章 61: Are You Ready to Meet Your End in the East Blue, Garp?
The gentle sea breeze brushed their faces, while seabirds soared in the blue sky above. Sunlight shimmered across the ocean's surface, creating a beautiful sparkling effect.
Sanders and Issho sat by the edge of the ship, fishing. The fishing line dipped into the sea, and the rod bent slightly. Both of them jerked their rods upward simultaneously, and two large fish were swiftly pulled out of the water.
"Hahaha, Issho, I win again! My fish is bigger than yours!" Sanders laughed heartily as he compared the size of their catches.
Issho chuckled softly, releasing his fish back into the sea and returning to his nap. Yes, they were betting again. Sanders had grown tired of betting on card games with Issho, so they decided to wager on who could catch the bigger fish.
Meanwhile, Robin was lounging on a chair on the second floor, legs crossed, with a pair of orange sunglasses perched on her forehead. She glanced at the two men fishing on the deck and smiled slightly before returning to her book.
Ever since she joined the Thunder God Pirates, Robin had noticed a significant change in her mindset. She no longer lived in constant fear, always thinking about hiding or worrying that the Marines or bounty hunters would catch her. Here, she could sleep peacefully through the night and walk freely in public without the anxiety of being discovered by the Marines or the World Government. The calm and safe environment had helped her relax, and she'd become much more open and cheerful.
Just then, Robin noticed a black dot appear on the horizon. Raising her head, she peered through the binoculars. It was a Marine battleship, with a distinctive dog-shaped figurehead and a blue seagull symbol on its sails, indicating its affiliation with the Marines. Upon seeing the ship, Robin instinctively felt a bit of fear. But then she reminded herself that she was now a member of the Thunder God Pirates. Smiling to herself, she called out to Sanders, who was still fishing at the ship's edge, "Captain, there's a Marine ship up ahead. Should we avoid it?"
"There's no need!" Sanders replied without even turning around. "It's just a Marine battleship. Why should we avoid it?"
Who said pirates had to steer clear of Marines? What did they take him for? "Bring the ship closer!" Sanders ordered.
Robin lowered the binoculars and stopped worrying. With a captain who had defeated a Marine Admiral and a first mate capable of taking down a Warlord of the Sea, there was no need to avoid even an Admiral's ship.
Meanwhile, the lookout on the Marine battleship also spotted the Thunder Godship. "Pirate ship spotted ahead!" the Marine lookout shouted down to the deck.
"Can you tell which pirate crew it is?" a Marine sergeant asked. "What does the pirate flag look like?"
There wasn't the slightest panic on the faces of the Marines aboard. After all, this wasn't just any Marine battleship—it was the ship of Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp. In the East Blue, or even the whole world, there weren't many pirate crews that could strike fear into their hearts.
"It looks familiar! It's a skull with a lightning bolt emblem!" the lookout called down.
The sergeant's face showed a moment of contemplation before his expression suddenly changed. "Are you sure? A lightning bolt going through the skull?"
"Yes, sergeant! Exactly as you described!"
"Damn! It might be the Thunder God Pirates!" the sergeant exclaimed, panic rising in his voice. "What are they doing in the East Blue?!"
He quickly rushed off to inform Vice Admiral Garp's aide, Bogard.
Bogard, dressed in a gray suit and wearing the Marine's Justice cloak, remained calm even after hearing the sergeant's report. He approached Vice Admiral Garp. At this moment, Garp, wearing his iconic dog-head hat, was seated on a stool, fast asleep.
Puff-puff-puff
With each breath, the snot bubble on his nose expanded and contracted rhythmically.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Huh?" Garp's snot bubble popped instantly.
"Bogard, what's going on? Is it time to eat?"
Bogard, accustomed to Garp's seemingly unreliable demeanor, showed no reaction and remained as calm as ever.
"Vice Admiral Garp, theThunder GodPirates have been spotted not far from our ship. Should we give the order to pursue them?" Bogard asked.
"TheThunder GodPirates?" Garp's face showed a brief moment of confusion before he quickly understood.
"Sanders, that little brat! What's he doing in the East Blue?"
Smoker, who had been kicked by Sanders earlier, didn't bother to report that theThunder GodPirates were in the East Blue, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. He understood that even if he did, the Marine Headquarters wouldn't deploy an army led by at least two Admirals to hunt Sanders down.
Therefore, Garp had no idea Sanders had entered the East Blue.
"Of course, we should pursue them! I'm a Marine of justice, after all. How could I ignore pirates?" Garp stood up from his chair, answering righteously. Then, in a quieter voice, he muttered, "That brat really messed up Kuzan...I hope he hasn't fully healed yet."
With that, Garp marched towards the deck.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
Seeing Garp, the Marines on the deck perked up instantly. Serving on the hero Garp's ship was a badge of honor for them.
Garp leaped onto the dog-head figurehead at the bow of the ship, crossed his arms, and gazed ahead. The Justice cloak billowed in the wind. If it weren't for the cute dog-head hat he was wearing, the scene would have been very imposing.
"Looks like we've got a serious opponent here," Sanders' voice echoed as he sensed Garp's presence using his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki). He reeled in his fishing rod and turned to Issho, "No more games—there might be a fight soon."
With that, Sanders walked to the bow of theThunder Godship and leaped up, standing across from Garp with the sea between them.
Issho put away his fishing rod and calmly joined Sanders.
Robin, observing Sanders and Issho's serious demeanor, was slightly surprised. She grabbed her binoculars and took another look at the Marine ship, immediately recognizing Garp standing at the bow.
"Is that the Marine hero, Garp?" Upon realizing it was Garp, Robin quickly put down her book and jumped to the deck.
"Captain, are we going to fight Garp?" Robin asked, a bit nervously.
"We might have a little skirmish," Sanders replied. Garp wasn't like Akainu. He wouldn't recklessly start a full-blown battle. If they really went all out, few Marines on Garp's ship would survive.
As the distance between the two ships shortened, Issho remained calm, while Robin grew increasingly tense.
Garp's reputation was well-known among pirates—after all, he was the man who had chased the Pirate King, Roger, across the world.
At around 300 to 400 meters apart, Sanders was the first to speak.
"Long time no see, old man Garp."
Sanders wasn't particularly close to Garp; they had only met a few times. During his two years with the Marines, most of Sanders' time had been spent training under Zephyr and combating pirates.
"Hahaha, Sanders, you little brat! I heard you injured Kuzan?" Garp laughed heartily and shouted.
"Are you here to avenge your student, old man?" Sanders asked. Kuzan, also known as Admiral Aokiji, had once served as Garp's aide and was his disciple. The famous "Frozen Gauntlet" technique Kuzan wielded was a combination of the Ice-Ice Fruit's power and techniques passed down by Garp.
"I'm not avenging him! I've been too busy laughing at him," Garp burst into laughter. Upon hearing that Kuzan had been defeated by Sanders, Garp had called Kuzan just to mock him.
"Then what's this about? Are you here to arrest me?" Sanders asked with a grin.
"Of course! As a Marine, it's my duty! Facing a notorious pirate like you, how can I just stand by?" Garp declared, clenching his fist and leaping off the dog-head figurehead.
At the same time, Sanders vanished from the Raijin's deck.
Both appeared in the air simultaneously.
"Let's see what you've got, Sanders. Show me how you managed to beat Kuzan!" Garp shouted as he launched a powerful fist clad in Armament Haki.
Not backing down, Sanders covered his arm with the same Armament Haki, clenching his fist and meeting Garp's punch head-on. He didn't use the powers of his Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit). It was a pure contest of physical strength and Haki.
Their fists collided midair.
Boom!
The impact released a shockwave, sending both the dog-head battleship and theThunder Godship sliding backward. The overwhelming force churned the previously calm sea into massive waves, causing the Marines aboard Garp's ship to hold onto the railing to avoid being thrown off.
Bogard, with his sword at his side, kept a watchful eye on the two figures in the air. After exchanging a punch, Sanders and Garp returned to their respective ships. Sanders' expression grew serious as he looked at the old man in the dog-head hat.
This old man is strong!
With just one clash, Sanders could already feel Garp's iron fist, honed to its peak, and his formidable Armament Haki. It was clear—this man was indeed worthy of being called a formidable warrior, having reached the level of an Admiral purely through physical prowess and Haki. Garp's fists were truly refined to their ultimate potential.
"Hahaha, Sanders, you brat! You've got some skill!" Garp grinned while squeezing his fists. "I can't believe you managed to train like this in Impel Down. You're a real monster!"
A top-tier powerhouse at under 20 years old—but unfortunately, Sanders had already taken a path that opposed the Marines.
"Why didn't you use your Thunder Fist? Isn't that your signature move?" Garp asked.
"Old man, one punch is enough. You can report to Sengoku that you tried to capture me. Besides, if we really go all out, none of your Marines will survive," Sanders replied casually, waving his hand.
He knew they weren't going to have a serious fight.
"You arrogant brat!" Garp's face changed, revealing that Sanders had hit the mark. Garp had indeed planned to go easy—after all, he was a Vice Admiral. Letting Sanders go without even trying would be a huge embarrassment for the Marines. Yet, he also wanted to gauge Sanders' current strength. That punch had told him all he needed to know: Sanders' physical strength and Haki were stronger than even Kuzan's. Coupled with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it was no surprise that he had managed to defeat Aokiji.
"You think us old folks are washed up? We haven't left the stage just yet! Don't think I can't arrest you!" Garp threatened.
"Oh? Then are you prepared to die in the East Blue, Garp?" Sanders grinned.
"Two against one, our odds are pretty good."
If he and Issho teamed up against Garp, they might actually be able to bring him down.
Garp blinked in surprise. Two against one? He glanced at Issho and Robin, then focused on Issho. Sanders hadn't mentioned the Marines aboard Garp's ship or Robin. He had only mentioned two-on-one. That meant this blind swordsman must have top-tier strength as well.
Sensing Garp's gaze, Issho smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Old man, did you really think my first crew mate was just some run-of-the-mill pirate with a bounty of a few hundred million?" Sanders laughed, showing off his white teeth.
In terms of vice-captains in pirate crews, Issho's strength was one of the best, perhaps only rivaled by Ben Beckman of the Red-Haired Pirates. No one knew for sure if the Red-Haired Pirates operated as a dual-captain crew, but if Issho had a bounty, it would easily be in the billions.
Hearing Sanders dismiss pirates worth several hundred million as mere "small fry," Garp twitched. His gaze toward theThunder GodPirates became even more serious. If Issho really was as strong as Sanders claimed, then theThunder GodPirates were a terrifying force. Two top-tier combatants? Once they filled their crew, they might be even more difficult to deal with than the Four Emperors.
The world was growing more chaotic.
Robin, listening to her captain call pirates worth hundreds of millions "small fry," pursed her lips but said nothing. Her own bounty was only 93 million—barely even a small fry.
Issho, meanwhile, wore a helpless expression. He didn't particularly want fame, but his captain seemed determined to make him a household name.
"What are you doing in the East Blue, anyway?" Garp finally asked, the same question Smoker had posed earlier.
"I came to smack your grandson's butt," Sanders replied with a mischievous grin.
"You little brat!" Garp's forehead veins bulged, his eyes glaring dangerously at Sanders.
He knew Sanders wouldn't actually hurt his grandson, but spanking him? That was something Sanders might actually do. And the last thing Garp wanted was for his grandsons to have any more pirate influences. One Shanks was bad enough—now, with Sanders, Garp worried his grandsons might really follow in the footsteps of pirates.
"Alright, old man, if we're not fighting, I've got things to do. I'll be on my way," Sanders said, waving his hand. TheThunder Godship started to move forward, passing by Garp's ship.
The Marines aboard Garp's ship remained tense, gripping their swords and guns. Bogard's right hand hovered over his sword's hilt, ready to act at any moment.
Garp furrowed his brow but ultimately chose not to engage further. He had to think about the safety of the Marines under his command. Even though Sanders had once been a Marine, they were now enemies. If a fight broke out, Sanders wouldn't hold back.
Bogard, strong as he was, probably couldn't stop that blind swordsman.
As theThunder Godship drifted further away, Garp ordered the ship to return to Marine Headquarters and instructed Bogard to report the presence of Sanders in the East Blue, specifically mentioning Issho's strength to Sengoku.
Meanwhile, Garp retreated to his cabin to wrestle with a bag of senbei crackers.
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku hung up the phone, staring grimly at the Thunder God Pirates' dossier. He immediately issued a request for an explanation from the Marine base in Loguetown, demanding to know why they hadn't reported the Thunder God Pirates' presence.
Smoker, in response to the inquiry, bluntly retorted, "Is the Fleet Admiral planning to send all three Admirals to arrest Sanders?" effectively shutting down the questioning.
The Marines, of course, weren't going to send three Admirals to apprehend Sanders. In fact, they likely wouldn't send even one. Ever since Sanders had defeated Aokiji, the Marine Headquarters had adopted the same approach to Sanders as they did with the Four Emperors: as long as he didn't stir up trouble, they would pretend not to see him.
After parting ways with Garp's ship, Sanders and his crew finally arrived at Cocoyasi Village.
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