Takumi had assumed that Garp had returned to Windmill Village to check on Luffy. But as it turns out, the old fox was back at Baratie early in the morning, carrying a net full of seafood.
Zeff was outside with his cooks, repairing the deck. When he saw Garp return, he grumbled, "You're just in time. That guy's head is worth a few million berries. I won't even ask for more. Just give me ten thousand berries and take him away."
Garp turned to glance at the stiff corpse nearby, scratched his head, and said, "Who's that?"
Zeff, his face stern, replied, "That's Krieg, the captain of the crew that caused trouble at the restaurant yesterday morning."
"Oh, right, I remember now," Garp grinned, showing his teeth. "Not bad, Zeff. Even with a leg missing, you managed to take down this notorious pirate. Hahaha, still as tough as ever!"
Zeff: "..."
Zeff sighed, "It wasn't me who killed him."
"Hm?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "If it wasn't you, then who? Don't tell me it was Takumi? Hahaha…"
"Yes, it was him," Zeff said with a grin, clearly enjoying the reaction. "Marco was here last night. He saw Takumi kill Krieg with two strikes, then invited him to join his crew."
"What?" The smile froze on Garp's face as his eyes widened. "You mean Marco, the Phoenix, one of Whitebeard's commanders?"
"That's right, it was him."
Garp asked anxiously, "Did Takumi accept his offer?"
Zeff shrugged, smirking, "Who knows? He's upstairs right now. You can ask him yourself."
"Damn it! I was the one who invited that brat first!" Garp threw the net of seafood onto the deck, grumbling as he stomped towards the restaurant's spiral staircase.
Zeff watched Garp's retreating figure with amusement and added, "Oh, by the way, Takumi has Conqueror's Haki. I'm guessing you already knew that?"
Garp froze mid-step, a look of shock flashing across his face.
Conqueror's Haki? That kid actually has Conqueror's Haki!
Seeing Garp stop in his tracks, Zeff continued, "And I've got to say, that kid's Conqueror's Haki is pretty formidable. Just a slight slip of it, and he knocked out all of my men and Marco's crew too."
Garp: "!"
Without another word, Garp dashed up the stairs.
When he found Takumi, he didn't waste time with words, immediately throwing a punch.
Takumi used Soru to dodge with ease.
Garp kept swinging, "Brat, you didn't agree to join Whitebeard's crew, did you?"
Takumi: "..."
"Why aren't you answering? Don't tell me you really agreed to join that bird-brain Marco?" Garp threw another punch.
"No!" Takumi was getting irritated.
He wrapped his fist in Armament Haki at Level 3, decided not to dodge, and met Garp's fist head-on.
The impact sent a powerful shockwave rippling out from where their fists collided.
A flash of surprise crossed Garp's eyes.
Usually, when he used his "Fist of Love" on Luffy and Ace, he only used a tenth of his strength.
Knowing Takumi was strong, he'd used thirty percent of his strength this time.
But not only did he fail to land the punch, the brat actually matched his strength!
It seems this kid can use Armament Haki too!
He has leg techniques that rival Zeff's, mastery of the three forms of Haki, and he's also a swordsman.
How many more secrets is this kid hiding?
Garp's interest in Takumi grew even more intense.
The two retracted their fists simultaneously.
In Takumi's mind, the system's notification suddenly rang out:
[Ding! Fought with Marine Hero Garp, sign-in progress +10%.]
[Ding! Sea Restaurant Baratie sign-in task completed. Congratulations, host, for unlocking Moonwalk and Tempest Kick, with rewards of Soru Level +1 and Night Guy Level +1. Current Soru Level: Lv3, Night Guy Level: Lv2.]
Moonwalk is one of the Six Powers, allowing the user to kick the air with such force that they can move as if walking on air.
Tempest Kick is another Six Power technique, where a rapid kick creates a sharp, compressed air blade that can cut down opponents with the force of a blade.
Takumi raised an eyebrow.
With the new skills unlocked and the upgrades to Soru and Night Guy, a surge of power radiated from his feet.
Standing still, without doing anything, the deck beneath his feet began to crack, spiderwebbing out from where he stood.
With a loud crack, the section of the deck where Takumi and Garp were standing collapsed into a hole.
Both reacted quickly, leaping onto the intact part of the deck, avoiding the collapse.
Sanji, who had been secretly watching from a nearby building, was left gaping in shock.
"Eh?" Garp was stunned. "Takumi, what did you do?"
Takumi flexed his legs and shook his head, "Nothing."
Garp's eye twitched: I don't believe that for a second!
Takumi didn't say anything more, calmly walking past Garp.
"Where are you going?" Garp asked.
"I'm leaving."
Now that his task at Baratie was complete, it was time to move on.
"What?" Garp was surprised. "You're leaving already?"
Garp quickly followed, saying as he walked, "Why don't you reconsider joining the Marines?"
Takumi replied firmly, "Not happening."
Seeing Takumi was serious about leaving, Sanji snapped out of his shock and hurried after him.
"Takumi, are you really leaving? Right now?" Sanji asked, frowning.
"Yeah," Takumi responded casually.
When they reached the restaurant's ground floor, Sanji quickly ran ahead, blocking Takumi's path. "You said you'd teach me some leg techniques. You haven't even properly taught me yet. How can you leave now?"
Takumi: "..."
"When did I ever say I'd teach you?" Takumi asked, bewildered.
Sanji hesitated, realizing that Takumi had never actually said those words.
"But... But I thought you implied it," Sanji said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Takumi glanced at Zeff, who was overseeing the repairs to the deck outside. "You already have a pretty good teacher," he said.
Sanji bit his lip, looking like he was about to cry.
Takumi walked past him.
Just before reaching the restaurant's entrance, he paused and decided to say one last thing: "ALL-BLUE is real."
Sanji felt a jolt in his chest.
He turned to look at Takumi, who was now walking away.
Had he ever told Takumi about ALL-BLUE?
How did that guy know...
Wait!
That night, Takumi had asked about his dream, and he might have mentioned it in passing.
That guy actually remembered!
"It looks like you've made a good friend," Garp said, coming up beside Sanji, grinning as he watched Takumi's retreating figure.
Sanji glanced at Garp, his previous frustration replaced by a smile. He nodded firmly, "Yeah!"
Takumi reached the deck on the first floor.
He informed Zeff about his departure.
Zeff didn't hesitate, ordering his cooks to prepare a small supply boat for him.
Looking at the supply boat, which was twice as large as his original small sailboat, Takumi jumped aboard without hesitation.
He activated the system's navigation and set sail for his next sign-in location.
He hadn't gone far when a voice called out from Baratie's deck.
"Takumi, next time we meet, I'll use the world's best ingredients to make you the most delicious dish! I promise!"
Garp's voice followed: "Even if we can't be comrades, we can still be friends. Next time we meet, let's eat some delicious donuts together, Takumi."
Zeff added, "Takumi, if you ever have nowhere to go, come back to Baratie. At least here, I can guarantee you'll never go hungry."
Takumi didn't reply or look back. He simply raised a hand in farewell.
Zeff and the others watched him sail away.
Just then, a cook came running out from the restaurant, looking panicked. "Boss, something's wrong! There's a big hole in the second-floor deck!"
"What?" Zeff's eyes widened as he turned to Sanji, "What happened?"
Since only Sanji, Takumi, and Garp had been upstairs earlier, Sanji turned away, mumbling, "It was Vice Admiral Garp who did it..."
"Eh?" Garp pointed at himself, laughing awkwardly, "Was it really me?"
*********
Support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to chapter 65!
Takumi sailed across the open sea in the supply boat he had taken from Baratie. His next destination was Loguetown.
Opening his personal status panel, he took a moment to review:
[Name: Takumi
Age: 10 years
Sign-in Location: Loguetown (0%)
Constitution: All-Attribute Chakra
Haki: Armament Haki Lv4, Conqueror's Haki Lv4, Observation Haki Lv3
Skills: Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique (Beginner), Swordsmanship Lv6, Shunpo Lv3, Night Guy Lv2
Rokushiki: Finger Pistol Lv1, Iron Body Lv1, Shave (Locked), Moonwalk Lv1, Tempest Kick Lv1, Paper Arts (Locked)
Weapon: Cursed Sword Star Shatter (Lake Toya)
System Space: 100x100x100 cubic meters]
After a quick glance, Takumi closed the status panel.
When thinking about Loguetown, the first thing that came to his mind was the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Loguetown was not only the birthplace of Roger but also the place where he was executed. Thus, the town is often referred to as "the Town of Beginnings and Ends."
The most notable landmark in Loguetown now is the execution platform in the town's central square, where Roger met his end. Given that Roger is an idol to many pirates, most who come to Loguetown make it a point to visit the execution platform. It's highly likely that this location could trigger a sign-in task completion.
Once he arrived in Loguetown, Takumi knew that visiting the execution platform would be a must. As for whom he might encounter there, he didn't really care. As long as he could complete the task, that was all that mattered.
Not dwelling on it any longer, Takumi picked up his gourd and happily took a swig of wine. Before leaving Baratie, Zeff had stocked him up with plenty of food and drink, so he had no worries on that front.
After sailing for three more days, Takumi finally spotted a small island full of buildings on the morning of the fourth day.
His next sign-in destination, Loguetown, was finally in sight!
After docking the small boat at the shore, the moment Takumi set foot on land, the system's prompt sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully reaching the sign-in location, Loguetown. Sign-in progress +10%, current progress 10%. Reward: Beginner-level Divine Departure (Swordsmanship), Armament Haki level +1. Current Armament Haki level: Lv5.]
Information about the Divine Departure sword technique immediately appeared in his mind.
Takumi's eyes lit up.
Divine Departure was a sword technique used by Gol D. Roger himself. It involved launching a flying slash imbued with Haki at the target, bypassing the opponent's weapon to directly strike their body. This was indeed a formidable sword technique. Even at the beginner level, its power was nothing to scoff at.
Satisfied with the reward, Takumi proceeded from the harbor into the town.
Since it was still early, the streets were relatively empty, and many of the shops hadn't opened yet.
Takumi wandered down the streets, but the maze-like layout of the town soon had him lost.
Descending a flight of stairs in a narrow alley, he was about to ask for directions when he noticed a bar named after Gol D. Roger.
Isn't this the bar that Luffy visits ten years later?
Takumi's eyebrows raised in curiosity. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and walked in.
His wine was running low, so it was a good opportunity to restock.
Descending the spiral stone staircase, Takumi soon found himself at a small wooden door leading into the bar's main hall.
Inside, the only person present was an elderly man with silver hair, who was in the process of setting up chairs around the tables, preparing to open for business.
Hearing the door, the bartender turned and glanced at Takumi. Seeing that he was just a young boy, the bartender's expression remained blank as he said, "Get lost, kid. This isn't a place for someone like you."
Takumi ignored the remark and pushed open the small wooden door, taking a seat at the bar. "A bottle of rum, please," he said calmly.
Gol D. Roger had once drunk rum in this bar, so Takumi was curious to see how the Pirate King's drink of choice tasted.
The bartender paused, surprised that the boy hadn't left, but instead sat down at the bar. Putting down the chair he was holding, he walked over with a resigned sigh. "Kid, do you even know how to drink?"
Takumi nodded.
The bartender chuckled, "And do you have money? I don't serve freeloaders."
Takumi reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Berries, placing them on the counter.
The bartender glanced at the money, then pocketed it without hesitation. He grabbed a bottle of rum from the shelf and placed it in front of Takumi.
"This stuff is strong, don't say I didn't warn you. A couple of sips and you'll be out like a light," the bartender cautioned.
Takumi ignored the warning. He uncorked the bottle and took a big swig.
Just as the bartender said, the moment it hit his throat, Takumi felt a powerful burn followed by a lingering, rich aftertaste that tingled his senses.
Noticing Takumi's reaction, the bartender smirked, "How's that? Told you this wasn't for kids."
Takumi set the bottle down, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "It's good. Another two bottles, please."
"Huh?"
The bartender blinked in surprise. "You sure you want two more?"
Takumi nodded, continuing to drink.
Puzzled, the bartender grabbed two more bottles from the shelf and placed them on the counter.
Takumi uncorked them and poured the contents into his now-empty gourd.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside the bar.
A tall man with short silver hair, two cigars in his mouth, and a large coat with the word "Justice" emblazoned on the back walked in through the small wooden door.
"Old man, I'd like a glass of rum," the man said.
That voice...
Takumi turned to look and immediately recognized the newcomer: Smoker, the Marine officer stationed in Loguetown.
Smoker looked young, in his twenties, probably not long out of the Marine academy. At this point in time, his subordinate Tashigi, who bore a striking resemblance to Kuina, was likely still in training at the academy.
The bartender didn't seem pleased to see Smoker, his tone irritable as he snapped, "Seeing your ugly mug first thing in the morning is bad luck. We're out of rum, now get lost."
Smoker, completely unfazed by the bartender's rudeness, sat down on the stool next to Takumi. "Business must be slow if you're serving kids. Looks like your bar isn't far from closing down," he said with a smirk, glancing at Takumi who was busy drinking.
"Whether I close up shop or not is none of your business," the bartender shot back, clearly annoyed. "Now get out!"
"Hahaha," Smoker laughed but made no move to leave.
At that moment, a Marine soldier burst through the door, breathless.
"Here you are, Captain Smoker. We've received reports of pirates at the harbor. You need to get to the scene immediately."
Hearing this, Smoker stood up and left the bar without a word.
As for Takumi, after filling his gourd, he finished off the remaining rum in the bottle before hopping down from the barstool.
Seeing this, the bartender asked, "Leaving already?"
Takumi nodded, leaving the payment on the counter before calmly exiting the bar.
The moment he stepped outside, a boy with a head of green hair styled like a rooster darted past him in a blur.
*********
Support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to chapter 65!