The two turned and saw two white-haired old men walking in slowly.
Each of them held a bag of senbei, tossing pieces into their mouths one after another.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Whitebeard and Rayleigh were both surprised. From the way they approached, it was clear they had come here on purpose.
Whitebeard spoke first. "Garp, Sengoku."
The newcomers were none other than the two semi-retired Marines, Garp and Sengoku.
Garp walked straight over, pulled out a chair, and sat down without hesitation, acting as if he owned the place. He tossed another senbei into his mouth and chewed loudly.
Sengoku followed, pulling out a chair and sitting beside him, showing no sign of treating Whitebeard and Rayleigh as outsiders.
Whitebeard and Rayleigh exchanged a glance, both caught off guard by how casual they were being.
Whitebeard took a drink and gestured for the woman beside him to refill his cup.
"Gurarararara, what brings you two here?"
Rayleigh also looked at them, clearly puzzled.
"Wahahahaha, if you two can come to Peach Garden, why can't we? We're retired too," Garp replied with a grin.
Sengoku sat quietly beside him, his expression steady.
Whitebeard paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Gurarararara, that's true, you two really have stepped back."
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes slightly. Unlike Whitebeard, he was thinking more carefully.
"If I remember correctly, you both still hold positions in the Marines, don't you?"
Whitebeard ignored the question and continued drinking.
Garp laughed again. "Can't help it, someone has to train the next generation."
Rayleigh said nothing, but his thoughts deepened.
Garp and Sengoku were legendary figures in the Marines, known across the entire world.
Peach Garden, on the other hand, belonged to the Ion Pirates led by Rolan.
There was no way Rolan would not know that these two had entered his territory openly.
Yet they were allowed to move freely.
That alone raised too many questions.
Had the Marines and Peach Garden reached some kind of understanding?
Rayleigh shook his head slightly, deciding not to dwell on it.
He now lived in Peach Garden. When the time came, Rolan would reveal whatever needed to be known.
Sengoku, on the other hand, looked at Whitebeard and Rayleigh with his own thoughts.
These two had fully settled here.
He had heard before that the Whitebeard Pirates had joined Peach Garden. Now it seemed that information was accurate.
With figures like these strengthening Peach Garden, its overall power had risen even further.
He let out a breath.
"Who would have thought that people who once stood on opposite sides would end up sitting together like this, drinking."
"Hahaha, what's so strange about that?" Garp replied casually.
"Hey, waiter," Sengoku called out.
Soon, a thin waiter with a curled mustache and a half cap approached.
He bowed slightly. "Mr. Sengoku, how may I assist you?"
Sengoku looked a bit surprised. "You recognize me?"
The waiter smiled. "Of course. Not just you. That is Vice Admiral Garp, the Hero of the Marines. That is Edward Newgate, and that is Silvers Rayleigh."
As he listed them one by one, all four men showed slight surprise.
The waiter continued, "There's no need to be surprised. With your reputations, it would be strange if people didn't recognize you."
Whitebeard and Rayleigh did not react much. Their identities no longer carried the same weight as before.
Even if they lived here openly, it would not change anything.
But Garp and Sengoku were still Marines. Their presence here was far more complicated.
Originally, they had planned to disguise themselves, just like their previous visit.
Rolan had told them it was unnecessary.
Their appearance here did not mean the Marines had joined Peach Garden.
Instead, it showed that Peach Garden was open and tolerant, which only strengthened its image.
Besides, the World Government was arrogant by nature. It would not jump to conclusions based on something like this.
So they came as they were, without hiding their identities.
On the first few islands, no one had called them out.
At most, children greeted them out of curiosity.
For a moment, they even thought Rolan had done something to erase their identities from people's minds.
Clearly, that was not the case.
The waiter's words made it obvious. People here knew exactly who they were.
Garp looked at the waiter with a teasing grin. "Wahahahaha, aren't you afraid? These two are pirates."
The waiter chuckled. "Old man, this is Peach Garden. We value inclusiveness."
"Here, it doesn't matter if you are a Marine, a pirate, a bandit, or even someone from the World Government."
"As long as you don't cause trouble, you are welcome."
He added with quiet confidence, "Besides, our king is the strongest in the world. The crew he leads is also the strongest pirate crew."
The four old men looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The waiter waited politely before speaking again.
"By the way, Mr. Sengoku, what would you like to order?"
Sengoku nodded. "Do you have ramen? I'll take a bowl."
Since retiring, his habits had gone back to how they used to be.
He had always liked ramen, and he had heard that the ramen on this island was excellent.
The waiter shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, this is a tavern. We don't serve ramen."
Sengoku froze for a moment, his expression falling.
"No ramen?"
He had skipped two meals just to try it.
And now, the place he chose did not have any.
Seeing his disappointment, the waiter quickly added, "There is a ramen shop diagonally across from here. I've heard it's very good."
He then turned to Garp.
"And to the left outside, there's a barbecue shop. That one is also highly recommended."
Both Garp and Sengoku's eyes lit up immediately.
"Then we'll head out first," they said.
They wiped the drool from the corners of their mouths as they stood up and left.
The waiter smiled and gave a small nod to Whitebeard and Rayleigh.
"I won't disturb you any further."
With that, he stepped away.
===
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