Luffy scratched his head and laughed carelessly.
"Ahhh, all that balance stuff is confusing! As long as they're all doing fine, that's enough!"
Beside him, Robin looked toward Nami with a serious expression and asked softly:
"Luffy knows Red-Hair?"
Nami nodded, her eyes falling onto the treasured straw hat atop Luffy's head.
"Yeah. Red-Hair personally gave Luffy that hat… I never imagined that guy was actually someone so famous."
"Luffy, there are two brats outside who want to see you."
Garp suddenly turned his head and jerked his chin toward the shattered doorway.
"It's Koby."
A smile curled onto Luffy's lips.
"I noticed him a while ago."
Ronan followed Luffy outside, but the moment they stepped out—
"Shave!!"
A forceful shout rang out.
Koby vanished from where he stood.
In the next second, he had already crossed dozens of meters, roaring fist winds tearing through the air as he charged straight toward Luffy's face.
This speed was precisely the manifestation of the Six Powers technique—Shave.
At the same time, the blond youth beside him drew two broad swords, eyes sharp as lightning as he shot toward Ronan like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
Luffy remained standing where he was, not even moving his feet an inch.
In his eyes, Koby's speed—fast enough to instantly kill ordinary pirates—was slow like a dramatic slow-motion shot in a movie.
The instant Koby's fist was about to touch his nose, Luffy merely tilted his head slightly. His right hand shot out like lightning, fingers pressed together.
Bang!
Without any extra movement, Luffy casually pressed down with one hand, completely neutralizing all the momentum from Koby's high-speed charge.
Then, a gentle yet irresistible force erupted, directly smashing Koby into the soft earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
On the other side, Helmeppo's dual blades traced two silver crescent arcs, sealing off every route of escape around Ronan.
Ronan snorted coldly as the spear in his hand moved instantly.
"Lost track of who's stronger here?"
His stance lowered slightly before he unleashed a wide, domineering sweep.
Even though it was merely the spear shaft swinging through the air, the gale it generated exploded with a piercing sonic boom.
CLANG!
PUH!
The moment Helmeppo's swords collided with the spear shaft, the overwhelming recoil instantly blasted both blades from his hands.
Immediately afterward, the residual force from the sweeping strike slammed heavily into his chest.
Helmeppo felt as though he had been rammed head-on by a charging rhinoceros. A metallic sweetness surged into his throat as he spat out blood, spinning several times through the air before crashing awkwardly onto the ground.
If Ronan hadn't withdrawn ninety percent of the force behind that strike, Helmeppo would have been shattered apart on the spot.
Watching his two subordinates get instantly crushed, Garp not only didn't get angry—he burst into loud laughter instead.
"Hahahaha! Completely outmatched! You two brats are still far too green!"
Koby crawled out of the crater covered in dirt, yet there wasn't the slightest hint of frustration in his eyes. Instead, they blazed with fanatic excitement after witnessing his "goal."
"I lost… Just as I thought, Luffy-san has already reached such a high level."
He turned toward Luffy, then toward the cold-faced Zoro standing among the group, suddenly straightening his posture before delivering a perfect Marine salute.
"Luffy-san! Zoro-san! Long time no see!"
Looking at the spirited young man before him, Luffy grinned in surprise and slapped Koby heavily on the shoulder.
"Koby! I can't believe you got this big! You're not that tiny little runt anymore!"
"That's right! I'm not that useless crying Koby anymore!"
Tears shimmered in Koby's eyes as he looked at the long-unseen Luffy.
Zoro frowned slightly.
"Koby? That little brat? Why are you here in the Grand Line?"
"Even though I'm still very far from my goal of becoming an officer…"
Koby's expression became solemn and sincere.
"When I heard you two were nearby, I begged Vice Admiral Garp to bring me here immediately."
"We owe everything we are today to you two!"
"Right now, we're undergoing the harshest training under Vice Admiral Garp."
"Luffy-san, one day, I'll face you again as an Admiral!"
Luffy laughed loudly while patting Koby's shoulder. That thick palm contained enough force to shatter rocks.
He lowered his head to examine the boy who was still shorter than him, eyes full of amazement.
"Really?! But seriously, even if you hit puberty, your growth spurt's way too crazy!"
As Luffy laughed, the image of Koby from their very first meeting surfaced in his mind.
Back then, aboard Alvida's shabby pirate ship, Koby had been short, timid, and covered in loose fat from a complete lack of exercise. He'd even worn those ridiculous round glasses.
Now, beneath the Marine uniform, Koby's body was lean and compact like a leopard.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Koby looked up at the current Luffy.
"If we're talking about getting taller, Luffy-san changed even more."
Koby's gaze lingered briefly on Luffy's broad, powerful back, his heart filled with shock.
"I originally thought I could catch up to your height, but… the gap actually became even bigger."
"After causing an event as world-shaking as Enies Lobby, I'm really sorry for disturbing your rest!"
"No worries, no worries! It's been a long time after all!"
Luffy flashed a row of bright white teeth and waved toward the others inside.
"Come on, let's throw a banquet!"
Just as everyone prepared to head back inside, Helmeppo—who had only now crawled out from the dirt pile after being blasted away by Ronan's spear strike—wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth miserably.
Watching the group walk away without even sparing him a glance, the stubbornness inside him completely shattered into hysterical rage.
"Hey! Wait a second!! Is nobody seriously going to acknowledge me?!"
Luffy stopped and turned around with clear, confused eyes.
"…Who are you?"
"It's me! Back in Shells Town…"
Veins bulged across Helmeppo's forehead as he gestured wildly.
"Captain Morgan's son! The super arrogant Helmeppo from before!"
"Ah…"
Luffy let out a long, drawn-out sound before replying flatly:
"Oh, it's you. Yeah, I kinda remember now."
That complete disregard from someone on an entirely different level hurt far more than any direct insult ever could.
Meanwhile, Koby stood beside Luffy, a trace of struggle flashing across his face as he looked into Luffy's completely unguarded eyes.
"Luffy-san… even though we're on opposing sides now, can we still…"
Luffy didn't hesitate. A knowing smile appeared on his face, his eyes firm and unwavering.
"Yeah. We're friends!"
Under the sunlight, the two smiled at one another.
At that moment, Marine justice and pirate freedom reached a brief yet magnificent reconciliation before the purity of two sincere hearts.
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