One Piece: King of the World

Claudius listened to Kuzan's words, looking at him in mild surprise but saying nothing.

Kuzan was the first to smile, but gradually, his expression turned dull, and his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Hey, do you two seriously want to kick me out? At least have some ethics! Even if you're thinking that, couldn't you wait until after the mission to bring it up? Aren't you afraid I'll just give up halfway?" Kuzan grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Claudius laughed, clapped Kuzan on the shoulder, and said, "Ahahahaha! Look at you, acting all scared. Do I really seem that heartless?"

Kuzan glanced at the oily handprint now imprinted on his clean white vest, then nodded with a look of pure disgust. "Without a doubt, yes."

Borsalino, sipping his drink, chuckled happily.

As a leading figure of the Marine neutral faction, he rarely participated in drinking sessions like this. Tonight was an exception.

And in the midst of it, he found his perception of Saint Claudius shifting yet again.

In the past, even though Claudius was easygoing, he still carried the air of a Celestial Dragon—reserved, untouchable.

That feeling had been unmistakable.

But this time, Borsalino didn't sense it at all. It truly felt like a group of friends sitting together, eating and drinking.

"Has he let go of something?" Borsalino mused.

He wasn't sure what had changed, but it seemed like Saint Claudius had broken free from some kind of invisible shackle yet again.

"I think Your Highness makes a good point," Borsalino said with a smile.

Kuzan fell silent. Though he hadn't made any concrete decisions yet, he wasn't ruling out the idea of leaving the Marines. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the only way forward.

Claudius smiled at Kuzan and said, "Relax. No need to overthink this."

"I'm the one at risk of being unemployed, not you," Kuzan muttered helplessly.

Claudius seemed to relate to those words. He murmured softly, "Unemployment wouldn't be too bad for you… But if I end up unemployed, I might have to immigrate to the moon…"

Because if his plans failed, there wouldn't be a place for him in this world.

Turn to piracy? The World Government would hunt him down relentlessly. And the major pirate crews wouldn't let him off either.

Maybe his only option would be to take Enel and a few others, find a way to the moon, and see if he could somehow make a comeback from there.

Thinking about it, Claudius did feel some pressure. How could he not?

Kuzan and Borsalino both caught on to the weight behind Claudius' words and fell silent.

As Marine Admirals, they were highly attuned to these kinds of shifts in power. Even if the World Government hadn't realized it yet, they had.

But this was the kind of thing that, unless Claudius spoke about it himself, the Marines couldn't bring up first.

If they were wrong, it'd be embarrassing for everyone involved.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Claudius took another sip of his drink, suppressing his thoughts. With a smile, he said, "Let's talk about you instead."

"If you're seriously considering changing platforms, I actually have a plan prepared for you."

"Of course, it's just an option."

"If you're not interested, I won't force it."

After a brief pause, Claudius added, "We may have our differences when it comes to ideals and goals, but outside of that, we're still friends, aren't we?"

Kuzan nodded. "Of course. That much is obvious. We each have our own beliefs and aspirations, that's not strange at all."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Borsalino.

Borsalino, still chewing on a skewer, hummed a little tune. But when he noticed Kuzan looking at him, he immediately scowled.

"Oi, do you have to pick a fight with me to feel good?" Borsalino asked, clearly annoyed.

"Cough cough, misunderstanding, misunderstanding."

Kuzan awkwardly cleared his throat and continued, "Having different pursuits means opposition is inevitable. But like you said, public matters are public, and private matters are private. I am not some petty man who can't move past things."

Claudius nodded. He believed that. Otherwise, Kuzan wouldn't still be sitting here drinking with him.

If he truly couldn't accept it, he would've walked away the moment he realized Claudius had chosen to support Sakazuki.

After finishing another drink, Kuzan finally asked, "So, what exactly is your plan?"

Claudius smirked and said, "How about joining CP-X?"

Kuzan was momentarily stunned, then let out a small chuckle. "Figures. It's pretty much what I expected."

"Hahahahaha, I knew you'd already thought about this! But hey, at least I was the one to bring it up first, doesn't that show I respect you?" Claudius laughed.

Kuzan smiled and nodded. "It's a solid plan. I'll seriously consider it."

"I think you should just accept it," Borsalino suddenly chimed in.

The normally indifferent Admiral rarely voiced his opinions so openly, so Kuzan became intrigued.

"Oh? And why's that?" he asked.

Borsalino grinned. "Think about it. CP-X is equivalent to Marine Headquarters, right? But everyone assumes CP-X holds higher authority than us. Doesn't that mean you'd technically be getting a promotion? In a way, wouldn't that make you Sakazuki's equal?"

Kuzan froze.

At their level, ideals, beliefs, and personal philosophies were the driving forces behind their decisions.

But now?

That argument actually made a weird kind of sense!

After his initial surprise, Kuzan couldn't help but think, Damn… that's actually a solid point.

Claudius laughed, thoroughly amused by Borsalino's unique perspective. "Man, Borsalino, I gotta hand it to you. You really do have the most… unique way of looking at things."

Grinning, Claudius suddenly asked, "Hey, why don't you just switch over to CP-X too? We've got great benefits—full coverage, paid vacations, the works!"

Borsalino chuckled, then said meaningfully, "Maybe I won't even need to switch jobs. I could still follow Your Highness just fine, couldn't I?"

Claudius had to admit, this guy was a slippery one.

He hadn't made any real commitments. He hadn't taken any risks. He'd just implied his loyalty in a way that made it sound like a done deal.

But, in the end, it was still a form of allegiance.

Among the top figures in the Marines, aside from the veterans like Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru, Sengoku had no choice but to remain neutral.

Sakazuki didn't need much convincing, his ambitions and beliefs aligned with what Claudius could offer.

That left only Kuzan and Borsalino.

For Kuzan, Claudius truly planned to bring him into CP-X. If Kuzan agreed, he'd naturally become an ally.

As for Borsalino, Claudius had never bothered trying to recruit him. He always seemed too lazy, too disinterested.

But now, with just a few words, Borsalino had subtly declared his stance. And that put Claudius at ease.

Claudius reached out to pat Kuzan on the shoulder only for Kuzan to dodge effortlessly.

Pointing at the napkins on the table, Kuzan said, "Hey, there's paper right there. Use that to wipe your hands."

Claudius looked embarrassed. Then he said, "Fine, fine. I doubt you'll decide so quickly anyway. Take your time."

Kuzan nodded. "Yeah. Either way, thanks. I'll think it over and give you an answer."

***

This book is completed so you can read all chapters on: /Blownleaves.