"Come on! Tonight, we drink until we drop!"
"Brother Magellan, I'll drink first to show my respect!"
Gulp, gulp.
"Vice Admiral Lonz, are you raising fish in your cup? If you can't drink, go sit at Bepo's table."
At the huge round table, Hibari's mouth was wide open in shock. She stared in disbelief at Rorschach, who had pulled open his shirt, placed one foot on the chair, and was guzzling a large goblet filled with golden liquor.
Rorschach's lips curled into an exaggerated grin, his expression wild and unrestrained, completely different from his usual slightly reserved and shy demeanor.
The silver-haired youth was calling everyone "brother" and drinking just as he ate—like a bottomless pit.
Ever since Magellan and Lonz made him drink half a cup of this so-called "Sea King Liquor," the boy had completely let loose, flipping the tables on Lonz and the others, challenging them to a drinking contest.
Maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe something else, but somehow, Rorschach—who used to pass out after three drinks—had miraculously bested seven or eight Marine rear admirals, leaving them all slumped over the table, unconscious.
Now, only Rorschach, Magellan, and the giant Lonz remained, still pouring liquor down their throats.
And by the looks of it, Lonz was about to drop too.
As for Law…
That poor guy had tried to stop Rorschach from drinking and ended up being forced by Lonz and the others to drink a whole cup of Sea King Liquor. Now, he was passed out under the table.
"Brother Rorschach, who are you calling a lightweight? Every warrior of Elbaf is a world-class drinker! I… I can still drink!"
Lonz's words were slurred, and his massive body swayed dangerously, as if he could topple over at any moment.
A few snot-dripping guard beasts stood in a row by the edge of a nearby blood pool, just in case one of the drunkards accidentally fell in.
"You can still drink?"
Rorschach gently pushed Hibari's little head aside, jumped onto the table, and pointed at Lonz's half-empty barrel of liquor.
"Vice Admiral Lonz, you're spilling half your drink! Look at your cup—it could house a whole Sea King in there!"
"Damn it! I am not raising a Sea King in my cup! Fine! I'll drink another barrel!"
Lonz's huge face flushed bright red as he bent down to grab another barrel.
But his vision blurred, and the barrels in front of him seemed to multiply.
"I… I can still… hiccup—"
His enormous body wobbled, and suddenly, he collapsed face-first toward the ground.
Hibari let out a startled cry.
Thankfully, a few of the clumsy guard beasts had already been ordered by Sadi to stand by for this exact scenario.
Just as Lonz was about to hit the floor, Minotaur and Minoceros rushed forward and caught the snoring giant mid-fall.
"Hahaha! You dropped before I even got serious, Lonz!"
Rorschach, his entire face flushed red, laughed triumphantly, raising his cup and turning to Magellan.
"Magellan… hiccup… big bro, shall we continue?"
"Who are you calling big bro?"
Magellan chuckled, shaking his head, and downed his drink in one go.
Just as he was about to speak, Hibari ran up beside him, shaking her head frantically.
"Uncle Magellan, please don't let Rorschach drink anymore! He really can't handle it. He's already talking nonsense—he even called you 'big bro'!"
The daughter of Admiral Akainu, worried about this kid?
This boy sure was lucky.
Magellan sighed inwardly.
He nodded and stood up, waving his hand. "Let's call it a night. It's already past 2 AM. Get some rest. If you're still in the mood, you can stay in Impel Down for a few more days—there's plenty of good food and drink here."
"Really? Alright then… hiccup… we'll continue tomorrow!"
Rorschach staggered off the table, looking disappointed.
Hibari, worried he might fall, rushed over to support him.
"Hmm?"
Rorschach suddenly grinned mischievously, as if he had an idea.
He grabbed a small juice cup from the table and poured himself a drink from the massive 50-centimeter liquor goblet.
Then, under Hibari's confused gaze, he held the cup out to her.
"I… I don't drink, Brother Rorschach."
Hibari fidgeted nervously, unsure whether to accept the cup or not.
"A little won't hurt! Look, I've had so much, and I'm still fine!"
Rorschach chuckled, lowering his face close to hers. His flushed cheeks were now just ten centimeters away from Hibari's.
His breath tickled her face.
Hibari's face turned red as an apple, flustered under Rorschach's piercing ocean-blue gaze.
"If we're good friends, then let's have a drink together," Rorschach said with a grin, pressing the cup into her hands.
Before she could react, he lifted his massive goblet and clinked it against hers.
Then, he tilted his head back and downed his drink in one go.
His cup empty, Rorschach tossed it aside and turned to Hibari, smiling expectantly.
"I… I'll drink."
Hibari bit her lip, lifted the cup, and brought it to her lips.
The strong scent of high-proof alcohol made her frown.
She had never drunk alcohol before.
Although Akainu doted on his precious daughter, he absolutely forbade her from touching cigarettes or alcohol.
Back when Granny Tsuru's granddaughter, Peacock, learned to smoke from Tashigi, Hibari got curious and secretly hid a pack of ladies' cigarettes, wanting to try them out.
But before she could even light one, Akainu caught her.
Seeing his teenage daughter trying to smoke nearly made him blow Marineford sky-high in rage.
That night, the entire sky over Marineford echoed with Akainu's furious roars.
Fuming, the old man dragged her to Granny Tsuru's house and scolded Peacock right in front of her. Hibari was utterly humiliated.
If Akainu found out that Rorschach had gotten Hibari to drink, he might charge back from the New World just to give Rorschach a fresh lava bath.
Just as Hibari closed her eyes and prepared to gulp down the drink like Rorschach, she suddenly heard a chuckle. A large hand ruffled her hair before taking the cup from her hand and pouring the drink into his own mouth.
Hibari was stunned and looked at Rosha in confusion. "Rorschach-nii, what are you doing?"
"I was just messing with you. A girl should drink as little as possible when she's out." Rorschach chuckled, rubbing her head. "Especially my little Hibari. You're way too cute—if you get drunk, it'd be dangerous. Bad people might try to take advantage of you."
"Ah?"
Hearing the teasing warmth in Rorschach's voice, Hibari bit her lip, her ears burning, feeling like steam was about to rise from her head.
"Hehe, not even a single drop, okay?"
With a playful smirk, Rorschach raised a finger and, before Hibari could react, gently wiped away a drop of liquor from the corner of her lips. Then he yawned and stretched.
"I'm going to bed now, Hibari. You should rest too. See you tomorrow."
With that, he swayed as he walked toward Magellan's office.
Though clearly tipsy, he wasn't completely wasted. Judging by his direction, he probably planned to crash in Magellan's office for the night.
Hibari snapped out of her daze and quickly caught up to him.
"Rorschach-nii, Magellan-san arranged a room for you. I'll take you there."
She grabbed Rorschach's hand and, supporting his unsteady steps, led him toward a row of guest rooms near the infirmary.
These rooms were divided into private and shared spaces.
The private rooms were usually reserved for high-ranking officials visiting Impel Down, like Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, or World Government officers.
Rosha, as a mere Rear Admiral, was the first to receive such treatment.
Once inside, Hibari helped the drowsy Rosha to the bedside.
"Rorschach-nii, rest well. I'll be heading out."
She gently guided him to sit, allowing the dazed boy with a silly grin to slowly lie down.
Her cheeks were flushed pink, and despite herself, her gaze kept drifting toward Rosha's sculpted abs and chest.
Since he had taken off his shirt while drinking, his muscular physique was now fully exposed.
His bronze-toned muscles weren't oversized but sculpted with precision, like a masterpiece crafted by a top-tier artist.
The layers of muscle were well-defined, exuding strength and power, creating a striking visual impact.
As Hibari, blushing, helped him lie down, Rorschach—half-asleep—subconsciously reached for a blanket.
But instead of pulling at the sheets beneath him…
He grabbed Hibari instead.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Hibari let out a startled cry.
In an instant, her petite figure was scooped up by two powerful arms and pulled into a broad, heat-radiating embrace.
She froze.
Her mind went blank.
Still half-asleep, Rorschach sniffed slightly, catching a faint, soothing fragrance from her hair. Without thinking, he tightened his arms around the soft "blanket" in his grasp.
At 2.7 meters tall, Rorschach completely enveloped Hibari, who was only 1.7 meters.
Her entire body disappeared into his embrace.
Her small head rested just below his chin, and his warm, strong arms wrapped securely around her, making escape impossible.
The suddenness of it all left Hibari dazed.
Her brain felt foggy, as if she had gotten drunk alongside him.
Rorschach's body radiated a comforting warmth, and after the exhaustion of the day—especially from enduring Barrett's Conqueror's Haki—Hibari, overwhelmed by a mix of panic, shyness, and warmth, gradually drifted off to sleep.
(End of Chapter)
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