As Rorschach and Dos entered the kitchen, the sparrow immediately noticed Dos's bruised face and couldn't help but chuckle while covering her mouth.
"Hmph, no good deed goes unpunished," Dos muttered, grimacing.
"Hm?" Rorschach clenched his fist.
Dos felt a chill run down his spine and quickly rushed towards the large steam baskets, grabbed two plates of food, and hurriedly left.
"I'll help serve the food, you all keep doing your work."
The boys exchanged smiles and continued with their tasks.
Outside in the courtyard, Dos, looking dejected, lifted the large table that had been beside the courtyard wall and placed it in the center on a cylindrical stone base.
Glancing back at the kitchen, he gingerly touched his swollen eyes.
"That kid really hit hard… What kind of training did he go through in the North Blue to suddenly become this strong? This power makes me think it was Admiral Sakazuki who was beating me up."
"And that height too… I remember when we left the North Blue, he was about two meters and thirty centimeters tall. Now he's over two meters and sixty centimeters. Kid, don't grow any taller, or you might end up not fitting in with the rest of us."
"I heard that!" Rorschach's voice echoed from the kitchen, making Dos jump in fright.
After a while, the chubby chef Dono came into the courtyard, carrying a large stack of food without even removing his oil-stained apron.
Accompanying him were Kuzan, Drake, Law, Gros, and Bepo.
Kujaku wasn't present; she had likely gone home.
"Uncle Dono, how did you all end up here?"
Rorschach and the sparrow came out carrying some dishes, looking curiously at the increasingly plump chef.
Dono smiled as he set down the food, "I finished up in the kitchen and bumped into them on the way. When I asked, I found out they hadn't eaten yet, so I brought them along."
Rorschach looked in surprise at Kuzan, who had taken the highest seat, and asked, "Uncle Kuzan, what kept you all so busy that you missed dinner?"
At this question, Kuzan, Drake, Law, and the others hung their heads as if a dark cloud had descended upon them.
"What kept us busy? You're the brat who caused the submarine to explode and messed up more than a dozen battleships in the harbor. Do you know how much time we spent getting scolded by Fleet Admiral Sengoku because of you? And here you are, enjoying good food and pleasant views."
Drake's face was full of gloom.
"What? The submarine exploded? How did that happen?" Rorschach said, his face showing pure confusion.
Seeing the innocent look on his face, Drake felt a pang in his heart, took a deep breath, and tried to avoid looking at Rorschach's aggravating expression.
Law and Gros felt the same.
But they were relieved to be back at Marineford, no longer having to stay with this annoying kid.
Otherwise, Law might have been tempted to desert the Navy and become a pirate again.
"Well, now that everyone's here, let's start eating!"
The sparrow smiled cheerfully as she brought out the last dish of fruits.
It was a happy day.
Everyone gathered around the round table to eat.
This friendly atmosphere, even in Marineford—considered one of the safest places in the world—was very rare.
Marine officers were usually busy, either striving to improve themselves or on external missions.
Even when they returned from missions, they spent most of their time building relationships with colleagues or subordinates or honing their skills.
After all, this is a world that respects power.
But for some reason, whenever Rorschach was around, the seriousness of the atmosphere seemed to lessen.
This was the case on Admiral Akainu's ship, in Branch 177, and now in Marineford.
Akainu's ship was known as the most serious and disciplined place in the world, without question.
Because that man's dictionary didn't include words like joy or happiness.
But ever since Rorschach boarded the ship, the atmosphere on Akainu's ship had become more lively.
Chef Dono's loud laughs, Dos's jokes, and the angry shouts of the officers made the sparrow feel happy.
Usually, one wouldn't even think of approaching Akainu's courtyard to eat.
The officers and soldiers of the headquarters would hasten to stay away from that place.
Thus, Hibari had very few friends at the headquarters.
Aside from General Tsuru's granddaughter, Kujaku, she didn't socialize much with others.
But now, the table was filled with laughter and smiles.
And it was all because of the silver-haired boy sitting beside her.
He had a strange charm that made it easy for him to ease tensions among people.
"Hey, Rorschach, you damn brat! That giant shrimp is mine! I ordered it from Uncle Dono at the headquarters restaurant beforehand, give it back!"
Dos shouted as he stood up, trying to grab the giant shrimp, which was over a meter long, that Rorschach had just picked up.
"Gulp, gulp!"
Rorschach stuffed the last leg of the shrimp into his mouth and looked at Dos in surprise, "What did you say?"
Dos's eyes widened, "Where did the giant shrimp go? Are you a magician?"
Drake and the others looked on in amazement, though they were used to this scene.
Even trying to out-eat Rorschach was better than trying to overpower him.
This was the biggest lesson everyone had learned during their time on the submarine together.
Whenever Kujaku brought food, everyone had to be prepared for a fierce battle over whether they would go to bed hungry or not.
Because the silver-haired boy sitting across from them had an appetite and speed in eating that surpassed even sea creatures.
A simple lapse in attention, a slight lowering of the head, and they would find the table empty except for the dishes.
Hibari burst into laughter at seeing Dos's astonished face.
"Hahaha! This place is filled with delicious food, and they didn't invite me, little sparrow?"
A loud laugh cut through the night from outside the courtyard, startling everyone who was eating.
"It's Grandpa Garp!"
Hearing this laugh, a joyful smile spread across Hibari's face as she ran towards the voice.
"Ah, everyone's here, this table won't fit everyone."
Kuzan scratched his head and stood up.
Everyone started to rise, looking curiously toward the courtyard gate.
Even Rorschach was surprised.
Garp? Am I about to meet the Hero of the Navy?
But why did Kuzan say, "everyone's here?"
Soon, several large figures emerged from the darkness outside the courtyard.
"Haha, I haven't had dinner yet, mind if I join you, little sparrow?"
A large elderly man with round glasses and a burst of hair said as he placed a bag of puffed rice into the sparrow's lap and gently touched her head.
Upon seeing this person, Drake and the others stood at attention.
Even Rorschach opened his mouth in surprise.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
(End of Chapter)
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