Neither Takumi nor Rayleigh seemed at all surprised by Aokiji's sudden arrival.
The tavern keeper, however, wasn't nearly as composed. The moment he heard Aokiji was a Marine, his face drained of color.
So when Aokiji asked for sherry, the poor man didn't even register it. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't bear the thought of Rayleigh being taken away.
Seeing the tavern keeper frozen in place, Aokiji repeated himself, "Hey, can you hear me? I asked for a glass of sherry, please."
"Ah!" The tavern keeper snapped back to reality, his face twisting in irritation. "I don't have any sherry for you! If you want a drink, try somewhere else in town!"
"Oh, I see. No sherry, huh?" Aokiji scratched his head and shifted his gaze to the rum Takumi was drinking. "In that case, I'll have what the kid's having."
The tavern keeper clenched his fists, clearly angered. "I already told you, I'm not serving you anything! This place was reserved by Mr. Rayleigh and the boy here from noon onward. Every drop of alcohol in this tavern belongs to them, and I'm not selling you a single drop. Got it? Now get out!"
"There's no need to get upset." Aokiji sighed. "I just wanted a drink. If the place is reserved, then so be it."
"Get him a bottle," Rayleigh said casually, not the least bit concerned.
The tavern keeper was incredulous. "Mr. Rayleigh, he's a Marine—he's here to arrest you! Why would you offer him a drink?"
Rayleigh waved it off. "No worries. Even if he wanted to arrest me, I doubt he could. Ha!"
"This..." The tavern keeper was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Aokiji chimed in, "Relax, I'm not here to arrest Rayleigh. Though, I'll admit I'm a bit surprised to find him here."
Actually, he was even more surprised to find Takumi hanging out with Rayleigh.
Resigned, the tavern keeper shook his head and grabbed a bottle from the shelf, setting it down in front of Aokiji.
Aokiji uncorked it, took a swig, and then looked over at Takumi. "Well, well, I didn't expect you to be rubbing shoulders with the Dark King himself. Maybe Smoker's worries aren't so far-fetched after all."
Smoker's concern was that Takumi, after turning down the Marines, might end up becoming a pirate.
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, that's not happening."
"People are the most unpredictable creatures," Aokiji said, taking another sip. "You can't be sure of your future self's choices, no matter how certain you feel now. The future is full of unknowns."
Takumi understood that logic, sure.
But so what?
His system—The Traveler's System—already limited his choices, but even without it, his nature wouldn't allow him to join any side.
Some things never change.
Takumi smirked. "I know what I'm doing. Whether it's the Marines or the pirates, I'm not interested. Not now, not ever. Believe it or don't—it's not my problem."
Aokiji chuckled and asked, "You really won't consider joining the Marines?"
"Not a chance."
The moment Takumi finished speaking, he heard the familiar chime of the system in his mind.
[Ding! By refusing Marine Admiral Aokiji's invitation, your sign-in progress has increased by 10%. Current total progress: 60%. Reward: Armament Haki Level +1. Current Armament Haki Level: 5.]
Takumi could instantly feel his strength surge.
The increase in Armament Haki didn't cause any noticeable changes to those around him, so Aokiji and Rayleigh had no idea he'd just gotten stronger.
Interesting.
Takumi couldn't help but chuckle.
When he'd met with Shanks and Garp, it took several invitations before his progress ticked up. But here, with Aokiji's seemingly casual question, the system registered it immediately.
Just goes to show, appearances can be deceiving.
"Well, that's that then," Aokiji said with a shrug. Unlike Garp, who would have pressed the issue endlessly, Aokiji wasn't one to insist. If Takumi wasn't interested, that was the end of it.
Taking another drink, Aokiji added, "Just because I'm not arresting you now doesn't mean I won't later. I promised Smoker I'd help him on Roger's anniversary. So if you two start acting up, I won't hesitate to take you down."
Rayleigh laughed heartily. "Don't worry, I'm just here to pay my respects to Roger. Once that's done, I'll be on my way. I'm not looking to cause any trouble—unless I don't have a choice, that is."
"Let's hope it stays that way." Aokiji downed the last of his drink and got up to leave.
"You sure you don't want to stay for a few more?" Rayleigh asked with a grin.
Aokiji waved him off. "No thanks, I've got to call Garp back."
Takumi sighed inwardly.
Of course. This was Garp's doing...
Even when he's not here, that crafty old fox finds a way to meddle.
After leaving the tavern, Aokiji pulled out his Transponder Snail and made the call.
On the other end, Garp's voice crackled with urgency, "So? Did the kid say yes?"
Aokiji scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "He turned me down."
"Damn," Garp muttered. "Well, I figured as much. Let him be, then."
Aokiji added, "By the way, when I was at the tavern, I ran into Rayleigh."
"What? Who'd you say?"
"Dark King Rayleigh."
"What the hell's he doing in Loguetown?" Garp paused, then continued, "Wait a minute—what's he doing with Takumi?"
"No idea. They seem to be drinking buddies." Aokiji scratched his head. "Rayleigh says he's retired, and Takumi's made it clear he's not joining either side. So, them having a drink together isn't that strange, really."
Garp fell silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Haha! You're right. As long as the kid doesn't become a pirate, I'm fine with it... Hey! Luffy, get back here! What? You want to be a pirate? You little brat, you and Ace are becoming Marines, no two ways about it!"
Aokiji heard a series of punches and Luffy's yelps before the line went dead.
Tucking the Transponder Snail back into his coat, Aokiji yawned and lazily made his way toward the Marine base in Loguetown.
Back inside the tavern.
Once Aokiji had left, the tavern keeper finally exhaled in relief. "Seems like that Marine, Aokiji, isn't so bad. He's way better than Smoker. And he knows you, Mr. Rayleigh—he must be pretty high up in the ranks. A Vice Admiral, maybe?"
Rayleigh took a sip, his tone nonchalant. "No, he's an Admiral."
The tavern keeper blinked, then gasped in shock. "What? An Admiral? Him?"
Rayleigh smiled. "Yep. But that's not what should surprise you."
The tavern keeper was puzzled. "What could be more shocking than an Admiral showing up in Loguetown?"
Rayleigh glanced at Takumi, who was quietly drinking, and smiled. "Isn't it more surprising that the laziest Admiral in the Navy came here personally to recruit Takumi?"
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