Luffy didn't even lift his head as he waved casually.
"Yeah, see ya."
At that exact instant, Garp—who had already walked several meters away—moved like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a string of afterimages in the air.
It was a displacement that surpassed the limits of visual perception.
"BAM!!"
Garp's fist, as large as a sandbag, once again tore through the air with a force that seemed capable of splitting space itself before slamming brutally into Luffy's cheek.
The terrifying impact sent Luffy flying sideways. He smashed straight through the newly repaired wall on the opposite side as blood sprayed from his nose instantly.
"That's all you've got for a farewell?!"
Veins bulged across Garp's forehead as his deafening roar shook the room.
"I'm your grandfather who hasn't seen you in ages, you heartless brat! You've truly wounded my feelings!"
Luffy sat up amidst the rubble, clutching his swollen cheek while tears swirled in his eyes.
"Then what am I supposed to do?! Ever since we met, all you've done is beat me up!!"
"Even so, I still want my grandson to adore me, idiot!" Garp roared back with complete self-righteousness.
Standing nearby, Ronan could only shake his head speechlessly.
He glanced at Nami, Usopp, and Chopper and saw all three drenched in cold sweat.
Nami held her forehead as the corners of her mouth twitched violently.
"That level of selfishness… that completely unreasonable logic… just one look tells you they absolutely share an incredibly strong blood relationship."
…
Inside Dock One's lounge, steam curled upward from several cups of tea resting atop a mahogany table originally meant for storing blueprints.
With elegant movements, Sanji pushed several carefully brewed cups of black tea toward everyone.
"Whew… Luffy's grandpa really has a temper like thunder."
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, traces of fear still lingering in his eyes from Garp's punch earlier.
"That kind of unreasonable strength is seriously terrifying."
Robin lifted her porcelain cup, slender fingers brushing the rim as her gaze deepened.
"'Revolutionary' Dragon truly is someone capable of shaking the world. Luffy's bloodline was never ordinary to begin with."
Leaning by the window, Ronan suddenly asked:
"Zoro, when you met Koby and the others… how long before I joined the crew was that?"
Zoro was resting with his eyes closed, Sandai Kitetsu resting in his arms.
"Probably… around a week before we met you. Back then that brat was still just some crybaby cabin boy."
"Then why didn't you go reminisce a little?" Sanji glanced sideways at him. "You guys were friends too, weren't you?"
"Luffy's the one who saved him. I was just along for the ride."
As memories surfaced, the corner of Zoro's mouth lifted slightly.
Chopper looked around curiously.
"Luffy and Koby went outside, but Nami's not here either. Didn't she say she wanted to hear gossip about Marine Headquarters?"
"Her?" Robin covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "She went with Granny Kokoro to the Galley-La Company staff swimming pool in the back."
"What?! Nami-san in a swimsuit at the pool?!!!"
The calm expression on Sanji's face instantly shattered as he transformed into a whirlwind, pink hearts exploding in his eyes.
"How could such an important security mission possibly proceed without me, the guardian of flowers?! Nami-san, I'll bring over my special iced drinks immediately!"
With a loud bang, the lounge door trembled violently from Sanji's explosive speed as he disappeared down the corridor.
Outside the shipyard, on an open stretch of ground—
Luffy, Koby, and Helmeppo sat casually on the earth without restraint.
Luffy bit into a huge chunk of meat from some unknown source and asked through a mouthful of food:
"So that means… you guys crossed 'that mountain' to get here too, right?"
"That mountain? You mean Reverse Mountain?"
Koby smiled and shook his head. Though he had matured considerably, he still retained that same sincerity when facing Luffy.
"No, Luffy-san. We didn't cross Reverse Mountain."
"Huh? But the newspapers said Grandpa's warship crossed that crazy current and entered the Grand Line!"
"That report was edited."
"Hey! Koby!"
Helmeppo nearly jumped in panic.
"How can you casually say stuff like that?! That's military confidential information…"
"It's fine. Luffy-san isn't an outsider."
Koby turned back with a gentle smile before speaking seriously.
"Luffy-san, Headquarters warships actually possess technology that allows them to pass through the Calm Belt."
"Pass through the Calm Belt?!"
Luffy stopped chewing entirely, eyes widening.
"That's impossible! There's no wind there, and it's filled with gigantic Sea Kings way bigger than warships!"
"That's right."
Koby's eyes sparkled with admiration for science.
"The secret lies beneath the ship. Marine scientists embedded large amounts of Seastone into the bottoms of warships."
"Seastone? That rock that makes Devil Fruit users weak?"
"Yes. But it also has another characteristic—it emits energy waves identical to the sea itself."
"In other words, to the giant creatures living underwater, a warship coated in Seastone appears no different from a moving mass of seawater."
"As long as the ship doesn't make excessive noise or actively provoke them, the Sea Kings won't even notice it exists."
Meanwhile, beside the private swimming pool behind the shipyard—
Crystal-clear water shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Nami lounged lazily on a white wicker chair wearing a sexy orange swimsuit.
Though she appeared to be relaxing, the notebook in her hands was filling rapidly with notes.
After obtaining the powers of the Goro Goro no Mi, Nami's sensitivity to electromagnetic signals and atmospheric vibrations had reached an inhuman level.
Closing her eyes slightly, she combined electrical conduction with her Observation Haki-like passive perception from the lightning fruit, allowing her to hear Koby and Luffy's conversation from several hundred meters away with absolute clarity.
"The sea's energy… Seastone coating…"
A sly and dangerous smile curved across Nami's lips.
"So that's it. This is the Navy's ultimate method for ignoring normal sea routes and traveling freely across the four seas. Those military scientists really are monsters."
Her slender fingers continued recording notes across the paper.
To a navigator, the value of this information far exceeded tens of millions of Berries.
If this technology could be applied to the future "upgraded Merry," the Straw Hat Pirates' routes would become completely unpredictable.
"What an incredible secret."
Nami stretched lazily.
The bright orange string bikini accentuated her full curves and toned abdomen, her skin beneath the sunlight carrying a smooth ivory-like glow.
Her perfect figure resembled a work of art.
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