Clearing the East Blue

"Little wife? This old man really hasn't..."

"You bastard, Leon!"

Coming to his senses, Garp landed a love punch on Leon.

"How did I ever teach a disciple like you..."

"Go pack up now. Don't be late tomorrow."

After scolding Leon, Garp put his hands on his hips and waddled off with a swagger.

Leon pulled out the small notebook from his chest, flipped past the already-filled page, and jotted down another entry on a fresh one.

The next morning, after reporting to Zephyr that he'd be accompanying Garp on a mission at sea, Leon grabbed his luggage and boarded Garp's Dog Head Warship.

He also learned the details of the mission from the adjutant, Bogard.

Though even Bogard didn't know the specifics, based on his years as Garp's adjutant, he guessed the destination was likely Foosha Village in the East Blue. As for whether Garp would suddenly stir up trouble along the way, he couldn't predict that either...

Got it.

A paid vacation plus a trip home to visit family...

That Sengoku next door was so busy he couldn't even find time to go home. No wonder he was set to become the next Fleet Admiral.

There was no one else reliable enough...

Garp yawned and swaggered onto the deck, standing at the center to wave his hand and give the order.

"Set sail!"

The anchor was raised, the sails hoisted.

The Dog Head Warship slowly pulled away from Marineford, with adjutant Bogard still waiting for Garp's next command.

After a long while, he noticed that Garp, wearing his dog-head cap, had fallen asleep standing up.

"Just pick any course, Brother Bogard."

Having expected this, Leon chuckled and flopped down onto a deck chair.

"Teacher Garp doesn't care about the little details..."

The warm sunlight made everyone feel lazy. Leon pulled out his sunglasses, put them on, rested his head on his hands, and enjoyed the sea breeze.

A rare vacation.

Leon had relaxed too soon. With Garp's nature, he wouldn't let things be that easy.

Half a day later, after catching up on sleep, Garp ordered Leon to dive into the sea and catch a Sea King for a meal. From then on, even with the destination clearly set as Foosha Village in the East Blue, Garp still frequently steered the Dog Head Warship off course.

Leon once again witnessed the wildly unpredictable weather of the Grand Line.

A clear sky could suddenly rain down fist-sized hail, and the calm sea could unexpectedly churn up towering waves.

Whenever that happened, Garp would catch Leon off guard, kicking him into the water or tying him to a balloon and sending him into the sky.

According to Garp, this was about breaking limits and bravely facing danger...

Up in the sky, Leon watched lightning flash through the clouds and heard the thunderous roar around him.

In that situation, tied to a balloon, he was no different from a lightning rod.

Leon kicked the balloon apart and used Geppo to land safely on the Dog Head Warship's deck.

The silver bandages on him were charred black from the electricity. Seeing Leon's exploded hair sticking out from the bandages, Garp couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

"Heh."

"Teacher Garp, want to give it a try yourself?"

"Well... this old man's getting on in years..."

"Bastard!"

"I'm your teacher, and you dare to lay a hand on me!!!"

Ah...

The steady adjutant Bogard sighed.

Fight all you want... just don't wreck the ship...

"Hey, old man Garp, we could clearly go through Reverse Mountain to reach the East Blue."

"Do you have to cross the Calm Belt?"

"Isn't this faster? Besides, this old man's warship is fitted with Sea Prism Stone..."

Leon, once again acting as a human engine in the water, dove straight to the bottom, refusing to look at Garp's ugly mug.

A Sea King was drawn by the commotion of Leon swimming over. Leon simply swung his leg, unleashing a massive slash from it. Its astonishing power, even through the seawater, cut the Sea King cleanly in two with a single blow.

Before the surrounding Sea Kings could be drawn in by the scent of blood, Leon had already dragged the warship out of that sea area at speed.

With his current strength, the massive warship behind him was little more than a negligible burden.

Driven by Leon, the Dog Head Warship reached the East Blue at an astonishing pace.

"Captain!"

"Navy spotted ahead!!!"

"So what if it's the Navy? I make a living beating the Navy!!!"

"Bring the ship alongside!"

Sometimes, a person's life can vanish as quickly as time itself.

On the deck, Leon watched expressionlessly as the pirate ship sank and the remaining pirates wailed in the water.

"Brother Bogard, how many pirate crews is that we've run into?"

"Can't keep count. A dozen or so, big and small."

Ever since they set foot in the East Blue, they had encountered pirate crews of all sizes one after another. Some would flee at the sight of the Navy, while others, like the ones just now, would steer straight toward them...

Leon took down every one of those pirates in an instant. At first, they still captured the survivors and brought them aboard the warship to be sent to Judicial Island.