The smile on Garp's face disappeared, his brows furrowing. He looked seriously at Chacher, "Chacher Kid, although I don't know where you learned these secrets, some things are fine to know, but you can't speak them out loud."
"Of course~, I was just a little scared by Smoker-san earlier."
If it were anyone else, he probably wouldn't have dared to speak so freely, but there was no choice. If he wanted to develop in East Blue, he couldn't avoid these two people.
Lifting his head and looking at Smoker, who frowned at his words, Chacher paused for a moment before speaking, "Smoker-san, the justice that the Navy carries may not be as just as you imagine. In this era, there is no such thing as absolute justice!"
After speaking.
Before Smoker, whose gaze was fixed deeply on him, could say anything.
"I knew it! Sengoku, that guy always brings trouble for me." Garp directly covered his head in frustration, "I thought you were a Navy guy colluding with pirates, but it turns out you know more than I expected. Now what? Should we pretend we never met?"
"Vice Admiral Garp…" Smoker looked at Garp speechlessly. Though he didn't fully understand the meaning of Chacher's words, he could feel that this was a troublesome situation.
The Navy hero wanted to back off and run away?
How could this not be troublesome?
But before he could say anything else.
"Let's leave it for now!" Garp scratched his nose and looked at Chacher, who had been holding the hilt of his sword the entire time, grinning.
"I'm getting old and don't want to make trouble for myself. Besides, you... you don't really want to arrest this kid, right?"
"Hmph!" Smoker, who had been seen through by Garp, snorted coldly but didn't say anything more.
With a darkened face, he turned back to look at Chacher, "The Moke Pirates must be judged. I will catch the Moke Pirates and throw them into the Loguetown prison."
"Catch them if you want!" Hearing Smoker's words, Moke, still stubborn, said defiantly, "As long as the boss is fine, what's the problem? Even if I get locked up, so what?"
But...
"Shut up!" Chacher interrupted the foolish guy in exasperation.
They were having a good conversation, so why ruin it?
Moke was someone Chacher had brought up, and he didn't want to just send him away like this.
When he first met Moke, the kid was skinny and pale, but who would've thought, just a few years later, he'd grown so much?
He was already taller than Chacher.
But just growing taller, does that mean he grew smarter too?
Of course, even though Moke was a bit silly, he always listened to Chacher. As long as it was a command, Moke would carry it out seriously, which was why Chacher felt safe letting Moke go out as a pirate.
No need to worry about him turning bad.
Chacher turned his head, ignoring Smoker, and looked at Garp.
"Thirty percent!"
"???"
"Thirty percent of the military budget applied by the 16th branch in the future!"
As soon as these words were spoken.
Everyone froze, then glared at Chacher with dark expressions.
Is this guy bribing a naval hero?
Is he seriously doing this in front of so many people? How bold!
Especially Smoker… His face turned ashen. Does this kid not take him seriously? Bribing a naval hero right in front of him?
And that's a naval hero!
How could he be bought off by a mere three percent of the branch's military funds?
As expected…
There was no need for Smoker to say anything. Vice Admiral Garp already stared coldly at Chacher. "Kid, what do you take me for?"
However.
Before Smoker could sneer.
"At least fifty percent!"
Suddenly.
"..."
Everyone fell silent again.
Before anyone could speak.
"Deal!" Chacher said, slightly surprised. It seemed he hadn't expected Garp to actually agree. He had planned to threaten with Ace's secret if Garp had refused!
He slapped Garp's outstretched hand.
"Next time, should I give it directly to you, or your grandson?"
"What would I need to give it to my grandson for? That kid has grown up and needs to rely on himself!" Garp immediately dismissed the idea of his grandson, smiling happily.
"No need to give it to me either. You know the Goa Kingdom, right? There are some refugees there too."
With that.
"..."
Chacher immediately understood why Garp had agreed so easily. No wonder he had been so direct—he had this plan all along.
True, he hadn't done anything wrong. Or rather, what he had done wasn't considered a big deal by this old man, whose own past wasn't exactly spotless.
Rather than letting himself speak recklessly, or even worse, become a pirate and spread chaos, it was better to just keep him here, quietly.
Anyway, he didn't want to run around for now, so this arrangement suited him just fine.
As for the Goa Kingdom...
Isn't it the same wherever you recruit?
Chacher smiled, "Let's have a good cooperation!"
"Let's have a good cooperation!"
Both of them shared a meaningful smile.
But...
"How likely is this?" Smoker immediately grabbed Garp by the collar and shouted, "Do you even know what you're doing, Vice-Admiral Garp?!"
"Huh? Smoker, kid, don't rush. I know what I'm doing. Didn't the Mok Pirates not really do anything?" Garp, being grabbed by the collar, chuckled, picked his nose, and gave a knowing look at the confused Mok. "Let him go, it's fine!"
"Do you know what you're saying? You're in the Navy, they're pirates!"
"Ah, almost forgot. Forget what I said earlier!" Garp laughed heartily, as if he hadn't just said something wrong. He sighed and shook his head, continuing to pick his nose as he looked absent-mindedly.
"I didn't expect that the Mok Pirates were really as sly as Captain Chacher said. They managed to escape from us, we need to make sure the Navy headquarters takes notice."
After that.
Smoker: ...
Looking at the shameless Navy hero, Vice-Admiral Garp, Smoker had a thought he didn't know whether he should voice.
Does this old man really take him for a fool?
**********
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