Buying groceries wasn't really a big deal for a bunch of grown men.
But for the vendors at the Marineford market, it was something completely out of the ordinary.
A Marine Hero and a Marine Admiral, accompanied by a Rear Admiral and their families, going out shopping for groceries?
Not unheard of, perhaps, but definitely unprecedented.
So, what was supposed to be a simple grocery run ended up turning into a full-on spectacle.
And this spectacle didn't die down until the group of grown men made a hasty escape with bags of ingredients in hand.
"You all fleeing from a famine or something?"
Standing at the doorway, Tsuru greeted them with a teasing tone and a hint of amusement.
"Tsuru-san, don't even start." Michael waved his hand, visibly annoyed with Garp and Sengoku.
"You'd think these two, with their high ranks, could at least cover those wrinkled old faces before going out in public! I felt like we were being ogled like zoo animals the whole time!"
"Yeah, yeah! Michael-san is totally right!"
Ace chimed in from the side, nodding furiously.
Tsuru looked over at the thoroughly embarrassed Sengoku and Garp.
If even someone as thick-skinned as Garp was feeling awkward, then the crowd must've really been something.
"Well, you brought everything back at least… They're already here, I should be the last one to arrive." As she spoke, Tsuru extended a hand and gently pushed out a little girl who had been hiding behind her back. "Come on now, Kujaku, this is the Rear Admiral Michael you admire so much."
As Michael lowered his head, he locked eyes with the blonde girl.
Within a second, Kujaku tugged down the brim of her pink cap with the letter "M" on it, hiding her face.
"H-h-h-hello, Rear Admiral Michael, I've liked you for a long time."
"...Wait, hold on." Michael quickly cut off her ambiguous confession, then looked helplessly at Tsuru.
"Tsuru-san, your granddaughter nearly gave me a heart attack! I swear, I'm not into little girls! I'd never lay a hand on a child!"
"You've got it all wrong. Kujaku just admires you," Tsuru said with a shake of her head. "Your battle against the Golden Lion in Marineford—it's her favorite story."
Michael sighed in relief.
As long as no one was trying to frame him as some kind of lolicon, all was good.
Only now did he take a proper look at Kujaku. She seemed to be about the same age as Ace.
And given Tsuru's relationship with Garp, it was likely the two kids knew each other too.
Sure enough, as soon as Ace noticed the shy Kujaku, he jumped to stand protectively in front of Michael.
"Kujaku! You little sneak, trying to steal Michael-san from me!?"
"Tch... why are you always around, Ace?"
"Hmph! You fake sweetie-pie! Don't think I don't know what you're up to—you've been scheming after Michael-san all along!"
"Rear Admiral Michael is strong and handsome! So what if I'm scheming!? When I grow up, I'm definitely going to become Rear Admiral Michael's bride!"
"I—I—I can be Michael-san's too—mmph mmph mmph..."
Hearing the increasingly ridiculous bickering between the two kids, Michael hurriedly covered their mouths, sweating bullets.
Good grief!
People weren't kidding when they said kids' words were innocent but deadly.
Damn it, just a few lines and they'd already painted him as some kind of freak who swings both ways with little girls and boys!
Even Sengoku and Garp were starting to look at him differently.
"You two senile geezers better not believe those kids' nonsense!"
With that, he scooped both of them up, kicked open the door, and rushed inside.
"Compared to everyone else, Michael's really way too mature," Tsuru said with a smile as she watched him disappear inside. "It's only moments like this when he actually seems like someone in his early twenties."
"Hahaha, Tsuru, you think so too?" Garp laughed heartily. "Honestly, I've always treated Michael like a peer."
"That's because you're immature."
Sengoku rolled his eyes and followed Michael into the house.
"He called me immature?"
"Garp, Sengoku isn't insulting you. He's just stating a fact."
...
After entering the house, Sengoku and Garp quickly dropped off the groceries in the kitchen and hurried back out.
Not because they were afraid of Rouge.
But because they didn't want to miss the show.
In Garp's living room, Zephyr and the future three Admirals had arrived ahead of them and were now seated, facing each other.
The future three Admirals sat with their heads down—one was clenching his fists, one had a hand over his face, and one picked up a cigar only to set it down slowly under Zephyr's sharp gaze.
Zephyr, with his close-cropped purple hair, sat with arms crossed, staring sternly at his three most prized disciples.
"Borsalino, how many times have I told you not to rely so much on your Devil Fruit ability? Your Glint-Glint Fruit is powerful, sure—but never forget, your own body is the only thing that will never betray you."
"Kuzan, if you keep wallowing in guilt over the Ohara incident, I swear I'll give you a proper beating!"
"And you, Sakazuki... I don't even know what to say to you anymore. If you keep fighting the way you always have—reckless and ignoring your comrades and civilians—I will put you down myself!"
The future Admirals sat there getting lectured like a bunch of grandkids.
And yet, Zephyr had every right to scold them.
Even they couldn't deny it—he wasn't wrong.
After all, he was their teacher.
But there was another thing the future Admirals all had in common...
They were excellent at listening humbly—and absolutely terrible at changing.
His words made perfect sense... but there was no way in hell they were actually going to change.
Zephyr probably understood that too. After all his scolding, it all ended with a long sigh.
What could he do? A true warrior's convictions aren't so easily swayed.
Just like his own vow never to kill—something Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, and even Fleet Admiral Kong had tried for years to talk him out of.
None of it ever worked.
"Zephyr-sensei, it's been a while."
Michael's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Turning his head, Zephyr saw Michael bow slightly.
"It really has been a while... You little punk, hiding this deep, huh?"
Michael chuckled and said nothing.
When he first joined the Navy, as a Devil Fruit user, he naturally entered Zephyr's new recruit training camp.
But back then, Michael was fully focused on staying under the radar. He'd constantly hidden his strength, and his performance in training was always just average.
Zephyr had seen potential in him and had always been frustrated at what he thought was wasted talent.
"But that's good. At least you've got a brain."
"In that regard, you're leagues ahead of those three."
Hearing Zephyr's praise, Michael instinctively glanced over at the future three Admirals.
As expected, the three of them were all staring at him with resentful eyes.
Michael internally screamed, Crap!
This damn old man just used him to make those three petty guys look bad!
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