章 106: Winds of Change and Dreams Afloat

The Going Merry drifted silently on calm seas, the wind having died down, leaving the Straw Hat crew temporarily stranded. The crew lounged around, each passing time in their unique way.

"Well, this is boring," Luffy muttered, scratching his head. Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea. "I know! I'll go fishing!"

Excited, Luffy grabbed a fishing rod and peered over the edge, ready to cast his line. Sanji strolled up, eyebrow raised. "Hey, Luffy, didn't you already eat the bait?"

Luffy blinked. "Oh yeah… those bugs were crunchy!" He then looked over at Karoo, Vivi's pet duck, and grinned. "Hey, maybe we can use Karoo as bait!"

Karoo squawked, realizing Luffy's intentions, and scrambled away, beginning a chase around the mast as Luffy tried to catch him. Sanji sighed, shaking his head, while Zoro remained peacefully asleep on the deck nearby—until Luffy and Sanji inadvertently stomped on him.

Zoro bolted upright, eyes flashing. "You idiots! Do you want to die?"

Before things escalated, Raja, seeing an opportunity for some harmless fun, decided to interfere. With a quick spell, he enchanted the four of them to start dancing uncontrollably. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and even Karoo suddenly broke into a ridiculous jig, each attempting to resist, but their limbs moved in rhythm. Raja grinned, capturing the hilarious spectacle on his makeshift recording device as the others laughed.

Once the spell wore off, everyone returned to their spots. Nami and Vivi, sitting together, watched the antics with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Nami turned to Vivi. "You know, Luffy has faced some pretty big-name pirates, but his bounty is still just 50 million. It feels like it should be higher by now."

Zoro, who'd joined them after the dance, nodded. "And don't forget Axe-Hand Morgan," he added, a slight smile on his face. Luffy perked up at the mention, his thoughts drifting to his old friend Koby.

Meanwhile, across the sea at Marine Headquarters, Koby stirred from a restless sleep, jolted awake by a nightmare of a giant Morgan attacking him. He blinked, realizing he'd fallen asleep on top of Helmeppo, his partner in Marine training. Helmeppo squirmed under him, annoyed.

"Get off me, Koby!" he muttered, shoving him aside. Despite the rough awakening, Koby felt optimistic, smiling as he picked up the mop he'd been assigned.

But Helmeppo wasn't sharing his enthusiasm. "I went from being a prince to… to… this!" He gestured at the bucket of soapy water with disdain. "All because of Luffy."

Koby shook his head, unfazed by Helmeppo's attitude. "Stop blaming others, Helmeppo! If Luffy can fight for his dream, so can we."

Before Helmeppo could respond, the two accidentally knocked over a cannon, which, to their horror, fired unexpectedly, blowing apart a section of the wall. The Marines in charge were less than pleased, promptly assigning them an impossible penalty: fifty years of unpaid labor. Later that day, they picked up a local paper and found an article on Luffy's recent exploits, including his daring escape into the Grand Line.

A few days later, Koby and Helmeppo found themselves assigned to escort none other than Helmeppo's infamous father, Captain Morgan, for trial. But before they could set off, they were introduced to Vice Admiral Garp, a legendary Marine figure known as "Garp the Fist." The Vice Admiral arrived in his typical quirky fashion, loudly boasting about his recent record-breaking doughnut-eating session before promptly falling asleep standing up.

It was in this moment of vulnerability that Morgan seized the chance, breaking his chains and taking Helmeppo hostage. Koby panicked, but with determination, he leaped into the water between Morgan's escape boat and the Marine gunners, shielding his friend from their fire. Morgan scoffed at their weakness but ultimately released them, sneering as he made his escape.

Garp, who'd woken up in the aftermath, surprised everyone by offering Koby and Helmeppo a chance to train under him. Despite their apprehension, they accepted, marking the beginning of an arduous journey toward their dreams.

Back on the Going Merry, the crew had settled down around the table for dinner. Sanji served the girls first, directing Usopp to his own food, which was set off to the side. Usopp was too hungry to protest and quickly scarfed it down. Sanji looked around the table. "Has anyone seen Luffy?"

Nami glanced up. "I asked him to fetch some water for my shower. He should be by the water pump."

Just then, a loud crash echoed from the storage room. Luffy stumbled out, covered in splashes, looking sheepish. "The water machine… broke," he muttered, just before Nami bonked him over the head with her fist.

The group sat down, settling back into conversation. Luffy suddenly noticed a newspaper lying on the table. Spotting a familiar face, he nudged Nami. "Hey, isn't that Koby?"

Nami looked over, reading the article. "It says here he's been making waves at Marine Headquarters."

Luffy grinned, thinking fondly of his friend. "Koby's gonna go far. I just know it."

Back at Marine Headquarters, Koby and Helmeppo were quickly realizing the hardships of training under Vice Admiral Garp. They scrubbed floors, hauled supplies, and ran drills from sunrise to sunset, often under the watchful, no-nonsense gaze of Garp himself. As night fell, Koby prepared to turn in for much-needed sleep, but Helmeppo had other ideas.

"We need to train harder," Helmeppo said, eyes fierce. "We won't get anywhere if we just sleep."

Koby raised an eyebrow. "If you overwork yourself, you'll collapse. We need rest, too."

But Helmeppo, stubborn as ever, was already heading downstairs to the training grounds. Reluctantly, Koby joined him, and the two continued training under the stars, pushing themselves to the limit.

One day, while they discussed Luffy, Garp overheard them. Without warning, he took them to a secluded beach, ordering them to show him their resolve. They gritted their teeth, passing his intense physical test despite exhaustion. Impressed, Garp decided to begin special training with them, instructing them in Marine combat techniques, endurance, and strategy.

On the Going Merry, as night fell, the crew finally drifted off to sleep one by one. Nami sat awake, keeping a close eye on Vivi as she rested, carefully tucking away the newspaper with Koby's article.

In his sleep, Luffy murmured, "Let's go… to Little Garden…"