NEO Navy's operational range is wider than I imagined." He carefully chose his words. "These places... don't seem to be pirate strongholds, do they?"

"Hmph, I knew you came here for this reason."

Zefa sneered, stood up, walked to the sea chart, and heavily tapped the markings with his thick fingers:
"You're saying all this? They're all just lackeys of the World Government! The reason the World Government and the Navy can still receive a steady stream of money and resources to maintain that corrupt and disgusting order is also inseparable from these member states!"

His voice grew increasingly impassioned:
"Hey! Kuzan, you must have heard of my NEO Navy's propositions, right?"

"All pirates are targets for extermination, and so are all those who, even now, are still reluctant to give up fame and fortune and remain as Marines!"

"And the same goes for these towns. We must eradicate these cancers completely! Only by making those who aid and abet evil pay the price can true justice be served and this order be completely destroyed!"

Aokiji stared in astonishment at the excited Zephyr.

My beloved teacher, after suffering a series of setbacks, may have become extreme and irritable, but his sense of justice never wavered.

however.

Zefa's appearance at this moment felt unfamiliar to him.

"Don't look at me like that!"

Zefa snorted unhappily, "My bottom line hasn't changed. What I took were just the warehouses of these towns and the assets of those government officials. I didn't bombard any civilians!"

"To put it bluntly, the NEO Navy's current funding is far from enough to rely solely on intercepting those warships and pirate ships. We also need to take a portion from these World Government lackeys!"

Is that so?
That's barely acceptable... Aokiji thought for a moment and then asked, "Teacher, so does that mean the NEO Navy's funding comes from plunder?"

Zefa frowned upon hearing this, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Looting?"

He coldly repeated the word, "Kuzan, do you consider me as despicable as those wicked pirates?"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I misspoke."

Aokiji raised his hands in apology, "I was just curious about how the NEO Navy operates. After all, maintaining an army of this size, it's really difficult to do it by just robbing... well, taking away all that ill-gotten wealth..."

"Too long?"

Zefa laughed heartily, "But I don't need too long, three months! Three months is enough for me!"

Aokiji was taken aback by these words, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into his heart:
"Teacher, what does 'these three months' mean?"

"Pfft hahaha!"

Zephyr threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Hey, what's going on, Kuzan! Can't you see it yet? I clearly remember that although you seem slow-witted, you were actually the fastest-thinking kid in your class, right?"

He took a nautical chart from his desk drawer and slammed it heavily onto the coffee table.

Aokiji looked down and his pupils suddenly contracted.

—This is a top-secret map showing numerous explosive rock storage sites!

"Anyway, after the previous operations, this motive can no longer be hidden. With Kotsuru at the Navy Headquarters, they may even be plotting to ambush me. There's no harm in telling you the truth."

Zephyr extended his index finger and traced it across the map. "Tsk, come to think of it, this is probably one of the benefits of being the chief instructor of the Navy for decades. I can contact people everywhere along the Grand Line's branch bases!"

"They will tell me where the World Government's explosive rock resources are stored, saving me the trouble of painstakingly collecting intelligence everywhere. At the current pace, it will only take another five months at most to collect enough explosive rock!"

"By the time……"

Zefa clenched his fist tightly and burst into unrestrained laughter:
"I will return to Marineford, back to the footsteps of Mary Geoise! ​​With a grand explosion, I will destroy Marine Headquarters, cause the Red Line to collapse! I will make those high and mighty Celestial Dragons pay the price for this disgusting world!!!"

"And this plan has now been officially named, 'Return to Marineford'!"

　Here's some new information from TALKOP: 1. Davy Jones might actually be the original King of the World; 2. Kuma was Blackbeard's savior.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)