[Its fine. He's had more offers of help lately than he wants to deal with.]

...I know the Vice Admiral. [Because that was the truth--and he uses that rank only for Robin.] Have known him since I came here in November, and I was getting exasperated by his constant comparisons between 'Straw Hat' and myself. I didn't actually meet Luffy himself until a couple of months back, when Smoker and my rival, Zenigata, decided to trade places and targets.

It...was pretty wild. I've spoken with Luffy on and off since then, and I was looking forward to getting to know him better.