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"Did that guy really develop the Flame-Flame Fruit to this level..."

At that moment, Sengoku's face turned deathly pale.

Because as his words fell, waves four or five hundred meters high surged up, then crashed down in an instant.

At that moment, they did not need wind as propulsion at all. The waves sweeping out in every direction directly swallowed up the pirate ships on the sea, carrying them along with the roar of the ocean and sending every pirate ship far into the distance, while the Navy warships were all shoved onto the shore and ran aground.

Even though Sengoku was furious and unwilling to accept it, there was nothing he could do.

The temperature of the seawater had also become extremely high, as if it had been steamed.

This time, Kuzan did not make a move. Even for him, freezing such a vast area was impossible to release twice in a row, especially with seawater this hot.

Besides, although Ye Mu's move was overwhelmingly grand, it had not caused many casualties, aside from some people being scalded by the high-temperature seawater.

Aside from that, it was also because the questions Ye Mu had thrown at Sengoku had struck something in his own heart as well.

As a Navy vice admiral, and the one most likely to become an admiral, how could Kuzan not know about the darkness hidden within the Navy and the World Government? Yet even with his strength, he still could not do anything.

But this pirate...

Thinking of the agreement the two of them had made yesterday, a sliver of hope also appeared in Kuzan's heart.

"La la la... Perhaps you can give me the answer, Ye Mu of the Sky Pirates..."

And at that moment, a careless laugh rang out beside his ear.

"Yo, Kuzan... Looks like your Ice-Ice Fruit got outdone by that kid's Flame-Flame Fruit..."

Kuzan did not even need to turn his head to know who it was.

"Vice Admiral Garp, please don't say things like that to hit me when I'm already down..."

"Bwahahahaha..."

Garp scratched his head and laughed without the slightest concern.

But before Garp could finish laughing, an iron fist descended from the sky and smashed him straight into the ground.

What followed was Sengoku's furious roar.

"Garp, you bastard... Where the hell did you run off to just now... If you had been here..."

Garp climbed out from below without a care, patted the dust off himself, and said with an apologetic grin.

"Really sorry about that... Sengoku, I got tricked by that brat of mine... But seriously, you too. You actually got fooled by that kid's Haki..."

The veins on Sengoku's forehead bulged, but in the end, he held it in. After all, that punch just now had counted as venting some of his emotions.

"Other than the Navy stationed at the Loguetown branch, everyone is to board the ships now and return to headquarters immediately. At the same time, notify every Navy unit in headquarters and every branch. Whether in the Four Seas, the Grand Line, or the New World, all Navy forces are to be on full alert. The worst era is about to arrive..."

"Understood..."

After Sengoku finished giving his orders, he stormed off in a rage. When everyone saw this, they immediately followed.

Only Garp stood there, gazing in the direction of the sea, his expression more serious than it had ever been.

Seeing this, Kuzan asked with some confusion and unease.

"What's wrong, Vice Admiral Garp?!"

"No... It's nothing... It's just, what a terrifying kid..."

As Garp spoke, he also followed after them.

No one knew what Garp was thinking at that moment. If they did, the entire Navy and even the World Government would probably become deeply uneasy.

He had indeed been lured away by Dragon just now, but with Garp's strength, if he had truly wanted to arrive in time and stop all of this from happening, he still could have done it.

Even that black energy sphere—Garp was confident he could have destroyed it with one punch.

The reason he had not moved was because, in a certain instant, he had suddenly sensed an extremely familiar aura from this pirate named Ye Mu.

He had thought it was an illusion, but when that thought surfaced, his mind suddenly told him that it might be real. This was the pure instinct of a powerhouse at his level.

It was now the year 1498 in the Sea Circle Calendar, and that man had been defeated by him and Roger together in 1484.

Even Roger had left behind his own bloodline before he died.

Could a man called Rocks truly have none?

And then there was this point in time, and this boy's age.

But Garp had no intention of making his guess public.

Just as Roger had entrusted his bloodline to him, adults might be at fault, but children were innocent.

Moreover, when he thought of what that kid had just said, the words he had used to question the Navy and the World Government, as well as the answer he had gotten from his conversation with Kuzan yesterday...

Garp also wanted to see whether this kid could truly change the world...

On the vast sea, the raging currents had already stopped.

All that could be seen with the naked eye was a stretch of blue ocean and ships drifting upon it.

The waves four or five hundred meters high had swept over them. Although they had successfully helped them escape, the terrifying momentum of those waves, powerful enough to swallow everything, was still enough to scare some timid fellows witless. Especially while being carried along by the waves, that terrifying sailing speed, as if they were flying, made Freya instinctively hug whatever was beside her tightly.

"Did we get away... That was... so dangerous..."

As the sea turned calm, Freya finally came back to herself.

She had known all along that life after becoming a pirate would not be that peaceful.

But wasn't this way too exciting?

It was only the first day.

Was this going to be her life from now on?

No... no, that was wrong... it was all because that bastard of a man was too arrogant.

Huh... where was that man?

Freya looked left and right, but she couldn't find him anywhere.

The red-skinned fish-man named Tiger stood by the helm, and the guy named Enel was standing on the deck with baby-5 perched on his head, but Ye Mu alone was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, a voice rang out beside her ear.

"Hey, my cook... how long are you planning to hold me...?"

"!!!"

Freya was startled, and only then did she realize that the thing she had been holding all this time was actually Ye Mu's body.

No wonder it felt warm, soft, and hard.

"No, wait... what do you mean, your cook...? You bastard, don't say whatever you want!"

Freya's face instantly turned bright red. She let go of Ye Mu and ran far off to the side, shouting at him.

"Huh... aren't you my crew member...?"

Ye Mu looked puzzled.

"Huh!!! Bastard..."

Freya wanted to deny it, but for a moment, she really didn't know how to argue back.

At this point, Ye Mu spoke up with a smile, letting everyone relax before continuing.

"Looks like we're safe for now... Tiger, where are we now? How much farther to Reverse Mountain?"

Tiger looked around, then glanced at the compass in his hand.

"Based on the direction the current carried us, plus our sailing speed, right now, our exact position should be slightly to the upper right along the line between Loguetown and Reverse Mountain. From here, if we sail at full speed, we should be able to see the Red Line in about a day and a half."

"Got it. In that case, let's not waste any time. Right now, we're a thorn in the side of both the Marines and the World Government... who knows how many people have their eyes on us. While they still haven't reacted, we'll use the eternal pose and, aside from resupplying along the way, make no stops. We'll head straight to Sabaody Archipelago, then enter the New World. Once we're there, we'll truly be safe..."

"I understand... But, Captain... before heading to Sabaody Archipelago, could we make a trip to Water 7? I have a friend there..."

Ye Mu paused, then also reacted and said, "You wouldn't be talking about the fish-man shipwright Tom, would you?"

"Huh... Captain, you know him too?"

"Of course... You're our navigator. The route from here on is up to you to plan. Now, we set off at full speed..."