"Garp, tell me the truth—what's your relationship with that Straw Hat brat?"
Sengoku's expression was grim.
"He's my grandson," Garp replied without hesitation.
A long, weary sigh escaped Sengoku's lips.
He should've known.
He placed a hand on Garp's shoulder, trying to console him.
"Relax. Your grandson's alive. He just got roughed up a little. Not dead."
"But still..." Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
"Garp, if you see him, talk some sense into the kid. Pirates don't have happy endings."
"Don't worry," Garp growled, slamming the desk.
"I'll beat that brat black and blue myself!"
Just then, the latest intel packet arrived.
"Take a look. This is the punk who hurt your grandson," Sengoku said, handing over the file.
Garp's brows knit together as he studied Reno's photo.
"Huh. Handsome enough. But I wonder if that face would still be pretty after eating my fist..."
He flipped to the crew list.
The moment he saw it, his eyes bulged.
"All women?! And they're all drop-dead gorgeous?!"
He scanned through quickly:
Nami – Navigator. Suspected to have the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Nojiko – Nami's sister. Details unknown.
Kaya – Background unknown.
Makino – …wait.
"Makino?!"
Garp froze, rubbing his eyes.
That name sounded familiar.
Then it hit him.
Just a few days ago, Dadan had called him, cursing up a storm, saying Makino had been 'stolen by some punk' and demanding Garp go fetch her back.
He thought she was joking.
Apparently not.
And now that "punk" was Reno.
Garp clenched the file.
"That little bastard. Just added another reason to knock him out."
He looked back at the profile again.
"Since when did Logia-type Devil Fruits become so common?! Two popped up at once—and one of them's the damn Rumble-Rumble Fruit?!"
Sengoku nodded gravely.
"That's exactly what worries me."
"There was once a Rumble-Rumble user who could take on two Vice Admirals alone. His lightning turned everything within several kilometers into ashes."
"Even with two top Marine officers, we couldn't pin him down."
That one man had made history.
Now that this fearsome power had resurfaced, they couldn't afford to ignore it.
"I'm heading to the East Blue," Garp declared, standing up.
"Looking for your grandson?" Sengoku asked knowingly.
"And to arrest Reno," Garp grunted. "Two birds. One stone."
Sengoku shook his head.
"From the reports, Reno uses the Cloud-Cloud Fruit to keep his ship airborne. Good luck finding them."
For once, Garp didn't argue. That was...fair.
Still, Sengoku didn't deny the request. He knew Garp's main reason was Luffy.
"Before anything else, issue a bounty. Even if we can't catch him, let's at least make his life a little less comfortable."
"Agreed," Garp snorted.
"Four beauties on one ship... I'm jealous just thinking about it."
He left in a huff, cracking his knuckles.
Someone was gonna get their head pounded.
Meanwhile…
The bounty posters hit the seas.
Baratie, Floating Restaurant
The most famous restaurant in East Blue.
With its massive ship-like structure and defensive fishhead bows, it was a haven for gourmets and pirates alike.
Few dared cause trouble here.
After three days of flight, Reno's crew finally arrived.
To avoid unnecessary attention, Reno had their ship descend and sail on the sea.
"That's Baratie?! Looks just like the stories!" Nami said, shielding her eyes with her hand.
Having finally escaped Arlong's grip, she was free to see the world she once only dreamed of.
Kaya, once bedridden, had stars in her eyes.
To her, every new place was a wonderland.
"Look over there! Another pirate ship!" Nojiko pointed ahead.
Everyone turned.
A tattered, worn-down ship floated in the water, bearing the symbol of the Krieg Pirates.
Reno smirked.
"That's the Dreadnought Saber—flagship of Don Krieg, self-proclaimed tyrant of the East Blue."
Nami tilted her head.
"Is he stronger than Arlong?"
Reno shrugged.
"Hard to say. Maybe about the same. Weak, either way."
"His bounty's only 17 million berries."
"Pffft, only?" Nami scoffed.
She'd offed Arlong with 20 million.
Krieg was nothing to her now.
Makino frowned.
"If he's so powerful, why's his ship in pieces?"
"Maybe he saw something... he shouldn't have." Reno chuckled.
After all, Don Krieg had wandered into the Grand Line… only to encounter Dracule Mihawk.
Big mistake.
They docked the Going Merry.
"Let's go. Time for a feast," Reno said, waving his crew along.
Just as they reached the restaurant entrance, a loud, obnoxious voice rang out—
"Hahaha! From today forward, I, Don Krieg, am taking over Baratie! Obey me if you value your lives!"
The man laughed hysterically, standing in the doorway like a complete idiot.
Reno's brows rose.
Oh? Perfect timing.