Water 7
Kisame blinked, a little stunned at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him.
Kizaru.
Out of nowhere, the admiral had strolled right into their path, hand on his chin as he gave that classic lazy drawl:
"Ah-lehhh… so you are here."
"…What are you doing here?" Kisame asked, though he already had a feeling. Still, he locked eyes with Kizaru, needing to hear it himself.
"No choice," Kizaru sighed, lips pursed like a man sent to do chores on his day off. "Work call."
"Apparently some nutjob showed up outta nowhere… attacked a World Government official… and wiped out an entire ship."
He didn't even try to be discreet. And his beady, slightly pervy eyes flicked over Kisame's face, as if trying to catch a guilty twitch.
Kisame's face?
Pure, genuine confusion.
He hadn't been acting.
He had told Kakuzu to divert the World Government's attention—but this? This was way beyond what he expected.
Mass murder was not on the damn list!
And knowing Kakuzu… profit was his religion. He wouldn't pull a stunt like this.
Which left only one possibility.
"…It was Hidan, wasn't it?"
That lunatic!
Didn't he realize being flashy just brought more heat?
Kisame kept up the act, blinking blankly as he replied, "Who the hell would be that bold?"
Kizaru studied him a moment longer—then seemed to buy it. That dumbfounded look didn't seem faked.
He shrugged. "Dunno yet… but word is, there was a witness. Not really my business though—"
"I'm just here to escort the only survivor back."
"…There's a survivor?"
Now that surprised Kisame.
Knowing that slick-haired maniac's style, there shouldn't have been any survivors.
Wait—could this have been part of Kakuzu's plan?
…Nope.
This time, Kisame had it wrong. The only reason Spandine survived?
He was such a coward, he bolted for the bottom of the ship the second things went sideways and hid.
Pure dumb luck.
"Yeah," Kizaru said with a grimace. "Real lucky bastard. Annoying, though."
Kisame wasn't eager to dig deeper into this mess. He looked up at the admiral again.
And just—seriously? What were people eating in this world? Even the creeps were skyscraper tall!
"You here for me, then?" Kisame asked.
"When're you coming to Marine HQ?" Kizaru asked, hands in his pockets.
"When are you heading to Marine HQ?"
"Is it urgent?"
"Yeah, kind of. I'm broke. They still haven't given me my bonus."
"…"
Wait, is being a Marine that financially hopeless?
Kisame stared at Kizaru's sheepish expression, reevaluating the entire organization.
Then he caught sight of something else—the insignia on Kizaru's shoulder had changed.
"…You got promoted? And you're still broke?"
"No choice," Kizaru said with a sigh. "Expenses are brutal these days."
"…"
Kisame reflexively raised a hand to pat his shoulder—but stopped when he realized…
The guy was almost a meter taller than him.
What the hell—
Even the sleazy ones are built like trees.
"You should probably stop going to those places," Kisame muttered as he walked past him toward the ruined shipyard. "At this rate, you'll get yourself killed."
Whether the man understood or cared wasn't really Kisame's concern. Over his shoulder, he added,
"I'll head to Marine HQ once the ship's fixed."
"I'll be waiting for you there, then!"
Kizaru gave a grin that was equal parts lazy and sleazy. As if just remembering something, he fished something out from inside his coat and tossed it over.
"Here—don't lose it. Cost a lot."
Plop.
Kisame caught it. One glance told him it was a Den Den Mushi.
He stuffed it casually into his gear pouch.
"I'll introduce you to a friend later," Kisame said, voice offhanded. "He's good at making money."
…Was that a friend invitation?
Kizaru stared after him, a strange look twisting his wrinkled face.
Then, with a chuckle and a shake of the head, he turned and walked off.
One Week Later
---
Kisame's wreck of a ship now looked brand new.
No rats in sight.
But during the inspection, Revy caught sight of the completely empty cargo hold and let out a scream so shrill it could've cracked glass.
Upon learning that Kisame had spent the entire two billion…
She almost pulled her gun and put an end to him right there.
Almost.
Fortunately, the news that they'd be heading to Marine HQ for an official posting cooled things off.
With Tom and his two apprentices seeing them off, the group once again set sail—this time toward Marine Headquarters…
As Kisame's ship disappeared over the waves, Tom turned to his disciples with a grin.
"Haha… You guys gonna miss them?"
"Kisame's a good fishman… but partings are part of life," Tom said softly, watching the ship disappear into the horizon. "Once the Sea Train's done, I'll be leaving too."
"Master! You're really going to build that thing?"
Franky's voice cracked with disbelief.
"A real man builds what he wants to build," Tom replied, puffing out his chest. "Even if it's… that thing."
"I—I'm going with you!"
Franky suddenly burst out, fists clenched.
"Haha… Franky, you're still too young," Tom chuckled. "That kind of project isn't for you."
"Franky, you..."
Iceburg looked at him, concern in his eyes.
"No! Even if you don't take me, I'll find you! And I'll help you build the Pluton!"
Franky shouted, eyes burning with passion.
THUNK!
Iceburg didn't hesitate—he smashed his fist down onto Franky's head.
"You idiot! You can't go shouting that kind of thing! You want the whole world to hear you?!"
"You bastard, Iceburg! You hit the great me!?"
Franky howled, clutching his head.
"I meant to hit that thick skull of yours!"
Iceburg rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down.
"Hahaha! You two knock it off!"
Tom laughed heartily, stepping in between them. "It's way too early to be talking about all that. Let's focus on finishing the Sea Train first!"
----
A few days later
"Hoho… you finally made it!"
Right after getting the call and confirming their location, Kizaru shimmered into view—appearing directly on Kisame's ship like it was no big deal.
"I've always been curious about Marine Headquarters," Kisame muttered, eyes scanning the horizon.
And there it was ahead of them—a colossal iron gate, towering and majestic, like something carved by the gods themselves.
Kizaru picked up a Den Den Mushi, gave a few instructions
Gatcha!
The gate began to open, an intense shaft of light piercing through the widening crack.
Beyond it, countless warships sat docked in the harbor, orderly and imposing.
At the heart of the island stood a massive military fortress—so enormous, so overwhelming, that even Kisame, hardened as he was, felt a flicker of awe.
---
Marine Headquarters
It could easily rival a small nation from the shinobi world.
Their ship entered the crescent-shaped bay slowly, following a clearly marked route. At Kizaru's command, four sleek blue sharks began towing the vessel toward one of the docks.
The shark-pulled boat didn't exactly go unnoticed.
Onshore and even aboard nearby warships—Marines gawked in disbelief.
"Wh-what the hell is that?!"
"Is that… sharks? Are those sharks pulling a ship?!"
"Wait—look! That's Admiral Kizaru! He's standing on the deck!"
"For real?! What kind of person needs an admiral to personally escort them?"
"Could it be… a Celestial Dragon?"
"Did a World Noble come to Marineford?!"
The rumors started flying.
And there was Kizaru—well over three meters tall—casually planted on the deck like some half-bored giraffe in uniform.
Beside him, Kisame stood a little over two meters, but most eyes skipped right over him.
At least, until he stepped off the boat.
As Kisame and his crew disembarked alongside Kizaru, walking side-by-side like equals, the entire harbor buzzed like a shaken hornet's nest.
"Is that… a fishman?!"
"And he's walking next to Admiral Kizaru?!"
"He's gotta be royalty from Fishman Island or something!"
"Wait—who's that chick with the guns? She's kind of… badass."
"And is that guy… missing a leg?"
"Who are these people?!"
Kizaru glanced around at the murmuring crowd, then turned to Kisame with a smirk.
"Oh hoho… looks like you're quite the popular one."
Then he added, "Come on. I already notified Fleet Admiral Sengoku—he's waiting for us in his office."
(End of Chapter)