"You..."
In an instant, everyone's gaze fell on Kyle, staring at him intently, the atmosphere turning rigid.
But Kyle acted as if nothing had happened, taking another sip of his drink, a look of enjoyment appearing on his face.
The air fell silent again for a while. After a long moment, Shanks looked at Kyle and asked.
"So, are you telling us this now because you want something from us?"
This time, Shanks didn't continue to deny it. Since Kyle could already reveal information that was almost impossible for others to know, there was no point in stubbornly refusing to admit it at this moment.
Although he was curious how Kyle knew about this, now wasn't the time to ask.
The fact that Kyle came here to tell them this privately clearly meant he didn't intend to expose the matter, so Kyle definitely wanted something from them.
That's why Shanks directly asked Kyle's purpose.
Kyle's gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Shanks, and he spoke in a calm tone.
"There are some things I want to know the answers to, from you."
...
---
After an unknown amount of time, Kyle slowly walked out of the cabin. The expression on his face was no different from when he went in, as if nothing had happened.
"What did you brats talk about with Shanks and the others?"
Zephyr was a bit curious.
"Nothing much, just catching up on some personal matters."
Kyle replied with a smile.
. . . .
Zephyr couldn't help but roll his eyes. You, a Marine, catching up with pirates?
Catching up on what? Asking if Shanks and his crew have any relatives who are pirates, so you can catch them all together?
"By the way, Instructor Zephyr, are our ship's supplies still sufficient?"
"Why are you asking that?!"
"I need to stay here for about a day or two for something."
"That shouldn't be a problem. Our supplies are probably enough for about half a month of daily needs, and since it only takes a few days to return to Marine Headquarters from here, you could even stay a few more days if you want."
"That's great!"
Kyle nodded, a faint glint flickering in his eyes.
From his conversation with Shanks, he had learned some things he didn't know before. It seemed that guy hadn't just been idle all these years; he was actually somewhat useful.
But even knowing that information was temporarily of little use to him; he still needed formidable strength.
Otherwise, even knowing some hidden secrets wouldn't allow him to shake the World Government, a regime that had dominated the world for eight hundred years.
No big deal!
One step at a time. There was still plenty of development time left for him; no need to rush.
As for now, he needed to get some sleep first. The fight with the Red Hair Pirates had taken a toll on him, and not a small one.
After all, both Shanks and Benn Beckman possessed Admiral-level combat power. Facing those two at the same time was still a little tricky for him.
So now he needed to sleep to recover. Yeah, just sleep it off!
---
Time passed slowly. When Kyle woke up again, he checked the time and found that a full eight hours had passed.
What a healthy amount of sleep!
This sleep left him feeling refreshed. All the fatigue from before sleeping had completely disappeared, leaving him full of energy.
After walking out of the cabin, a fragrant smell wafted over. Following the source of the smell, he saw Zephyr heartily slurping a bowl of ramen. He had a shadow of the future Fujitora.
Kyle walked over to him. Looking at this steaming, fragrant ramen, he asked a nearby Marine.
"Who made this ramen? Could I get a serving too?"
"Ain made it. I'll go tell her to make a serving for you right now!"
He immediately responded.
"Thanks. I appreciate it, and please thank Ain too!"
A smile appeared on Kyle's lips, and he nodded at him.
Indeed, sleeping well makes you hungry easily.
While waiting for the ramen, Kyle asked Zephyr.
"Instructor, is Uta still asleep?"
"You mean that little girl? She's not awake yet! She was too exhausted. By the time she came to our ship, she was already completely worn out. It's just that, for some reason, she seemed very excited and kept going."
Having said that, Zephyr paused, then turned to look at Kyle with a meaningful gaze.
"Is she related to the Red Hair Pirates?"
"She's Shanks' adopted daughter."
Kyle didn't hide it and spoke directly.
Right now, only he and Zephyr were around. The nearest other Marines were about ten meters away. Kyle's voice wasn't loud, so they couldn't hear.
"Shanks' adopted daughter??"
Hearing this, Zephyr immediately showed a surprised expression. After a long pause, he suddenly asked.
"So, she's also a pirate then?"
Hearing this, Kyle immediately fixed his gaze on Zephyr's face.
"She was before, but not really now. Why, Instructor Zephyr, are you planning a 'Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate' move?"
"What 'Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate'??"
Zephyr was a bit confused. Kyle occasionally spouted words he didn't understand, like now for instance.
"Once a pirate, always a pirate!!"
"Are you thinking of arresting her?"
"Oh, that's what it means!"
Zephyr showed a hint of understanding.
"I don't particularly agree with that saying. This little girl looks barely more than knee-high, and there's absolutely no information about her in any introductions to the Red Hair Pirates."
"She was raised by Shanks and his crew since she was little. Does that make her a pirate? Since when is that the definition of a pirate?"
"In my view, those who don't commit evil aren't considered pirates!"
Zephyr stated calmly.
A faint smile appeared on Kyle's face.
Because he had altered history, Zephyr hadn't lost his arm, and the training ship's Marine apprentices, besides Ain and the other one, hadn't been completely annihilated.
So, Zephyr's current views weren't as extreme as they would become later.
At this time, he had his own set of criteria for judging pirates. And among the many Marines, Zephyr's mercy was quite famous.
Besides his epithet 'Black Arm', he was also once called the 'Admiral Who Doesn't Kill'!
He never killed any pirate. However, as a Marine, this personality wasn't necessarily a good thing!
If it weren't for Zephyr's policy of not killing, his wife and children wouldn't have been tragically targeted for revenge later, both losing their lives.
Soon, a bowl of ramen was brought over. Kyle took the ramen, smelled the enticing aroma lingering at the tip of his nose, his appetite instantly whetted, and he immediately picked up his chopsticks and started slurping.
Food is the paramount necessity!
Fill your stomach first!!
At that moment, the cabin door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure ran out from inside...
---
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