Chapter 185 - 185: Gaban's Inquiry
A day later, the waters around Water 7 had calmed down. Looking out from the central street, everything seemed peaceful again.
Only in the lower areas could the sound of hammering still be heard.
The citizens of Water 7, who had just gone through a major disaster, weren't wallowing in despair. Instead, they wore bright, hopeful smiles.
Everyone was busy repairing their damaged homes, while the foremen from the Galley-La Company led their teams all over the city to help with the reconstruction.
Even some members of the Dream Crew had voluntarily joined in.
For example, Hog, who was quite skilled at fixing things.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
Then there was Kuina—whatever shape of wood you needed, she could chop it for you perfectly.
And the other girls were also helping out wherever they could.
Ryuen, however, wasn't among them.
He was alone, steering a small boat, now far from Water 7.
Trailing behind him was the old man, Gaban.
Once they reached a calm area, Ryuen took out the fishing rod he had placed under the boat.
He baited the hook and cast it far out, sending the line dozens of meters away.
Gaban, not far from him, did the same.
But his mind was elsewhere.
This kid... He knows I called him out here, yet he hasn't shown any curiosity at all.
Are young people nowadays really this patient?
As he kept thinking about it, Gaban lost focus on fishing.
He watched Ryuen pull in one fish after another, but there wasn't a single change in his expression.
Ryuen, on the other hand, also found it strange.
Gaban had invited him out, but now he wasn't saying anything—just staring at him fishing.
What's that about?
"Gaban, old man..."
"Hahaha! I knew it! Young people just can't hold back. See? You spoke first—"
"No, Gaban, I just wanted to say... your fishing rod is being dragged away..."
"What?!"
Gaban snapped out of it just in time to see his fishing rod already floating hundreds of meters away!
"Damn fish! It's bad enough they stole the bait, but now they're taking my fishing rod too?!" Gaban gritted his teeth and immediately jumped into the sea!
"Uh..."
"It's just a fishing rod... No need to throw your life away over it..." Ryuen muttered in disbelief.
Just as he got distracted, his own fishing rod suddenly jerked hard.
The reel spun wildly as something big pulled on the line.
Snapping back to focus, Ryuen quickly gripped the rod and started reeling in the fish, carefully managing the tension so the line wouldn't snap.
He had borrowed a million Berries from Nami just to buy this fishing rod—plus interest!
And that interest rate was worse than a loan shark's!
After a long struggle, he finally pulled up a beautiful sea fish.
At first glance, he could tell—this was a rare one!
"Heh heh~"
"When we get back, Anya can cook it up nicely~~~" Ryuen chuckled and put the fish he caught into a sealed box filled with ice.
*SPLASH!*
"Holy crap!"
"Old man Gaban, what the heck are you doing?!"
Just as Ryuen finished storing the fish, Gaban suddenly popped out of the water, nearly scaring the life out of him!
"Huh?"
"Oh, this is your Blue? I thought it was mine. My bad, wrong boat..." Gaban said casually.
Then, without a care, he dragged a fishing line and swam toward his own boat.
"You old bastard!"
"You totally did that on purpose!" Ryuen gritted his teeth, glaring at Gaban's back.
*BANG!*
Before Ryuen could finish his rant, something slammed into the bottom of his boat, making him stumble.
Once he steadied himself, he saw a massive fish, easily a few hundred pounds, being pulled out from under his boat.
No doubt about it—Gaban was behind that!
When Ryuen looked at him again, Gaban had already climbed back onto his boat, sitting comfortably while casting another fishing line, as if he didn't even notice Ryuen's furious glare.
Ryuen's eyes were practically burning with rage.
Fine, I'll let it slide!
He shot one last death glare at Gaban before focusing back on fishing.
After all, Gaban was just a grumpy old man, and Ryuen decided to honor the "respect your elders" principle by not stooping to his level.
So, without another word, he moved his boat farther away from Gaban and went back to fishing.
"Hey!"
"Kid, are you really gonna make me start the conversation?!"
Hearing Gaban's annoyed voice, Ryuen couldn't help but smirk.
Competing with him in patience?
He had spent years lazing around with a whole crew of freeloaders—there was no way Gaban could outlast him.
Even if Sengoku himself were here, he wouldn't win!
"Go ahead."
"I'm listening, old man~~~" Ryuen said lazily, lying back on his boat.
Hearing that, Gaban nearly blew a fuse.
Fine, I'll let it slide!
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then turned toward Ryuen—only to find that Ryuen had already fallen asleep!
Not only that, but he was snoring!
"RYUEN...!"
In an instant, an enraged roar echoed all the way across Water 7!
"Holy crap!"
"Who's firing cannons?! Where's the explosion?!"
Ryuen bolted upright, heart pounding, as if an explosion had gone off in his head.
"Explosion?! It's coming from me, you brat!"
Not far away, Gaban shouted furiously, steam practically coming out of his ears.
Ryuen looked at Gaban, let out a long sigh, and said, "Come on, old man Gaban, just get to the point. When it comes to patience, you know you can't beat me."
Right now, Ryuen was really starting to feel sleepy. He just wanted to get this over with and go back to bed.
Trying to outlast him? That was impossible.
After all, in this world, everyone had that fiery, hot-blooded energy—it was a world straight out of a passionate anime.
"Alright!"
"Ryuen, kid, I won't beat around the bush. I called you out here to ask you—why did you blow up Enies Lobby?" Gaban's voice grew heavier toward the end.
"Hey!"
"Old man Gaban, don't go around accusing people! The World Government already concluded that it was caused by improperly placed explosive rock."
"Don't try to pin this on me!" Ryuen instantly flared up, shouting in frustration.
"Whether it was explosive rock or not, I don't know. But what I do know is that I saw you and your people on that Sea Train!"
"You all disappeared afterward—I don't know how you pulled that off—but don't think you can hide the fact that you were at Enies Lobby!" Gaban narrowed his wrinkled eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
"Hiss~~"
"Old man Gaban, this is slander! You better be careful with what you say. Right now, we're high-ranking officials of the World Government!"
"Slandering government officials... Forget the fact that you're already a wanted man—even if you were just an ordinary person, I'd still have the right to arrest you!" Ryuen said coldly, his tone sharp and commanding.
Hearing this, Gaban's aura instantly changed.
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