Seeing Kuzan appear here as well, Who's-Who felt very conflicted.
The reason he became a pirate was very simple—just to survive. The World Government had no place for him, so he had no choice but to join the opposing side.
If not for that one incident, he might have already been promoted to CP0.
The World Government is the official power; for most people, working for the World Government is far better than becoming a pirate.
Now that even a Marine Admiral has made the same choice as him, it indirectly proves that his own decision wasn't wrong.
But to him, this wasn't good news. Originally, he was unique, as the systematic training methods of the World Government were something only he understood. But Kuzan's presence erased that exclusivity.
Who's-Who didn't know whether Kuzan was some kind of special talent like an undercover agent or had undergone special training, but Kuzan also knew Rokushiki.
Of course, as time passed, more and more people had learned Rokushiki, and systematic teaching methods had been passed down. Who's-Who's importance had already started to diminish somewhat.
But having one more person who had mastered Rokushiki was by no means a good thing for him.
As for Drake, his presence in the Beasts Pirates was minimal. Who's-Who barely had any impression of him, and what a Rear Admiral mastered was completely different from what an Admiral did.
They specialized in different areas. People like Rear Admirals probably hadn't studied Rokushiki deeply. A person's energy is limited; if you train in everything too evenly, you end up mastering nothing.
As for "all-round warriors," those were all geniuses and monsters. The three Admirals belonged to the monster category. Just because they didn't use Rokushiki anymore didn't mean they couldn't. Back in the Marine training camp, they had all studied it systematically. But as they grew, those techniques lost their meaning.
When Sakazuki first joined the Marines, he was even used to wielding a sword. But once he rose to Admiral under the alias Akainu, he abandoned his former weapon. Magma became his strongest weapon.
Even if someone like Kuzan joined the Beasts Pirates, he would never be here to steal Who's-Who's work. He simply weakened Who's-Who's uniqueness.
Coming from the World Government's secret intelligence agency, Who's-Who was used to endless plotting and scheming, and instinctively started thinking about things like this. It wasn't that the Beasts Pirates had no conflicts, but usually here people just threw punches. If you don't like someone, you say it to their face and fight it out.
The biggest scheme was probably Yamato and Queen constantly plotting against each other, trying to drag the other down like a water ghost. Judging by recent results, Yamato was winning by a small margin, hiding for now in a place even Kaido couldn't enter.
Maybe if pushed far enough, Kaido would try something drastic to tear that place apart, but unless he reached his limits, he wouldn't step foot there.
"Speaking of which, Who of the Droplets, right? I've heard your name before."
"For a former Admiral to actually remember my name, it's really no small thing. Should I be feeling honored?"
Who's-Who stood on the side, leaning on his weapon as if it were a cane. To prevent the scabbard from inexplicably falling off while walking, the guard of his sword hilt was even wider than usual.
It was a matter of weapon proportions. His short dagger was paired with a long sword scabbard, and without some adjustments, the mismatched sizes would make the scabbard swing up and down like a roly-poly toy.
"By the way, Admiral Aokiji, where did you hear about me? Can you satisfy my curiosity? Was it from my bounty poster?"
"Ara, ara… Don't call me by alias anymore. As for where, I think it's better if you don't know."
"What, you're not an Admiral anymore, and you still have things you need to keep secret?"
Who's-Who still valued reputation a lot, and he had always hated being compared to Rob Lucci.
He also wanted to know what kind of reaction there had been after he defected. If Kuzan had only happened to glance at his bounty poster by chance, that would be utterly disappointing.
"Well, not exactly. As far as I remember, there were two times. One was when you escaped from prison and defected. The other… was when Rob Lucci was declared dead. That was only a few years ago, not that long."
Under Who's-Who's persistence, Kuzan gave him an answer. A CP9 agent's defection was extremely rare. World Government's brainwashing was very effective. Over all these years, Who's-Who had been the only one, and only because he had been forced into a desperate situation.
That was why the Marines had also received orders from the World Government back then: to eliminate the traitor Who's-Who. If it weren't for the powerful backing he had found, making the cost of eliminating him too high for the World Government to deem worthwhile, he would have been silenced long ago.
Because it was rare, Kuzan still retained some impression of it. Hearing this answer, Who's-Who fell silent. In the end, he was still nothing more than a comparison point.
"It's fine… at least that guy is already dead."
Who's-Who muttered under his breath, as if trying to convince himself.
"I told you it wasn't something you'd want to hear. You insisted on making me say it."
Kuzan spread his hands, then found a clear space to set down his parasol. Camel behind him also unfolded a folding chair, then one person and one penguin immediately set up camp like they were on a picnic.
"Want to join us? I just happen to have something I'd like to talk to you about."
As he said this, Kuzan casually made a chair using ice and invited Who's-Who to sit.
Who's-Who didn't refuse Kuzan's invitation. The difference in strength was huge. Even though Kuzan had only just joined and held no position, Who's-Who knew very well that if Kuzan sincerely joined this place, he would soon surpass him.
That was also the rule of the Beasts Pirates—strength was everything. For those who can join them, as long as their strength meets the standard, many things will naturally fall into place.
There was no seniority, no need for favors or gifts. At most, you just had to spar with Kaido, and depending on how many strikes of his kanabo you could take, or how fast you recovered afterward, your position would be decided.
Not being killed in one strike by Kaido was already a difficult thing.
Who's-Who didn't sit on the ice chair. Kuzan's ability could guarantee the ice wouldn't melt, but sitting on it wasn't pleasant. He wasn't some ice-type Ability User.
So he simply sat down on the ground nearby, wanting to hear what this former Admiral had to say. At the same time, he witnessed a bizarre acrobatic performance.
"Teh~"
Camel waved it's wings and the ice chair Kuzan had made split into two. The lower part, still in contact with the ground, was left behind, while the upper section was shattered into fine ice shavings by the rapidly swinging wings.
Ever since arriving at Onigashima, Camel's skill points seemed to have been invested into cooking.
It had now mastered the slicing of sashimi and the making of shaved ice. But due to its body structure, it was only interested in dishes that required knife work or very simple cold dishes.
Looking at the shaved ice before him and neatly arranged different flavor syrups, Who's-Who found himself increasingly unable to understand Kuzan.
"Cipher Pol and the Marines are two different departments, but… was the life in the Marines really this laid-back? Back then, my superior was a useless deadweight, but even he wasn't as laid-back as you."
Kuzan's movements were too proficient. Empoleon's speed at making shaved ice could be ignored, but Kuzan vividly resembled an overpaid slacker who got paid to do nothing.
"Not entirely. At least things are much more relaxed now compared to before. Being a Marine Admiral isn't a leisurely job, if anything… Vice Admiral is actually the more laid-back position."
Compared to Akainu, Kuzan and Kizaru were much more laid-back, but they still had regular missions. Aside from hunting pirates, what Kuzan hated most was being stationed at Mariejois.
Nothing major usually happened there—it was just the sight of the Celestial Dragons that made him sick to his stomach.
Compared to Admirals, who had to shoulder certain duties, Marine Vice Admirals enjoyed far more freedom, especially people like Garp, whose exceptional strength and overwhelming reputation placed them in a league of their own.
Kuzan had always felt that his current lifestyle was exactly what Garp's had been. Now, he could finally experience that same kind of leisurely lifestyle.
The safety of Wano Country was no different from Marineford; ordinary people could never reach a place like this.
Powerful military strength provided protection, the island's residents lived in peace, the tranquil streets relaxed the mind, and there were no disgusting Celestial Dragons to be found.
"I don't really understand what life in the Marines is like. So, Mr. Kuzan, don't tell me you called me over just to treat me to shaved ice?"
Ice made by a Devil Fruit tasted no different from normal ice—it was just frozen water. The air quality in Wano Country was quite decent. As long as you avoided the toxic gases before a Weezing filtered them, it was clean.
Pure ice mixed with Berry juice was already considered one of Wano Country's specialties. If the conditions were better, you could add Miltank milk and Combee honey. Decorated with Alcremie cream, such food was considered high-class within Wano Country.
Outside, it would be even rarer, practically a luxury product. Tesoro had mastered the art of using scarcity marketing with things like this.
"It's nothing special, I just wanted to ask what you think of this country."
"An evaluation? I've carried out many missions before and visited countless nations, both officially and under disguise. But I've never seen an environment like this."
"I've been to Mariejois before, but even that place is nothing compared to here."
"If I really had to say, everything here is good, except it doesn't feel like a country ruled by pirates. There are many different things that are out of the world here."
And it wasn't just Wano Country. The former headquarters or homeland of the Four Emperors all had decent living conditions. Wano Country could be said to be the pinnacle of civilian life. On Whitebeard's Sphinx Island, ordinary people also lived peacefully.
There wasn't much wealth or luxury, but people could live safe and sound. As for Elbaf, where Red Hair often stayed, there was even less need to mention it—the world's strongest nation was no joke. Only Whole Cake Island demanded the price of lifespan, which was a bit too much.
But compared to the chaos of the seas outside, Whole Cake Island's happiness index was sky-high. As long as Charlotte Linlin doesn't go crazy, everything is manageable.
"That's a fair assessment, it really doesn't feel like a country ruled by pirates. The king here is Kozuki, right? These royals don't seem to have much presence."
"The royals here? Indeed… Mr. Kuzan, I think I just spotted someone you know."
"Someone I know?"
"Yeah. His presence is so low I almost forgot about him. But he should count as a well-known figure; after all, he's the 'fallen Rear Admiral.'"
Who's-Who raised his hand and pointed to the side.
Not far away, Drake, who had finally managed to return to the main island following Jack's ship, was staring in Kuzan's direction. From his movements and expression, it wasn't hard to see that he was quite shocked.
Hearing rumors was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another. When Drake saw the former Admiral leisurely sunbathing in pirate territory while eating shaved ice, even his faith was shaken.
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