"HAHAHAHA!"
Garp couldn't hold back and burst into hearty laughter.
Even Tsuru had to cover her mouth and let out a small chuckle.
It was rare to see two officers bickering like this, especially when it was Kizaru getting flamed.
Sakazuki and Kuzan couldn't help twitching at the corners of their mouths.
Noah's banter had no target filter. His stray shots hit everyone in the room.
Even they couldn't escape unscathed, and it left them both a bit sour-faced.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Kizaru is definitely getting on in years," Noah said brightly, with a full-on cheeky smile.
"But his strength is still top-tier. Shouldn't we squeeze, uh, I mean utilize, his power more effectively?"
Let's see you slack off now, you old fox.
A real slacker doesn't even let his true strength show.
"You said squeeze, didn't you? You totally said it!"
"Noah… you little punk!"
"Want to spar a bit?!"
Kizaru felt like he'd finally met his match.
This brat wasn't just dragging him down, he was digging a whole pit.
He figured it might be time to remind Noah what Admiral-level combat really looked like.
"Oh, Admiral Kizaru, how energetic of you," Noah replied with mock surprise.
"Still thinking about training at a time like this? Looks like my judgment was absolutely right!"
He shot back with pure sarcasm.
Kizaru was clearly trying to stir up trouble.
Might as well toss him to the wolves. That way, Sengoku wouldn't come after him instead.
"Enough! Both of you are going."
Sengoku rubbed his temples, utterly exasperated.
These two were the Navy's ultimate slackers.
Sending them out together would at least give HQ a bit of peace for once.
"Fleet Admiral, my office is piled up with documents too, y'know," Kizaru said, feigning concern.
"Not sure I have time to take a stroll through the New World."
"Don't you and Noah both have your paperwork handled by subordinates?" Sengoku snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.
Dealing with these two day in and day out was going to kill him.
"I still need to stay at HQ in case something urgent comes up…"
Kizaru's tone shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected Sengoku to know that much about what was going on in his office.
Apparently, the old man had been watching him closely for a while now.
"Isn't that what Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Kuzan are for?" Noah chimed in smoothly.
He casually walked over to the two and pulled out a pair of sleek cigar cases from his coat pocket.
"Here, a little something special."
The cigars had come from another world, courtesy of Noah's little frog.
In that world, they were top-tier, high-class smokes.
Sakazuki initially frowned and was about to decline, but once he glanced at the brand label…
he silently reached out and took one anyway.
Noah always had a knack for pulling weirdly high-quality stuff out of nowhere.
Even just the scent of the cigar was unique. He could tell he'd never smoked one like it.
Kuzan also raised an eyebrow but didn't reject the gesture.
He gave Noah a lazy nod and took one too.
"Don't worry, Borsalino," Kuzan said, puffing coolly.
"Sakazuki and I will be holding down HQ. If anything comes up, we'll handle it."
"After all, the two of us are what you'd call... model Marines."
Lazy tone aside, he was clearly thinking about sneaking off to Water 7 while he was at it.
It wasn't like anything serious was going to happen right now.
"Yeah," Sakazuki added with a nod.
Not because of the cigar, though.
Both of them had been coasting at HQ for a while now.
It was about time these two slackers went out for a little "field trip."
"Eh?!"
Kizaru stared at them, completely stunned.
Two cigars. That's all it took to buy your loyalty?
Even you, Sakazuki?
You were just fuming every time you saw Noah. Now you're suddenly all chummy?
"What's done is done," Sengoku said firmly, putting the final stamp on it.
Tsuru and Garp both chuckled quietly to themselves.
It was like watching their younger selves again, but back then, they used to fight over who got to chase down pirates.
This new generation?
They acted like pirates were a plague.
Too lazy for their own good.
The rest of the meeting passed with Noah in a half-awake daze.
Sure, the Beasts Pirates were a big name.
But honestly?
Noah didn't really care.
Even if the three All-Stars showed up, he wouldn't lose sleep over it.
And as for the Flying Six?
He didn't even see them as worth mentioning.
(Private Navy Group Chat ID: 519124243)
When the meeting finally ended, everyone left the room.
Except for Kizaru, who stayed behind clipping his nails.
He glanced at the half-drowsy Noah and smiled faintly.
Perfect chance to test the kid's strength.
He was curious just how strong Noah had really become.
Sengoku had just handed him the opportunity.
"Noah, my man," Kizaru called out.
"When do you plan on heading out?"
He polished the edge of a nail, then blew on his fingers and admired the way they caught the sunlight.
"Once Hina gets back," Noah replied casually.
It didn't really matter anymore. The decision was made.
There was no point resisting, so he might as well enjoy the ride.
Besides, he didn't really want to stay in Marineford much longer anyway.
The Whitebeard War was drawing closer.
Marineford was no longer the safest place to be.
A trip to the New World actually sounded more relaxing.
The Beasts Pirates' lackeys would make great practice targets.
"Alright, I'll wait for your signal," Kizaru said with a nod.
His body dissolved into golden light and vanished.
The fastest Devil Fruit, held by the laziest man alive.
What a hilarious irony.
Noah stretched and wandered back to his office.
If you can't fight fate, you might as well enjoy it.
Besides, this mission wasn't that big a deal.
He stared at the mountainous pile of documents on his desk.
Had zero intention of touching them.
Just leave them there.
If Sengoku got anxious enough, he'd step in eventually.
Noah pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Hina's line.
"Vice Admiral Noah!"
Hina's crisp voice came through, cigarette clamped between her lips.
The Den Den Mushi even mimicked her smug expression, which made Noah frown slightly.
"Get back here. We've got a mission," Noah said bluntly.
"Yes, sir!" she replied instinctively.
"Are we heading to the New World?"
She asked cautiously.
If Noah was going personally, it had to involve the real monsters out there.
No one else would even be worth his time.
"Yeah. We're going to rattle the Beasts Pirates a bit. Be ready."
Noah didn't bother sugarcoating it.
"Got it!" Hina said with excitement.
She couldn't believe it, she was actually going to the New World.
And to go up against the Beasts Pirates, no less.
This kind of chance had actually landed in her lap?
Noah hung up and wandered back out to the training grounds.
The morning sun hadn't fully warmed up yet.
This was part of his daily routine.
A little sunshine was good for the body.
And even better for a nap.