Target

"Had this guy developed the Flame-Flame Fruit to such an extent...?"

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

As his words fell, waves four or five hundred meters high surged up before crashing down in an instant.

At that moment, there was no need for wind to provide momentum. The waves spreading in every direction directly swept up the pirate ships on the sea, carrying them away with the roar of the ocean, while the Marine warships were all shoved onto the shore and stranded.

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

The seawater had also become scorching hot, as though it had been boiled away.

This time, Kuzan did not make a move. Even for him, freezing such a vast area was impossible twice in a row, especially with seawater at such a high temperature.

Moreover, although Ye Mu's attack had been tremendously spectacular, it had not caused any casualties, aside from a few people being scalded by the hot seawater.

Besides, Ye Mu's questions to Sengoku had struck at Kuzan's heart as well.

As a Marine Vice Admiral and the person most likely to become an Admiral, how could Kuzan possibly be unaware of the darkness hidden within the Marines and the World Government? Yet even with his strength, he still could not do anything.

But this pirate...

Thinking of the agreement they had made yesterday, a trace of hope arose in Kuzan's heart.

"Ah la la la, perhaps you can give me an answer, Ye Mu of the Sky Pirate Crew..."

Just then, an out-of-place laugh rang out beside him.

"Yo, Kuzan... it looks like your Ice-Ice Fruit has been outdone by that brat's Flame-Flame Fruit..."

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

"Vice Admiral Garp, this is not the time to say things like that to put me down..."

"Hahahaha..."

Garp scratched his head and laughed without a care.

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

It was followed by 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 concern, dusted himself off, and said with an apologetic smile.

"I'm really sorry... Sengoku, I got tricked away by that brat of mine... but honestly, you actually got fooled by that kid's Haki..."

The veins on Sengoku's forehead bulged, but in the end, he held himself back. After all, that punch had at least let him vent some of his frustration.

"Other than the Marines of the Loguetown Branch, everyone, board the ships immediately and return to headquarters. At the same time, notify every Marine at headquarters and every branch. Marines in the Four Blues, the Grand Line, and the New World are all to remain on full alert. The worst era is coming..."

"Understood..."

After issuing his orders, Sengoku stormed off. The others immediately followed after seeing this.

Only Garp remained, gazing out toward the sea with an unprecedentedly solemn expression.

Seeing this, Kuzan asked with some confusion and unease.

"What is it, Vice Admiral Garp?!"

"N... nothing... I was just thinking, that kid is truly terrifying..."

After saying that, Garp followed the others.

No one knew what Garp was thinking at that moment. If they had known, the entire Marine force and the World Government would likely have been gripped by panic.

Dragon really had tricked him away just now, but with Garp's strength, if he had truly wanted to rush over and stop all this from happening, he could have done it.

Even that black sphere of energy, Garp was confident he could have destroyed with a single punch.

The reason he had not moved was because, in one fleeting instant, he had sensed an extremely familiar aura from the pirate called Ye Mu.

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

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

Even Roger had left behind a bloodline before his death.

Could that man named Rocks not have done the same?

And the timing matched the boy's age.

But Garp had no intention of making his suspicions public.

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

Moreover, he remembered the things that kid had said just now, questioning the Marines and the World Government, as well as the answers he had received from Kuzan during their conversation yesterday.

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

On the vast sea, the turbulent currents had already calmed.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a blue ocean and ships drifting atop it.

The waves four or five hundred meters high had successfully helped them escape, but their terrifying momentum, enough to swallow everything, had still frightened the more timid people senseless. Especially when they were swept along by the waves at such a terrifying speed that it felt like flying, Freya instinctively clung tightly to something beside her.

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

As the winds and waves settled, Freya finally came back to her senses.

She had known that life as a pirate would not be peaceful.

But this was way too thrilling.

It was only the first day.

Is this what my life will be like from now on?

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

Eh... where was that man?

Freya looked around, but she could not find him anywhere.

The red-skinned Fish-Man named Tiger stood beside the helm, while the guy named Enel stood on the deck with Baby 5 on his head. Yet Ye Mu was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, a voice sounded beside her ear.

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

"!!!"

Freya jumped in surprise, only then realizing that the thing she had been hugging all along was Ye Mu's body.

No wonder it had felt warm, soft, and hard.

"No... what do you mean, your cook? You bastard, don't spout nonsense..."

Freya's face instantly flushed red. She released Ye Mu, ran far away, and shouted at him.

"Eh... aren't you my crewmate?"

Ye Mu looked utterly confused.

"Eh!!! Bastard..."

Freya wanted to deny it, but for a moment, she truly did not know how to refute him.

At that moment, Ye Mu smiled and spoke. Once everyone had relaxed, he continued.

"It seems we're safe for now... Tiger, where are we right now? How much longer until Reverse Mountain?"

Tiger looked around before checking the compass in his hand.

"Based on the direction the current carried us and our sailing speed, we should now be somewhere above and to the right of the line between Loguetown and Reverse Mountain. If we sail at full speed from here, we should be able to see the Red Line in about a day and a half."

"I understand. In that case, we can't waste any time. We're thorns in the side of the Marines and the World Government now... who knows how many people have their eyes on us. Before they can react, we'll use the Eternal Pose and head straight for the Sabaody Archipelago without stopping, aside from resupplying along the way. Then we'll enter the New World. Only once we get there will we truly be safe..."

"I understand... but Captain... before we head to the Sabaody Archipelago, can we make a trip to Water 7? I have a friend there..."

Ye Mu paused, then understood.

"You mean the Fish-Man shipwright Tom, right?"

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

"Of course... you're our navigator, so you'll plan the route from here on out. Now, full speed ahead..."