This guy actually came to this small town to work as a bartender?!
Binz, having recovered from his shock, immediately glared at Ian and slammed the table hard: "You..."
But before he could finish, Ian interrupted him with a smile, raising a bottle of wine as he said: "What kind of wine would you like? Of course, if you can't find one suitable, I'd recommend our new arrival, the green grape wine from the West Blue."
Binz: "..."
This guy!!!
Binz's mouth twitched at Ian's words, but he understood something.
Noticing the gazes from all around him, he gritted his teeth and said: "I want a strong drink. What's the point of giving me that crappy little wine from some remote place?"
"... Okay, wait a moment, but I still need to explain. This isn't some crappy wine, but a fine wine from the West Blue. Rumor has it that the Chief Instructor at the Marine Headquarters and the Hero of the Marines love it!"
Binz: "..."
Didn't he know whether the Chief Instructor at the Marine Headquarters and the Hero of the Marines loved it or not?
Binz rolled his eyes speechlessly. After he felt the surroundings gaze disappear, he lowered his voice and said: "What the hell are you doing? You're actually selling wine here? Don't forget our mission."
Binz gritted his teeth and continued: "And what did you mean by that? Why should we be wary of Rear-Admiral Vergo?"
"What did you find out?"
However, Ian, having poured two glasses of wine, didn't directly answer Binz's question. He continued with a smile: "Please enjoy!"
"We found nothing!"
Binz picked up his glass, emptied it, and then said speechlessly: "Isn't this green grape wine from the Sibia Village?"
"You saw, I didn't bring any Sibia Village wine with me!"
Ian said calmly. "This is just an ordinary bottle of wine. Of course, in a few days, you might be able to drink green grape wine here."
After arriving here, he not only found a temporary job but also negotiated a contract for the Sibia Village.
"What the hell are you doing? Have you forgotten our mission?"
After hearing Ian's response, Binz was speechless for a moment before saying: "Okay, tell me now why we should be wary of Rear-Admiral Vergo!"
"Since you haven't found anything, then forget it."
Ian raised his eyelids, but didn't continue the conversation. "When will you complete your mission? I heard the pirates have left the surrounding area, so from now on, all you have to do is investigate the situation within the G-5 branch."
"You..."
"Are you trying to say something about Rear-Admiral Vergo?"
But before the angry Binz could say anything, Ain, who had been pondering for a moment, suddenly looked at Ian, frowned, and said: "Any evidence?"
"None."
"No evidence, and yet you dare slander a marine Rear-Admiral?"
Hearing Ian's response, Binz's face darkened again. "That's grounds for a military court!"
"So, I was just asking you to be careful."
Ian shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, I'm not a marine anymore; they can't court-martial me anyway."
Binz: "..."
Ain: "..."
Binz was once again left feeling helpless.
Ain looked deeply at Ian and asked. "What's the problem? Corruption? Bribery?"
"No way, Ain, do you really believe this guy?"
Binz looked at Ain speechlessly. "He's just talking nonsense!"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, since we have suspicions, we need to investigate it thoroughly."
Ain looked at Binz and said meaningfully: "I'm sure Zephyr-sensei wouldn't want the G-5 branch to fall into the hands of an unjust marine."
"You're absolutely crazy!"
Binz shook his head helplessly upon hearing Ain's words. "That's a Rear-Admiral! And you're telling me to doubt a Rear-Admiral deeply respected by the G-5 branch marines just because of something a retired marine said?"
Before Ain could even respond, Ian, who had been quietly wiping a glass the whole time, spoke up: "Excuse me, do you need anything else?"
"Give me another..."
"No need!"
Before Binz could finish, Ain stood up and, without hesitation, pulled Binz up with him. "Let's go back!"
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, I haven't had enough to drink yet!"
"We're still on a mission!"
"You said we're on a mission, but when you say we, do you mean the two of us, or the three of us?"
Ain: "..."
Ignoring Binz's grumbling, Ain calmly pulled him toward the door, leaving him no choice but to sigh and raise his hands. "Alright, alright! Stop pulling, I'll walk myself!"
He then looked at Ain again. "I really don't understand. Why do you and Mr. Zephyr trust him so much?"
However, Ain remained silent in response to Binz's words. She simply looked at Ian and said: "I'll investigate it. I hope you're not lying to me!"
Then she turned and prepared to leave.
But just as she turned around, a flat voice reached her ear. "Spy!"
Ain paused for a moment, her expression freezing as disbelief flickered in her eyes. Then, after recovering, she nodded. "I understand."
With that, she left with the distressed Binz.
After they left the bar, Ian's eyes flickered. He wiped his glass again and muttered to himself: "Will she really find something out?"
According to the plot, after this investigation, Vergo was supposed to be promoted to Vice-Admiral and then transferred to become the G-5 base commander.
However, for various reasons, Garp's mission was assigned to Zephyr, who then assigned it to him.
What would happen next?
To be honest, he had planned to come to this sea area eventually, but not right now.
After all, Punk Hazard hadn't exploded yet.
...
"Rear-Admiral Vergo, the two marines from headquarters have already left the bar, but they seem to know the bartender who just arrived, and they seem to be secretly investigating you!"
"They are investigating me?"
Vergo's eyelid twitched, and a deep glint flashed in his eyes.
Glancing over the intel in his hand, he asked expressionlessly: "Did they find anything?"
"No, our people didn't say anything, and the other party doesn't know our situation."
The subordinate shook his head. "But we still haven't identified the bartender."
"Hmm. Keep digging into his identity, and also keep an eye on those two."
Vergo paused for a moment, then added: "Arrange a group of pirates to come over! "
"Pirates? Rear-Admiral Vergo is planning to..."
"Let them complete their mission as soon as possible and leave immediately!"
"Understood! Rear-Admiral!"
After the marine left, Vergo lowered his head and looked at the information in his hand: "Two in the light and one in the dark?"
He directly kneaded the information in his hands into a ball, and a cold light flashed in his eyes: "Have they found anything, or are they just suspicious? Hopefully, they will leave quietly."