On the way to the restaurant, Chiga and the others ran into two familiar faces — Garp and Sengoku.
Both were dressed in ridiculous floral shirts and oversized shorts, one hand gripping a fishing rod and the other carrying a box of tackle. It was obvious they were heading out for a relaxing day of fishing.
Seeing Chiga, Sengoku pushed his round glasses up and exclaimed,
"Oh! Isn't that Chiga!"
Garp turned his head, followed Sengoku's gaze, and laughed heartily.
"It really is! Hahaha! My grandsons are all here too!"
The two veterans jogged over, full of energy despite their age. Sengoku greeted Chiga politely, while Garp immediately grabbed Luffy in a bear hug, shouting with a mouthful of spit,
"Good kid! You've gotten a lot stronger recently! Way stronger than your dad was back in the day!"
"Let go of me!" Luffy yelled, pushing Garp's big face away with disgust. "Ace and Sabo are here too! They're stronger than me!"
Garp looked around, ready to praise the other two, but Ace and Sabo had already slipped far away — one staring at the clouds, the other pretending to count ants on the ground.
Luffy wiped Garp's spit from his face and said helplessly,
"Grandpa, you should hurry up and go fishing. Someone might take the good spots."
"You really are my good grandson! Don't worry!" Garp said proudly. "Borsalino and Zephyr already secured the best places for us. They're waiting for Sengoku and me!"
"Hm?" Chiga raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.
"I thought Admiral Kizaru hadn't retired yet. Has he decided to skip work and go fishing now?"
"Uh…" Garp froze, realizing too late that he'd just exposed his comrade. He quickly let go of Luffy and tried to cover it up.
"Well, you know, Chiga, Borsalino's not exactly young anymore. The seas have been peaceful these past few years. He really doesn't have much to do, so… fishing helps him relax."
Seeing Garp's flustered expression, Chiga chuckled softly.
"Relax, Vice Admiral Garp. I'm not in charge anymore. Just make sure Kalifa doesn't find out — she'll dock his pay, you know."
"Understood, understood!" Garp said quickly, waving his hand. "That'd be the death of him. He's always complaining that what he's saved over the years isn't enough for retirement."
"How's that possible?" Chiga asked, genuinely curious. "An Admiral's salary and benefits are more than generous. Even the post-retirement package is great. How could it not be enough?"
Sengoku stepped in to explain,
"It's not that it's not enough. Borsalino wants to open the world's largest kindergarten after retirement. Doing that on an Admiral's salary… is a little difficult."
Chiga blinked, completely thrown off. Kizaru, opening a kindergarten? Was he secretly a character from a gag manga?
Before he could recover, a lazy voice drifted from behind.
"Vice Admiral Garp, why are you still here? I— Huh? Chiga!!"
It was Aokiji, wearing oversized ice-blue shorts and carrying a sun umbrella. The moment he spotted Chiga, he instinctively hid the umbrella behind his back — a useless attempt at pretending he wasn't playing hooky.
Garp's face twitched. Great, another one walking right into the net.
Chiga eyed Aokiji's summer outfit with mild amusement.
"So, you're going fishing too?"
Aokiji swallowed and, after a long pause, said weakly,
"If I said I was standing guard for these retired old-timers… would you believe me?"
Chiga rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"Alright, alright. Go ahead. Just make sure Sakazuki doesn't find out—"
Before he could finish, a deep, gravelly voice cut in.
"Kuzan, I've been thinking… relaxing every now and then isn't bad. Besides, I want to eat some fish."
Chiga turned to see Akainu approaching, wearing a bright pink shirt that showed off his tattooed chest and matching red shorts that looked suspiciously like a "couple's outfit" with Aokiji's.
He looked more like a gang boss than a Marine Admiral. The basket he carried was filled with cooking ingredients — mostly chili powder — clearly showing his obsession with spicy food.
Akainu stopped in front of Chiga, stiffened, and saluted.
"Marshal Chiga! I…"
Chiga waved his hand. "It's fine."
Even Akainu had been dragged into this fishing trip — clearly corrupted by Garp and the others. But Chiga couldn't bring himself to scold them. After a lifetime dedicated to justice, surely a bit of peace was allowed.
He smiled lightly.
"Alright then. Forget the restaurant. Let's join Vice Admiral Garp and the others for some fresh fish."
Hawkeye and the rest had no objections. In fact, Hawkeye looked pleased — fishing had been one of his few comforts during his years adrift at sea.
When they reached the coast, Zephyr's booming voice carried through the air:
"Borsalino! How many times have I told you? Don't rely on your Devil Fruit! The fish you shoot end up burnt! Are those even edible?!"
Kizaru's slow, drawling tone followed.
"Zephyr-sensei, you're really making this difficult for me. If we rely only on you, we might starve later~"
"Damn it! And can you clean up these banana peels? You're a Navy Admiral, not a slob!"
"You don't understand, Sensei," Kizaru replied lazily. "Banana peels are natural. If they wash into the sea, they feed the fish. I'm being environmentally friendly~"
"And you want to open a kindergarten like this? Don't teach the kids bad habits!"
Sengoku shook his head and sighed.
"Those two… peace and quiet are impossible when they're together."
Chiga and the others followed the sound and soon spotted Zephyr and Kizaru sitting on a large rock near the water. The two had finally gone quiet — Zephyr was holding his breath, eyes fixed on a float bobbing in the distance. A massive shadow moved beneath it.
Kizaru whispered, "Zephyr-sensei, that's a big one. You sure your old arms can handle it? Want me to help?"
Zephyr shot him a glare and muttered,
"Buzz off. As long as it bites the hook, I'll pull it up myself. Just don't cause trouble."
But before the float could even move, Garp charged forward, slapping Zephyr on the shoulder.
"So, how's the catch?"