The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

[V3] - Chapter 19. Hello...

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Actually, Aokiji didn't come to Alabasta this time just for Nico Robin—he was also here on behalf of Marine Headquarters to express their apologies to the King of Alabasta for this incident.

After all, Alabasta is one of the member nations protected by the World Government, and Crocodile… was a pirate officially recognized by the World Government.

One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

And yet now, a government-recognized pirate had tried to take over a member nation.

This was basically a slap in the face to the World Government!

A solid slap!

Luckily, Crocodile's plan didn't succeed, and he wasn't taken down by pirates either—otherwise, the World Government's face would've been swollen from the blow.

In the end, after the Marines went through the formalities, King Cobra of Alabasta expressed his gratitude and invited Yuto and the others to enjoy a banquet. As the sky gradually darkened—

Yuto declined King Cobra's invitation to stay the night and left with the three little ones and Robin.

Of course—

Aokiji left with them too.

"Goodbye, Sister Vivi! Karoo Duck!" ×3

The three little ones reluctantly said goodbye to the big yellow duck. Even though they had a small yellow duck at home, it was tiny and didn't move.

Now seeing such a big, adorable, and intelligent yellow duck—Yumi and the others loved it immensely.

Vivi also adored the three cute little girls. She invited them to stay in the royal palace, but the offer was declined by Dad Yuto.

With his arm around Kuzan's shoulders, Yuto cheerfully walked out. Anyone who didn't know better…

They would've thought this was corrupt collusion between an official and a businessman!

Even after parting ways, the two kept turning back to glance at each other again and again, making Robin want to use her newly invented move—"Dos Fleur: Strangle You to Death"—to choke this guy on the spot!

"What an interesting guy!" Aokiji watched the receding figures. The reluctance on his face faded, replaced by his usual lazy demeanor. He shrugged, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked off in another direction.

He is just playing along with the act!

As a Marine Admiral… it's not like he'd actually resign and go work for the Yuto Group, right?

Though the salary was good, the work easy, the benefits plentiful, with 13 months of pay a year and profit sharing… No! Stop thinking about it—he was seriously tempted to switch jobs!

He still had his own sense of justice deep down. How could he just leave the Marines?

That said—

The Yuto Group…

It wasn't simple at all!

A serious glint passed through Aokiji's eyes as he recalled the four people he saw last night.

Even that guy in a wheelchair, wearing weird green tights and with a limp, was anything but ordinary.

And yet, on the seas… he had never heard of any of them!

Just like Uchiha Yuto himself—as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There was no way to find out which sea he even came from!

Of course—

The sea is vast, and strange, mysterious powerhouses aren't uncommon.

Maybe they just hadn't been investigated yet.

He didn't dig too deeply.

After all, investigating these people wasn't his mission. As long as this guy didn't become a pirate, what business was it of a Marine Admiral how someone made money?

This visit was merely to gauge the new Boss that girl had found. If he didn't meet expectations, Aokiji would've continued pressuring her into fleeing again.

But now it seemed… passable.

Aokiji stood at the entrance, looking up at the Yuto Group in front of him. His eyelids twitched slightly and he whistled. "So many businesses? If I ever get fired, maybe coming here wouldn't be bad?"

He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Of course—

That's impossible. Unless he became a pirate, the World Government wouldn't casually fire an Admiral. That would have too much impact on the sea.

As for this trip to the Dance Hall…

He had only heard that Vice Admiral Garp's freeloading grandson sometimes came here to drink, so he thought he'd drop by and check it out.

Thinking of the secret mission that Fleet Admiral Sengoku had sneakily entrusted to him before he left… Kuzan's face filled with helplessness. Shaking his head, he grabbed his backpack with one hand and walked in.

Inside was lively—plenty of people drinking and cheering!

And up on stage…

The guy riling up the entire crowd—he instantly recognized him as Portgas D. Ace, Captain of the Spade Pirates.

But—

Why was this guy all wrapped in bandages, with his left arm and right leg seemingly crippled?

Did he get beaten up for not paying his debts?

Kuzan's mouth twitched slightly as he debated whether to report this to Vice Admiral Garp. After all, Garp had once done him a big favor—seeing his grandson like this, he felt he couldn't ignore it.

But then again, he was a Marine and Ace was a pirate… getting beaten up was kind of normal, wasn't it?

So he decided to pretend he didn't see anything!

He found a somewhat remote but spacious seat and sat down.

Casually ordering a drink, he took a sip—and his face showed surprise. Looking at the glass in his hand—this drink wasn't bad at all!

Just like Yuto's milk tea and barbecue yesterday—it all made sense why their business was thriving. It looks like… that guy really had some skills.

Maybe he should take some back with him?

Even though they seemed to offer delivery services… he couldn't possibly have it delivered straight to Marine Headquarters, could he?

What about the dignity of the Marine Headquarters?

Kuzan watched the pirate from East Blue drinking and dancing on stage. It made him feel a little weird inside—but he whistled cheerfully, leaned back with his hands behind his head, and relaxed.

And truth be told—

Vice Admiral Garp's grandson was really good at hyping up a crowd. Even Kuzan found his own feet unconsciously tapping along.

At this moment—

Suddenly—

Ace on the stage snatched the microphone. Even with a broken arm and a limp leg, he still wore a sunny smile as he loudly and skillfully shouted, "Tonight! Drinks are on me! Let's cheer!"

Ace-sama is buying for the whole place again!

As the words fell—

The whole venue erupted in cheers, once again shouting Ace's name nonstop.

It instantly ignited the entire scene!

Everyone began guzzling down their drinks.

Even Kuzan was momentarily surprised, looking oddly at Ace on stage, [Isn't this guy drowning in debt?]

How does he still dare to treat everyone?

However—

Just as he was wondering this inwardly—

He saw—

Ace on stage suddenly jump down with a big grin, followed by someone behind him… whom Kuzan immediately recognized as Deuce, a crew member of the Spade Pirates!

What are these two up to?

After a moment of hesitation, seeming to have guessed what was going on, he picked up his backpack, narrowed his eyes, and quietly followed.

Not long after—

Sure enough—

He saw the two had already slipped out the back door. But Kuzan didn't step in; instead, he kept hidden, silently trailing them through twists and turns.

Then—

He saw the two arrive at a secluded alleyway.

"Ace! This is the spot!" Deuce stopped Ace and said in a hushed voice, "This is the agreed meeting place. Once everyone arrives, we'll be able to leave!"

As those words fell—

Ace lowered his hat, raised his head to gaze at the moon in the sky, and the corner of his lips curled up, "So we're finally leaving?"

Although the job there was easy, with food and lodging included, and decent coworkers, plus banquets at night, still…

He—

Portgas D. Ace—

Would never stay there!

His partners still needed him!

Now—

His partners had come for him, and the Spade Pirates could finally resume their journey.

However—

After waiting for roughly half an hour—

No one had shown up!

Ace turned his head in surprise and looked at Deuce, "They're not here yet?"

"Oh~ everyone finishes work at different times! After all, a lot of them have to do overtime! Maybe they're working a bit later today!"

"…Then let's wait a bit longer?"

"Yes, yes! Don't worry! With you treating just now, they probably won't notice so soon at the Dance Hall! But… Ace, your tab just got even bigger!"

"Hahaha, it's fine! As long as we escape this time, it's all good!" Ace laughed heartily, casually tossing away his crutch and unwrapping his bandages.

In truth, his injuries were already healed, but Deuce said it would help fool those guys and make them drop their guard!

"We can just pay back the Boss next time we see him!"

"Exactly! This time, with everyone helping out, we'll definitely make our escape!"

As the words fell—

Ace's face turned firm, eyes sparkling. He raised his fist and nodded, "That's right! With everyone's help, we'll definitely succeed!"

…

At the same time—

Kuzan, hiding in the shadows on the other side of the alley and eavesdropping, also nodded.

They might actually pull it off!

If he hadn't seen it himself…

He is truly a rising star from East Blue!

Then—

With a blank expression, he pulled out the Den Den Mushi and dialed the number Boss Yuto had given him when trying to recruit him. In a calm voice, he said, "Hello…"