"Demon Child… that little girl from Ohara?"
Garp's expression flickered with surprise.
Of course he knew what had happened in Ohara back then—how the island had been annihilated under the World Government's Buster Call.
And because of that tragedy, his prized disciple Kuzan, once a spirited young man, had become a listless drifter.
"What are you planning to do?"
Garp didn't believe for a second that this disciple was going to capture anyone. If Kuzan had wanted to, he would have done it years ago.
"The World Government already caught wind of this. They've dispatched agents to the West Blue. I'm just going along to lend a hand."
Kuzan's lazy drawl drifted through the receiver.
Yeah, right!
Garp picked at his nose, looking utterly unimpressed.
He knew his disciple's temperament better than anyone—odds were, the boy had his own reasons.
"Do whatever you want."
With that, Garp hung up the Den Den Mushi, set it down on the small side table, and turned his gaze toward Don, who sat nearby with his eyes closed.
"You seem rather interested in what we were just talking about."
Garp's sharp instincts hadn't missed Don's subtle reaction.
The old man might be straightforward, but after decades at sea, his ability to read people was keen.
"Curious," Don replied simply, still with his eyes closed.
"This isn't a small matter. If you meddle, you'll be making enemies of the World Government."
Garp warned him with a serious tone.
"You know, if you hadn't said that, I might've ignored it. But now that you have… I'm genuinely interested."
Don opened his eyes and looked at him.
That attitude!
For a moment, Garp froze. This personality felt awfully familiar.
In fact, everyone he surrounded himself with seemed to carry that same reckless streak.
He studied Don, trying to gauge whether the words were sincere—but Don had already shut his eyes again.
The warship cut swiftly across the sea. Marines on deck were still abuzz, talking about the earlier battle.
The island that had been attacked wasn't far from the base. With the warship's speed, it took only a few hours to return.
Waiting there already was Captain Nezumi, who had received word ahead of time.
Don disembarked with Arlong's severed head dangling from his hand and casually tossed it at Nezumi.
The captain instinctively caught it, only to realize what it was a heartbeat later. His face drained of blood, and he nearly hurled the grisly trophy away.
"Arlong the Fishman—twenty million bounty. The rest of his crew are still aboard their ship. Convert their heads into Berries later."
Don waved dismissively and turned to leave.
Nezumi hastily shoved Arlong's head into the arms of a pale-faced subordinate.
"Wait! The branch doesn't have enough funds left."
His voice cracked as he stopped Don.
"Not enough?"
Don frowned, glancing back at him.
"No one else in East Blue has captured so many pirates in such a short time. I've already drained even the branch's emergency funds."
Nezumi's face twisted in frustration.
And when he saw Garp step off the ship, still idly picking his nose, his headache grew worse.
"Headquarters will deposit the bounty into your private account. If you want to use it later, go to the bank and withdraw it yourself."
Garp had heard Don's complaint, and he flicked the bit of gunk from his finger before speaking.
Don raised an eyebrow.
"Local places don't have such banks. They're only set up by the World Government on a few major islands. Of course, if you were a pirate, well…"
Garp grinned meaningfully at him.
So basically—confiscated, huh?
Don gave a slow nod.
In truth, this world's technology wasn't primitive. The World Government simply monopolized it.
Vegapunk had churned out plenty of black-tech marvels. Banks were nothing strange by comparison.
"Still, most of them are located on the Grand Line. A few are in certain allied nations as well."
Garp added, making sure Don understood.
Otherwise, with this kid's habit of hunting pirates for quick cash, trouble would be inevitable if he felt cheated.
But Don? He was only passing time.
"That works fine. I've still got ninety million Berries left."
With a shrug, he walked away.
Not long after, he retrieved his deposited ninety million from the tavern and delivered it directly to Garp at the base.
"Aren't you afraid I might just pocket your money?"
Garp squinted at Don's casual demeanor.
Did this boy even care about money?
"No worries. If you did, I'd just go take it back from another Marine base. No big deal."
Garp froze.
Of course he understood.
By "take," Don didn't mean a withdrawal slip.
If it came to that, Don would have a hundred-million bounty on his head by morning.
"…Fine. Leave a photo and a passphrase."
Garp relented with a nod.
The photo was easy—the Marines already had one.
The password, though…
After thinking for a moment, Don said, "Ryujin Jakka."
Ryujin Jakka?
Garp muttered it under his breath, intrigued, but didn't ask further.
"No problem. I'll handle this for you."
Meanwhile, Captain Nezumi kept his head down, pretending to be invisible.
Chatting so casually with Vice Admiral Garp—yet still not officially joining the Marines?
What the hell was this situation?
"Oh, and about the Conomi Islands—their tangerines are excellent. I'm rather fond of them. Make sure your patrols swing by more often. Don't let pirates ruin the orchards."
Having finished his business, Don turned toward Nezumi.
"Uh… I understand."
The captain glanced nervously at Garp before nodding.
After all, it was technically his duty to protect the region.
Still, the way Don issued the words as though giving an order left Nezumi uneasy.
"Why? Someone you know?"
Garp had caught the tone and asked curiously.
"You could say that."
Don didn't deny it.
"Used to be a Marine. After a rough fight with pirates, she retired."
That piqued Garp's curiosity even more.
But Don had no intention of elaborating.
Nezumi, on the other hand, was already reevaluating everything.
He'd planned to make some retirement money by skimming as a base commander—but now, with Don's ties to Garp, that was no longer safe.
His beady eyes darted nervously.
"I'm off."
Don waved a hand, turned, and strode away.
"Vice Admiral Garp?"
Nezumi spoke carefully once Don was gone.
"I'll be heading back to headquarters myself."
Garp gave him a flat look before standing.
He'd noticed Don's words earlier—a warning, plain and simple.
But Garp wasn't in the mood to dissect it further.
Don didn't linger.
Soon, he was back in Cocoyasi Village.
"The usual."
He greeted Bell-mère with a smile.
"Huh?"
For the third time—he was buying out her entire harvest?
This man was a walking treasure chest.
But today, Bell-mère wasn't alone.
Two girls stood beside her—one with light blue hair, the other with orange. Both watched Don curiously.
So this was the man who had made their recent days so much better?
END OF CHAPTER
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