Chapter 43

"Cough, cough!" Rayleigh kept coughing from the side, trying to snap his companions out of it.

Unfortunately, they had already been blinded by beauty, hearts in their eyes as they stared fixedly at Shakki.

Just then, a shout suddenly rang out from afar. "Roger, don't think you can run!"

Roger, who had been immersed in beauty just moments ago, was immediately jolted awake by that familiar voice. "I can't believe I ran all the way here and you still managed to catch up, Garp, you bastard."

"Hahahaha! Roger, you won't be getting away this time! I even threw away my Den Den Mushi just to catch you. This time, no one's stopping me from taking you in!"

Fist Bone Meteor! Garp grabbed a cannonball and hurled it with all his might. It became a meteor shooting straight toward the island.

"Hey, hey, hey! That won't do. You can't disrupt the birthday banquet." Roger wore a wild grin, no longer paying any attention to Shakki.

His eyes held only Garp. As Ace was drawn, crimson lightning coiled around its blade, and he unleashed a Flying Slash.

Aragami! The two attacks collided. Roger's Flying Slash split the cannonball in two and continued toward Garp without losing any force.

Garp's fist was wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki as he punched the slash aside. The Flying Slash fell into the sea and cleaved the ocean open!

Garp glared at Roger and shouted, "Roger, surrender!"

Roger shouted back at Garp with equal fervor, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm going to become the Most Free Pirate!"

The two rapidly closed in on each other, but at that moment, a third force intervened.

"Today is Lingling's and my birthday! How dare you make such a ruckus at a time like this? You really don't take me seriously at all." Red light gleamed in Milim's eyes.

Two pairs of dragon claws seized Roger's Ace and Garp's iron fist respectively.

"Why is Milim here?" Garp's eyes widened as he looked at Milim gripping his fist. He couldn't understand why, when he had clearly been chasing Roger, he was seeing Milim instead.

"This is bad." Roger's mouth twitched. He had gotten too excited at the sight of Garp and failed to control his emotions. Now he was definitely done for.

"Since you two like fighting so much, then take one of my moves." As she spoke, Milim's Dragon Wings flapped, and she shot skyward headfirst.

"Hey, Milim, what are you doing?" Roger's eyes widened as he watched Milim accelerate, dragging both of them swiftly into the sky with her.

A savage smile spread across Milim's face. "Let me show you my newly developed ultimate move—Earth Throw!"

Milim flew faster and faster toward the sky. Without Milim's magic protecting them, the friction of the air quickly set Garp's and Roger's clothes ablaze, while the heat around them grew ever more intense.

Garp and Roger had no choice but to use Armament Haki to protect their entire bodies. When they reached an altitude of thirty thousand meters and the island below had become a blurry speck, Milim finally stopped.

Garp even had the leisure to pick his nose with one hand. "Milim, why did you bring us all the way up here? You're not going to throw us down, are you?" Garp had tried to break free, but the hand gripping him felt as though it were pinning him down with a ten-thousand-ton weight. He could not move in the slightest.

Seeing the radiant smile on Milim's face, Roger swallowed. "No way... You're really going to do it?"

Earth Throw! Milim did not respond. She merely folded away the wings behind her.

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With her head pointed down, she spun continuously with Garp and Roger in tow, faster and faster. The three of them seemed to turn into a massive ball of fire as they plunged toward the sea.

The rapid spinning made even seasoned sailors like Roger and Garp feel their stomachs churn and their heads spin, as if their brains were about to be shaken into a slurry.

At the harbor, everyone watched the fireball in the sky draw closer and closer to the sea. Their mouths hung open, and none of them knew what to say.

"Captain... he isn't going to die, is he?" Gaban finally spoke up.

Only then did the surrounding crew begin discussing it. "Fighting at a birthday banquet? The captain really has no manners."

"This time, he's definitely done for. Milim is going to beat him to death."

Though they consoled one another with such words, the tension in their hearts would not fade.

Everyone knew Milim probably would not take it seriously, but if she truly got angry, they would be faced with the troublesome prospect of going to war with Many Countries.

As the fireball in the sky drew ever closer to the sea, Milim finally spread her Dragon Wings and released her hands just before they plunged into the water, sending the two men crashing straight into the ocean.

She herself skimmed across the surface of the sea before eventually returning to the harbor of Many Countries.

The two crashed into the sea, throwing up enormous waves that even rocked the ships moored nearby.

"Captain, don't die!" Gaban crouched by the sea in utter grief, reaching toward the spot where Roger had fallen. He looked utterly miserable—until his next sentence ruined the act.

"At least entrust all your treasure to me before you die."

"You bastard, Gaban! So you really have been eyeing my treasure!" A hand emerged from the sea, followed by Roger, soaked from head to toe, leaping out of the water.

"So you didn't die." Gaban calmly stood up, looking somewhat disappointed.

"What the hell are you disappointed about?" Roger was furious. What was he supposed to do when his crew members were always plotting to usurp him?

Then another hand emerged from the sea and grabbed Roger's head, shoving him underwater. Garp then poked his head out and scratched it awkwardly as he laughed.

"Hahaha! Sorry about that, Milim. I didn't even realize I'd chased him all the way to Many Countries."

"Garp, you bastard! Who are you trying to fool? Wouldn't someone notify you when you entered Many Countries' territory? You obviously came here looking for trouble." Roger broke free from Garp's large hand and quickly swam ashore.

He came to Milim's side with an expression that said he had seen through everything, then pointed at Garp and shouted.

"Did that happen?" Garp picked his nose as he climbed onto the harbor, then seemed to remember something. "So those calls just now were all notifications for me? I thought they were some other orders from higher up, so I threw the Den Den Mushi away."

"Who are you trying to fool? Milim, hurry up and beat him up! It'd be best if you beat him so badly he can never get out of bed again." Roger still stared at Milim with dissatisfied yet expectant eyes, hoping she would give Garp a thorough beating.

Ever since Roger had gone to sea, Garp had apparently developed some kind of illness. He ignored everyone else and focused solely on Roger.

Wherever Roger went, Garp followed. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought Garp liked him.