"Ara ara… where am I…?" Aokiji rubbed his messy hair, sitting up slowly with a puzzled look.
Everyone resting around the table turned their heads toward him.
"Yo, not bad for a Marine Admiral. You can just flop down, sleep like a rock, and only now wake up."
"Pfft!"
Nojiko and the others burst into laughter. Hearing them, Aokiji turned, saw the smirks, and his face instantly darkened.
It came back to him—his carelessness, that one blow from Leno knocking him into the sea, and then blacking out. Remembering it made his expression sink even darker.
What humiliation! He was an Admiral, for crying out loud—he'd clashed with Akainu, gone toe-to-toe with New World pirates—and yet he'd capsized here in the Four Seas. How could he live this down? A so-called top Marine power, beaten by an "adventurer." Where was the Navy's dignity?
And worse, those words Leno flung at him before the fight replayed in his mind, his expression flickering uncontrollably.
"Hey, Aokiji, why are you just sitting there? Are you playing the Sichuan Opera Face-Changing game for us?" Leno said, growing impatient.
Wake up, then sit there sulking like we wronged you—what was that about?
Hearing Leno's words, Aokiji snapped back to reality, stood up, surveyed his surroundings, and then walked toward a lounge chair under a parasol.
He pulled out an eye mask from somewhere and immediately lay down.
"Hey, that sets off my temper..."
Seeing Aokiji ignore him entirely, Leno's temper flared. 'A defeated guy still giving me attitude? I'm supposed to let that slide?' He was about to leap up—
Nojiko and Robin quickly held him back. "Alright, Leno, don't take it to heart. He's probably just… in a bad mood right now."
"Hmph! If not for Robin's sake, I wouldn't have bothered fishing him out of the sea at all. Let him soak! And he calls himself an Admiral? This is his level of grace?"
At that, Aokiji's lips twitched, but he stayed silent. Truth be told, he didn't even know what to say. His mind was a mess.
The girls, meanwhile, couldn't help but giggle. Leno being this petty was something rare indeed.
At some point, Chopper had trotted over with his medical kit, ready to patch Aokiji up.
Sensing him, Aokiji lifted the eye mask and glanced at the little doctor. "Thanks, little raccoon."
"Moron! I'm a reindeer! Look—antlers! Have you ever seen a raccoon with horns?"
"Ara ara, sorry about that. Thanks for your help, doctor."
"Hmph. But listen—if I patch you up, you'd better not go causing trouble for Robin again. Otherwise, next time, no treatment for you." Chopper huffed while tending to his injuries.
"Chopper, you're too soft. I'd say let him hurt—punishment for messing with us," Leno sniped.
"And some people, riding bicycles around the seas all day, don't even bother catching pirates. Instead, they pick on 'ordinary, justice-loving' folks like us. Hmph… Admirals of nowadays!" His sarcasm stung sharp as needles.
Nojiko and Robin exchanged a glance. Clear as day—Leno was holding a deep grudge on Robin's behalf.
Robin felt her heart warm. She reached out and gently clasped.
Feeling her small, slightly rough palm, Leno turned it over, his tone softening. "Robin, you've had it hard. A girl's hands should be protected. From now on, leave the dirty, heavy jobs to Chopper. He's tough enough to take it."
"Eh?! What?!" Chopper's hands jerked mid-treatment, his eyes wide in disbelief as he yelped.
"Pfft!"
"Leno, have a little mercy. Picking on Chopper like that—is that really fun?" Nojiko chuckled.
Robin too covered her mouth, laughter in her eyes—soft, shining with affection as they rested on Leno.
At that moment, Nami came out from the workspace, spotting Aokiji under the parasol and Chopper treating him.
"What's going on? Why is he lying down?"
"Not sure. Maybe he's just in a bad mood," Robin said with a smile that showed she herself was in a very good one.
"First he got lectured, then beaten, then knocked out. Who'd be in a good mood after that?" Leno muttered.
Nojiko smacked him lightly. "Enough already, Leno."
"Where's our next stop, Nami?" she quickly redirected.
"Based on the charts, our next landfall will be the Flower Country."
"The Flower Country? Robin, do you know much about it?" Kuina, having finally finished maintaining her beloved blade, spoke up.
Robin thought a moment, then nodded. "The Flower Country is a World Government member state. Its current king is Ramen. The people are simple, but martial arts are highly valued. Their military power centers on the 'Happo Navy'—several thousand strong—divided under its Eight Treasures ."
"The Happo Navy also functions as pirates. They often raid enemy trade ships and split the loot with their king. So within the Flower Country, they're considered national heroes."
"But recently, word is that in their wars on land with enemy nations, they've been suffering losses—apparently due to problems with their weaponry."
"Huh. So they're both pirates and at war on land? Sounds messy," Nojiko said, frowning.
"Yeah," Nami agreed. "If the Flower Country's in turmoil, landing there could be trouble."
Robin's eyes glimmered mischievously. "Oh, and beneath their 'sacred ground'—the Happo Icebed—lies treasure buried for centuries. Still untouched. A shame, really." She let her gaze drift—pointedly—toward Nami.
"Yes! New goal: Flower Country! Full speed ahead! Leno, you idiot—get charging power to the ship, make it go faster!" Nami's eyes turned into Berries, her energy suddenly ablaze.
Leno rolled his eyes at Robin. "Why'd you rile up this little money-grubber? Look at her now."
Robin and Nojiko hid giggles behind their hands.
"Hurry up, Leno! Don't dawdle!" Nami snapped.
"Hai, hai..."
Sighing, he headed off toward the charging chamber, leaving the others to plan their Flower Country adventure.
Passing the kitchen, he poked his head in at Carmen, who was busy with recipes. "By the way, Carmen, the Flower Country's cuisine is pretty unique. Since you're experimenting with new dishes, you might find inspiration there."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? That's wonderful! Just what I need. I'm looking forward to the Flower Country already."
T/n:
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