Jango looked at the four approaching figures and chuckled, "Hahaha~ Since you dare to come aboard a Marine warship, watch me capture you all!"
"Hey~ Aren't you a pirate? Why did you become a Marine?" Luffy yelled, baring his teeth.
Jango recalled the scene of being disciplined by the "Fist of Love" and shivered. He looked at Luffy, "My life is bitter~ My fate is not in my own hands~"
He then ignored Luffy, turned to the Marines, and commanded, "All soldiers, align with me! Focus on the ring in my hand. When I say '1, 2, 3 Jango,' you will become incredibly strong and fearless of pain—then capture the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"1, 2, 3 Jango, huru-ru~" Jango immediately fell asleep, while the Marines' muscles swelled, and they charged at Luffy and the others.
The battle was about to erupt.
Hina of the Black Cage issued orders to Fullbody, the Nyaban Brothers, and Kuro, "You each pick a target. Straw Hat Luffy is mine."
She then turned to her subordinates, "Cease fire! With that man's ability, we can't break through the pirate ship's defense. Engage in close combat! Capture the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Yes, Colonel Hina!" the Marines saluted in response.
An overwhelming battle was about to begin.
For the current Straw Hat Pirates, fighting these Marines—who couldn't use Haki—was like child's play.
Kuro found Sanji and, with a seductive expression, said in a simpering voice, "Little pigeon~~ Let me fight you~ Be gentle with me~ I'm quite fond of you~" He even threw a flirtatious wink at Sanji.
All the Marines immediately distanced themselves from Kuro, their faces covered in black lines.
"I can't stand it—I really can't! You damn sissy, just die~~ Ugh~~ Diable Jambe: Bien Cuit: Grill Shot!"
Sanji infused Haki into his leg, flashed next to Kuro, and delivered a rapid succession of kicks, instantly knocking Kuro unconscious.
The Nyaban Brothers faced Zoro but couldn't even touch him. With one move, Zoro's Haki-infused Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave struck both of them simultaneously, sending the brothers sprawling.
Iron Fist Fullbody was instantly defeated by Bentham's attack. Only Luffy and Hina remained in combat.
In the nearby sea… a dog-headed warship was sailing toward them.
While Luffy's battle was raging, in the kingdom, Princess Vivi's speech had just begun.
Galdino turned the megaphone's volume to maximum, so even Luffy, Zoro, and the others fighting could hear it clearly.
As they heard Vivi's words, smiles appeared on their faces.
"It all began on that day, a day when we crossed a dark ocean, searching for despair. Beyond the country, the sea was incredibly vast."
"There were unbelievable and powerful islands, creatures I'd never seen, dreamlike scenery, and the music played by the waves, sometimes enveloping us in peace, making us forget our worries."
"In a rambling dark storm, I met a small boat. The small boat pushed my back and told me—'Can't you see that ray of dawn?' An incredible small boat that never loses its way even in darkness, dancing over the waves."
"Never fighting against the sea, yet its bow always pushes forward, even against the wind. Look~ Ahead~ As long as you cross the waves, you can see the dawn."
As the battle continued, the number of Marines not only didn't decrease, but increased, with more warships constantly arriving.
"Luffy~ We have to leave now! Your grandfather Garp is here!" Shin'ya suddenly shouted.
Luffy's face instantly paled, and he shrieked, "What~? My grandfather is here? Where?"
"He's in the sea not far from us. Hurry back, or you're going to get a beating!" Shin'ya replied.
"Quick~ Zoro, Sanji, let's hurry back to the Going Merry! My grandfather is here!" Luffy dragged the two back to the Going Merry, with Bentham following closely behind.
"Quick, Nami, let's head for the next island and break through the encirclement! If I get caught, I'm doomed!" Luffy urged Nami with a terrified expression.
Just as the Going Merry adjusted its direction, Vivi and Carue appeared on the shore.
"Everyone~~ Gah gah~~"
Luffy, Usopp, and Nami immediately rushed to the railing, excitedly shouting, "Vivi, are you coming out to sea with us?"
Vivi smiled and waved, "Everyone~ I'm here to say goodbye. I can't go out to sea with you. Thank you so much for everything so far. Although I really want to go on an adventure with you, I still love my country. Therefore, I can't go with you."
Vivi started crying as she spoke, "I… even though I have to stay here, if we meet again one day, will you still call me a friend? Waaah~~"
Luffy and the others didn't speak. Instead, they raised their hands, revealing a large 'X' on the back of their hands—a symbol of their promise during their voyage.
At the Marine warship—
"Smoker, why are you stopping Hina? Hina is very angry. You'd better give Hina an explanation." Hina looked confused at Smoker, who had appeared at some point.
"Vice Admiral Garp sent me. He wants us to return to the nearest Marine branch. He will personally capture the Straw Hat Pirates." Smoker said with an unwilling expression.
Just then, a figure appeared in the sky above the Going Merry, moving at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he landed on the deck.
Except for Shin'ya, who knew what was happening, everyone was startled. Zoro immediately retracted his raised arm and assumed his Three-Sword Style stance. Sanji also retracted his arm while flames began to appear on his leg.
Usopp, Nami, and Chopper—the cowardly trio—instantly hid behind Shin'ya.
Luffy's smile froze on his face. He mechanically turned his body and stammered, "G-g-g-grandpa~ How did you get here so fast?"
"Hahahaha~~ Luffy, you certainly caused quite a stir, didn't you? As expected of my grandson, Garp!" He then clenched his fist, infused with Haki, and punched Luffy on the head.
"Grandpa…? Eh~ Is Vice Admiral Garp Luffy's grandfather?" Everyone either lowered their weapons or came out, all looking surprised.
Garp turned to Hina and the others, who hadn't left yet, "Ahem~~ You didn't hear anything, did you? Now, quickly return to the nearest Marine branch. I'll handle the Straw Hat Pirates, understood?"
All the Marines awkwardly responded in unison, "Yes~ Vice Admiral Garp, we don't know anything. While we were pursuing the Straw Hat Pirates, a tsunami suddenly occurred, and we lost them."
Then all the Marines adjusted their direction and headed for the base.
Garp looked at the tense Straw Hat Pirates and said kindly, "Don't be afraid, I'm a very easygoing person."
He then turned to Shin'ya, instantly appearing beside him, hooking an arm around his shoulder like a good friend, "Shin'ya, kid, do you want to be my grandson, or join the Marines? If you join the Marines, I guarantee you'll become an Admiral or even Fleet Admiral."
"Uh~ That's really not necessary. I don't want to serve the Celestial Dragons. Isn't that why Vice Admiral Garp has never taken the position of Admiral?" Shin'ya said firmly.
"Is that so? Hahahaha~ Good kid. Alright, you all can leave here. I just came to see Luffy and help the Marines a bit, so you don't wipe them out with some 'Great Buddha' move, kid." Garp finished speaking and prepared to Geppo back to his dog-headed warship.
"Wait!" Shin'ya quickly grabbed Garp.
Garp turned back in confusion, "What, did you change your mind? Do you want to join me in the Marines?"
"No, since you're already here, how about leaving some stuff for your grandson's crew to use? Like the Six Powers, advanced Haki techniques—and you could teach them too. And while you're at it, give us a Den Den Mushi so we can contact you if there's a big problem, right?" Shin'ya rubbed his hands, asking Garp for things.
Garp left a Den Den Mushi and a few small notebooks, then tied Bentham and a few others together with a rope and took them away.
Meanwhile, Luffy and the others began sailing toward their next destination.
Half a day later…
Sailing on the sea, everyone except Zoro, Sanji, and Shin'ya was listless.
After getting the advanced Haki techniques and the Six Powers, Zoro and Sanji, neither wanting to be outdone by the other, secretly competed and trained for half a day.
Zoro asked Shin'ya for a wood clone to help him train his Observation Haki, while Sanji practiced the Six Powers.
Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were staring blankly at the railing.
"I'm so bored~" Luffy said again.
"That's enough, you guys! You've said that hundreds of times since we left Alabasta! If you wanted Vivi on the ship so badly, why didn't you just force her aboard?" Zoro looked at the whimpering four.
Nami: "Crude!"
Usopp: "Barbarian!!"
Chopper: "Heartless!!!"
Luffy: "Three-Sword Style!"
Just then, the door to the room opened.
"Oh my~ We've finally left the island. Good work, everyone." Nico Robin said with a smile.
"Ah~~" Luffy and the cowardly trio shrieked.
Zoro immediately adopted a combat stance, gripping his sword hilt, and said, "A Baroque Works member? Do you want revenge for your comrades?"
Nami, with several large bumps on her head, asked in horror, "Why are you on our ship?"
Sanji's eyes turned into red hearts, "Beautiful big sister~"
Usopp and Chopper each hugged one of Shin'ya's legs, crying uncontrollably, "Enemy attack~ Shin'ya, enemy attack!"
"It's okay, Chopper, Don't be afraid." Shin'ya directly picked up Chopper and started petting the reindeer.
Robin used her ability to retrieve everyone's weapons. "Don't point such dangerous things at me."
She then slowly walked to a lounge chair and sat down, looking at Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy, let me be your nakama! I have nowhere else to go, so please let me join you."
Robin gave them a brief summary of her past, not going into details about the Ohara incident.
Luffy listened intently. "What? So that's how it is. Well, in that case, it can't be helped. Alright, you're our nakama now."
"Yay~ Robin-chan, I'll go prepare some afternoon tea for you right away!" Sanji immediately rushed to the kitchen.
"Then join us. Welcome, Nico Robin." Shin'ya leapt down from the crow's nest and came to Zoro and the other two. "Don't worry so much. Just go along with it".
---
(＾▽＾) Become a patron to get access to chapters in advance.
P@treon.com/Zphyr_
Change @ to a.