East Sea, an unknown stretch of sea.
The deck of the Red Force.
As the appointed time drew near, the Red-Haired Pirates all wore smiles, but their eyes still betrayed a hint of hesitation and worry.
Everyone turned their gaze to Shanks, standing by the railing in a black cloak and a straw hat.
A moment later, Lucky Roo, a slightly round man in green, bit into the large bone-in piece of meat in his hand and asked through a mouthful,
"Boss, if Uta doesn't want to travel with Louis and the others, should we take her with us to the New World?"
Shanks turned around and gave his companions a thoroughly undignified grin. "Then we'll take her with us and protect her with our lives. Uta's our daughter. We can't just leave her all alone, can we?"
Hearing that answer, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But in the next moment, the worry in their hearts only grew heavier.
Shanks noticed the concern on his companions' faces, then smiled meaningfully. "I have to ask, are you all underestimating the bond between Uta, Louis, and Yelena?"
"These past two years, Uta's grown just as close to them as she is to us!"
At that, Lucky Roo and the others protested in displeasure. "What? That's not what you said a moment ago!"
"Exactly!"
Just then, Yasopp, standing atop the lookout tower, lowered his binoculars with a grave expression.
He didn't hesitate. Leaning over, he shouted toward the deck, "Boss, we've got trouble!"
The sudden shout brought the deck to a standstill. Everyone instinctively looked up toward the lookout tower.
Yasopp pointed to the southeast with a grave expression and called out, "A Dog-headed Warship! It's Garp!"
"Garp?!" Everyone cried out in shock.
Shanks immediately headed to the other side of the deck and took the binoculars Beckman tossed him, his expression darkening as he looked into the distance.
At the edge of the horizon, a massive warship cut through the waves, heading straight for the Red Force.
Shanks slowly lowered the binoculars and furrowed his brow. "This is a problem..."
"..."
On the deck of the large warship, meanwhile,
a soldier in a Navy Uniform, carrying a flintlock rifle, hurried over to a deck chair beneath a sunshade, his expression equally grave.
He quickly saluted, then reported the situation to the middle-aged man before him, who was fast asleep with a snot bubble perched on his nose.
"Reporting, Vice Admiral Garp!"
"We've confirmed the identity of the pirate crew ahead. Judging by their flag, they're the Red-Haired Pirates, the notorious pirates who destroyed the Kingdom of Jacob two years ago!"
"Pop..." The snot bubble on the nose of the middle-aged man, whose face was resolute and temples graying, burst.
"The Red-Haired Pirates?" The burly, bear-like man slowly opened his bleary eyes.
He rose from the deck chair, stretched languidly, then yawned. "The apprentice from Roger's ship?"
"Natan and those soldiers were a nuisance, but the people of that country were innocent. So they finally showed their fangs, no matter what?"
"Back then, even Roger only destroyed their army..."
The deep gaze of the Navy Hero, Garp, settled on the ship at the edge of his vision, and his expression turned cold.
"Bring out the cannonballs."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier ran off at his order.
Soon, carts of cannonballs were wheeled over beside Garp. He casually picked up a pitch-black cannonball and tossed it in his hand, weighing it.
Then he twisted his waist and hurled the cannonball straight ahead.
"Whoosh..." The cannonball broke the sound barrier in an instant and hurtled toward the Red Force with a shrill whistle.
A dazzling slash flashed, smashing the incoming cannonball in midair.
Seeing this, Garp's lips curved into a bold grin. He picked up cannonball after cannonball and hurled them at the Red Force.
A short while later, Garp's adjutant emerged from the cabin with a stack of papers and walked straight over to him.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked us to confirm whether there's an Oni Clan member aboard Red-Haired Shanks's ship."
"An Oni? Why do we need to confirm that?" Garp asked without looking back, continuing to fling cannonballs into the distance.
At that, Bogard's usually impassive face turned doubtful. Clearly, even he found the news shocking.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku said that seventeen years ago, a princess from Canaan traveled to the New World. After she returned, she gave birth to a child with Oni blood. In recent years, that person has made a name for themself outside Jacob Wall."
"Canaan, a princess..." Garp froze at the words, his arm stopping mid-throw. A look of guilt and pain appeared on his face.
He remembered the girl who had once come to Marine Headquarters seeking help, only to flee after an assassination attempt.
After a long while, his expression returned to normal, and he mechanically resumed hurling cannonballs like a meteor shower.
"What does that have to do with the Oni?"
Bogard straightened up, his expression grave. "After learning of this, the World Government sent agents along the princess's route to investigate. They seem to have uncovered something extraordinary."
"Not long after, the Five Elders sent a CP0 agent, Vice Admiral Gumir, and five rear admirals to capture them."
"In the end, the CP0 agent and the retired Vice Admiral Natan were killed a few days before the Kingdom of Jacob was destroyed. There were no witnesses."
"Gumir was driven off by the Red-Haired Pirates, and the Oni disappeared without a trace."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku said that if possible, we should capture that Oni. The World Government and the Navy might be able to use them to plan a major operation..."
Bogard slowly lowered the newspaper, disbelief in his eyes.
Across from him, Garp had stopped throwing cannonballs at some point. His eyes held the pain of old memories.
"What happened to the princess in the end?"
Bogard flipped through a few more pages, then furrowed his brow as he answered, "According to a survivor of that transport operation, the last princess of Canaan snuck aboard a prison ship more than ten years ago. After stealing the key to the Seastone Shackles, she was shot dead outside the cell."
"Her death was confirmed..."
The Kingdom of Elegia.
It was a Music Kingdom renowned throughout the world, home to countless professional musicians, musical instruments, and most of the world's sheet music.
From the king to the common people, everyone in Elegia had a keen interest in music. To improve the people's musical skills, the king had ordered the establishment of a Music Academy devoted exclusively to music.
Louis and the others wandered aimlessly along the broad, bustling streets.
Louis's nearly flawless face and angelic wings drew the attention of many young women.
Whenever Louis turned his head, quite a few women mistook the gesture for an invitation. They shyly looked away, pressed their legs together, and didn't dare meet his gaze.
Louis was already used to it and remained unfazed. After encountering this scene several times, Yelena and Uta simply remarked on it and let the matter go.
After a while, the three of them stopped at the summit of a mountain in Elegia. They sat on a boulder, taking in the entire island.
"Shanks and the others should've left before us, so why haven't they shown up yet?" Yelena asked, scanning the island with a slight frown.
Uta rested her head on Yelena's lap, swinging her slender, fair legs. She grinned. "Don't worry. Shanks would never break his promise!"
Before you continue