At the same time, on the sea surface not far from Syrup Village, Garp's warship finally arrived.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Rear Admiral Bogard, Syrup Village is just ahead." On the deck, a Marine Soldier immediately ran up to Bogard and Garp to report.
"Understood," Bogard said, waving his hand.
"Hahaha, are we finally going to meet them?" Garp said with a cold laugh.
"Hmm? Mr. Garp, that fishing boat in the northeast seems to be our target," Bogard said, looking in the other direction.
"Huh? Could that be those girls? But didn't they disguise the fishing boat as a merchant ship?" Garp looked in that direction after hearing him.
But after getting a clear look, Garp immediately started cursing.
"Bogard, these must be Syrup Village villagers out fishing. Can't you see that most people on that ship are men? Even if there are women, they appear older than those girls. It is clearly not the target we are looking for."
"No, Mr. Garp, I am certain this ship is our target. This is a photo we obtained recently," Bogard said with a determined look, taking a photo out of his pocket.
"Hmm? Comparing them, it really does seem to be the one." Garp took the photo, looked at it, and immediately felt puzzled, because the distant fishing boat was basically identical to the one in the photo. Although there were some differences, it appeared to be the same ship.
"Bogard, what are your thoughts?" Garp disliked having to think, so he might as well hand it over to his subordinate.
"I have some theories, but I'll go ask them first." Bogard gave him a helpless glance, then immediately used Moonwalk, stepping on the air and flying out. He quickly landed on the ship. The villagers were startled, as they had never seen anyone fly. When faced with Bogard's inquiries, they quickly recounted everything in detail.
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Bogard quickly used Moonwalk again to fly back to the warship.
"Well?" Garp, the surrounding Marine Soldiers, and Koby and Helmeppo all looked at him curiously.
Koby and Helmeppo had also come. They had heard on Garp's warship about this group of young women who indiscriminately attacked Pirates and Marines. Since it was currently impossible to confirm whether they were Pirates or something else, they could only be referred to as such. They were very curious about this group of young women who had recently become somewhat famous in the East Blue.
"That fishing boat was indeed our recent target, but about an hour ago, it was sold by those girls to these villagers. The villagers wanted to test it out, like getting a new toy and wanting to play with it, which is why they came out to fish."
"However, according to them, there is a prominent family in Syrup Village that specializes in buying and selling ships. Those girls are still here, still on the island, so they likely want to trade for a new ship here. After all, you can see that ship is truly unsuitable for sailing, especially for entering the Grand Line."
Bogard immediately relayed everything he knew.
Garp's eyes lit up after hearing this. He only focused on one sentence: they were here, and they were here to buy a ship. In that case, those girls would likely stay for a while longer.
"Keep a close watch on this village. If any ship sets sail, tell me immediately."
But this was, after all, a village where ordinary people lived. He couldn't just go in and arrest them directly. Since the opponents' strength seemed considerable, harming ordinary villagers or damaging the village would be undesirable. This old Marine, whose heart was truly filled with justice, did not want to do that.
Since they were already here, they would just wait for the opponents' ship to set sail. The village was too small for them to hide in. Once a ship emerges, they will quickly spot it and chase after it...
Meanwhile, at Kaya's house, everyone was still guarding Kaya.
But suddenly, Kaya widened her beautiful eyes, which radiated dazzling and brilliant gold. The Angel Wings that had originally enveloped her immediately spread open behind her. Coupled with the golden halo radiating above her head, the holiness and greatness of an angel were displayed on Kaya's body.
However, Kaya opening her eyes now proved that she had awakened from her state of enlightenment. She slowly descended to the ground, her beautiful and stylish Angel combat boots gently touching the floor.
"In legends, many angels are born warriors; they naturally form armor and battle attire. It seems the rumors are true," Kuina exclaimed, looking at Kaya.
"Very strong. She is not inferior to Nojiko when she completely mastered the Ice Sky Snow Woman Fruit," Platinum Longlong also nodded and said.
"They are both Mythical Zoan types, so how different could they be?" Nojiko was slightly jealous, because Kaya's current Angel Form, in terms of beauty and coolness, was not inferior to her Snow Woman Form, perhaps even slightly superior.
"Hahaha, alright, Kaya will be my crewmate and our ship's doctor from now on. What is there to be jealous of?" Lu Yue laughed.
"I request to join the crew, Captain Lu Yue."
Feeling that her physical fitness had truly improved by leaps and bounds, surpassing ordinary people, and having gained such powerful strength, she could also fly freely in the air like an angel, radiating light and fighting.
Since Lu Yue had delivered on her promise, she naturally had to fulfill hers and become her crewmate. She also wanted to experience that kind of freedom and adventure, pursue her dreams, and experience countless intense and wonderful battles.
Kaya bowed respectfully to Lu Yue and said.
"Hahaha, I have an Angel doctor on my ship now!" Lu Yue laughed out loud.
"Welcome."
"Welcome."
"Welcome."
Kuina and the other two also offered their congratulations, smiling as they watched their new companion join.
"Miss Kaya, please go and pursue your dreams wholeheartedly. I will take care of the family business and look after Syrup Village."
Merry shed tears. After all, the Little girl she had watched grow up, the weak Little girl who would collapse at a touch, had finally broken free from her cocoon. Naturally, she felt happy and moved for her.
"Then I leave it to you, Merry." Kaya had unconditional trust in the butler who had truly accompanied her for many years. She smiled sweetly and said.
"Captain, I'll take you to see the ship now. Merry, please help me pack my things, my personal clothes and some other items. Bring them later."
The first sentence was addressed to Lu Yue and the others, and the second sentence was naturally addressed to Merry.
"Yes, Miss Kaya." After bowing respectfully, Merry wiped the tears from her eyes and face and quickly went to pack Kaya's belongings.
Kaya also led Lu Yue and the others out of her house. As she stepped out the door, Kaya glanced back, unsure when she would return home next. However, she had already delayed long enough. Now, she also had to pursue her dreams, just like Usopp.
Turning around, she continued leading everyone toward their family's private dock, where there was a relatively hidden shipyard.
Using a key to open the shipyard gate, they walked in and saw ships of various sizes, shapes, and appearances.
Their expressions were wonderful as they looked at the ships, just like a group of Little girls visiting a car show. But they were visiting a boat show now, looking with admiration and scrutiny.
"Captain Lu Yue, this is the ship you just bought, and it will be our pirate ship from now on," Kaya said with a smile, looking at the huge two-masted sailboat in front of them.
"Good." Looking at the large ship resting on the water, Lu Yue smiled confidently. Activating her Gliza Ability, she flew up. She took out the large Pirate flag she had prepared earlier from her storage ring and casually hung it on the flagpole. Since she had done this once before, Lu Yue easily hung the Pirate flag on the flagpole, just waiting for it to flutter in the sea breeze once they sailed out.
"Let's clean it up. It's a new ship, after all. I'll take care of the inside of the cabin."
"That's right. I'll take care of the deck."
"The dirtiest part is the outside of the ship. I'll take care of the bottom and the sides."
Kuina, Nojiko, and Platinum Longlong said one after another. As for cleaning tools, they had them in their storage rings.
The three immediately found their respective areas and started cleaning.
Lu Yue and Kaya quickly joined in. After all, this was a very meaningful team activity, and of course, a new ship needed a cleaning.
Lu Yue also treated this action as a warm-up. After all, there was a tough battle ahead, but she was not afraid of Garp and Bogard.
After all, her Ability itself restrained pure Haki, martial arts, and sword skill experts like Garp and Bogard, though energy attacks could still harm her if they were powerful or specialized enough.
But her several days of training were not for nothing. All Three Types of Haki had improved somewhat, and she was more proficient with Gliza's Ability and skills, easily handling those energy skills.
Moreover, her four crewmates were also formidable: Kuina, the top swordswoman specializing in speed and attack, possessing Vice Admiral Candidate strength.
Platinum Longlong, specializing in strength and defense, mastering some powerful top-tier technological weapons, possessing Vice Admiral Candidate strength.
And Nojiko, who already possessed Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral strength, and Kaya, who was only slightly inferior, might not be incapable of fighting, perhaps even repelling Garp. After all, the Marines could do nothing against her Gliza Void Ability, and her combat power and destructive force were absolutely Four Emperors level.
Furthermore, don't forget, she currently has a summon card, allowing her to summon one more partner from another world. Who is afraid of whom? It is truly uncertain.
Therefore, Lu Yue was still very confident about the upcoming battle.
Moreover, she also hoped to use this battle to make the name of her Pink Hat Pirates famous.
After all, their opponent was Garp, the Marine Hero Vice Admiral, an absolute top-tier powerhouse on this great sea, a figure with a resounding reputation.