Chương 16: Are you preaching to me?
East Blue Sea, near the entrance to the Grand Line:
"Report to Vice Admiral Kahn, we're approaching Loguetown. Please provide instructions."
"Already in Loguetown?" Kahn let out a slight sigh. This was the place that marked the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
Roger's last words before his execution had ignited the world, ushering in the era of the Great Pirates. It was as if a fiery proclamation had set the times ablaze.
However, Kahn regarded all of this as mere rhetoric.
In the wake of Roger's words, the world had witnessed a surge in pirates, resulting in countless tragedies and shattered families across the globe. How many nations had suffered attacks from pirates?
Kahn was no outsider to this chaos. He had personally experienced the horrors that pirates brought, and he had seen countless lives ruined. He had also witnessed how pirates, driven by selfish desires, had no regard for the innocent.
The world might believe it needed leaders and reformers, but Kahn knew that pirates weren't the solution.
"Forget it. It's not worth worrying about."
"That's right. As one grows older, they become more disillusioned," he mused.
The group was now approaching the naval base in Loguetown.
This town, situated at the crossroads between the East Blue and the Grand Line, was under the watchful eye of Captain Smoker, the final pupil of Zephyr.
Kahn held a certain level of appreciation for Smoker. Although the latter's record wasn't perfect, his intentions were in the right place.
After all, the adversaries Smoker faced were far from trivial: two Shichibukai—Crocodile and Doflamingo. Although he'd had success early on, like defeating pirates of east blues, his later encounters proved to be more challenging.
Despite this, Kahn still respected Smoker. But at the moment, he was feeling a bit unhappy about seeing him.
The reason was simple.
Kahn had spent the past few days eliminating pirates within a hundred-mile radius. He had expected substantial gains from his efforts, but in the end, the haul was rather disappointing. The reason was that Smoker had already cleared out much of the surrounding pirate presence upon taking charge of the naval base.
As a result, Kahn had raked in over 500 million Berries from his pirate purging spree on the ship. When combined with his earnings from the sea restaurant, his assets had nearly reached one billion Berries.
Sustaining the usual expenses of his system wasn't a concern for now. But for Kahn, this was not enough.
"Vice Admiral Kahn, why are you looking at me like that?" Smoker inquired suspiciously.
Kahn's reaction was one of speechlessness. Was it because Smoker's presence had led to a decrease in the number of pirates, thereby reducing the amount of loot he could secure?
Smoker regarded Kahn's expression with a hint of confusion and dissatisfaction. However, he didn't press the matter further, as he was not particularly familiar with Kahn.
While Kahn's name had receded from the navy's spotlight over the past decade, Smoker still knew of his background. Young Kahn had once been a righteous and formidable navy figure. However, things had changed after certain events.
Though Smoker had sensed that Kahn's circumstances might account for his transformation, he didn't think it was the sole reason behind Kahn's deviation from his original path.
However, this conclusion wasn't merely drawn from the current situation with Smoker; it was based on a broader view.
"When we were young, we possessed ideals. But now, the idealism has faded," Kahn remarked with a wry smile.
Smoker was momentarily taken aback by this candid admission.
"You used to be an idealistic individual, always upholding justice. But in the past decade, all I've heard are negative remarks about Vice Admiral Kahn. Has he forgotten his original intention?" Smoker finally voiced his concerns.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Even Tashigi and others felt the shift and found the pressure stifling.
Kahn remained silent for an extended moment before bursting into laughter.
However, his laughter carried a trace of mockery.
"Smoker, are you preaching to me?"
"I would never dare. I merely have certain doubts," Smoker replied.
"Doubts? Originally, I had a shred of admiration left for you. But it seems that old man Zephyr hasn't taught you anything."
"Why do you say that?"
"The awe of the strong, understanding one's own strength."
Smoker was taken aback by Kahn's words.
Although Smoker was content with his current strength, he felt an undercurrent of dissatisfaction.
"Not convinced?" Kahn's voice carried a hint of disdain.
"While you're my senior, such an assertion does strike a nerve," Smoker retorted, taking a drag of his cigar and exhaling a large smoke ring.
"Irked, are you? I'm suppressing my irritation too. Look at you—Zephyr's disciple, yet your Haki is all over the place. You've learned five out of the six sword styles, and you're jumbling them up."
"No mastery in swordsmanship—your only highlight is the Logia-type Fruit. How well have you developed that?"
"Red Dog, Yellow Monkey, and Green Pheasant—those three have achieved prominence with their fruits, and they're strong. They've even risen to the rank of general. What about you? Captain? Returning to the rank of captain at the East Blue Branch? Is that it? Do you need me to teach you?" Kahn's words dripped with disdain.
"And do you know one more thing? I had finally quit smoking, but you dare smoke in front of me? That really gets on my nerves!"
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