"Wow, what a feast! Aunt Bell-mère, is today some kind of holiday?"
Nojiko's eyes widened, sparkling with excitement.
They only got to eat such a lavish meal on holidays.
But the weather had been too good lately, and the fruit harvest had been enormous. The fruit didn't sell well and was hard to preserve, so they'd earned very little.
"That's right. I made some money today. A gentleman bought a lot of oranges."
Bell-mère glanced back from her busy work, her face full of smiles.
"Really?"
Nami walked over to Bell-mère in amazement, watching her fry two fish.
"Go on, take these to the table. We have a guest at home."
Bell-mère said with a smile.
Before long, Genzo arrived, of course bringing along some everyday gifts and food.
All four of them enjoyed the meal.
But the best part came after dinner, when Bell-mère invited Genzo to stay the night, only for him to flee in a panic.
Bell-mère and the two girls stood in a row, hands on their hips, laughing heartily.
In the nearby waters, Dunn lay in his little boat with its sails lowered. His Observation Haki covered all of Cocoyasi Village, allowing him to "see" everything happening at Nami's home.
"Trying to atone?"
Dunn murmured. Then he closed his eyes and let the boat drift with the current.
The enormous Dog-Head Warship was docked at 16th Branch Base.
The base commander, Colonel Nezumi, had already gathered all the Marines to welcome their guest.
When they saw Garp step off the ship, picking his nose, everyone snapped to attention.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
The assembled soldiers shouted in unison.
"Ahahaha! Sorry for the trouble. I have something to take care of this time."
Garp laughed heartily.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp. This way, please!"
Colonel Nezumi said respectfully. Since he hadn't yet started lining his pockets, perhaps he could still face himself with a clear conscience.
"Bogard!"
Garp turned and called out.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Bogard stood at attention aboard the warship.
Garp nodded, then headed toward the branch base.
Nezumi was curious about why Bogard and the Marines aboard the warship weren't disembarking, but he didn't dare ask. He could only follow meekly behind Garp.
A short while later, Garp sat on a sofa in the base's reception room, looking at Nezumi, who stood a short distance in front of him.
Under Garp's scrutiny, Nezumi looked nervous.
"He isn't here?"
"That's right, Vice Admiral Garp. But he hasn't been gone long, and he left in a small boat. He shouldn't have gone far and may be back soon."
Nezumi knew Garp was asking about Dunn.
He'd already had the matter thoroughly investigated, so he answered at once.
"Do you know where he went or what he's doing?"
Garp asked again.
"Well, Vice Admiral Garp!" Colonel Nezumi sounded uncertain. "He always calls himself a Pirate Hunter. He came here this time after capturing two pirates, so perhaps he went looking for more pirates to catch and claim the bounties for.
"I invited him before, but he... he said—"
Nezumi trailed off, too afraid to continue.
"It had something to do with a Celestial Dragon?"
Garp's expression remained unchanged. He'd already guessed what Nezumi was afraid to say.
"I-it did, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Nezumi nodded, surprised that Garp had figured it out.
Just as I thought!
Garp sighed, looking somewhat troubled.
He wasn't optimistic about achieving his goal this time. Besides, an invitation like this would inevitably feel coercive and make the other man dislike the Marines even more.
Or it might even have the opposite effect.
"Vice Admiral Garp, should I send someone out to look for him?"
After studying Garp's expression, Colonel Nezumi hesitated before asking.
"No need. The sea is enormous. How would you find him? And even if you did, you couldn't make him come back. Since he's a Pirate Hunter, he'll want to claim the bounty after catching pirates."
Garp stood up as he finished speaking.
"I'll stay in the East Blue for a while. The warship will remain here. I have other business, so I'll be off. If he comes back to claim a bounty, let me know."
With that, Garp left directly, leaving Colonel Nezumi looking utterly bewildered.
Vice Admiral Garp didn't seem to be taking the matter as seriously as Nezumi had imagined.
And he didn't seem to care about the Celestial Dragons' attitude, either.
Of course, Colonel Nezumi didn't dare dwell on it.
After all, Garp was a Headquarters Vice Admiral and the Hero of the Marines—the man who had personally captured the Pirate King.
Perhaps a man like that had some deeper reason for acting this way.
There was no deeper reason. As soon as Garp returned, he lowered a small boat from the warship and left with a Marine to steer it.
Where was he going?
Back to Foosha Village, of course, to visit his well-behaved grandson.
Though the boy might not be quite so well-behaved.
Dunn knew nothing about this. Of course, he could imagine that someone might report his affairs further up the chain.
But he didn't pay it much mind and carried on with what he was doing.
He glanced over a wanted poster, then looked up at the pirate ship charging toward him.
The distorted pirate flag flying above it was identical to the one on the wanted poster in his hand.
"Mad Dog Torf. Bounty: 2.2 million."
With a sigh, Dunn raised his sword and swung once. A slash split the surface of the sea and struck the approaching pirate ship.
Crack!
The flying slash cleaved through half the pirate ship. The vessel flooded and lost its balance, then broke apart.
The pirates aboard tumbled into the water, thrashing desperately.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Another dozen slashes flew out, cutting the pirate ship to pieces.
"Still a long way from Hawkeye."
Dunn sighed as he sheathed his sword.
Of course, he had only just become a master swordsman. Even this slash had been powered by his formidable physique and Haki. He still couldn't match Hawkeye, who could split the sea with a casual swing.
But with a few more slashes, even a small wooden boat couldn't withstand them.
Some of the pirates in the water struggled to stay afloat, while others clung to pieces of wreckage. A few swam toward Dunn.
Among them was their captain, Mad Dog Torf.
This pirate loved biting people and slaughtering them.
Watching the pirates swimming toward him, Dunn's thoughts wandered.
It seemed that the weaker the pirates were, the more vicious they became.
The strong ones, perhaps because they didn't care, at least didn't stoop to such pathetic behavior.
"You bastard!"
Mad Dog Torf was indeed the strongest of the pirates. He was the first to reach Dunn's boat, grabbing the side with one hand and hauling himself aboard. Then he yanked the huge saw off his back and glared viciously at Dunn.
Had this guy not seen that I was the one who smashed their ship?
Looking at the man's furious expression, Dunn was baffled.
Was this pirate not afraid to die?
Before you continue