The salty sea breeze carried moisture as it blew against Zaraki's face, making the Marine cloak of justice on his shoulders snap loudly in the wind.
Three days had passed since he left Impel Down.
Beneath his feet, the warship broke steadily through the waves.
White foam rose from the bow, catching tiny rainbow glimmers beneath the sunlight.
Seagulls cried in the distance, their voices mixing with the creak of wooden planks and the echo of waves striking the hull.
Beside his warship, another battleship had been following all this time.
On that ship's sail was a large peach-rabbit emblem, bright enough to clash badly with the solemn style of the Marines, yet somehow perfectly suited to its owner.
By comparison, the blood-red fang flag that Carina had changed on his own ship without permission looked much more normal.
At least, it looked very hard to mess with.
A presence carrying the scent of flowers and sword intent approached from behind.
Zaraki did not turn around.
He picked up the glass sitting on the ship's railing and drank the amber liquor inside in one gulp.
The cold liquid slid down his throat and brought a burning sensation, dispelling a bit of his laziness.
"How long do you plan to keep standing there?"
From the corner of his eye, Zaraki caught sight of a figure.
Marine Admiral candidate, "Momousagi" Gion.
She held the famed blade Konpira and stood not far behind Zaraki.
Her Marine uniform outlined a dangerous curve, but there was little expression on that beautiful face, making her seem rather cold.
Half a day ago, their fleets had encountered each other along the route.
Then this female swordsman had simply grabbed her sword, jumped straight onto his ship, and demanded a fight with Zaraki by name.
At the time, Smoker's entire body had tensed with smoke, probably thinking that an Admiral-level internal war was about to break out.
As for Zaraki, he had merely yawned, told Carina to pour him a glass of liquor, and then leaned here, watching the sea by himself.
Gion had been angered by his dismissive attitude.
Her sword intent had nearly taken physical form. Suppressing her temper, she forced a sentence out from between clenched teeth.
"As long as you accept my challenge, I'll tell you the latest trail left by 'Fire Fist' Ace."
Hearing that, Zaraki finally showed a bit of reaction.
He turned his head.
His golden eyes carried a trace of amusement as he studied the woman before him, who was clearly angry.
"No need."
He calmly spat out those two words.
"I'll find him myself. If I need information, I'll buy it."
"You..."
Gion's chest rose and fell once.
The fingers gripping her sword hilt turned slightly white from the force.
She could not understand why this man would refuse such a favorable condition.
Searching for a pirate crew deliberately hiding out on the vast sea was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Even a recent trail would save time, and getting it directly from her should have been the better choice.
Zaraki could not be bothered to explain.
Should he tell her that the process of searching for prey was part of the joy of the hunt?
She would not understand.
He turned his gaze back toward the distance and no longer paid attention to Gion behind him.
After some time, at the edge of their vision, the outline of a green island slowly appeared.
"Smoker."
"Here!"
Smoker, who had been standing not far away, immediately walked over with cigars in his mouth.
"Dock. Resupply," Zaraki said concisely.
"Yes!"
The warship slowly adjusted its course and sailed toward the island's harbor.
Gion behind him seemed to realize what he intended to do, and the aggressive sword intent around her temporarily receded.
She probably understood as well that they were about to go ashore, so continuing to challenge him now was not appropriate.
Zaraki was the first to walk down the gangway.
His feet landed on the solid dock, and the shift from the ship's slight rocking to complete steadiness gave his body a pleasant sense of comfort.
He had only taken two steps when a soft sensation suddenly pressed against his back, accompanied by a muffled cry of surprise.
Zaraki stopped and turned his head slightly.
Gion was covering her reddened forehead, glaring at him with a face full of embarrassment and annoyance.
She had followed him off the ship, but because her mind was elsewhere, she failed to notice that he had stopped and ran straight into him.
"Watch where you're going!" she snapped, somewhat flustered.
Zaraki ignored her complaint. Instead, he looked her up and down.
His gaze was direct and pure, but it still made Gion feel deeply uncomfortable.
"Take off your clothes," he suddenly said.
The surroundings instantly fell silent.
Not far away, Smoker and Carina both froze at the same time.
Gion was completely stunned.
Her eyes widened, and her fair cheeks rapidly flushed red, though whether from anger or embarrassment was hard to say.
"W-What did you just say?!" Her voice was trembling.
Zaraki seemed completely unaware of the ambiguity in his words.
He took a neatly folded black hooded cloak from inside his coat and tossed it over.
"Your Marine uniform stands out too much. Change into this. It'll make gathering information easier."
His explanation was as flat as though he were talking about something utterly trivial.
Gion hurriedly caught the cloak.
She froze for three full seconds before finally understanding what he meant.
A rush of embarrassment and anger shot straight to her head, and she almost threw the cloak right back in Zaraki's face.
'This bastard... he definitely did that on purpose!'
In the end, she still gritted her teeth and angrily put the cloak over her uniform.
The wide hood covered most of her face, leaving only a delicate chin visible.
Zaraki nodded in satisfaction, then turned and headed toward the town deeper within the island.
Gion quickly followed, walking beside him as she lowered her voice and questioned him.
"How exactly do you plan to find him? Even if we're on the island now, the Spade Pirates won't be strolling around in the street. How is this any different from looking for a needle in the ocean?"
The streets of the harbor town were full of people.
The place was lively, with vendors shouting, sailors calling out, and muffled singing drifting from taverns.
The air was mixed with the scent of grilled fish, sweet rum, and salty seawater.
Zaraki did not slow down at all.
His golden eyes calmly swept over the shops and pedestrians on both sides of the street.
He did not answer Gion's question. A barely noticeable curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You'll know soon enough."
His gaze finally locked onto the busiest and shabbiest-looking tavern at the street corner.
On the crooked wooden signboard, a faded painting showed a skull breathing fire.
"This is the place."
Zaraki stopped and spoke softly.
He pushed open the tavern's creaking wooden door, and a murky wave of heat mixed with cheap rum, sweat, and tobacco rushed toward him.
The noise stopped abruptly.
The tavern, which had been unbearably rowdy a moment ago, fell silent all at once.
Dozens of gazes turned toward them, filled with vigilance, scrutiny, and ill intent.
Zaraki did not care.
His gaze calmly swept across the pirates and bounty hunters in their various outfits, many of them burly and rough-faced.
Gion, however, became the focus of the entire room even though her hood covered most of her face.
The sharp bearing she had honed at Marine Headquarters, along with the faintly visible outline beneath her cloak, made her look completely out of place in this environment.
'What a troublesome woman.'
Zaraki snorted inwardly and walked straight toward the bar.
The crowd unconsciously opened a path for him.
Clink.
He gently placed a gold coin on the scratched wooden counter. The crisp sound once again drew everyone's attention.
A black-haired woman who had been wiping a glass raised her head.
She looked to be in her early thirties, with a mature charm still lingering on her face and a lazy smile at her lips.
Yet in her eyes, there was a sharpness and cleverness that could not be hidden.
She did not look at the gold coin. Instead, her gaze landed on Zaraki's calm golden eyes.
Tension quietly spread through the air.
The woman's gaze moved back and forth between Zaraki and Gion, who was hidden in the shadows behind him.
The lazy smile at the corner of her mouth faded without her noticing.
"You two look unfamiliar." She placed the polished glass down, braced both hands on the counter, and leaned forward slightly.
A mature fragrance came with her pressure. "Looking for something to drink, or... looking for something else?"
Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner of the tavern.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for this stranger's answer.
A faint curve appeared on Zaraki's lips.
He liked this kind of smart conversation, it saved a lot of trouble.
"I'm looking for someone."
He was very direct, his voice steady and clear, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
"The Spade Pirates."
He paused.
His eyes looked straight into the woman's suddenly shrinking eyes as he slowly finished.
"Tell me where they are. Name your price."
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