Garp's enthusiastic slap sent vibrations through Zephyr's arm, making his hand tremble uncontrollably. The fish that had been just about to bite darted away in fright.
Zephyr turned sharply, ready to blow up in anger, but when he saw Chiga, his expression softened at once. His eyes widened, and he shouted in surprise,
"Chiga?! You're back!"
Kizaru froze. His hand twitched as he set down his fishing rod, turned slowly, and forced on a cheerful smile.
"Marshal Chiga! What a coincidence meeting you here. Truly… too coincidental."
As he spoke, he stole a side glance at Akainu and Aokiji, silently groaning to himself. Looks like those two got caught too. Are our salaries about to be docked?
Chiga smiled calmly and greeted them both, deliberately avoiding the topic of Kizaru fishing during work hours — much to Kizaru's immense relief.
After exchanging a few words with Zephyr, Chiga mentioned he was also here to fish. Zephyr gave him a curious look and asked,
"Where's your gear? Don't tell me you're planning to dive in and catch fish barehanded. That'd take all the fun out of it!"
Chiga chuckled. He raised his right hand, and several massive chunks of glittering gold appeared on the ground. Kizaru's sunglasses reflected the dazzling shine. He swallowed audibly, thinking, Any one of those chunks is worth half my annual salary.
Then, with a wave of his hand, Chiga infused the gold with his Thunder Release Metallurgy. The metal floated into the air, reshaping into elegant golden fishing rods, complete with golden lines that shimmered in the sunlight.
He handed one to each of them. When he reached Kizaru, Chiga added with a grin,
"No need to return these after we're done. Consider them gifts."
The gesture nearly brought Kizaru to tears. If Kaido hadn't reformed, he'd probably have flown straight to Wano right now to put on a laser light show in gratitude.
Once the hooks were baited, everyone settled down to enjoy a rare moment of peace by the sea.
However, "peaceful" was a word that did not exist in Luffy's dictionary. After sitting for barely a minute, he began wriggling as if ants were crawling under his clothes.
In the end, Garp had to silence him with his trademark Iron Fist of Love, leaving a small lump on his head.
The three Admirals each fished in their own distinctive way. Kizaru fished lazily for a while before pulling out nail clippers to trim his already perfect nails. Aokiji, on the other hand, had pulled his eye mask down and was fast asleep, swaying gently with the sea breeze.
Only Akainu remained focused, eyes locked on his float, occasionally lighting a cigar with a spark of his magma. Sitting there with smoke curling around him, he looked every bit the stoic boss.
Garp, meanwhile, casually dug a finger up his nose before reaching toward Sengoku.
"Sengoku, you brought senbei, right? Give me a few!"
Sengoku dodged, his face twisted in disgust.
"I didn't bring any! Can't you prepare snacks yourself for once? You always take mine!"
"What's the problem? We've been friends for decades. Can't I have a little senbei?" Garp huffed. "Stingy! Next time I'll just take that little sheep of yours instead!"
"Nani?! You really were thinking about my sheep! You'd better abandon that idea, or I'll make sure your reputation crumbles in your twilight years!"
"Hmph! Who wants that scrawny thing? After all the weird stuff you feed it, there's not even two taels of meat left on its bones!"
And just like that, the two old men devolved into an argument over whether Sengoku's pet sheep was edible.
Zephyr sighed helplessly from nearby.
"You two really are reverting to children. Can't you act your age for once?"
Chiga chuckled softly. He found himself enjoying the warm, chaotic atmosphere. The world was at peace now, and perhaps it was good for everyone to unwind once in a while.
In other worlds, peace often led to new power struggles, but here, within the Navy, everyone simply returned to the simple lives they loved most. That was what Chiga appreciated about this world — no backstabbing politicians like Danzo to ruin everything.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye had already caught several fish; his basket was half full.
Zoro, newly apprenticed under him, was not doing nearly as well. His fishing rod hadn't moved once, standing still as if nailed in place.
Hawkeye glanced at his student, who was scratching his head impatiently, and said in a calm voice,
"Fishing is like swordsmanship. You must keep your heart steady. When you sail alone someday, knowing how to fish will keep you alive. It's a vital skill."
Chiga nodded in silent agreement. Considering Zoro's legendarily bad sense of direction, he'd probably drift at sea for days. Without fishing skills, he might actually starve to death.
The moment he heard "swordsmanship," Zoro straightened up instantly, taking it seriously this time.
Hawkeye nodded in approval before glancing at Chiga's basket — still empty. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Chiga, seems your luck's not great today. Want me to share some of my catch later?"
Chiga raised an eyebrow, smiling with mock irritation.
"You're getting ahead of yourself. Maybe the one fish I catch will feed us for a whole week."
Hawkeye shrugged, clearly unconvinced.
At that moment, Garp suddenly jumped up, holding a wriggling creature aloft.
"Luffy! Look what Grandpa caught!"
Luffy glanced over with his usual indifference.
"Eh? That's just a turtle. Calm down, old man. It's not even enough to fill your teeth."
A sharp slap echoed as the turtle landed squarely on Luffy's face, leaving a perfect shell pattern imprinted on his cheek.
Ace and Sabo shivered. Luffy, why did you have to provoke him again…?
Then, Chiga's fishing rod twitched. His eyes narrowed. Judging from the pull, it was a big one.
He didn't use any sensory Haki; he preferred the thrill of the unknown.
Still, to be safe, he coated the rod and line in Armament Haki. The sight immediately drew everyone's attention.
With a powerful tug, Chiga pulled hard — and a huge shape burst from the water, glistening under the sunlight.
When it landed with a splash, Chiga blinked in surprise.
"Jinbe?!"
____
Merry Christmas! 🎄
Celebrate the season with early access to all chapters by becoming a patron. Use code ZPHYRO7 to get 50% off any membership plan, hurry, this special offer is valid until December 31st.
Visit: Patreon.com/Zphyr