At this moment, Hawkins was filled with regret, deep regret.
He should have done a fortune reading before stepping into this tavern.
What a foolish oversight.
Quietly, he shuffled his deck and drew a few cards, letting them float in the air. When he saw the results, a flicker of surprise crossed his usually stoic face.
A zero percent chance of success in battle?
That's right. Instead of answering Enel's question about his future victory, Hawkins decided to do a reading on the outcome if he fought Enel himself.
This guy in the headscarf was surprisingly strong!
Hawkins took a deep breath, gathered the floating cards, and reshuffled his deck before drawing again. His brow furrowed as he looked over at Takumi, who was still calmly drinking his liquor, his back turned.
"You have a zero percent chance of ever beating Takumi in the future," Hawkins said, sounding as incredulous as he felt. The kid looked no older than fourteen.
"Tch," Enel scoffed in frustration, turning back to his apple juice and taking a sulky sip.
Garp burst into laughter. "Takumi's a quick learner! Sparky, if you can't even beat him now, what makes you think you'll stand a chance in the future? Give it up, already! Ahahaha!"
"Shut up!" Enel growled through clenched teeth. "And my name's Enel, not Sparky!"
Garp just laughed harder and gave Enel another hearty slap on the back. "Ahahaha, you're a funny one!"
Right then, the bartender came over with a few servers, carrying the drinks and snacks that Hawkins and his group had ordered.
However, not a single one of them touched the food. All of Hawkins' men kept nervously glancing at Garp, waiting for something to happen.
"Relax," Garp said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm on vacation, and today I'm not arresting any pirates. Besides, this part of North Blue isn't under my jurisdiction. You're still nobodies without bounties. As long as you're not up to any mischief, I'm not going to bother with you. So eat, drink, and stop being so tense!"
"Thank you, we'll take our leave now," Hawkins said politely for once, signaling his men with a quick glance.
His crew hurriedly placed some money for the food and drinks on the table and practically ran out of the tavern, taking their purchases with them.
"Already leaving?" Garp mumbled. "See, Takumi, you scared them off."
Takumi remained silent: What do I have to do with this? They ran off because of you!
As for the other customers in the tavern, none of them dared to say another word about Takumi's group.
Once they'd finished eating and drinking, Takumi filled his wine flask and spent the last of their beri on provisions before they finally left the tavern.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest up for a while here? You don't know when you'll reach the next island," Garp said as he walked with Takumi and Enel to the dock.
"No," Takumi said bluntly, jumping aboard the ship.
Enel, eager to leave, turned into lightning and reappeared on the deck in a flash. He'd had enough of sticking around. Dealing with just Takumi was bad enough.
Garp grinned and waved at them. "Alright then, see you around, Takumi, Sparky! Come visit Marineford sometime—I'll make sure Sengoku gives you a proper welcome."
Takumi waved lazily in response before looking over at Enel, nodding toward a direction.
Without hesitation, Enel powered up the ship, and it took off in the direction Takumi had pointed.
Garp watched them until the ship was out of sight before turning around, ready to find himself another boat.
As he started walking, he overheard two men approaching.
"Hey, did you hear? Someone in the next town actually believes in the stories about the 'Liar King'! Hahaha, what a fool."
"Yeah, that nonsense about the City of Gold and Sky Island? Even kids don't believe that anymore! Only idiots fall for that stuff."
"Hahaha, exactly!"
Garp smirked as they passed by. "The City of Gold and Sky Island are real, you know."
The two men stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Garp in confusion.
"Who's this old guy? What's he rambling about?"
"No clue. He's probably from out of town. Can you believe he still buys into that Golden City and Sky Island nonsense? What a nutjob."
"Hahaha!"
Unfazed by their ridicule, Garp kept walking, still chuckling to himself.
A little while later, a sound came from his pocket—his Den Den Mushi was ringing.
Garp pulled out the snail and answered.
Immediately, a furious voice erupted from the other end. "GARP, YOU BASTARD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU NOW?!"
"Oh, it's just you, Sengoku," Garp chuckled, amused.
"I'm on vacation."
"Vacation? VACATION?! You've already used up all your leave!" Sengoku was fuming.
Garp looked genuinely surprised. "I used it all up already?"
On the other end, Sengoku pressed a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Don't play dumb with me!"
Garp laughed, picking his nose casually. "Ahahaha! I thought something serious had happened. Well, if that's all, I'll hang up now."
"Wait! HOLD IT!" Sengoku shouted. "You're coming back to Marineford RIGHT NOW, or I'm docking your pay!"
Garp grumbled, "Aww, c'mon, Sengoku, don't be such a tightwad."
"This isn't about being tight or not! You're a Vice-Admiral, for crying out loud! You've got responsibilities! Stop acting like a brat!"
"Alright, alright," Garp sighed. "Then send someone to pick me up at Lvneel Kingdom. There's no Marine base here."
"Huh?" Sengoku paused. "Lvneel Kingdom? In North Blue? Why aren't you in East Blue?"
Garp scratched his head, grinning. "Does it really matter? Anyway, I'm broke, so hurry up and send someone to fetch me."
"You never make anything easy," Sengoku sighed. "Fine, fine. Kizaru's in North Blue. I'll have him swing by to pick you up."
"Hmm? Kizaru's around here, is he?" Garp mumbled under his breath. "Wonder if he'll run into them."
Sengoku frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Ah, nothing! Anyway, call Kizaru." Without waiting for a response, Garp hung up.
Sengoku: "..."
"That old idiot!" Sengoku cursed, then quickly picked up his own Den Den Mushi to contact Kizaru.
Meanwhile, on a Marine battleship somewhere in North Blue.
'Briiing briiing, briiing briiing.'
A marine ran across the deck, holding a Den Den Mushi. "Admiral Kizaru, a call from HQ."
"Hmm?" Kizaru glanced lazily at the marine, taking the Den Den Mushi from his hand.
Sengoku's voice came through, "Kizaru, how far are you from Lvneel Kingdom?"
Kizaru scratched his chin, his voice as drawling as ever. "Not too far."
"Good. You're going to pick up Garp. He's at Lvneel Kingdom right now."
"Garp, huh? Interesting. What's he doing in North Blue and not East Blue?" Kizaru mused.
Sengoku sighed. "Who knows what that old man's thinking… Just go get him."
"Alright, got it." Kizaru turned his gaze to the horizon, spotting something unusual. He smirked. "Oh my, what do we have here? A ship… flying?"