Silence.
On the battleship, all sound seemed to vanish in an instant.
The gloom on Kojin's face was plain to see as Crocodile stared fixedly at him. In that moment, he wanted only one thing... an answer.
The once-fragmented memories merged with his renewed self, and past ambitions began to surface rapidly as well.
Pirate... Marine?
Everything shattered, then condensed into the face of the young Marine standing before him.
After a long while, the sea breeze brushed past, stirring the cloak behind Kojin. The gloom on his face finally faded, replaced by a faint smile.
"You remembered something from the past?"
Crocodile nodded. "Not much. But vaguely, I've already come to understand my own past."
"So you were there that day two years ago as well?" Kojin sighed softly.
At the time, he truly hadn't expected anyone to witness that scene. The alley had been extremely narrow, less than a meter wide and the exit directly opposite had been filled with kneeling figures.
When facing a Celestial Dragon, how many people would dare lift their heads and look ahead?
Yet, he hadn't anticipated that Crocodile would be right there.
"Yes." Crocodile nodded again.
"Then... what are you thinking now?" Kojin asked lightly, his gaze falling on the subordinate in uniform before him.
Crocodile fell silent, deep in thought.
Someone who could decisively strike down a Celestial Dragon... such courage and audacity were unimaginable. Such a person would never be content with being just a Rear Admiral, nor would his ambitions be limited to the Marines.
After a long time, Crocodile lifted his head.
"No matter what kind of ambition or aspiration you hold in your heart, one thing is beyond doubt. You will need a group of trustworthy aides."
Taking a deep breath, he looked solemnly into Kojin's eyes.
"I am willing to become your most reliable and strongest right-hand man."
Maybe his former self had dreamed of becoming a great pirate, or even the Pirate King. But those dreams had already been shattered. Now, he could only piece together fragments of who he once was.
Now, he cherished the present far more, just as Kojin said during the rank conferral ceremony.
Live in the present.
Kojin laughed. Looking at Crocodile before him, he burst out laughing.
The others exchanged puzzled glances, having no idea what kind of cryptic exchange the two were having.
"Hey, Crocodile San, what's going on? What are you talking about with Rear Admiral Kojin?" Rosinante ran over and slung an arm around Crocodile's shoulder.
Evans and the others also turned their heads, their interest clear.
"I discovered a secret about our senior officer." Crocodile pressed his lips together and said with a smile,
"What secret? Can you tell us?" Mina asked.
Crocodile smiled, glanced at Kojin, and said with a grin,
"Our senior officer... He killed a Celestial Dragon."
In an instant, the entire ship fell silent.
Rosinante, who had been smiling just moments ago, saw his pupils shrink violently. The others' expressions changed as well.
But when they saw Kojin standing ahead with his arms crossed and smiling calmly at them, everyone quickly recovered their smiles.
"Hahahahaha!"
"You bastard! What kind of joke is that?"
"That's not funny at all."
"I was seriously startled!"
Laughter and curses broke out across the deck.
No one took Crocodile's words seriously because their Rear Admiral hadn't admitted to it at all. Only Evans saw the smile vanish from Crocodile's face when he inadvertently turned his head, replaced by shock and fear.
"He didn't deny it either!"
But the matter was soon forgotten by all. Everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Now, they were far more intrigued by the locked wooden box in Evans' hands.
"What do you think is inside?"
"The senior officer said that Headquarters places great importance on this mission."
"The item inside must be worth a fortune, right?"
"It's probably beyond our imagination."
Their curiosity gnawed at them, but they were bound by regulations and none of them dared to unlock the wooden box casually.
"Want to know what's inside? Just open it," Kojin said with a smile.
He wasn't particularly interested in the box's contents because he had already guessed what was inside.
It was most likely a Devil Fruit.
By now, Vegapunk should have begun studying Devil Fruits and the Lineage Factor.
"Can we really open it? Isn't this mission supposed to be strictly confidential?" T. Penn asked with a surprised tone.
"If we don't tell anyone, isn't that confidential? Penn Chan, don't be so rigid! Otherwise, you'll suffer for it in the future!" Kojin retorted, then turned to Crocodile.
"Crocodile Chan, use your ability to open it."
Crocodile smiled when he heard this.
"That's easy."
Moments later, grains of sand drilled into the keyhole of the wooden box's lock and quickly solidified into the shape of a key.
With a soft click, the lock mechanism was pried open and the wooden box was unlocked.
Evans lifted the lid, and everyone leaned forward together. Instantly, a fruit covered in strange, intricate patterns came into view.
"It's a Devil Fruit!" Slo exclaimed in shock.
"So our mission was actually to escort a Devil Fruit?" Kira added.
Everyone was astonished, except for Kojin, who remained calm and composed.
He knew that, after securing Vegapunk, the Marines had begun extensive research on Devil Fruits, producing a variety of results.
"Close it."
After glancing at the fruit and noticing the desire flickering in everyone's eyes, Kojin said lightly.
'Snap.'
Evans decisively shut the box.
"Heh, if you want this kind of power, we can strive for it ourselves in the future. This fruit is the objective of this mission."
Only then did the longing in Slo and the others' eyes fade away.
…
Egghead Island wasn't particularly close to them, but it wasn't far either.
Ten days later, the battleship finally entered the island's harbor.
Just as Kojin had expected, Egghead Island was heavily guarded, and a Vice Admiral was in charge of receiving them.
"I'm very sorry, Rear Admiral Kojin. According to regulations, anyone other than authorized personnel is forbidden from entering this island." The Vice Admiral said in a deep voice.
"What about me?" Kojin took the wooden box from Evans, then continued. "The orders I received were to personally deliver this item into Vegapunk's hands."
The Vice Admiral fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"As the disciple of Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp, I believe you are trustworthy. But as I said earlier, only you alone may enter, carrying the mission item."
Kojin nodded.
After that, he passed through the harbor guarded by numerous elite Marines and entered the island.
Without a doubt, Egghead was now a tightly guarded scientific research base.
As he passed through the base entrance, Kojin noticed that there weren't only Marines present, there were also mysterious figures dressed in black, their expressions cold and their alertness absolute.
About fifteen minutes later, he finally met Vegapunk in a waiting room.
"Come with me, Rear Admiral Kojin."
After seeing him, Vegapunk waved his hand and turned around to leave. Kojin was briefly taken aback, then lifted the box and followed after him.
(End of Chapter)
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