"The Admiral is dead," Garp said, putting down his wine glass, his tone flat.
Lin Xia covered his ears with both hands: "I'm not listening, I'm not listening! A turtle chanting sutras! Today is my day off!"
...West Blue, Red Feast Island, Song and Dance Street, Fire Dance Bar.
"Guest, I'm sorry, this place has been booked out for today."
The receptionist wore a professional smile, gently refusing the suit-clad man who wanted to enter.
"What? Has a noble from some country arrived!?"
The suit-clad man strained to stand on his tiptoes, trying to see who had booked the place.
The Fire Dance Bar was the most popular bar on Red Feast Island, a neutral trading island in the West Blue, and the prices were not cheap!
To be able to book the entire place, the client had to be a noble of high status, and if there was a chance to get acquainted...
The receptionist turned sideways, blocking the man's view, her smiling eyes gradually turning dangerous as she gently said:
"The guest should understand the rules; please be considerate."
A chill ran down the suit-clad man's spine. He quickly waved his hands and turned to leave.
Just as the receptionist was about to close the door, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly gestured inside the bar.
All the waiters and waitresses instantly lined up neatly in two rows, their hands crossed over their abdomens.
When a young man with black hair and black eyes stepped in, they gave a unified welcome:
"Welcome, Lord Lin Xia."
The black-haired man nodded slightly, walking straight ahead without looking left or right, and said softly:
"No need to go to all this trouble. I'm not some noble. Just bring all the prepared food to the table; those guys will be here soon."
The maid beside him bowed respectfully and responded, ushering the others to quickly serve the dishes.
The black-haired youth, Lin Xia, casually found a sofa and plopped down, slumping his body completely.
"Finally, I've made it to vacation. The working hours are too long every day, and I even have to work overtime when we encounter pirates..."
He mumbled softly, sprawled on the sofa: "No, I have to find a way to make them increase vacation time, otherwise, how will I live my life in the future?"
Tap, tap, tap. Soon, a hundred strong and capable young men entered the bar with neat steps.
The blond young man leading them scanned the room, saw Lin Xia, waved his hand, and shouted: "Dismissed! Free time!"
The hundred-person team, which had been perfectly orderly moments before, instantly scattered like birds and beasts, grabbing food from the tables and devouring it, showing no discipline whatsoever.
The blond youth came and sat beside Lin Xia, respectfully saying:
"Lieutenant Commander Lin Xia, the recent situation in the West Blue has been compiled. The news is quite strange. Pirates..."
Lin Xia waved his hand, interrupting him. He sat up, glaring, and asked: "What pirates? Lin Guang, tell me, what day is today?"
Lin Guang immediately replied: "The first day of a three-day consecutive holiday!"
"Then that's right. Work hard when you're on duty, and when you're off, eat and drink. Don't talk about work," Lin Xia said, grabbing a wine glass and downing it in one gulp.
The maid silently refilled his glass.
Lin Guang paused, nodded, and was about to reach for food when he suddenly pulled his hand back, pulled out a notebook from his embrace, and flipped through it.
A moment later, he said loudly: "A hero must always be ready to face evil!" With that, he closed his notebook and looked at Lin Xia with burning eyes.
"What exactly is written in that notebook of yours?" Lin Xia bared his teeth, revealing a gentle smile, and asked softly.
Lin Guang responded matter-of-factly: "Of course, it's all the teachings from Lord Lin Xia since he was a child!"
Hiss~!
Indeed, no wonder it sounded so familiar.
Did this kid really record everything he said when he was little?
Lin Xia's gaze swept towards his chest, his eyes slightly narrowed.
I must find a time to burn this thing, then find a place to bury it and plant a crooked-neck tree over it!
At this moment, a dispute came from the bar's entrance.
"Guest, I'm sorry, this place has already been booked..." The receptionist tried to stop them.
"Puhahaha, of course, I know! This place was booked by the Marine Branch 69 Base Commander, right?"
"I'm a Vice Admiral, can't I come in?"
A hearty voice called out.
Lin Xia inwardly thought, This troublesome guy, why did he come here?
The receptionist's right hand went into her sleeve, and her eyes slightly narrowed.
Regardless of whether this guy was a real Vice Admiral or not, uninvited people could not enter this bar today.
Seeing this, Lin Xia quickly got up and shouted towards the door: "Vice Admiral Garp, what brings you to a rural place like ours?"
Hearing Lin Xia's words, the receptionist bowed slightly and retreated.
The person who arrived was none other than Marine Vice Admiral Garp.
He had short black hair and was picking his nose as he walked towards Lin Xia.
He plopped down on the sofa, reached out for Lin Xia's wine glass, but at that moment, the maid next to him offered him a glass of wine.
He pulled his hand back, took the wine, and drank it in one gulp.
"I have to say, you really know how to enjoy yourself."
"The wine here is even better than at Marineford."
As soon as he put down his glass, the maid silently refilled it.
"It's just that your subordinates don't understand the rules; they don't even greet me when they see me."
Lin Xia pouted: "Today is our holiday. There's no distinction between superiors and subordinates, so why should we grovel to you?"
"Do you know what 'off-duty' means?"
As he spoke, he began to slump back onto the sofa, even covering his ears with a pillow.
Garp coming to the West Blue never meant good news. He needed to be sent away quickly.
"Alright, alright, you're full of twisted logic, kid." Garp gulped down several glasses of wine, let out a burp, and glanced at Lin Guang, who was drinking plain water next to him.
"You, why don't you just stay in Marineford? Why do you have to run to the West Blue and follow this rascal?"
Lin Guang responded with a smile: "To be able to bask in the glory of Lord Lin Xia, this is my honor and my pursuit."
As he spoke, his smile gradually faded, "Even you, Vice Admiral Garp, cannot slander Lord Lin Xia."
"Tch, as if I need to slander him." Garp pointed at Lin Xia on the sofa and said irritably.
"When that guy was choosing a Devil Fruit, he actually chose a Human-Human Fruit."
"Look at what he's become now. Human-Human Fruit, Model: Lazybones?"
At this point, Garp looked at Lin Guang again.
Back then, at Marineford, Lin Xia performed a great service. Zephyr knew his physical talent wasn't very good.
So, he teamed up with Fleet Admiral Sengoku to specifically apply for a Devil Fruit for him.
As a result, this kid didn't appreciate it and didn't eat the precious Logia-type Devil Fruit.
Instead, he ate the bonus Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit. Zephyr was so angry at the time he wanted to kill someone!
What kind of thing is the Human-Human Fruit? According to the encyclopedia, an animal that eats this can turn into a human form.
But Lin Xia was already human, so what could this fruit turn him into?
The answer was no change at all.
Lin Xia's physical fitness was still not good. Even though his cleverness was indeed impressive, his personal strength was lacking.
After graduating from the Marineford training camp, he was only an Ensign.
After working for so many years, he only rose to Lieutenant Commander. If he had eaten a Logia-type Devil Fruit, he would have been at least a Rear Admiral by now.
Garp snorted, two streams of air coming from his nostrils. Seeing this guy's lazy appearance annoyed him greatly.
Why did he have to be busy fighting pirates outside all day, while this guy ate and drank well every day?
He picked up his wine glass and gulped it down, then said with a smile:
"I have two reasons for coming here this time: one is a small matter, and one is a big matter. Which one do you want to hear?"
Lin Xia unhappily put the pillow aside, turned sideways, propped his head with his hand, and said with a reluctant expression:
"I don't want to hear either of them. Can I not listen?"
He knew without even thinking that it must be troublesome.
"Puhahaha, of course not! How about I start with the big troublesome matter?" Garp laughed happily when he saw Lin Xia's expression.
"Let's start with something less exciting. Tell me about the small matter," Lin Xia sighed helplessly.
After all, being in the Marine system, it wasn't that easy to stay out of things.
He would listen to the small matter first, then directly take care of it. As for the troublesome matter, he would just say he was too busy and let someone else handle it.
Garp nodded, "A small matter, huh."
He took another gulp of wine, his voice slightly lower.
"The Admiral is dead."
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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