Babaya Pirates: I Open Susanoo with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

A burly old Marine with short white hair still radiated an imposing air of strength, even though his beard had turned white as well.

"Sengoku, look! It's because you wouldn't give me leave, so I had no time to go back and clean up the riffraff in the East Blue, that a brazen little pirate crew like the Big Daddy Pirates appeared there!"

Marine Hero Iron Fist Garp complained loudly to Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, his expression deeply displeased, even a little angry.

When he learned that the Big Daddy Pirates had destroyed the East Blue's 16th Branch and 8th Branch, and that the heads of those two Marine branches, Captain Nezumi and Commodore Nelson Royale, had both died in the line of duty, Iron Fist Garp was furious!

The kind of furious that needed three months of leave and a thousand bags of senbei to soothe!

He wouldn't allow such lawless, brutal pirates to appear in the peaceful East Blue!

"Weakest Sea" was just a disparaging nickname used by pirates. Ordinary people and the Marines preferred to call the East Blue the most peaceful sea!

The credit for all of that, of course, belonged to Iron Fist Garp, who often returned to the East Blue to visit his grandson!

"How long has it even been since your last leave? The Big Daddy Pirates only formed shortly after you got back from leave. They just rose to prominence far too quickly. In only a month or two, they'd already entered the Grand Line.

"The pirates aboard their ship are all fairly well-known wanted criminals from the East Blue. This Daddy Babaya does seem to have some ability, managing to bring so many pirates under his command!"

Sengoku the Buddha looked over the intelligence on Daddy. He had originally been a mute from Loguetown in the East Blue, then became the strategist of the Barto Family, and finally the captain of the Big Daddy Pirates.

He had successively recruited Kuro, captain of the Black Cat Pirates; El Drago, captain of the El Drago Pirates; and the Bear King, captain of the Poker Pirates.

He'd also recruited the East Blue's Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro.

After taking down the East Blue Overlord Krieg's crew, he'd recruited the second-in-command, Gin the Man-Demon, and the third-in-command, Iron Wall Pearl. Later, he'd destroyed the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue, the Arlong Pirates.

That record certainly qualified him to rule the East Blue, the most peaceful sea.

Actually, if not for Shichibukai Jinbe, Iron Fist Garp would have wiped out the Arlong Pirates long ago.

The World Government believed that the Arlong Pirates were an affiliate crew of Knight of the Sea Jinbe.

So their exploitation of the Cocoyasi Sea was considered a legitimate act of plunder by Shichibukai Jinbe.

"That man's bloodlust is out of control. We have to eliminate him as soon as possible!" Iron Fist Garp said sternly. According to the intelligence, Daddy Babaya had already killed many pirates while destroying the Krieg Pirates and the Arlong Pirates, his hands stained with blood.

On top of destroying the Barto Family, the underworld of Loguetown, and two Marine branches in the East Blue, Daddy's crimes were too numerous to count!

"The Vice Admiral on duty at Marine Headquarters Staff already sent Captain Hina to intercept the Big Daddy Pirates," Sengoku the Buddha said, frowning. He felt that Marine Headquarters Staff might have made a mistake in their arrangements. Captain Hina might not be able to handle Daddy Babaya.

As Fleet Admiral, he simply didn't have the time to deal with little pirate crews in the East Blue. He didn't need to handle such trivial matters himself.

"And you still call yourself the Strategist? Didn't you read the intelligence? Smoker's report says this brat Daddy can use Two-Color Haki, has Seastone weapons, and his Devil Fruit ability can turn him into a barrier giant dozens of meters tall!

"Call them right now and recall Captain Hina! Let me go back and deal with him—and approve my leave while you're at it!"

Iron Fist Garp shouted. It wasn't that he looked down on Captain Hina. It was just that Daddy was a little too monstrous. He'd already come into contact with Haki in the East Blue.

How many pirate crews from the Four Seas reached the Sabaody Archipelago, at the end of their Grand Line journey, without even knowing what Haki was?

And his grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, had become more and more fixated on becoming a pirate over the past two years. He had to go back more often and teach the little brat a proper lesson, before Luffy really went out to sea as a pirate.

"It's too late now! The Big Daddy Pirates have probably already entered the Grand Line. Even if you go back now, you won't know which island or route they're on!" Sengoku the Buddha said irritably. He ignored Garp's request, though he still planned to have someone from Marine Headquarters Staff warn Captain Hina to be careful if she encountered the Big Daddy Pirates.

Still, there were seven routes through the Grand Line. Surely the Big Daddy Pirates wouldn't just happen to run into Captain Hina on her route, would they?

"So you're saying you won't approve my leave?"

Iron Fist Garp glared at Sengoku the Buddha, his face dark. Then, fuming, he snatched all the senbei on the desk and stormed out of the Fleet Admiral's Office.

Sengoku the Buddha stared wide-eyed at Garp's retreating figure. That old bastard had only come to ask for leave and freeload!

He shook his head helplessly, then decided to raise Daddy Babaya's bounty again.

A pirate in the Grand Line who already had Two-Color Haki and a powerful Devil Fruit ability was not only savage and murderous, but also utterly cold-blooded—a genuine threat.

So his bounty had to go up, to make the Marines take notice of the danger and, ideally, draw bounty hunters into hunting down the Big Daddy Pirates.

With a wave of his hand, he raised Daddy's bounty to 100 million Beli, making him one of this year's Supernova candidates.

Destroying two Marine branches, killing countless people, and wielding Two-Color Haki and a Devil Fruit ability—Daddy was worth that price!

If he managed to reach the Sabaody Archipelago without falling in the Grand Line, he'd be one of this year's Supernovas!

Meanwhile, in Rainbase, Alabasta.

As Nico Robin's investigation into Daddy Babaya deepened, her expression grew more and more grave. He'd defeated Captain Smoker, who had the Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit. That meant his strength truly exceeded her expectations!

"So he entered the Grand Line as the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue?"

Nico Robin murmured. She had originally wanted to go see Daddy for herself, but now that she knew the Big Daddy Pirates' full strength, she didn't dare face that murderous captain alone.

She couldn't understand why someone like Daddy had any connection to Ohara, or how he knew who she and Sand Crocodile really were.

"Mr. 1 can't be spared from Sand Crocodile's side. Then I'll have Mr. 2 and Mr. 3's squads protect me while I go take a look at Daddy. Send the other squads to carry out missions in the surrounding waters, too."

To uncover the secrets surrounding Daddy, Nico Robin immediately mobilized most of Baroque Works' strength.

Apart from boss Sand Crocodile and Mr. 1, she called upon the entire force of the Shichibukai's organization. She refused to believe they couldn't handle the Big Daddy Pirates, a rookie crew that had only just entered the Grand Line.

To give Crocodile an explanation, she left Rainbase, Alabasta, under the pretext of recruiting the East Blue's strongest pirate crew.