044 Do you want to go?

Fifteen days later.

"Boom!"

A ten-meter-high water wave crashed down from the sky. While not a natural disaster, it felt worse than one to Mercer at the moment.

With a helpless expression, he gathered all his strength and threw a punch. "Smack!" It only struck the water surface within a one-meter radius in front of him, creating a hollow depression. Immediately, he was slammed down to the bottom of the lake.

Lying flat on his back on the sandy bottom, Mercer squinted his eyes and took a few seconds to recover, floating with the underwater currents.

He exhaled a string of small bubbles, dug his feet into the lakebed sand, and used his waist to push himself upright with the water's buoyancy.

Mercer pushed off the bottom, flailing his arms and legs, and floated upwards.

Splash!

His head broke the surface. He opened his mouth wide, greedily breathing in the fresh air.

He shook his hair, looked around, and saw Garp about ten meters in front of him, and his two younger brothers floating nearby in the shallows.

He looked at Garp with a wry smile. "You really don't show any mercy, do you."

Hearing the word "you" used so formally, Garp's face twitched. He looked at Mercer somewhat awkwardly. Mercer had already reached within two meters of him, which should have been considered passing.

But for some reason, Garp's mind went blank, and he impulsively pushed out a wave with his palm, forcing Mercer back, and then conjured a ten-meter "giant wave" to attack him.

Technically, he had broken the rules.

Garp quickly explained, "Mercer, you can't blame Grandpa. Grandpa just wants to tell you something: never let your guard down just because you think you're about to succeed. You have to know, people out there won't reason with you."

With that, Garp felt satisfied with his own cleverness and immediately continued his "nonsense" with a serious expression:

"Against an enemy, you must completely eliminate their ability to resist. Never let your guard down during a fight.

You know, it's often when you're close to success that it's the most dangerous time."

"For example, about ten years ago, there was a major battle between your deadbeat dad and another big pirate, Golden Lion Shiki.

It was the 'Battle of Edd War,' where your dad could have easily died. That's a classic example."

Garp began citing examples with a guilty conscience, desperately trying to instill his idea into Mercer.

Mercer listened to Garp's stories with great interest and didn't bother to dwell on whether Garp was taking advantage of the situation for revenge.

Golden Lion Shiki.

A person who only existed in impressions.

Now, through Garp's objective narration, devoid of personal bias, Shiki's image came alive in his mind, from his rise to his exit from the current world "stage."

He was cruel, cold-blooded, cunning, domineering, ambitious, courageous, and also a bit of a clown.

People of this type often played the protagonist in storybooks, regardless of whether they were good or bad. It was a very captivating narrative.

Mercer felt a surge of excitement.

"Then Grandpa, what about the Golden Lion now? Is he still in Impel Down? That world's number one deep-sea prison."

Ace had come over while Garp was talking. He raised his hand now, his eyes shining as he looked at Garp, his gaze filled with anticipation, curiosity, and excitement. Garp's vanity was satisfied as never before, and he chuckled, picking his nose.

"That bastard Shiki didn't stay locked up for long before he cut off his own legs and escaped. He's the first escapee from Impel Down in history.

As for now, I don't know where he's hiding and plotting.

Alright, let's not talk about him anymore. You just need to remember what I said."

Mercer and the other two nodded.

"As long as you haven't succeeded, you absolutely cannot relax, right? As long as it's an enemy, you must completely eliminate their ability to resist, right?"

Mercer summarized the points. Garp smiled and nodded.

"That's right, exactly. There are so many strange Devil Fruit abilities in this world, it's better to be safe than sorry. Flipping over in a gutter is just stupid.

Did you remember?"

Mercer and the other two nodded again.

Garp finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to fool them. As for the matter of not being able to talk about Shiki casually?

Not a problem.

To Garp, these were minor issues. Was there anything wrong with him educating his grandsons about "bad" pirates?

Was there anything wrong with him using case studies to teach reality?

Absolutely not.

He was just handling it internally.

With that thought, a smile appeared on Garp's lips.

At this moment, Mercer said calmly, "Grandpa, by saying all this, were you trying to get me to treat you as an enemy?"

Garp's face twitched at the question. However, this time he didn't hear the formal "you," and his heart relaxed. He said helplessly, "I was just teaching you life experience. We are not enemies, what nonsense are you talking about."

"Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh!"

The three of them said in unison.

Garp rolled his eyes, glanced at the sky, and said to Ace and Sabo:

"You two train hard from now on. When I come back next time, I'll check on your progress. That's all for now."

Sabo was a little confused, but Ace frowned, "Are you leaving? Today?"

Garp nodded, spreading his hands helplessly, "Yeah, it's almost time, and I have a lot of things to take care of."

"Okay." Ace fell silent for a moment, "Then you should go. See you next time."

"Slap!"

A slap landed on Ace's back. Mercer chuckled, "It's not like we're parting forever, what's there to be sad about?"

Mercer looked at Garp, "Grandpa, can you leave Ace a Den Den Mushi? That way, if he misses us, he can call."

Garp smacked his forehead, looking a bit embarrassed.

"How could I forget about that? No problem. You can give Ace your Den Den Mushi number later, and you can keep in touch."

"I'll call Bogard and have him bring one to Dadan's place in a bit. Let's head up first."

Even though the sun was bright and the temperature was high, soaking in the water for so long had made their skin pale.

Freestyle.

Breaststroke.

Doggy paddle.

Each showcasing their skills, the four of them quickly got ashore. After a brief sunbathe, they put on their clothes. Garp took the opportunity to make a call using the small Den Den Mushi he carried.

Because it was autumn, the afternoon sun was exceptionally warm, feeling cozy on their skin.

Dadan's Home.

The three of them each carried a hunted animal – a wild boar, a wild ox, and a large crocodile – and dumped them in the yard.

With three heavy thuds, Dadan and the others came out. Seeing the plump prey, they all wore smiles.

Butchering, cleaning, heating the oil, they worked with great enthusiasm, while the four of them chatted under the shade of a tree.

Creak creak creak!

Click!

A palm-sized lock was picked open with a slender piece of iron. Mercer re-latched the lock and continued to play with it.

Mercer lowered his head, seemingly looking at the lock in his hand, but actually gazing at the light screen projected onto his retina.

Gifted Abilities tab.

[E-rank Gift: Lockpicking] (Can grow freely)

[Gift Effect: Finger dexterity and sensitivity, sound localization, minor improvement in understanding mechanical creations.]

[Gift Evaluation: You thought I was picking a lock? Well, it really is just a lock.]

A year ago, he took some time to train, and then at some point, this Gift naturally materialized.

Mercer didn't suppress it, letting it develop naturally.

Over the past year, intermittently, whenever he had free time, he'd pick a lock for fun, and thus, this Gift naturally grew to the E-rank quality.

The Gifted Ability was quite ordinary, almost useless in combat. Even if it had some use, it would be overshadowed by other Gifted Abilities. But it was still a Gifted Ability, after all.

Mercer believed.

"There are no useless Gifts, only useless ability users."

"Speaking of which, if this kind of Gift keeps improving, will it eventually develop into a conceptual ability? Once activated, as long as the concept of 'lock' exists, anything can be opened?"

"Heh!" Mercer chuckled and closed the light screen panel. "But honestly, with this ability, my finger dexterity and sensitivity have been getting better and better."

Not just his fingers, but his entire hands and feet, and all parts connected to the "fingers," had become more agile and sensitive.

Bogard arrived.

He brought a smaller Den Den Mushi.

Then he left. His arrival made the mountain bandits extremely nervous.

It was a clear case of professional suppression.

Like mice meeting a cat.

Bogard also felt a bit uncomfortable staying.

However, before leaving, he glanced at Mercer and Ace, who bore a resemblance to Mercer.

As for Sabo, he was probably mistaken for one of the bandit's children and was ignored.

Mercer and Garp stayed for a meal.

With Ace and Sabo watching with reluctance, the two disappeared into the dense forest.

They arrived at Foosha Village.

Garp looked at Mercer and chuckled, "Going to Makino's again?"

"Hm?" Mercer feigned surprise. "How did you know, old man?"

Garp's face twitched. He pouted, twisted his body, and walked away. "I won't ask. You handle it yourself, just remember to come back soon."

Mercer watched Garp walk away, utterly bewildered. "That was weird."

As soon as Garp left, Karasu descended from the sky, talons gripping Mercer's shoulders. He rasped, "We, go home, yes?"

Mercer nodded. "Yeah, it's time to go home."

Chatting with Karasu as they walked, they turned a few streets and knocked on a door. Seeing Mercer arrive at this hour, Makino had a guess. "Leaving already?"

Mercer smiled. "Yeah, leaving. Came to get some honey, by the way."

Makino: "..."

Seeing her puff out her cheeks in speechlessness, Mercer chuckled. "Of course, and to say goodbye."

Makino's expression softened slightly, though still tinged with reluctance. "Come in first, have some tea before you go."

Mercer didn't refuse, nodding. He followed Makino into the bar on the first floor, sitting at the counter. A cup of black tea was placed before him.

Mercer cradled the black tea, taking small sips, savoring its unique mellow richness.

Makino brought over a sealed ceramic jar.

"Here, your honey. I've packed it for you."

Makino smiled gently.

"Mercer, when will you come back next?" Makino asked calmly. "Will it be another two years?"

Mercer smiled.

"Probably not that long, but I'm not sure. It'll depend on the situation. How about you come with me to Drum Island?"

"It's a winter island, always covered in snow, with several five-thousand-meter-tall iron bucket mountains. Climbing them is quite fun. You can see the entire island from the top."

"Want to go?"

Makino's eyes flickered with hesitation, a look of indecision on her face.

Mercer looked at Makino, her warm yellow camisole, blue-grey capri pants, fair skin, and a hint of baby fat on her cheeks, now wearing a conflicted expression.

This is quite interesting.

"Mmm!" Makino thought it over and finally said with an apologetic look, "I heard the Grand Line is very dangerous, so I won't go with you. I'm still very weak, I don't want to be a burden."

Mercer looked regretful but didn't force the issue. "Alright, I won't push you."

Makino fell silent for a moment. After a brief pause, she suddenly took a deep breath and looked straight at Mercer.

"I'll practice the Breathing Technique you taught me diligently. When I can punch down a wall, can you take me to Drum Island?"

Mercer laughed. "Then you'll have to work hard. The Free Breathing Method I taught you isn't easy to learn but difficult to master."

"Never mind, you look quite pleasing to the eye today. I'll help you one last time before I leave."

Saying that, he took out a needle pouch from his waist bag. He swiftly inserted silver needles into Makino's breathing nodes, causing her eyes to twitch.

"Can't you be gentler?"

Mercer chuckled. "Let's finish this quickly so I can get back. Hurry up, stop talking, and just breathe."

Makino's lips twitched as she closed her eyes.

Half an hour later.

Sweaty, Makino saw Mercer out the door.

Clutching a ceramic jar, she soon arrived at the dock and boarded the warship.

It seemed they were waiting only for Mercer. Within minutes, the warship pulled away from the dock.

Sailing further and further into the boundless sea.

A few days later.

Noon.

Mercer emerged from the ship's cabin, gazing at the dark clouds and rain curtain in the sky above the sea behind the warship, accompanied by occasional rumbles of thunder.

Water had accumulated on the deck.

Several miscellaneous soldiers, whose uniforms bore the character "Misc." on the back, were already cleaning the rainwater from the deck.

"Finally out of that sea area. Didn't expect to run into a torrential downpour."

"Caw~ feathers, getting, moldy."

Karasu followed and landed on Mercer's shoulder, basking comfortably in the sun.

Mercer shrugged, and Karasu took flight.

He walked to the hull, hooked his fingers into the gap, and Mercer climbed up, quickly reaching the ship's roof.

He leaned comfortably against the railing on top of the cabin.

Quietly enjoying the sunlight.

When the distant sun sank and gradually disappeared into the sea, Mercer jumped down, landing on the deck.

At this moment, a rich aroma of food wafted from the ship. Mercer went to the dining hall, got two servings of meat, and sat at an empty spot to eat heartily with Karasu.

After getting food two more times, Mercer was full and finally left the dining hall.

He returned to Garp's cabin.

As soon as he entered, he heard Garp on the phone, but the call was nearing its end. In a few seconds, the phone call was hung up.

Garp then looked at Mercer, a flicker of thought in his eyes, and casually said:

"Mercer, I have a last-minute mission that requires me to go to West Blue. Do you want to come with me?

If you do, we'll go via Reverse Mountain to West Blue. If not, I'll take you back to Drum Island first. Do you want to go?"

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