"Mr. Garp, what… happened to you?"
Seeing Garp's exaggerated reaction, Kairo D. Arashi blinked in confusion and asked, "Is this question… really that hard to answer?"
"You brat… ahem… what kind of question is that?!"
Garp put down his cup and glared, his eyes bulging with agitation. "That's all nonsense! Ask another one, another one!"
Although Kairo D. Arashi's expression looked harmless enough, Garp knew he'd fallen right into his trap. If he answered this question, who knew what even more outrageous questions Kairo D. Arashi might ask next!
"Mr. Garp, since you've agreed to this interview, you have to cooperate! Otherwise, it wouldn't look good for the Hero of the Marines, would it?"
Looking at the regretful expression on Garp's face, Kairo D. Arashi suppressed his laughter and continued, "This question shouldn't be… difficult to answer, right? Well, if Mr. Garp really doesn't want to answer, then we can end the interview here!"
As he spoke, Kairo D. Arashi turned his head toward Tashigi, who was watching him and Garp curiously with a pair of lively, wide eyes. "Little Kiki, where should we go play after breakfast…?"
"Nothing like that happened! It's completely made up, hahahaha…"
Before Tashigi could say anything, Garp hurriedly forced out an awkward laugh. "How could we possibly…? Although, when Sengoku and I were young, it seems he did… Hmm, you know what I mean, don't you? But Little Tsuru obviously liked me more… Ahahaha… All right, next question!"
Looking at Garp stumbling over his words and hemming and hawing, Kairo D. Arashi couldn't hold back any longer. He hammered the table and burst into exaggerated laughter.
"You brat, what are you laughing at? Hurry up and start the next question! After the interview, you can't go back on your word. You have to come with me to see…!"
"All right, all right!"
Kairo D. Arashi waved a hand to stop Garp and continued, "Second question. Mr. Garp, you're so carefree, irreverent, and undisciplined. How did you manage to have a son with an IQ of 250? Could he be Old Wang from next door's? Oh, right, your son seems to be a revolu—"
"Stop! Stop!!!!"
Before Kairo D. Arashi could finish, Garp immediately lost his temper. He shot to his feet and shouted angrily, "You brat… Why do you keep asking these completely meaningless questions? And there is no Old Wang from next door in Marine Headquarters!!!!"
"Eh?"
Kairo D. Arashi slightly raised his head and calmly looked at the agitated Garp, sounding somewhat puzzled. "Mr. Garp, I said from the very beginning that I wanted to interview you about trivial matters from your personal life. So these questions… shouldn't be outside the scope, right? Fine. If Mr. Garp doesn't want to answer this one, we'll switch to another!"
"Whew…"
Seeing that Kairo D. Arashi had actually volunteered to move on, Garp secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Kairo D. Arashi had really refused to let this question go, he might genuinely have gotten into a fight with him. Whenever his good-for-nothing son came up, Garp would lose his temper!
Originally, he'd wanted to raise his son to become his successor. But that son of his had gone and started a revolution, openly opposing the World Government and even proclaiming that he would overthrow the World Government. If Garp's mental fortitude hadn't been strong enough, he'd probably have already died of a heart attack! And with the upcoming World Council's main agenda centered on his son and the Revolutionary Army, under these circumstances, Garp would get worked up whenever anyone mentioned his son to him!
Fortunately, Kairo D. Arashi had promptly abandoned the question.
"But don't ask any more questions that make this old man angry!"
After sitting back down, Garp took a moment to calm himself before picking up the glass of fruit juice that had just been served and taking a drink.
"All right, all right!"
Kairo D. Arashi nodded slightly. "Then let's ask something that will make Mr. Garp happy! Tell me, what exactly is the story behind the mark on your son's face? I've heard a rumor that the mark on his face appeared because he left the Marines to join the revolution, and you got so furious that you smacked him in the face with a slipper?"
Garp hadn't expected the question to revolve around the son who infuriated him yet again, and his eyes widened once more.
This time, however, he didn't blow up. Instead, after staring at Kairo D. Arashi without blinking for a moment, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Well, about that! This old man did indeed smack him in the face with a slipper, but whether that was when the mark on his face appeared… this old man has no idea! Hahahahaha…"
Clearly, Kairo D. Arashi's question had genuinely improved Garp's mood quite a bit!
Seeing that Garp was in much better spirits, Kairo D. Arashi asked several more inconsequential questions in succession. Eventually, his own throat became a little dry, so he picked up the fruit juice in front of him and took a sip before looking up at Garp. "Mr. Garp, one last question! Among all the pirates you've killed, captured and imprisoned, or pursued over the years, which great pirate do you think was the strongest? Rocks, Roger, or perhaps Golden Lion Shiki?"
Hearing this question, the gloom Garp had felt after Kairo D. Arashi brought up his son instantly vanished. He then laughed proudly and said, "They're all about the same, all defeated by this old man's hands… Hahahahaha…"
"Mr. Garp certainly hasn't lost any of his heroic swagger!"
Kairo D. Arashi smiled slightly. "That concludes today's interview. Thank you very much, Mr. Garp, for taking time out of your busy schedule to accept my interview. Much appreciated!"
With that, Kairo D. Arashi casually picked up the Video Transponder Snail from the table and put it away. He then looked unobtrusively at Tashigi beside him. "Little Kiki, are you finished eating?"
"Mm-hmm."
Tashigi had finished breakfast a long time ago. She quickly nodded and asked, "Mr. Kairo D. Arashi, are you finished with the interview? If so, let's go out and play!"
"Hahaha, let's go!"
Kairo D. Arashi rose decisively, took Tashigi's little hand, and turned to walk out!
"Eh?"
Seeing Kairo D. Arashi and Tashigi leave him behind, Garp blinked in confusion. Then his eyes widened as he shouted excitedly, "Kairo D. Arashi, you brat! What you promised this old man—"
"Oh, right!"
Before Garp could finish, Kairo D. Arashi suddenly turned around. "Mr. Garp, could I trouble you to pay the bill? I came to Marine Headquarters with Gion in such a hurry that I didn't bring much money!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kairo D. Arashi had already led Tashigi downstairs and out of sight!
Garp naturally wasn't about to let Kairo D. Arashi get away. After simply telling the staff to put the bill on his tab, he jumped straight out of the window and landed in front of Kairo D. Arashi, who had just walked out of the hotel.
"You brat, don't even think about shirking your responsibilities!"
After blocking Kairo D. Arashi's path, Garp immediately roared, "If you can't bear to leave Tashigi behind, then bring her with you to the Headquarters building!"
"Don't get so worked up, old man."
Kairo D. Arashi smiled gently. "Besides, I'm not leaving anytime soon. There's no rush to meet Fleet Admiral Sengoku. You know I'm a traveler. Now that I've finally arrived at Marine Headquarters, of course I have to look around and take in the sights of Marineford, don't you think?"
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