The Cloud of a Broken Promise

The East Sea, an uncharted stretch of ocean.

The deck of the Red Force.

As the appointed time drew near, the members of the Red-Haired Pirates all wore smiles, yet their eyes betrayed a lingering sense of conflict and anxiety.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Shanks, who stood by the railing draped in a black cloak, his straw hat perched upon his head.

A moment later, Lucky Roo, a somewhat rotund man dressed in green, took a bite of the large bone-in meat he was holding and asked in a muffled voice:

"Boss, if Uta doesn't want to travel with Louis and the others, are we going to take her to the New World?"

Shanks turned back and flashed a grin at his crew that lacked any shred of authority. "Then we take her with us and protect her with our lives. Uta is our daughter, after all; we can't just leave her all alone, can we?"

Hearing this answer, the crew breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately after, the worry in their hearts grew even heavier.

Shanks noticed the concern on his comrades' faces and then offered a meaningful smile. "Tell me, aren't you all underestimating the bond between Uta, Louis, and Yelena?"

"Over these past two years, the friendship between Uta and them hasn't been any less than what she has with us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lucky Roo and the others voiced their dissatisfaction. "Hey, that's not what you said a second ago!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Just then, Yasopp, standing atop the watchtower, lowered his telescope with a grave expression.

Without hesitation, he leaned over and shouted down toward the deck, "Boss, we've got trouble!"

The sudden cry brought the deck to a standstill, and everyone instinctively looked up toward the watchtower.

They saw Yasopp pointing toward the southeast with a grim look, warning them loudly: "A dog-headed warship! It's Garp!"

"Garp?!" the crew gasped in unison.

Shanks immediately walked to the other side of the deck, caught the telescope tossed to him by Beckman, and peered into the distance with a heavy expression.

At the edge of the horizon, a massive warship was cutting through the waves, heading straight for the Red Force.

Shanks slowly lowered the telescope and furrowed his brows, muttering to himself, "This is going to be a problem..."

On the other side, on the deck of the large warship.

A soldier clad in a Navy uniform, holding a flintlock, ran with a similarly grave expression toward a lounge chair under a parasol.

He quickly snapped a salute and reported the situation to the middle-aged man who was currently fast asleep, a snot bubble inflating and deflating on his nose.

"Report, Vice Admiral Garp!"

"We have confirmed the identity of the pirate crew ahead. Based on their flag, they are the heinous pirates who destroyed the Kingdom of Jacob two years ago—the Red-Haired Pirates!"

Pop. As the words fell, the snot bubble on the nose of the middle-aged man with the resolute face and graying temples instantly burst.

"The Red-Haired Pirates?" The burly, bear-like man slowly opened his hazy eyes.

He rose from his deck chair, stretched languidly, and yawned. "That apprentice from Roger's ship?"

"Even though Natan and those soldiers were annoying, the citizens were innocent. In the end, did they finally show their fangs?"

"Back then, even Roger only destroyed their army..."

Navy Hero Garp's deep gaze fell upon the sailing ship at the edge of the horizon, his expression turning cold.

"Bring out the cannonballs."

"Yes!" The soldier ran off after receiving the order.

Soon, carts of cannonballs were pushed to Garp's side. Garp casually picked up a pitch-black cannonball, tossed it in his hand, and weighed it.

Then, he twisted his waist and hurled the cannonball straight ahead.

Whoosh... The cannonball tore through the sound barrier in an instant, accompanied by a shrill whistle as it flew straight toward the Red Force.

A brilliant slash flashed, shattering the incoming cannonball in mid-air.

Seeing this, the corners of Garp's mouth curled up into a heroic grin. He then picked up cannonball after cannonball, hurling them toward the Red Force.

Not long after, Garp's adjutant walked out of the cabin with a stack of papers and came straight to his side.

"Vice Admiral Garp, Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants us to confirm if there is a member of the Oni Clan on Red-Haired Shanks' ship."

"The Oni Clan? Why confirm that?" Garp didn't even turn his head, continuing to throw cannonballs into the distance.

Upon hearing this, Bogard's usually calm face gradually shifted to one of skepticism; it was clear he was also deeply shocked by this news.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku says that seventeen years ago, a princess from Canaan went to the New World. After returning, she gave birth to an infant with the bloodline of the Oni Clan. In recent years, that individual has made a name for themselves outside the Jacob Wall."

"Canaan... a princess..." Garp's body stiffened at the words. His motion of throwing the cannonballs froze, and a look of guilt and pain surfaced on his face.

He remembered the young girl who had come to Marine Headquarters seeking help, only to be assassinated and forced to flee.

After a long while, he regained his composure and continued to mechanically hurl the cannonballs like a meteor shower.

"And what does this have to do with the Oni Clan?"

Bogard straightened his expression and said solemnly, "The World Government found out, dispatched agents to trace the princess's route, and it seems they made an incredible discovery."

Not long after, the Five Elders dispatched a CP0 agent, Vice Admiral Gumir, and five Rear Admirals to apprehend them.

In the end, the CP0 agent and the retired Vice Admiral Natan were killed a few days before the destruction of the Kingdom of Jacob, with no witnesses left behind.

Vice Admiral Gumir was forced to retreat by the Red-Haired Pirates, and that member of the Oni Clan vanished without a trace.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku said that if possible, they should capture that Oni Clan member; the World Government and the Navy might be able to use this to orchestrate a major event...

Bogard slowly lowered the newspaper, his eyes filled with a hint of disbelief.

Opposite him, Garp had stopped throwing cannonballs at some point, his eyes filled with a touch of painful reminiscence.

"What happened to that princess in the end?"

Bogard flipped through a few pages, then frowned and replied, "According to the reports from the survivors of that transport operation, the last princess of Ganan snuck onto the prison ship over a decade ago. After stealing the key to the Seastone Shackles, she was shot dead in front of the cell."

"Confirmed dead..."

Kingdom of Elegia.

It is a world-renowned Music Kingdom, a gathering place for numerous professional musicians, musical instruments, and the vast majority of the world's musical scores.

From the King down to the common citizens, everyone in Elegia has a deep interest in music. To improve the musical proficiency of the populace, the King even ordered the establishment of a Music Academy dedicated solely to teaching music.

On the wide, bustling streets, Louis and his companions walked aimlessly.

Due to Louis's near-perfect face and wings that were no different from an angel's, he attracted the attention of many young women.

Every time Louis turned his head, it caused quite a few women to misunderstand; they would shyly avert their gazes and cross their legs, not daring to meet his eyes.

To this, Louis, who had long grown accustomed to it all, remained very indifferent. As for Yelena and Uta, who had encountered this situation several times in a row, they simply sighed and stopped dwelling on it.

After a long while, the trio stopped at the summit of Elegia. They sat on a giant boulder, taking in the entirety of Elegia at a glance.

"Shanks and the others should have set off earlier than us, so why haven't they appeared yet?" Yelena scanned the island, her brows slightly furrowed.

To this, Uta, resting her head on Yelena's lap and swinging her fair, slender legs, said with a grin, "Don't worry, Shanks would never break a promise!"