Vacation

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed since the Red-Hair Pirates arrived at Foosha Village.

Just as Sig had predicted, things remained calm.

Logically speaking, although the Red-Hair Pirates operate discreetly, their whereabouts are not secretive. After all, a pirate crew of this caliber should be quite conspicuous in the Four Seas, but no Marines have come looking for trouble.

Nothing much happened this month. Although they sent people across the Mount Kolbo to inquire about the Kingdom of Goa, this pace of life was like a "vacation" for Red-Hair and his crew.

Finding the fruit Redfield covets is proving difficult, because... although it's called "nearby," the area is vast, and it's only nearby in a map-like sense—in reality, one has to cross the Calm Belt to the south and enter the Grand Line! We haven't even started yet...

At this moment, the Red-Hair Pirates were relaxing in the tavern. Ever since Shanks had a chance encounter with Makino, the signboard girl of the tavern, at the market, the Red-Hair Pirates had been frequenting this place!

Incidentally, at the tavern, everyone was also bothered by a little brat...

"Shanks! Take me with you on your next voyage!" Seven-year-old Luffy said innocently, sitting in the chair next to Shanks.

Because of the village chief's usual instructions, Luffy doesn't reveal his surname—after all, Garp has quite a few enemies—so the Red-Hair crew doesn't know Luffy's background either; Shanks just really admires this wild kid.

Sig didn't use Observation Haki; he simply observed Shanks' current mood was somewhat similar to Fisher Tiger's when he saw Koala, but not exactly the same...

"Hahaha, someone like you, can you even become a pirate?" Shanks laughed. At this moment, Shanks only saw in this child that people's pursuit of freedom would never be extinguished, but he didn't think Luffy, as an individual, could achieve anything significant.

Sig sighed inwardly – Garp had only brought this upon himself, had he? His encounter and acquaintance with Shanks would set Luffy on a meteoric Luffy on his pirate journey!

"Why not? I'm an amazing swimmer!" Luffy was clearly unconvinced by Shanks' attitude.

"Luffy, being a pirate isn't just about swimming," Lucky Roo reminded him.

"I'm also a great fighter, my fists are like bullets..." Luffy said, jumping off the stool and starting to punch.

Well, the level of a typical, fairly robust little boy.

"Haha, you're still too young... you're only about the same age as my son," Yasopp joked, though Sig could see the sadness in his eyes.

When he passed through Syrob Island before, Yasopp secretly went home to visit, but all he found was his wife's gravestone.

My seven-year-old son shouts "The pirates are coming!" every morning, as if hoping that if his mother heard him, she could hold on a little longer...

Yasopp was an irresponsible father and husband, a fact he consistently acknowledged.

After a group of pirates mocked seven-year-old Luffy angrily challenged them to a duel, only calming down after Shanks offered him some juice.

Just then, Beckman entered the tavern with two crew members. Everyone quieted down for a moment. After Shanks gave him a meaningful look, Lucky Luffy Lucky Roo over and taught him that to become a pirate, the first thing he needed to do was eat meat, and then challenged him to a meat-eating contest...

While Shanks was at it, Beckman recounted the tasks Shanks had previously entrusted to him.

Garp asked Shanks for help because Shanks had learned from other sources that there were signs of internal strife in the Kingdom of Goa.

In Garp's eyes, the environment of the Kingdom of Goa was a pile of shit, and the current king, Peter Nandcarnet, had no intention of changing the isolated society...

The current King Peter, who nominally ascended the throne by overthrowing his Tyrant brother, is therefore very lenient towards his subjects, and since his accession, he has touted a policy of "no killing"—note that this applies only to "subjects"... surely only minor nobles could be considered subjects?

The commoners in the central street could barely be considered human, but he wouldn't pay any attention to the humanoid creatures in the Border Town and the Terminal of Uncertainties.

If we're comparing who's the worst among the nobles of the Kingdom of Goa, then the current King Peter is considered to be on the worse side.

However, Garp knew very well that Peter extremely obedient to the World Government, even more so than the kings of the other Affiliated Nation. He even cruelly exploited his country and offered the Celestial Dragons extra tributes, such as Devil Fruit, to curry favor with them.

Therefore, he could command surrounding naval units to provide support, and if prepared, he might even request assistance from the CP Organization to suppress domestic opposition!

Although Garp didn't know what had happened in Goa, he understood that if a coup occurred, nothing would change except for massive casualties.

Garp received information that Vice Admiral Tsuru discovered during his pursuit of Doflamingo —that large quantities of underground arms deals were flowing into the Kingdom of Goa!

After Vice Admiral Tsuru discovered this, he told Garp, who was from the Kingdom of Goa, about it.

After all, this might not just be a coup or a rebellion, but rather... the actions of the Revolutionary Army!

The Kingdom of Goa is also the hometown of Garp, Dragon's son and the leader of the Revolutionary Army!

As a naval hero, Garp's involvement in a coup d'état in Affiliated Nation, or even his own home country, was already too sensitive. If the matter was related to the Revolutionary Army, it would be even more sensitive. Therefore, he took the opportunity to send "the brat from Roger's ship" over.

In contrast, it's perfectly reasonable for a group of pirates to do whatever they want!

Garp didn't want them to assist in a coup or uprising; he just hoped Shanks would try to quell the matter, at least to prevent its impact from spreading to the entire Kingdom of Goa and causing even greater casualties.

However, besides that, Garp didn't have any other clues— Garp didn't elaborate, only saying that he wanted Red-Hair to come and see, and if he wasn't satisfied, then you little brats would be waiting to be hunted down by Iron Fist!

After Shanks arrived in the Kingdom of Goa, he naturally entrusted Beckman with tasks that required thinking.

As Big Fool strategist, Beckman lived up to expectations, uncovering clues in just one month.

Beckman then reported to Shanks...

The large quantities of weapons smuggled into Goa by underground organizations are now mostly destined for Terminal of Uncertainties.

Because the situation there was too complex and almost chaotic, Beckman had not yet located the target's headquarters, but he had essentially locked onto the target!

It appears that the family smuggling large quantities of weapons to Terminal of Uncertainties is none other than the Auguste family, a powerful noble family within the Kingdom of Goa.

"The Auguste family ... um." Shanks nodded with a somber expression.

"You've heard of it?" Beckman asked curiously.

"No."

"Then why are you making that face?"

Shanks instantly lost his composure upon hearing this, draping his elbow over Beckman's shoulder, who was slightly taller than him, and said, "Seriously, if you act like you know nothing, it feels like you're letting down the results of your research! Hahaha..."

Beckman:...

"So what have you been doing for the past month? Did you discover the Devil Fruit Redfield wanted? Or...?"

Before Beckman could finish speaking, Shanks interrupted, "I wasn't just drinking! I found a kid, awesome! He might be the one to shake up the future!" He then gave a thumbs-up.

Turning his head to glance at Lucky Roo, Luffy a meat-eating contest with Lucky, Beckman rubbed his forehead in exasperation...