White Night wiped the non-existent drool mark from the corner of his mouth, narrowed his eyes, and slowly sat up from the lounge chair.
The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.
He raised a hand to block it, only then clearly seeing the uninvited guest before him.
An impossibly tall figure, dressed in a white waistcoat, and that distinctive black natural perm.
Most importantly, there was that inherent laziness, right down to his bones.
"Ara la la…"
"Are you the owner of this shop?"
Aokiji pushed up the sunglasses on his nose, and in those eyes, always half-open and half-closed, there was a sense of inquiry.
He couldn't reconcile the serious, solemn tone of Fleet Admiral Sengoku on the den den mushi, as if facing a formidable enemy, with the sleepy-eyed, seemingly harmless white-haired youth before him.
This kid… besides being handsome, and possessing a lazy, 'salted fish' aura that made one want to lie down with him.
He looked like nothing more than an ordinary person, didn't he?
"Young man."
Kuzan spoke in his unique, unhurried tone, hands in his pockets.
"I heard someone say that you have a very interesting 'experience' here."
"So, I'd like to try out this so-called dungeon."
White Night let out a huge yawn, even squeezing out a few physiological tears from the corners of his eyes.
He didn't speak.
He simply raised a hand and, with a single finger, weakly pointed to the crooked wooden sign beside him.
[Beginner Dungeon: One Million Berries]
[Intermediate Dungeon: Ten Million Berries]
[Advanced Dungeon: One Hundred Million Berries]
The meaning was clear.
Clearly priced, fair to all.
Want to play?
Pay first.
Kuzan looked at the other party's attitude, which treated him completely as a random passerby, not even bothering to say an extra word, as if it were a waste of breath. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a slight arc.
Interesting.
Too interesting.
He was an Admiral of Marineford.
One of the representatives of the world's strongest forces.
For ordinary people, let alone meeting him in person, just hearing his name was enough to make their legs turn to jelly.
But this young man, from the moment he woke up until now, showed not a single fluctuation in emotion.
In his eyes, there was only the weariness of not having slept enough, and the impatience of having his peaceful dream disturbed.
There was absolutely no awe, surprise, or fear due to his status as a Marine Admiral.
Kuzan's mind instantly recalled the instructions Fleet Admiral Sengoku had given him in the office before he set off.
"Kuzan, you have two missions."
"First, and most importantly, find out what exactly that kid named White Night's ability is!"
"It's too incredible that that scoundrel Garp could obtain a power called Chakra from him; we must get firsthand information!"
"Second, on the premise of understanding his ability, try your best to… win him over."
"If he poses no threat and holds no animosity towards the Marine, such an incredible ability absolutely cannot fall into the hands of pirates or the Revolutionary Army!"
Win him over, huh… Kuzan looked at White Night's 'salted fish' face, which clearly read "don't bother me," and felt that the mission Fleet Admiral Sengoku had given him was unusually difficult.
"Oh?"
Kuzan's eyebrow subtly raised behind his sunglasses. On his lazy face, a genuine, undisguised hint of amusement finally appeared.
"So, there are many types of dungeons, then?"
"Young man, is there anything I can choose from?"
White Night stretched, his bones cracking, and his entire body relaxed.
He glanced at the man in front of him, who was taller than a telephone pole, and a professional, fake smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, though even that smile carried a hint of sleepy laziness.
"Of course."
White Night lazily slumped back into the lounge chair, his hands clasped behind his head.
"Here, our main focus is making you feel at home."
"We can tailor recommendations to suit the guest's needs."
"Tell me, what kind of experience do you want?"
"Do you want to experience the martial arts world of blades and swords, or the fantasy of magic and dragons? Or perhaps the cyberpunk of future technology?"
These words made the interest in Kuzan's eyes grow even stronger.
He slowly let out an "Oh," dragging out the sound, his tone a bit nonchalant.
"Ara la la, that sounds quite impressive."
"Then… please help me choose a suitable one, young man."
Kuzan's hands were in his pockets as he leaned slightly forward, his tall figure casting a highly oppressive shadow.
"An Intermediate Dungeon will be fine."
"Intermediate Dungeon?"
White Night's half-asleep eyes finally bothered to lift, scanning the impossibly tall man before him from top to bottom.
He lazily pursed his lips, his tone carrying a hint of professional dissuasion.
"Are you sure?"
"This guest, I must remind you, the difficulty of an Intermediate Dungeon is very high."
As White Night said this, he remained slumped in the lounge chair, not changing his posture at all. His lazy demeanor made his "warning" sound utterly unconvincing.
The amusement on Kuzan's usually lazy face deepened.
He leaned slightly, his hands still in his pockets.
"Oh?"
"How high?"
White Night sat up a little, his expression instantly becoming incredibly serious. He held up three fingers, gesturing.
"Hmm… probably about three or four stories high."
Kuzan: "…"
The air was silent for half a second.
The lazy curve of this Marineford top-tier combatant's mouth finally twitched, unable to hold itself in place.
Three or four stories high?
What kind of damned description was that?
"Ara la la…"
Kuzan finally laughed. He slowly straightened up and pushed his sunglasses.
"That certainly sounds troublesome."
He drew out his words, then changed the subject, asking the most crucial question.
"However, in a place like that, one wouldn't encounter any real danger, would they?"
Upon hearing this, White Night's face showed an expression that said, "Your question is superfluous."
"Danger?"
"Of course not."
He answered decisively.
Then, he changed his tone and added a sentence.
"But, to say there's absolutely no danger, that's also impossible."
This contradictory statement made Kuzan raise an eyebrow.
White Night extended a finger, shaking it weakly.
"In the dungeon, you can exit at any time."
"If you feel you can't win, or you don't want to play anymore, you can call for a stop at any time. The system will immediately teleport you out; it's very safe."
"Of course," he added, "the ticket fee is non-refundable, and the clearance reward will naturally be lost."
Kuzan nodded; that was understandable.
"What if…?" he continued to press, "What if one doesn't manage to exit in time and dies inside?"
This was the core of the problem.
An experience that could grant power, if the price was life, then its nature would be completely different.
However.
White Night's answer was so light that Kuzan thought he had misheard.
"Death?"
He yawned, waving his hand indifferently.
"It doesn't matter."
"Dying inside doesn't matter either."
White Night continued, in a tone as if discussing everyday matters.
"Here, I also have dungeons available for the deceased to resurrect."
"At that time, have your relatives, friends, or colleagues and subordinates come with money to help you clear a resurrection dungeon."
"Wouldn't that bring you back?"