The Merry sailed on the Grand Line for the first time. Everyone looked around eagerly, but it seemed just like before—nothing but the vast expanse of sea in every direction.
Suddenly, Zoro dragged a man and a woman onto the deck, throwing them with a thud.
"Luffy, these two were sneaking around the lighthouse earlier," Zoro explained casually. "I overheard them talking about hunting and killing Laboon. So, I captured them. What should we do with them?"
His words were casual, but they ignited an immediate, intense anger in everyone.
Kill Laboon?
How dare these two think they could harm Laboon?
Although the crew didn't know Laboon as well as Luffy did, they knew how important he was to their captain. They had all witnessed the bond between Luffy and Laboon, and they wouldn't allow anyone to harm him.
Carl took a moment to look closely at the pair. After a brief assessment, he confirmed their identities.
The man wearing a crown and carrying a metal bat was Mr. 9, and the woman with long water-blue hair and a questionable outfit was Miss Wednesday, who, unbeknownst to most, was Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta, secretly working as an undercover agent for the Baroque Works.
However, Carl couldn't help but think that Princess Vivi's outfit was a bit... questionable.
"You two want to kill Laboon?" Luffy said, his voice darkening as he adjusted his straw hat. "Laboon and I are friends. I won't let anyone hurt him."
As Luffy spoke, the rest of the crew, without hesitation, stepped forward and formed a loose circle around Mr. 9 and Vivi. Even Tashigi found herself joining the circle without fully realizing it.
For Tashigi, Laboon was more than just a whale—he was a creature that stirred sympathy, and seeing someone threaten him only fueled her determination to protect him.
Mr. 9 and Vivi both froze, their eyes widening as they took in the situation. They looked up at Luffy, who towered over them with an unwavering gaze.
Then, they froze again when the realization hit.
"You… you're Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, right? The one who became famous even before entering the Grand Line? This ship is the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, isn't it?"
Mr. 9 and Vivi were clearly stunned. The truth of their situation was sinking in.
Whiskey Peak was one of Baroque Works' strongholds, specializing in targeting rookie pirates to collect bounties. Naturally, there were many bounties on pirates, but the bounty list of the Straw Hat Pirates was particularly shocking.
From Captain Straw Hat Luffy's 100 million Berries bounty to even the ship's pet, Ricky, having a 1 million Berries bounty, their total reached 226 million Berries. Such a sum was impressive even in the latter half of the Grand Line, let alone for newcomers.
On top of that, Luffy had twice made the front page of the newspaper. His feats—whether it was dueling Hawkeye Mihawk or defeating a legendary pirate like the Golden Lion—had shaken the world.
Because of this, the Baroque Works organization didn't dare to target the Straw Hats at all!
However, unexpectedly encountering them at the Twin Capes? That was an absolute disaster!
"Oh? You guys know me?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Luffy, you've been on the front page of the news, and you have a 100 million bounty. Of course people know you!" Usopp sighed, exasperated by Luffy's lack of awareness.
"Hee hee hee, I forgot!" Luffy laughed.
"You can forget something like that? I seriously admire you..."
The interaction between Luffy and Usopp stunned Mr. 9 and Vivi. Just moments ago, the Straw Hats had looked incredibly intimidating. But now, seeing the way the captain and his sniper bickered, the atmosphere shifted completely.
Maybe… the Straw Hats weren't as terrifying as they had first thought?
And was it just them, or was the Straw Hat Captain a bit... dim?
In any case, the lighthearted exchange put Mr. 9 and Vivi at ease—though they didn't dare to relax completely. After all, the infamous pirate hunter with a 50 million Berries bounty was still staring them down like a predator eyeing its prey.
"So, what's your story? Why were you trying to hunt Laboon?" Zoro asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
It was a clear warning. One wrong answer, and his blades might come out.
Mr. 9 and Vivi flinched before hurriedly explaining, "We're bounty hunters from Whiskey Peak! There's barely any food on the island, and we heard there was a giant whale here… We thought we could hunt it for food.
We're really sorry! We didn't know the whale was a friend of the Straw Hat Pirates! We won't try to harm it again, we swear!"
Both of them were practically kneeling at this point, and seeing their sincerity, the expressions on the Straw Hats' faces eased slightly.
At that moment, Vivi hesitated before timidly raising her hand.
"Um… could you give us a ride back to Whiskey Peak? Our boat was left near the Twin Capes when we got captured, so we have no way to return on our own."
Luffy, unfazed, simply nodded. "Oh, sure."
Mr. 9 and Vivi lit up with joy, repeatedly bowing in thanks.
The captain had already made his decision, and naturally, no one had any objections. They had just arrived on the Grand Line, and for now, they could go wherever they pleased. Besides, with the Straw Hats' current strength, there was little to fear.
Nami sighed but didn't argue. Instead, she asked Vivi for directions to Whiskey Peak.
Meanwhile, at Marineford…
Kizaru had returned to Marine Headquarters and carefully reported the entire incident.
Even the mysterious cloaked man they had seen at the end—Kizaru did not conceal a single detail.
After the report, silence filled the meeting room.
Well, except for Garp's loud, incoherent snoring. The old man had dozed off entirely, a large snot bubble inflating and deflating from his nose, making for a rather comical sight.
Seeing this, Sengoku and the others could only shake their heads helplessly.
Garp had been slacking ever since Roger's death, barely involving himself in matters after his hair turned gray. Even in an important meeting, he could fall asleep without a care in the world.
But this wasn't just laziness—it was a statement.
His grandson, Straw Hat Luffy, was now a pirate. As a Marine, he had no intention of interfering. Let the others do as they please.
Of course, what Sengoku didn't realize was that Garp had absolute confidence in both Luffy and Carl. Even if two Admirals attacked them at once, he believed Luffy would still find a way to escape.
So, he wasn't worried at all.
However, Sengoku had no intention of letting Garp enjoy his nap.
"GARP! YOU OLD B*D! YOUR FAMILY NEVER STOPS CAUSING TROUBLE!"
Pop!
Garp's snot bubble burst—only for him to shift positions and resume sleeping, completely ignoring Sengoku's outburst.
Sengoku's eye twitched.
At that moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed.
"Don't get worked up, Sengoku. Garp isn't going to help with this," she said, before shaking her head in disbelief. "Still… I didn't expect the Straw Hat Pirates' strength to be this overwhelming. It's beyond expectations. If they make it into the New World at this rate, we might be looking at a 'Fifth Emperor' situation."
"A Fifth Emperor?"
Aokiji, who had been lounging lazily in his chair, finally spoke. His tone was calm, almost indifferent.
"Ah la la… isn't that an exaggeration, Tsuru-san?" he said, stretching. "If you ask me, Kizaru was just playing around. He probably went easy on them since Straw Hat is Garp's grandson. Otherwise… how could a mere seventeen-year-old boy be that strong?"
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