Chapter 14: The Strongest Crewmate?
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 44.
The massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove formed a natural dry dock, shielding the waters from the outside world.
Resting quietly on the water was a magnificent brigantine, its figurehead carved into the likeness of a cheerful lion. The ship's hull was completely encased in a colossal, transparent bubble—the resin coating unique to the Sabaody Archipelago, the only ticket for a ship to dive into the deep sea.
The Thousand Sunny.
On deck, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates were making their final preparations. Every face was lit with the anticipation of a new adventure.
"Franky, is the bubble pressure holding up?" Nami asked, holding a nautical chart and double-checking every minute detail.
"Don't worry, Nami-sis! This coating is my SUPER masterpiece!" Franky struck his signature pose, his metallic arms gleaming.
"Sanji! Is the food ready? It's going to take a few days to get to Fish-Man Island!" Luffy shouted toward the galley while helping tidy up the ropes.
"Shut up, you Shitty Captain! The food is for the ladies, not for you!" Sanji's voice drifted out from the kitchen, though a smirk played on his lips.
Everything seemed harmonious, filled with the excitement of an imminent departure.
"Oi! Your ship... it looks pretty nice."
A leisurely, aged voice drifted over from the ship's rail without warning.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy war hammer.
The deck fell instantly silent.
Everyone whipped their heads around, their movements stiff and mechanical.
Standing on the railing of the Thousand Sunny was an old man wearing a floral shirt, beach shorts, and sunglasses. He stood on one leg, his body swaying slightly with the sea breeze, looking as light as a leaf that might blow away at any second.
But not a single person dared to think of him as frail.
"G... Grandpa?!"
Luffy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, his jaw dropping wide enough to fit a fist inside.
"Vice... Vice Admiral Garp!"
Usopp and Chopper clung to each other, their legs shaking like sieves, foam already bubbling at the corners of their mouths.
"The man with a bounty of... 5.5 Billion Berries..."
Nami's body went ice-cold. The nautical chart slipped from her fingers and hit the deck with a snap. She felt as though her heart had stopped beating.
"When did he get on board?"
Zoro's hand was already resting on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. Every muscle in his body pulled taut instantly, like a leopard ready to pounce.
"I know he's Luffy's grandfather, but... this pressure is going to kill me!" The cigarette dangling from Sanji's mouth fell to the floor, beads of cold sweat densely forming on his forehead.
Only Robin stood with her arms crossed, observing the legend who had single-handedly turned the world upside down with keen interest.
Garp flipped over the rail, moving as lightly as a cat, and landed steadily on the deck.
He made absolutely no sound.
He walked up to Luffy, reached out, and patted the boy's straw hat heavily.
"Luffy, with your current strength, you're still far too weak to achieve your dream of becoming the Pirate King!"
"On the journey ahead, I'm going to give you some special training."
"Eh?! I thought my training was over?" Luffy was stunned for a moment before his face lit up with surprise. "But where did you go just now? Old Man Rayleigh said you'd come find me after you finished your business!"
"Oh, I just went to Mary Geoise to handle some stuff. Thought I'd swing by on my way back."
Garp said it casually, as if he had just popped out to the corner store to buy a newspaper.
"Swing... by?"
Nami felt like she was going to faint.
From the top of the Red Line to the Sabaody Archipelago... you call that 'on the way'?
Garp looked around, examining the compact and exquisite ship. Then, under the horrified gaze of the entire crew, he plopped himself down right onto the Sunny's lion figurehead and crossed his legs comfortably.
"Perfect timing. I'm heading to Fish-Man Island too. Give me a lift."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Nami was the first to snap out of her petrified state. She rushed forward like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hair bristling.
"If we take you, the whole world will be chasing us! We just started our journey again!"
"Mah, what does it matter? Grandpa is really strong!" Luffy scratched his head, speaking with his usual carefree attitude.
Garp ignored Nami's protest. He fished a bag of rice crackers (senbei) out of his pocket and started crunching away—crunch, crunch.
He glanced at Nami, then extended the half-eaten bag toward her.
"Here, little girl. This covers my fare."
Nami stared at the ordinary bag of crackers, then at the old man sitting on the figurehead as if he owned the place. She wanted to cry but had no tears left.
A 5.5 Billion Berry fare... paid with a bag of crackers?
At that moment, Zoro stepped in front of Garp.
He didn't speak. He simply stared at the old man on the figurehead with his single open eye, his gaze intense.
"Luffy's grandfather... I want to see what you've got."
Garp remained seated on the lion's head, chewing his crackers, not even lifting an eyelid.
"Brat, you're still a hundred years too early."
Zoro didn't waste words.
He gripped his hilt and drew his blade in a flash.
A sharp, ferocious slash, carrying the sound of howling wind, tore through the air, aiming straight for the top of Garp's head.
The others on the ship didn't even have time to scream.
However, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The razor-sharp blade stopped less than an inch from Garp's body, as if it had hit an invisible wall. The blade vibrated violently, letting out a humming wail, but it couldn't advance a single millimeter.
"What?!"
Zoro's pupil constricted sharply.
He could clearly feel that the opponent hadn't used the black hardening of Armament Haki! It felt like a pure, unreasonable barrier of defense!
"High-level Armament doesn't always need to be coated in black."
Garp yawned.
He waved his hand casually.
A force that was soft yet utterly irresistible erupted from his palm.
Zoro felt a massive impact. He was sent stumbling back seven or eight steps uncontrollably before he barely managed to stabilize his stance.
He looked down at his slightly numb wrist, then at the old man who was still chewing crackers. His back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.
Just as the atmosphere on the ship solidified to the freezing point...
Coo! Coo!
A News Coo flew overhead.
A copy of the latest newspaper, as if calculated by angle, dropped perfectly onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny.
Usopp picked it up instinctively.
The moment he saw the front-page headline, he froze.
It was a massive photograph taking up the entire page.
The background of the photo was the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, reduced to ruins.
A figure in a floral shirt was captured in the moment of punching a fist straight through the chest of a man wearing a white suit and a mask.
At his feet lay dozens of corpses in similar attire.
But it was the background details that were truly terrifying. In the corner of the frame, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, Saint Garling Figarland, was visible—kneeling on one knee, his sword shattered, blood dripping from his forehead, looking at the floral-shirted figure with eyes full of shock and rage.
Behind the smoke, the silhouettes of the Five Elders—Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Saint Marcus Mars, Saint Topman Warcury, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter—could be seen looking disheveled and wary, hesitating to engage.
Below the photo was a headline printed in blood-red, shocking text:
[NIGHTMARE IN THE LAND OF GODS! THE FORMER HERO OF THE MARINES, GARP, SINGLE-HANDEDLY CONQUERS MARY GEOISE!]
The entire Thousand Sunny fell into a deathly silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's eyes looked as if they had seen a ghost!
Their gazes slowly shifted from the newspaper to the old man who was leisurely sitting on the lion figurehead, stuffing the last rice cracker into his mouth.
The air seemed to solidify.
Amidst this extreme silence and terror, the coated bubble of the Sunny gently parted the water's surface.
Silently, without a sound, they dove into the bottomless darkness of the deep sea.
(PS: This isn't a babysitting story. They will separate after Fish-Man Island...)
(To be Continued)