Mihawk's gaze drifted backward, acknowledging the fissure created by the slash.
Then he turned his attention to the young vice admiral's head, a peculiar glint in his eyes. "That silver-haired fellow, could he really be with the Marines!"
For months, whispers had been circulating from unknown origins, claiming the Silver Hair crew were Marines. Examples were cited in the news, spreading like wildfire across the seas with seemingly irrefutable evidence. In all their voyages to date, the Silver Hair crew had left no pirate alive. Conversely, they had spared every Marine they encountered. This was indeed strange. Consequently, the news about the Silver Hair crew being Marines had spread rapidly through the newspapers over the past few months. Initially, most dismissed the reports as jokes, but as the Silver Hair crew never issued a denial, the rumor gradually gained more traction. Thus, Mihawk found it peculiar that Kong Tai had not killed these Marines.
Just then, a white figure appeared silently on the side of the warship. He placed a hand on the young vice admiral's shoulder and chuckled, "Hey! Marine, why are you so forgetful? Your superior should have told you not to provoke me!"
"Why did you fire on me?"
The vice admiral's stiff body began to thaw. In the instant the slash had arrived, he had truly believed he would die. His spirit, swallowed by boundless darkness, returned only when Kong Tai's hand touched his shoulder. He mechanically turned his head to look at Kong Tai. His unfocused gaze gradually sharpened. Upon seeing Kong Tai's face, his pupils instinctively contracted in fear, then the fear vanished, replaced by a surge of determination and anger.
The determination was understandable. But why was he angry? Kong Tai didn't know. Since he didn't know, Kong Tai asked, "Marine, what are you angry about?"
The vice admiral tried to raise his hand to push Kong Tai's away, but he discovered that, apart from his head, everything else seemed to be frozen. Of course, his body was included. He turned his head to glare at Kong Tai and roared indignantly, "Pirate, what did you do to me? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a pirate with a 1.5 billion bounty! I tell you, I, Keduo, am not... afraid of a mere pirate like you!"
"Oh..." Kong Tai nodded, his smile vanishing as he looked at Keduo. "Commendable spirit, but why so foolish!"
"You..."
"What about me? When facing an enemy you are completely unable to defeat, to insist on provoking them, even rushing to your death, is that not foolishness?" He looked at Keduo, withdrew his hand, pulled down the gourd at his waist, and took a deep drink. "This world doesn't require one to be fearless to uphold justice. Attacking pirates is not wrong, but one must act within their means."
"Hoo~" He lowered his head, exhaling a breath of alcohol towards Keduo and chuckled, "You can fearlessly protect civilians from pirates, but facing someone like me, who has no intention of harming civilians or your Marines, don't you think provoking me is a foolish act?"
"If I had been in a bad mood today and truly killed you, did you ever consider the families behind you, the families behind your hundreds of subordinates?" He paused, took another drink from his gourd, then patted Keduo's shoulder. "So, young man, don't be so impulsive in the future. Think about the consequences. You won't always encounter someone like me!"
"You..." Keduo stared at Kong Tai, speechless.
*What's with this tone of an elder lecturing a junior! And have you forgotten your identity? You're a pirate! Why are you saying so much to me, a Marine?* He looked at Kong Tai, his mind racing. Then, as if remembering something, his gaze towards Kong Tai grew increasingly strange.
He was aware of the single piece of news about the silver-haired man during his absence. "Could this guy really be one of us Marines?" Otherwise, how could he explain Kong Tai's behavior, treating him like a senior lecturing a junior, and saying so much to him?
"What's wrong?" Kong Tai felt Keduo's gaze and asked strangely, "Am I not saying it right?"
Keduo remained silent, but his gaze became stranger. Before he was promoted to vice admiral, he had been on a mission in the East Blue and had spoken briefly with an elder named Smoker in Logue Town. At that time, Elder Smoker had mentioned that the Silver Hair crew might be Marines, but Keduo had dismissed it and forgotten about it. However, meeting Kong Tai now brought back Elder Smoker's words.
*It seems many within the Marines consider this guy one of their own!* Thinking this, he felt a pang of regret for his earlier actions.
"Hey! You, why are you acting so strange!" Kong Tai looked at Keduo and couldn't help but take a few steps back. *Is this guy a masochist? He's even smiling.*
*Ugh!* He shivered at the thought. "Why are there so many weird people on the seas!"
Keduo looked at Kong Tai, saying nothing, only smiling continuously.
Mihawk, observing from below the warship, could no longer stand it. He looked up at Kong Tai, his expression equally odd. He said what he thought, unlike Keduo's hesitant manner. "Hey! Silver Hair, are you a Marine?"
"What?" Kong Tai turned to look at Mihawk, his face a mask of shock. "Me... a Marine?"
"You fellow, even if you're talking nonsense, there are limits!" "When did I become a Marine?"
"Really not?" Mihawk looked at Kong Tai, clearly disbelieving. "Really not! I, a proud pirate with a 1.5 billion bounty, how could I be a Marine? If I were truly a Marine, it would be much more comfortable staying with them than being a pirate." Kong Tai, seeing Mihawk's increasingly strange expression, hurriedly explained. He absolutely did not want to be mistaken for a Marine.
"That makes sense." Mihawk stared at Kong Tai for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and nodded. He then looked up at Kong Tai and said playfully, "Really not?"
"Really, as true as the tip of a needle. Look."
"Look at what?" Kong Tai's eyes widened, blinking. "See it?"
Mihawk looked at him with a hint of confusion. "See my 24k titanium pure gaze?"
"Alright! I believe you." Mihawk looked at Kong Tai, shrugged helplessly, and let out a light laugh. Sometimes, friendships formed in peculiar ways. He didn't know why, but after actually meeting Kong Tai, he no longer felt the same urgency as before. He sensed a camaraderie between swordsmen in Kong Tai, which led to this conversation, somewhat incongruous with their statuses.
In reality, anyone with a modicum of sense wouldn't mistake Kong Tai for a Marine. Such immense power, not kept to defend the Marines but unleashed as a pirate – wouldn't that be sheer foolishness?