Takumi felt a chill in the air from the guy next to him. Turning to see who it was, he caught the stranger's gaze.
Sure enough, the man was giving him the same look. And it didn't take long for Takumi to recognize him—after all, how many people could ride a bike across the ocean without sinking?
It was none other than Aokiji, the Navy Admiral with the Ice-Ice Fruit.
Takumi: "..."
What the hell was he doing in Water 7?
Aokiji stared at Takumi for a moment, scratched his head, and then asked, "Hey, haven't we met somewhere before?"
"Nope," Takumi replied flatly. "Never seen you in my life."
"Ah, guess I got it wrong." Aokiji kept studying him, though, and when his eyes landed on the two swords at Takumi's waist and the sake gourd he carried, a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "Oh wait... You're that Takumi! Why pretend you don't know me? Trying to avoid the hassle, huh?"
Takumi: "..."
Yeah, exactly.
Without saying a word, Takumi turned away. He had been doing just fine blending in, cruising along on his rented Yagara Bull.
But now, with Aokiji showing up next to him, everyone around was starting to take notice. It wasn't every day you saw a guy riding a bike over the sea, after all.
Aokiji was freezing the water beneath his wheels as he pedaled, leaving a trail of ice behind him. That's how he managed to pull off this little trick.
"Whoa, did you see that? That guy's riding a bike on water!"
"Check it out—there's ice under his wheels! How's he doing that?"
"Hey man, are you from around here? Or are you some kinda Devil Fruit user?"
Aokiji gave the crowd a lazy wave. "Hey there, folks. Yeah, I'm not from around here… Don't worry about me, just go on with your day."
Right then, the doors of the water elevator opened. The crowd surged forward, each person guiding their Yagara Bulls inside.
Takumi followed, of course.
And Aokiji, still pedaling his bike, trailed right behind him.
Once everyone was inside, the doors closed, and the water level began to rise. The locals didn't react much—they were used to this. First-timers, though, were usually shocked by the whole thing.
Takumi, of course, wasn't fazed. And neither was Aokiji.
"Ever been to Water 7 before?" Aokiji asked suddenly.
"No," Takumi replied.
Aokiji gave him a sideways glance. "Hmm... I feel like... Ah, never mind."
Takumi: "..."
"Heh, guess I forgot what I was gonna say." Aokiji chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
Takumi had zero interest in whatever Aokiji was trying to remember. If he'd forgotten, all the better.
Once the water reached the top, the doors to the central part of the city opened. Takumi tugged on the reins, guiding his Yagara Bull forward.
And Aokiji? Still right behind him, pedaling along like some kind of bodyguard.
After about ten minutes of this, Takumi had finally had enough. "What do you want?" he asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
Pedaling lazily, Aokiji shrugged. "You disappeared for about four years. Where'd you go?"
Takumi: "..."
Since when was Aokiji the nosy type? Wasn't he supposed to be all about avoiding work? Why the sudden interest in someone else's business?
Still, his question did give Takumi a clue—apparently, Garp hadn't told anyone about their meeting after he returned from Skypiea.
Good old Garp, the guy could keep things under wraps when he wanted to.
When Takumi didn't respond, Aokiji kept talking. "You hear about Akainu and Garp's spat?"
Akainu and Garp? Was this about the argument Garp mentioned, the one over him?
Before Takumi could react, Aokiji must've caught something in his expression, because he seemed to figure it out on his own.
"Ah, got it," Aokiji said, sliding back into his usual lazy tone. "Well, enough of that. You like good liquor, right? I know a place here in Water 7 that's been around for decades. They've got some fine old booze. Let's check it out."
Takumi: "..."
"Come on." Aokiji beckoned, already turning his bike around. "I know you can't resist."
Takumi sighed inwardly. This was ridiculous.
But... aged liquor?
That was hard to pass up...
Booze like that only got better with age—smooth, rich, and irresistible to anyone who knew their drinks.
And Aokiji wasn't the type to mess with people for no reason, so Takumi figured there wouldn't be any trouble.
With that, he gave in, guiding his Yagara Bull as he followed Aokiji through the winding waterways of Water 7.
It wasn't long before they arrived at what looked like... a rice shop.
Takumi: "..."
Aokiji: "..."
"This is the bar?" Takumi asked, his patience wearing thin.
Aokiji scratched his head, looking genuinely confused. "I could've sworn it was here…"
"Gonna buy some rice, fellas?" the shopkeeper asked, a big, friendly grin on his face.
"Uh… Is there a bar nearby?" Aokiji asked.
"Oh, you must be thinking of Old Waldo's place. It shut down about a year ago. I bought it and turned it into this rice shop."
Aokiji shot Takumi a look, as if to say, See? I wasn't wrong.
Takumi, thoroughly unimpressed, turned his Yagara Bull and headed back the way they came.
"Wait, wait!" Aokiji called after him. "There's a new bar nearby. I'll make it up to you!"
"No thanks," Takumi replied. "Stop following me."
"I'm just heading that way." Aokiji pointed in the direction Takumi was going.
Takumi: "?"
"I've got business over there." Aokiji gestured toward a tall building in the distance. It was none other than Iceberg's office and residence.
Ah, that made sense. So, the person Iceberg was rushing to meet earlier must've been Aokiji.
Takumi didn't care. All he wanted was to be left alone.
He turned his Yagara Bull in the opposite direction and went the other way.
Watching him leave, Aokiji chuckled. "Same old Takumi."
He then pedaled off toward Iceberg's office.
Meanwhile, Takumi wandered the streets of the central district, eventually stopping at a restaurant for lunch. Once he'd eaten his fill, he found a sunny spot, pulled out his lounge chair, and settled in for a nap.
But no sooner had he closed his eyes than a familiar, angry voice cut through the air.
"There you are, you little brat!"
It was Spandam, the guy Takumi had knocked out earlier.
Takumi rolled over, not even bothering to acknowledge him.
"You think you can just ignore me?!" Spandam shouted. "Men! Take him down!"
The alley was quiet and out of the way, with hardly anyone around. That must've been why Spandam felt bold enough to give such an order.
"Uh… sir, he's just a kid," one of the soldiers muttered.
"Yeah, we could get in serious trouble for this…"
"Maybe we should let him go?"
Spandam's men hesitated, none of them wanting to make the first move.
Only one of them, a tall, scrawny guy with a scar over his eye and a pair of thin mustaches, was eager. "Cowards! I'll do it myself!"
With a snarl, the man transformed into a ferocious werewolf and lunged at Takumi, claws bared.
************
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