Hearing Zephyr mention the green grape wine, Village Martin beamed with pride. "Even the Marines are buying."
"Did Enchi come here to buy some wine? Hahaha, the green grape wine of the Sibia Village is truly good!"
Zephyr laughed. Then, his lips curled up as he continued with a smile: "Once the ads are out, sales will definitely increase several-fold. Martin, you need to get that dock built quickly, or else even ships won't be able to get in."
"That's great! I'll have to do a thorough inspection later. We can't let those guys slack off and drag us down."
Village Chief Martin beamed again. "It's all thanks to that boy, Ian, and Robin, too! Without them, there's no way our island could have built a winery and a big dock."
"Hahaha, they're two fine kids indeed."
"By the way, Zephyr, I want to ask you something!"
Seeing that the topic had finally come up, Village Chief Martin raised an eyebrow and leaned over to Zephyr.
"Where's that kid, Ian, off to? When will he be back? Ah, not that I'm worried about him, he has never needed anyone to worry about him, but that girl, Robin, you know..."
He winked at Zephyr. "The young couple just got married not that long ago, and they don't even have a child yet."
"But they have already been apart this long. His wife worries every day!"
"I understand!"
Zephyr chuckled knowingly, giving Martin a wink of his own. "I was the same back in my day. Of course I understand!"
As he spoke, a complex expression flashed across his face. He looked up at Robin, who was busy at work in front of the brewery not far away, and said with a sigh: "It's a pity I don't live as wisely as that kid!"
That kid chose family, while he chose justice.
But after a moment, Zephyr returned to his lazy expression and continued to lie down.
"According to the time, that kid should be back soon."
At this point, as if sensing something, he looked up at Robin, who had been working diligently.
As if she had heard something, a happy expression suddenly appeared on her face, and she turned and ran towards the dock.
Zephyr was startled, then sat up straight, stretched, and said cheerfully: "Looks like they have arrived!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a villager excitedly ran over while shouting: "Village Chief Martin! Ian is back!"
…
"Kid, you sure are popular!"
Garp said while staring at the suddenly bustling dock. Then he burst into a laugh and gave Ian a heavy slap on the shoulder.
"Look at all these people here to welcome you! Just like whenever I came home, hahaha, the dock was packed back then too! The whole village came out to see me!"
Ian: "..."
Yeah, right. Go on and keep bragging.
Although Garp's strength was a bit much, Ian, under the sun, merely raised his eyelids and squinted at Garp.
"Hey, what's with that look in your eyes? Don't you believe me?"
Seeing Ian's expression, Garp, seemingly exposed, jumped up in anger and said: "If you don't believe me, I'll take you to my hometown!"
"I believe you."
Ian said helplessly while watching Garp, who was fuming. But apparently, his half-hearted answer didn't satisfy him.
Seeing Garp about to raise his massive hand again, Ian didn't hesitate; he leaped into the air.
Moonwalk!
"My wife's here. I'm going down first."
With that, without waiting for Garp to say anything, he leaped towards the dock. Then, as if he had found something, he walked forward with a smile.
Robin glanced at the naval warship, then looked at Ian, who was approaching. The fear she had felt at the sight of the warship seemed to suddenly disappear, and a smile crossed her beautiful face. "Dear you..."
But before Robin could say anything, Ian hugged her, took a deep breath, and said with a smile: "I'm back!"
This sudden scene caused all the villagers on the dock to cheer. Even Garp, who had just disembarked, was startled by the sight, then burst into laughter, saying: "What a loving couple!"
But as he spoke, he seemed to sense something was amiss. He frowned, rubbed his chin, and looked at Ian's wife, muttering to himself: "That guy's wife looks familiar to me."
But just as he finished speaking, a familiar laugh echoed. "Don't let Ian hear you, old man! Hahaha, you're here too, Garp!"
The voice instantly dispelled any doubts in Garp's mind. He looked at the familiar figure approaching him, then glanced at Zephyr's right hand, and couldn't help but grin. "It's you! Looks like you're enjoying your rest here, Zephyr! Hahaha!"
…
The next day, Ian, who had woken up later than usual, also got up.
Although he was up late today, he persevered, carrying his one-handed axe and heading towards the village entrance.
As he approached the village entrance, he saw Zephyr, who had gotten up at some point and was already lying on a recliner basking in the sun.
As expected, before he could even approach, Zephyr's cheerful voice reached him.
"You're up later than usual today! I thought you'd be resting in bed all day, but you're actually going to train today?"
Then Zephyr waved his hand.
Seeing this, Ian understood what he meant.
After a moment's hesitation, he walked to the side, pulled out another recliner, and lay down.
"Where's Vice-Admiral Garp?"
"At last night's banquet, he drank until dawn, and he's still sleeping!"
Zephyr smiled helplessly and shook his head. "I didn't expect that old fool to show up. Anyway, tomorrow, I'll have him teach you advanced techniques of the Armament Haki."
He then put away his helpless expression, replaced it with a serious expression, and looked at Ian with a serious yet grateful expression: "Ian, thank you for your help. If it weren't for you, this time... I'm afraid..."
His serious face softened into a bitter one: "If Ain and Binz had also died, I really wouldn't know how to face this sea anymore."
"No need. After all, we made a deal!"
Looking at Zephyr, who looked like a lost old man, Ian remained still, lying on the recliner, and said leisurely: "But I have to say this: are the new recruits at Marine Headquarters so weak these days?"
Ain was fine, at least she could think and trust. But Binz... That guy was really weak.