Kizaru casually glanced at Kuzan.
When Kuzan had insisted on coming with him earlier, he'd asked why, but when Kuzan remained silent, he didn't press further.
The shrewd Kizaru certainly guessed it must be something that couldn't be known by the World Government...
But what's that got to do with me?
...
"My matter won't take long, I'll leave you two plenty of time~"
Kizaru turned to Griffin: "Be ready tomorrow morning, meet at Port 4. The first time going will require about a week's stay, after that you can come and go as you please."
After saying this, Kizaru transformed into a stream of light and flew toward his office, unwilling to waste even a single minute on work.
...
...
Kuzan led Griffin all the way to the Marine Headquarters' scrapyard for decommissioned warships, where discarded Marine vessels were piled up.
Several of the massive ships bore marks resembling insect erosion, with meter-wide craters scattered across their surfaces.
Before Griffin could ask, Kuzan gazed at the ruined warships and said: "This is where I trained under Mr. Garp."
"Those marks... were all made by Mr. Garp and me, punch by punch, without using Haki."
Griffin studied the ships for a moment before murmuring: "It seems... even heroes' strength wasn't innate."
He turned with a smile: "I heard Vice Admiral Garp specifically trained by smashing several mountains to break Chin Jiao's pointed head. Is that true?"
Kuzan chuckled lightly: "Both you and Chin Jiao are from the Kano Country , no wonder you're curious about this... Yes, it's true."
"Chin Jiao was incredibly powerful, famous throughout that era. He was among the strongest great pirates aside from top-tier fighters like Whitebeard."
His bounty of 500 million Berries twenty years ago would be worth at least triple by today's standards.
A trace of pride appeared on Kuzan's face as he lifted his head and continued: "But compared to Mr. Garp, he was still far inferior."
"Mr. Garp insisted on flattening that pointed head as his victory condition, which led to their second battle."
...
"Mr. Garp's personality sounds quite interesting," Griffin smiled understandingly.
"Yes, I think you and Mr. Garp would get along well."
Kuzan paused, his tone shifting slightly.
"Griffin..."
"That day at Sabaody Archipelago, why did you save those slaves?"
Kuzan had once faced a similar situation.
...
Ohara, the holy land of archaeological research obsessed with the 'Void Century' history, had been issued a Buster Call by the World Government after repeated warnings went unheeded.
In the end, Ohara was completely destroyed, with only the young Robin surviving.
It was Vice Admiral Saul who desperately protected that child, even at the cost of his own life.
As Saul's close friend, Kuzan faced his friend's questioning with growing uncertainty in his heart, ultimately deciding to let Nico Robin escape.
...
Kuzan wanted to know what mindset had driven Griffin to save slaves during an operation meant to protect Celestial Dragons.
Slaves whom the Marine Headquarters had ordered to be fired upon.
Hadn't he considered that his actions might cause the mission to fail, or even endanger the Celestial Dragons?
...
Griffin remained silent for a moment before smiling faintly.
"Sometimes killing doesn't need a reason, so why does saving someone require one?"
"That's a strange question, Vice Admiral Kuzan."
...
...
"Is that so... Smoker really wasn't wrong about you."
Kuzan let out a long sigh, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly: "Actually, even before you came to headquarters, Smoker mentioned you to me. Do you know what he said?"
"Uh... probably nothing good, that guy's mouth is always foul." Griffin scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed.
He knew exactly what image he had in Smoker's eyes.
Aside from not visiting red-light districts as a minor, Griffin had basically done everything a Marine shouldn't do.
Kuzan shook his head, looking seriously at Griffin: "He said..."
"You're the man who will truly change the Marines, possessing potential far greater than mine!"
...
...
"Well, he certainly has good judgment. I take back my earlier bias against him."
Kuzan was slightly taken aback.
He laughed: "At least when you're saying that in front of the person being compared, you could be a bit more tactful!"
"If this were before I revealed my Conqueror's Haki, I might still have the mood to pretend."
Griffin spread his hands helplessly: "But at this point, if I still acted humble, people would just think I'm too scheming. That would be counterproductive."
...
"Conqueror's Haki..."
Kuzan sighed with some emotion.
In Garp's generation, there were several officers who possessed Conqueror's Haki, but in their generation, even Admirals Akainu and Kizaru didn't have it.
Now that a new generation has produced someone with Conqueror's Haki, it makes their generation seem like the worst one.
After a pause, Kuzan spoke slowly.
"Like Smoker, I once had a close friend in the Marines. He was a giant from the South Blue named Saul."
"In order to save a child who was supposed to die under Marine fire, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice himself and oppose me."
"Griffin..."
"If you were in my position, what would you have done?"
...
...
"The Ohara incident."
Kuzan's expression shifted slightly. Given Griffin's age, he shouldn't know about that incident...
But considering his experiences and connections - whether it's Teacher Zephyr or Tenma, or even the close friend he's said to have in the CP Department - it wasn't surprising.
Thinking this, Kuzan decided not to hide it.
"Yes..."
"Nico Robin, the only survivor of Ohara, known to the world as the Devil Child, was the one I let escape."
Crack—
Kuzan condensed a cup of ice water out of thin air and handed it to Griffin, smiling faintly: "This isn't a secret among the higher-ups, but we can't publicize it either. It would be quite troublesome."
Griffin didn't take the ice cup. Instead, he raised his palm where cold energy gathered, similarly constructing an ice cup.
The ice cup was crystal clear, with lines on its surface outlining a landscape painting of snow-covered mountains, even showing faint ice radiance under light refraction.
It was practically a work of art.
In comparison, Kuzan's originally quite exquisite cup was completely overshadowed.
Kuzan's raised hand froze in place.
...
Griffin smiled apologetically: "Well... I've made my living with this skill since I was young. When I saw you... haha, I couldn't help myself. Sorry!"
This must be my bloodline influencing me - I'm not usually someone who likes to show off like this!
...
Kuzan shook his head: "I almost forgot you and I are the same type of ability users. That was my mistake for not understanding the situation."
"I've watched the combat footage of your fight with Kari. When it comes to the refined use of ice elements, I fall short compared to you."
The Marine Headquarters had repeatedly analyzed the battle between Kari and Griffin.
They concluded that without special abilities or inherited techniques, it would be impossible to master their combat style even after years of rigorous training.
Even the CP Department, which emphasizes technical skills the most, appeared crude in comparison - like trying to fly a brick through brute force.
Shaking his head, Kuzan pressed on with his question.
"Griffin, do you think I was right or wrong to let Nico Robin live..."
...
"Another strange question."
Griffin recalled the frost and snow from many years ago, smiling faintly.
"She wanted to live, and she's living well now. How could that be wrong?"