Chapter 150: Water 7 – Aokiji’s Favoritism

Inside a barbecue joint in Water 7.

Takumi and Enel were busy feasting on a massive spread of grilled meats, a few jugs of strong liquor, and a bottle of apple juice. The two of them were thoroughly enjoying their meal, despite Takumi having already eaten lunch barely half an hour ago.

But hey, a growing boy's got an appetite, right?

Just as they were about to finish, a familiar voice rang out from the entrance of the barbecue joint.

Spandam had found them again, strutting over to their table with way too much confidence. He puffed his chest out, glaring at Takumi with a smug look on his face. "You little punks! You think you can just get away with attacking CP9? You're going to jail!"

Takumi just stared at him, not saying a word.

Enel, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "Damn, this guy's got the nose of a bloodhound. How'd he sniff us out?"

Spandam's face flushed with anger when he realized Enel was calling him a dog. "Oh, you think you're funny? Go ahead, laugh all you want. It won't matter soon. Your days of freedom are numbered!"

Before Spandam could continue his rant, a lazy voice came from outside the restaurant.

"Now, who was looking for me?" Aokiji stepped into the doorway, glancing over and immediately spotting Takumi.

Spandam rushed over to Aokiji, pointing furiously at Takumi and Enel. "Admiral Aokiji! These two just killed one of my men!"

Aokiji scratched his head, looking confused. "Who...who are you again?"

Spandam's eye twitched in frustration. "I'm Spandam, the commander of CP9! My father is Spandine!"

When Aokiji heard the name Spandine, a flicker of recognition crossed his face. "Oh, right. Spandine... The guy who used the Golden Den Den Mushi to wipe out an entire island of scholars. So what does that have to do with me?"

Spandam blinked, stunned. "What do you mean? They killed one of CP9's members! Aren't you going to do something?"

Aokiji sighed, rubbing his temples. "CP9 isn't my responsibility. Besides, I'm on vacation right now. Why don't you take your complaints to your dad instead of bothering me?"

Spandam's face turned an even deeper shade of red, but before he could explode, Enel burst out laughing. "Yahahaha! Is this guy for real? Did he come here to entertain us with his tragic stupidity?"

Even Takumi couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Behind Spandam, some of the Navy soldiers who had been forced to accompany him were covering their mouths, trying to stifle their own laughter.

Spandam was shaking with rage, his face going from red to green. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"You...you bastards!" he growled through clenched teeth. "Admiral Aokiji, as a Marine, aren't you supposed to help when your own people are being attacked?"

Aokiji glanced at the soldiers behind Spandam and shrugged. "I dunno, man. Doesn't seem like anyone's been attacked around here."

"CP9 is my people!" Spandam shouted, clearly growing more desperate.

Aokiji looked like he wanted nothing to do with this situation. Plus, he knew Takumi wouldn't kill someone without a good reason. After all, Garp himself had vouched for the kid. So if Spandam insisted on accusing Takumi of murder, Aokiji figured they might as well check out the scene.

"Alright," Aokiji sighed. "Where's this supposed body?"

Spandam, thinking he'd finally convinced Aokiji to take his side, eagerly pointed toward an alley nearby. "It's in the alley! I'll show you!"

"Great," Aokiji muttered, sitting down at Takumi and Enel's table. "You've got fifteen minutes. Go grab the body."

Spandam snapped at the Navy soldiers. "What are you idiots standing around for? Go fetch the body!"

"Yes, sir," the soldiers replied, looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.

After they left, Enel turned to Takumi. "So...that idiot called this guy an Admiral. He's really a Marine Admiral?"

Takumi gave a slight nod.

Enel's face immediately froze. The last time they'd encountered an Admiral, it had been Kizaru, and things hadn't exactly gone smoothly. Plus, Garp had left a lasting impression on him. The mere thought of facing another Admiral made him a little nervous.

Aokiji rested his chin in his hand and glanced between Enel and Takumi before finally settling his gaze on Takumi. "So...this guy's part of your crew now?"

Takumi nodded again. "Yeah."

Aokiji raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I thought you were more of a lone-wolf type."

"Hey, you're not seriously going to help that idiot Spandam, are you?" Enel asked, clearly worried.

Aokiji waved his hand dismissively. "Relax. I hate working overtime. Spandam's just as annoying as his old man. Did you two really kill someone from CP9?"

Enel stayed quiet.

Takumi, still calmly eating his barbecue, responded between bites. "Yeah. And?"

Enel stared at Takumi, clearly shocked by how casual he was about the whole thing.

Even Aokiji seemed taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Well, this is a problem. CP9 is a special intelligence agency under the direct command of the World Government. You guys killing one of them means I might have to...you know...deal with it. Couldn't you have just roughed him up a little and left him alive?"

Enel: "..."

Takumi finished his food, took a sip of his drink, and wiped his mouth. "If they don't mess with me, I don't mess with them. Enel, finish it."

Enel blinked in confusion, not expecting to be called on. After a moment's hesitation, he muttered, "Uh...if they mess with me, I'll kill them?"

"Close enough," Takumi said, his voice calm as he looked at Aokiji. "I don't go looking for fights. But if they want one, I'm not running."

Aokiji scratched his head, clearly conflicted. The last thing he wanted was a fight. Not only was he on official business in Water 7, but if word got back to Garp, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Man...I really don't feel like dealing with this," Aokiji muttered. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Hey, here's an idea. How about I just...leave? Let CP9 sort out their own mess."

Takumi: "..."

Enel, baffled, said, "Are you seriously suggesting that? You're an Admiral!"

Aokiji shrugged. "Well, CP9 isn't under my command anyway. Besides, I could always pretend to fight you, let you 'win,' and then you guys make a run for it. What do you say?"

Takumi: "..."

Before anyone could respond, Spandam came running back into the restaurant...without a body.

Aokiji raised an eyebrow. "Where's the corpse?"

Spandam, clearly flustered, stammered, "I...uh...I don't know! The body was gone when we got there! They must have hidden it while I was gone! Admiral Aokiji, you have to punish them!"

Enel scoffed. "What a joke. We didn't—"

Before he could finish, Aokiji raised a hand to stop him, then turned to Spandam. "So...no body?"

Spandam nodded, his face twisted with frustration.

Aokiji grinned. "Well, if there's no body, there's no proof they killed anyone."

Spandam's eye twitched. "But they did! You can't just let them off!"

Aokiji looked over at the group of Navy soldiers standing behind Spandam. "You guys see anyone get killed?"

Most of the soldiers looked confused, but two of them nodded.

Aokiji shot them a look, and they immediately shook their heads.

Spandam, seeing this, nearly exploded. "You cowards! You all saw Jabra get electrocuted! How dare you lie to an Admiral!"

Aokiji chuckled. "Hey, Spandam, cut them some slack. If there's no body, there's no crime. And honestly, I'm due for a nap."

Spandam: "..."

Fuming, Spandam shouted, "You're a Marine Admiral! I'm a commander of CP9! Why are you taking their side and not mine?"

************

Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to chapter 190!