"Oh, isn't this old man's handsome face right here?" Kizaru drawled with a playful, lecherous smirk curling at the corner of his mouth as he gestured to himself.
"Old Man Kizaru..." Mike shot him a sidelong glance, his tone laced with a mild, pitying disdain.
"Does that wrinkled face of yours even know the meaning of the word 'handsome'?"
"You brat..."
Far from being offended, Kizaru remained utterly unperturbed, casually stroking his stubble-covered chin.
"You have no appreciation for true beauty! Let me tell you..." At this point, his smile turned smug.
"Those tender young maidens back in the East Blue, the ones with the big boobs and ass, they all said this old man is quite dashing!"
He chuckled to himself, remembering his "inspection tour."
The name "Mike" had worked wonders in certain establishments.
'Truly my precious adjutant' he thought.
'The way those sweet young things lined the streets, cheering his name...'
'It made my vacation infinitely more entertaining.'
'I've made a decision.'
'Next holiday, I'm taking a proper tour of the East Blue.'
While his expression remained as languid as ever, his gaze subtly sharpened, locking intently onto Mike.
"Kid... that move earlier..." Kizaru's tone shifted, his usual laziness now tinged with a deep seriousness.
His eyes glinted with an unfathomable depth.
"It was quite interesting."
"You mean 'Mugetsu'?" Mike asked.
"Exactly," Kizaru confirmed.
"This old man was watching closely from below, but honestly..." He rubbed his chin, his voice carrying a rare note of genuine frustration.
"I couldn't make heads or tails of it."
"Oh?" Mike's lips curled into a smile as he regarded the Admiral with faint amusement.
"Interested, old man?"
Kizaru lifted his gaze to the sky—to the lingering scar in the sky that Mugetsu had torn, an aura that still sent a chill down his spine.
His expression grew complex, mingling awe, confusion, and a trace of barely perceptible reverence.
"You brat," his voice dropped, shedding its characteristic drawl for something more subdued.
"That sword technique..."
As one of the Marine Headquarters' three Admirals, Kizaru possessed a masterful understanding of swordsmanship.
He had every confidence he could place himself within the top ten swordsmen in the world.
Yet Mike's single stroke had left him deeply shaken.
It was nothing like the "Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance."
That technique, while dazzling, had a certain logic to it.
One could glimpse its secrets through the shifts in breathing and the flow of energy.
But "Mugetsu"... that attack seemed to emerge from another dimension entirely, leaving no trace to follow or to understand it.
What puzzled him more was how the physical sword had fragmented and merged into Mike's very body, causing his aura to undergo a seismic transformation.
This state of unity between man and weapon felt both alien and inscrutable.
'Could that sword have eaten a Devil Fruit?' Kizaru speculated silently.
'Or does the kid have some hidden fruit ability? Neither seems likely...'
As a user of the Glint-Glint Fruit himself, he knew the tell-tale signs of Devil Fruit powers.
"That slash... it truly made this old man feel a fear I haven't felt in a long, long time."
"Yo~" Mike tilted his head, glancing sideways at Kizaru.
'Look at the way his eyes are gleaming... No way, is he trying to learn my techniques too?' He supposed the Breathing Style wasn't that hard to grasp for masters of Observation Haki like Kizaru and Mihawk.
'But trying to steal the Zanpakutō Style? Heh... you'd have to achieve Bankai first, old man.'
"What's up?" Mike's voice carried a teasing lilt.
"You wanna learn?"
Kizaru shot him a lazy glance, but his eyes were serious.
"Well, this old man does have a bit of a passing interest."
'Hah, he's definitely hooked!' Mike thought, a brilliant, devious plan already forming.
He pictured his next meeting with Mihawk—casually executing "Mugetsu," stunning everyone, and then nonchalantly offering to teach the dumbstruck swordsman.
"Hey, Mihawk, my friend, name your price. My rates are always reasonable!"
He could practically taste the decades of priceless, vintage red wine from Mihawk's cellar.
With his long-term plan for Mihawk settled, he turned his attention to the immediate target.
'Old Man Kizaru... that box of Admiral-grade cigars is almost gone. You've been "quitting smoking" for years, but I bet your special ration never stopped, right?'
'Better to give them to someone who needs them. Someone like me!'
A look of profound, solemn gravity fell over Mike's face.
"Hey, Old man..." His voice took on a grave tone. "Mugetsu... is a secret technique, passed down in my family for generations."
"Oh? A secret technique?"
Mike nodded, his expression turning extremely serious.
"You have no idea how much my ancestors sacrificed to master this move. It took generations of effort to seal it as a forbidden art. This is a legacy our ancestors risked their lives to preserve!"
Kizaru stroked his chin, seeming to find some logic in the words.
"Oh, in that case, it really wouldn't be appropriate to pass it on. It seems I was being presumptuous..."
"BUT!" Mike abruptly shifted his tone, his voice full of heartfelt loyalty.
"You know... you're my beloved superior—Admiral Kizaru! If it's you who wants to learn it... what are family traditions?! I, Mike, will bear the blame for it all!"
He patted his chest dramatically.
"However, in this life of mine, I don't have many hobbies... I just love a good cigar! Especially those premium ones reserved for admirals!" He put on his most pathetic, pleading face.
"You have no idea—if I don't smoke one before bed, the feeling is just unbearable! I toss and turn all night!" He sighed dramatically.
"It's just... these cigars—they don't last long enough!"
As he spoke, his eyes fixed intently on Kizaru, his gaze carrying an unmistakable 'You've got to do something about this' vibe, though his face wore a simple, innocent smile.
Kizaru, seeing his expression, couldn't help but chuckle.
"Heh—" He shook his head, pointing a finger at Mike, his eyes full of resignation.
"So it's about the price, huh? You little..."
"Go on," the Admiral sighed, a grin spreading across his face.
"How much do you want?"
Mike's face lit up with an especially bright, triumphant grin.
"Hehe, Admiral Kizaru, you're the best!" he declared, his voice full of unrestrained, greedy joy.
"Only children make choices!"
"I'll take it ALL!"
"I want all you cigar from now on!"