Groves 1 through 29 were Sabaody’s lawless district.
Slave trading.
Gambling.
Illegal duels.
Almost anything could happen there.
Strangely enough, even the Celestial Dragons occasionally visited in person.
Whenever that happened, anyone with even a little common sense usually swallowed their pride and cleared the road.
Of course, that only applied to ordinary people.
Kael had never considered the Celestial Dragons inherently superior to anyone else.
If he ever met one coming from the opposite direction on a narrow road…
Kael certainly wouldn’t be the one stepping aside.
Fortunately for them, no Celestial Dragons had decided to visit Grove 13 today.
A new bar had recently opened there.
Shakky’s Rip-off Bar.
Its owner, Shakky, had once been a formidable pirate herself.
After retiring from piracy, she eventually settled on Sabaody and reopened her infamous Rip-off Bar there.
At the same time…
She was waiting for a certain man to return.
Between the shameless name of the establishment and Shakky’s beauty, the bar had quickly attracted all kinds of criminals and troublemakers.
Today, however, every last one of them had disappeared.
There were two very good reasons.
One was Admiral “Black Arm” Zephyr.
The other was the legendary Marine hero, Monkey D.
Garp.
Their names alone were enough to shake the seas.
Forget small-time criminals.
Even pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million Berries would think twice before walking into a bar occupied by both of them.
Creak.
The doors swung open.
The two small wooden saloon doors bounced back and forth with a faint squeal.
Kael appeared in the entrance with a smile.
In his hands were two sealed jars of liquor.
His own brew.
Peach Blossom Dew.
It was made from peach blossoms and a rare purple fruit, then aged for eight full years.
After years of fermentation and evaporation, the liquor had developed a rich, cloudy appearance.
Anyone who truly loved alcohol would feel their throat go dry just looking at it.
Crack!
Kael broke the clay seal.
An intense fragrance immediately spread through the bar.
Even Shakky, who looked to be somewhere in her thirties or forties, raised an eyebrow.
“Kael, sweetheart…” A cigarette rested between her lips.
“If you keep bringing things like this into my bar, you’re going to ruin my business.” Her voice carried its usual sharp edge.
“Last time, more than three hundred people came in asking for the liquor they smelled here.” She exhaled smoke.
“I couldn’t give them anything similar, and I nearly ended up fighting half of them.” Shakky walked around Kael and casually rested an arm across his broad shoulder.
“So how about it?” “Send me a few jars every month.” Her lips curled upward.
“I could make a fortune ripping people off with this.” Kael smiled.
“Sure.” Shakky’s eyes brightened.
“Five million Berries per jar.” “Pfft!” Borsalino sprayed his drink across the table.
He stared at Kael.
And she calls this place a rip-off bar?
Clearly, Kael was the real professional.
Shakky burst out laughing, leaning against him as her shoulders shook.
“Kael, you really know how to do business.” She wiped the corner of one eye.
“How much of this stuff do you have left?” “Ten jars.” Shakky glanced at the liquor again.
“For someone who really loves drinking…” She smirked.
“Five million might actually be worth it.” Kael nodded.
“Money’s just money.” “If you have it, you might as well exchange it for something useful.” Shakky nodded approvingly.
“Exactly.” Then she waved everyone over.
“Come on.” “Bring your little brother too.” She grinned.
“We’re not leaving until somebody ends up under the table.” Zephyr watched Kael with a trace of warmth in his eyes.
The two of them had become unlikely friends despite the difference in age.
And in all his years on the sea, Zephyr had rarely encountered someone quite like him.
Mature.
Steady.
Generous when it mattered.
Yet possessing the boldness of someone who refused to bow his head.
Every meeting gave Zephyr another reason to appreciate the young man.
That was the kind of man Zephyr respected.
Mihawk, meanwhile, knew perfectly well who Zephyr was.
An Admiral.
One of only three in the entire world.
One of the highest-ranking combatants in the Marines.
Seeing someone like that treat Kael as an equal already filled Mihawk with pride.
Then Shakky actually invited him to join them.
Mihawk’s expression barely changed.
Inside, however, he was delighted.
Brother really is incredible.
…
The fragrance of liquor filled the bar.
Before long, everyone had a pleasant buzz.
After several rounds, conversation gradually became more relaxed.
Because Borsalino had invited himself along, there were certain things Garp and Zephyr couldn’t discuss openly.
So instead, they talked about the past.
“When Garp first joined, he was a complete idiot.” Zephyr laughed.
“Every day it was ‘passion this’ and ‘justice that.'” He took another drink.
“And then the bastard actually went and brought down Rocks.” “Ooh…” Borsalino chewed lazily on his food.
“That really was impressive, Teacher.” He glanced toward Garp.
“Though I’d say Mr.
Garp is probably stronger than you, wouldn’t you?” Zephyr’s weathered mustache twitched.
“You’d have to make us fight to find out.” He emptied another cup.
By now, his eyes were becoming slightly unfocused.
Then his smile slowly faded.
“But after getting older…” Zephyr lowered his cup.
“I started wondering whether I ever understood anything at all.” He sighed.
Garp’s expression also grew quieter.
Borsalino was still young.
He listened to the two veterans, but he couldn’t truly relate to what they were saying.
For him, life was still relatively simple.
Complete the missions assigned by Headquarters.
Earn military merit.
Develop his Devil Fruit.
Keep advancing toward the position of Admiral.
Those were the goals in front of him.
Zephyr looked across the table.
“Kael.” His voice had lost its earlier cheer.
“Tell me something.” “What exactly is justice?” “And what makes someone evil?” He stared into his cup.
“I’m starting to lose track.” Memories of his murdered family surfaced again.
Their deaths had never truly been a random tragedy.
It had been revenge.
And the deeper truth behind it was something Zephyr had kept buried in his heart.
The man he had once arrested had been labeled a pirate.
There had been a bounty on his head.
But he had never actually committed a crime.
In fact, he had once helped an entire town survive a brutal winter when its people were on the verge of starvation.
And the reason that town had been driven into poverty in the first place…
Was the crushing burden of the Heavenly Tribute.
Zephyr’s grip tightened around his cup.
If he weren’t a Marine…
If he didn’t wear that uniform…
Kael watched him quietly for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“Justice and evil aren’t nearly as absolute as people like to pretend.” His voice was calm.
“In the end…” Kael lifted his cup.
“The winners are the ones who decide what gets called justice.”
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.