章 23: Chapter 23 Garp finally arrives
"Ca... Cannonballs?"
Hearing Vice Admiral Garp's command, all the officers were dumbfounded on the spot.
Many couldn't help but break into a cold sweat as a terrifying possibility crossed their minds.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you can't possibly be thinking..."
"This is too dangerous, Vice Admiral Garp. Actually, we're not in that much of a hurry... It's better to just sail normally."
Faced with their pleas, Garp widened his eyes:
"The mission is urgent, and we can't afford delays. This is the fastest method. Or are you questioning my control?"
Seeing this, the officers could only exchange bitter smiles.
Moments later.
On the aft deck of the warship, a navy soldier stared in confusion at Garp, who was doing warm-up exercises, and at the several large boxes of cannonballs behind him.
"What is Vice Admiral Garp trying to do?"
"Why did he bring out the cannonballs?"
"I heard Vice Admiral Garp likes to throw cannonballs by hand during combat... But there's no enemy around right now, is there?"
The navy soldiers whispered among themselves.
However, the veterans nearby had a different reaction. Their faces turned pale, and they scattered as if fleeing for their lives, heading straight for the ship's cabin.
"What's going on? Why are they going back inside?"
While some of the soldiers were still in a daze, a nearby officer shouted:
"You fools, run!"
Before they could react, Garp's loud roar rang out.
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
Garp's right arm bulged with muscle as he grabbed a cannonball with his bare hands and swung his arm.
Whoosh.
With a sharp whistle, the cannonball shot through the air at incredible speed, quickly breaking through the sky—then landing directly in the sea just behind the warship.
"Is there something in that direction? A Sea King? No, it's too close for that!"
A soldier shouted instinctively.
The next moment—
Boom!
The cannonball exploded underwater, and amidst the muffled roar, the previously calm sea surface behind the warship surged up, creating massive waves. The violent air current and the towering waves swept forward with terrifying force.
The sails on the warship instantly puffed out, and the powerful propulsion caused the large vessel to lurch forward.
And that was just the beginning.
Garp didn't pause for a moment. One cannonball after another flew from his hands, and the sound of explosions filled the air.
Wave after wave surged from behind the warship, overlapping and pushing the vessel forward at incredible speed.
Occasionally, a cannonball would land to the side, causing shockwaves that nearly capsized the ship. At those moments, Garp would slightly adjust the direction of his throws, constantly fine-tuning the force of the impact.
"This feels like being back in the Grand Line, going through a storm!"
"Is Vice Admiral Garp planning to tear this ship apart...?"
Terrified soldiers shouted as the once-sturdy warship swayed violently amidst the waves, emitting teeth-clenching creaks.
But regardless of their fear, under this artificially created current, the warship's speed far exceeded its usual maximum.
.....
Two days later,at the base of the mountains in the Lawless Zone, in the hideout of the Sig Mountain Bandit Gang—
"Boss, I've got good news!"
A bald bandit excitedly knocked on the door and entered.
"The person you've been waiting for has arrived!"
The bald bandit's loud voice instantly drew the attention of several nearby bandits, who turned to look.
"Who exactly am I waiting for? Don't give me random backstory!"
Sig sighed inwardly but maintained a calm exterior as he spoke a single word:
"Speak."
"Hero of the Navy, Garp! We spotted Vice Admiral Garp's warship near Windmill Village!"
The bald bandit was extremely excited, speaking rapidly.
"Boss, finally, in this Goa Kingdom, there's an enemy worthy of you making a move!"
Sig shot up from his chair, his heart pounding like a drum, and an overwhelming sense of pressure filled the air.
An hour later.
Sig and a few subordinates who were leading the way arrived at a nearby hill.
From this hill, with its commanding view, almost the entire Windmill Village could be seen, including the naval warship docked at the pier, standing out prominently.
"Have you spotted Garp?"
Sig took the binoculars from one of his subordinates and casually asked.
"He did show up in Windmill Village, but shortly after, he left quickly with a child…"
Sig frowned slightly. What he saw through the binoculars made him feel uneasy.
The Garp warship in the lens wasn't intact.
To be precise, the front half of the warship was complete, but the rear part was quite a shocking sight.
Much of the ship's rear railing was broken in half, and there were faintly visible cracks on the deck.
"Did they go through a naval battle?"
"But in this part of the East Blue, is there really an enemy capable of causing such damage to Garp's warship?"
Sig gasped sharply, sweat gradually forming on his forehead.
He suddenly realized that this world might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Return to the base!"
"And from now on, everyone must act low-key. No, wait… Everyone, stay inside and don't go anywhere! Become total shut-ins!"
This order left the subordinates behind him utterly stunned.
No matter how they looked at it, this command was far from what they had expected.
Among them, the bald bandit couldn't help but ask in confusion:
"Boss, your long-awaited nemesis has finally arrived! He's like you, someone from the old era. Don't you intend to…?"
Sig's eye twitched slightly.
Under the expectant gazes of his subordinates, admitting defeat outright was a bit difficult.
"This… This is all part of a grand plan. No need to ask further."
Sig kept a calm expression, but inside, he was panicking.
"Calm down, think positively."
"It's Shanks who's leading Luffy astray, not me. What am I panicking for…"
"I'm just a minor character. For all I know, Luffy might have already forgotten about me."
"That's right, that must be it!"
Mount Colubo, a remote mountain range in the Lawless Zone of the Goa Kingdom, far from both the Gray Terminal and the commoner villages, was an area rarely visited by people.
Garp was carrying Luffy along the mountain path.
"Let me go! I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy yelled, flailing and pounding on Garp's leg with all his might.
"Stop saying such nonsense about becoming the Pirate King! Listen up!" Garp's voice was tinged with irritation.
"You and Ace are both going to become the strongest marines in the future…"
The pair of grandfather and grandson bickered loudly all the way until they finally arrived at a wooden house.
"What is this place?" Luffy asked curiously while still struggling, his small hands continuing to slap against Garp's leg.
"This is the home of the mountain bandit Dadan and her family. From now on, you'll be living here."
Garp knocked forcefully on the wooden door.
"Mountain bandits?"
Luffy, who was about to slap Garp's leg again, suddenly froze mid-action.
He remembered a certain mountain bandit he knew and, instinctively, stopped struggling.
End of chapter....
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Tetsuya12 Sorry, everyone! I just realized I hadn't updated the Patreon link, which is why many of you couldn't find me there. But no worries—it's now updated in the synopsis!
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