#380 - Chapter 380: Public Travel

But...

Right now, the most important thing is how to deal with this sudden predicament.

Originally, his plan was to infiltrate the Whitebeard Pirates, gradually approach Whitebeard by pretending to be loyal, and eventually seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

However, now this path seems to have been half-blocked by the rumors in the newspaper.

"With this newspaper, Whitebeard probably already knows about me. If I want to sneak in, he's likely to be suspicious of me."

He pondered coldly, a gloomy smile appearing on his face.

Although there were variables in the plan, he was not without a strategy to deal with them.

However, he had to re-arrange the situation to deal with possible changes.

Blackbeard slowly stood up, his eyes gazing at the distant sea through the window.

His ambition was still burning fiercely, and no matter how difficult the road ahead, he would not give up easily.

After all, in this world, only the strong can laugh last.

"Jie ha ha ha ha... It seems I have to act faster."

He sneered, as if he had already planned a new journey in his mind.

In any case, he would not let anyone stop him from moving forward.

Those who try to sow discord will eventually become stepping stones under his feet.

"The world is mine!!!"

......

After Jin An set off from West Blue, the journey was smooth and peaceful. He sat on the deck of the warship, leisurely enjoying the refreshing sea breeze.

Although he had just experienced a complicated operation, he seemed exceptionally relaxed at the moment.

As the outline of the Marine Headquarters, Marineford, gradually became clear, Jin An knew that he was about to face another "battle."

"Marine Headquarters, Marineford."

He murmured the name, vaguely anticipating a significant storm awaiting him.

A few days later.

When Jin An walked into the Fleet Admiral's office, the atmosphere inside was particularly heavy.

Sengoku stood behind his desk, his eyes fixed on Jin An's figure.

The office was silent, the atmosphere as tense as a string about to break.

"Bang!"

Sengoku slammed his palm heavily on the desk, making a dull sound.

A clear palm print immediately appeared on the desk.

Jin An glanced at the table indifferently, nodding secretly, thinking: 'The table didn't break, so it seems he's not that angry anymore.'

Sengoku naturally didn't know what Jin An was thinking. His eyes were like torches, pointing at Jin An, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "You actually ran to West Blue!"

His voice was low, seemingly containing suppressed anger, each word hitting Jin An's heart like a heavy hammer.

"You just became an admiral and went on a publicly funded vacation, huh!"

Sengoku continued to roar, his anger obviously not subsided.

Although Jin An's actions quelled the pirate rebellion in West Blue, a Marine Headquarters admiral acting without authorization could easily arouse suspicion and concern from above.

This unconventional behavior made Sengoku feel very棘手 (jí shǒu - troublesome).

Jin An wore an innocent expression, spreading his hands as if to show his innocence: "I just became an admiral, of course I have to let those pirates know."

His voice was not loud, but everyone present could hear clearly.

Then, he added in a low voice: "Otherwise, if I go out in the future and no one recognizes me, it would be very embarrassing."

This sentence caused a subtle change in the room.

"Puchi..."

Garp was the first to burst out laughing, his low laughter breaking the tense atmosphere in the room.

The veins on Sengoku's forehead throbbed, obviously Jin An's words had completely ignited the fire in his heart.

"Garp! If you want to laugh, go outside and laugh!!!" Sengoku's voice rose again, his chest heaving violently, obviously very angry.

Seeing Sengoku angry, Garp still had an indifferent attitude, even taking out a bag of senbei from his pocket and chewing it slowly, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

"The upper beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked. You brought out this kind of atmosphere!" Sengoku's anger had nowhere to vent, and he turned his spearhead at Garp.

Garp chewed on the senbei, smiling nonchalantly, his leisurely appearance making Sengoku even more furious.

Jin An looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but smile wryly.

Although he knew that Sengoku's anger was justified, at this moment, he only felt that this "admonishment" was more like a 'farce'.

Sengoku looked hatefully at the two heartless guys in front of him, feeling a dull pain in his chest, as if a breath was stuck there, unable to go up or down.

His brow was furrowed, the veins on his forehead throbbing, and Garp and Jin An in front of him were simply a pair of troublemakers in his eyes.

Especially Garp, this old guy not only doesn't help to discipline them, but always fans the flames.

Garp seemed completely unaware of Sengoku's almost erupting anger. He finished the last senbei, wiped his mouth casually, his movements as casual as if he was in his own kitchen.

Then, without warning, he slapped his palm on the desk, the force of which made the documents on the table jump.

Jin An glanced at the table, secretly admiring the quality of the table.

"Jin An," Garp said seriously, his tone still too relaxed, "Apologize if you should apologize, admit your mistakes if you should admit your mistakes, write a self-criticism if you should write a self-criticism."

While he was talking, he didn't forget to glance at Sengoku, as if he was assessing Sengoku's anger level.

Garp's wrinkled fingers tapped on the table, the sound echoing softly in the office.

"In short... you have to have the right attitude."

He continued, his tone as indifferent as if it was just a normal thing.

Jin An couldn't help but smile wryly. He knew that Garp was helping him out, but this way of helping out was too casual.

Sengoku's eyes had already turned cold, as if he was about to throw the two people in front of him into jail in the next second.

"By the way," Garp suddenly changed the subject, a smile on his face as always, his eyes slightly narrowed, "Did you bring any local specialties back from West Blue?"

Jin An was stunned when he heard this, and almost couldn't help but laugh. He never thought that Garp would mention local specialties at this time. The topic changed so suddenly.

He subconsciously touched his pocket, and found that he really had some small things in his hand.

He looked at Garp's expectant eyes, and then at Sengoku's almost exploding expression, and suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Sengoku's face darkened a few degrees, and he roared unbearably: "Garp! You bastard, is now the time to talk about local specialties?! You're really..."

Garp didn't care about Sengoku's anger, and continued to laugh to himself, as if he didn't hear Sengoku's words at all.

Jin An felt the wonderful "chemical reaction" between the two, and he finally understood why Garp could easily resolve various situations, and even someone like Sengoku was helpless in front of him.

In this wonderful atmosphere, Jin An grinned and shrugged: "I brought some things back, but they're all small things. If you... you don't mind..."

Garp's eyes lit up immediately, while Sengoku showed an extremely helpless expression.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and decided not to bother for the time being.

After all, he knew that arguing with these two people would only make him more tired, and the result would always be fruitless.

"You two guys..." Sengoku muttered in a low voice, and finally had to wave his hand helplessly, "Alright, get out, I don't want to see you anymore."

Jin An and Garp looked at each other, stood up at the same time, bowed respectfully to Sengoku, and then quickly left the office.

Outside the door, the two almost breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Jin An sighed softly, secretly rejoicing that this storm had finally passed today, while Garp smiled and patted Jin An on the shoulder: "Young man, you still have to be more careful in the future."

Jin An smiled and nodded, but in his heart he was thinking: With Garp by his side, this kind of "admonishment" is really thrilling but not dangerous.

He silently kept this lesson in mind, and at the same time couldn't help but admire Garp's ability to resolve embarrassing situations.

...