11: Chapter 011 I Brought Some Liquor…
It’s Called Peach Purple Dew 11: Chapter 011 I Brought Some Liquor…
It’s Called Peach Purple Dew For a moment, everything fell silent.
All the marines craned their necks with curiosity, staring out toward the harbor entrance.
What came into view was a noble, vintage-metallic-style ship, about twenty-five meters tall, but with a terrifying length of sixty to seventy meters.
It had a two-story compound structure, and a royal flag was planted atop it.
It was the flag of the Shikkearu Kingdom.
Few people remembered it now, since after the fall of Shikkearu, their flag had been taken as a trophy and placed in the Celestial Dragons’ treasury.
But as it happened, Borsalino, who frequently dealt with the Celestial Dragons, still recognized that flag.
The royalty of Shikkearu…
quite remarkable indeed.
At the time, he had heard that a Vice Admiral had led the operation.
Though it wasn’t the main Marine force, they had still taken part.
Borsalino rubbed his chin, a contemplative look in his eyes.
“It was the Army’s doing…
those so-called Celestial Dragon Guard units.” The current Marine Fleet Admiral was named Kong, and word had it he would soon be transferred to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armed Forces.
Who would succeed him as Fleet Admiral was still an open question.
In any case, these were not stable times.
Every officer with high rank had to find ways to distinguish themselves and earn military merits.
Ooh, what a pain…
so it’s that guy.
As he reminisced, Borsalino suddenly recalled a certain person.
During the final stage of the assault, they had tried to conquer the Shikkearu Kingdom and take the Black Rose Castle on Kuraigana Island, because it represented the most sacred seat of royal authority.
But after landing on the island, a young swordsman had fought fiercely and cut down over three thousand of their men.
In the end, they had been forced to retreat.
If the battle had continued, the casualties would have been even greater.
Although they might have been able to capture or kill that young man, who could guarantee that a second figure like that wouldn’t emerge later?
If it’s him…
ah, well then, I’ll have to meet him properly.
Borsalino’s eyebrow twitched slightly, a hint of contemplation flickering across his face.
If this really was the swordsman from the Shikkearu Kingdom, he probably held a grudge against us, right?
Hmm…
scary, scary…
A lazy smile spread across his face.
He appeared indifferent to everything, but in truth, Borsalino spent most of his time observing and thinking.
Offending a great swordsman…
especially one who wandered alone without any attachments…
would be rather troublesome.
Thump.
The ship’s hull let out a soft sound as it docked.
Richard, his long-awaited young friend, stepped ashore, followed by a young swordsman with amber eyes marked by hawk-like patterns, brimming with spirit.
The two brothers both wore noble attire, but the difference was that Richard’s blade was slender and elegant, while the young man’s sword was much heavier and sturdier.
“Richard…
it’s been a long time.” Zephyr strode forward quickly.
His purple hair and the Marine coat of justice billowing behind him fluttered slightly in the sea breeze.
Over the years, Zephyr, having gone through tremendous family upheaval, had aged considerably.
“You’re still an Admiral?” Richard asked in surprise.
When he had first met Zephyr, the man had come to Kuraigana Island by chance, his heart shattered after his family was murdered by pirates, and Richard had received him warmly.
At that time, Richard had been eleven years old, and Mihawk had just begun learning noble etiquette and swordsmanship.
“Yeah.
You advised me not to pour too much energy into teaching, but instead to step up the Marines’ offensive efforts.
So I withdrew my resignation application.” Because when he had submitted it earlier, Kong had kept his Admiral rank intact, so withdrawing the application meant he could immediately return to active duty.
Richard nodded.
“I see.
So how have things been lately?
Has staying busy helped dull the grief?” “Yeah.
The only drawback is…
I still miss your liquor.” “Ah, I brought some,” Richard smiled.
“This is Peach Purple Dew.
It’s not as fiery, but it leaves a lingering aftertaste that’s hard to forget.” Garp slapped his forehead.
“Just hearing that, I know it’s good stuff.
Let’s go…
we’ll find a nice place to eat in the Sabaody Archipelago.” “No thanks, Uncle Garp,” Richard waved his hand.
“I need to sell my grain and fruit first.
Also…
I took down some pirates on the way here.
Help me convert them into bounty money, will you?” Hearing Richard’s words, the guard captain Liam carried Jackal’s corpse down from the deck, then dragged two bound pirates and tossed them onto the ground.
Borsalino, who had just walked over, had his expression changed and paused for a moment.
Encountered them on the way?
“This is Jackal…
he’s been pretty active in the first half of the Grand Line lately.” “Much appreciated.
But claiming bounties right now…
there’s a bit of a problem,” Borsalino said, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Richard raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What’s the matter?” Borsalino wasn’t an Admiral yet, so he looked more like a sleazy middle-aged uncle, lacking the regal bearing he’d later have.
“Oh, well…
because the main focus has shifted to the latter half of the Grand Line, bounties below 50 million Berry are no longer being honored.
They say the Marines can handle capturing those criminals on their own.” Borsalino pouted, a hint of complaint in his tone.
“The bounties were issued by higher-ups in the first place, but now they’re not honoring them…
it feels pretty embarrassing.” Zephyr frowned deeply.
“When was this order issued?” “Ah, Admiral Sengoku issued it.
You’ve been focusing on field operations, so I guess you hadn’t heard yet.” Garp and Zephyr exchanged glances, feeling the situation quite awkward.
“I see,” Richard smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
But Mihawk couldn’t stand this kind of injustice.
“This is your credibility?
No wonder there are more and more pirates every year.” “Don’t say it like that, young lad,” Borsalino spread his hands helplessly.
“In any case…
we can’t exchange it now.
His bounty is too low.” “But there is another way: you could transfer the bounty to a Marine officer, who would record it as part of their merit, and they’d pay you some money in return.” Zephyr thought about his own allowance and gave a bitter smile.
He turned to Richard and said: “Let’s do it that way.
Richard, I can’t let you take a loss.
You’ve done me a huge favor…
with Jackal’s capture, I can solidify my position as Admiral.” “In exchange, I’ll send 50 million Berry as a thank-you contribution to your forces on Kuraigana Island.”