Then Lin Mo poured the rest of the wine into his Wine Gourd.
He handed the empty bottle back to Sanji.
He was about to leave.
Sanji hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"
"Hunting," Lin Mo said casually.
Sanji froze. Then he remembered seeing Lin Mo kick a cannonball away over an hour ago. Excitement surged through him, and he hurried after Lin Mo down the stairs.
As they walked, he asked, "Are you going to fight pirates? I saw you kick that cannonball away and cut a pirate ship in two with one strike of your Wooden Sword. You're amazing, Lin Mo! When did you start practicing your kicks?"
Lin Mo: "..."
That question sounded familiar...
Floating Restaurant: Vice Admiral Garp's Shock
Lin Mo remembered.
Wasn't that what Zoro had asked him back in Shimotsuki Village?
He gave it no more thought.
Lin Mo gave Sanji the same answer he had given Zoro: "Less than half a day."
"Huh?" Sanji was so shocked he nearly dropped the wine bottle in his arms. "You're kidding, right? You practiced for less than half a day and could still kick that stinky old man to a draw?"
"Believe it or not." Lin Mo brushed Sanji off with the same reply.
Sanji paused, then kept pace with him. "It sounds impossible, but you don't seem like you're lying. Lin Mo, how did you practice your kicks? Could you teach me?"
Lin Mo could practically see his Mission Progress beckoning.
But the restaurant was too crowded. This wasn't the time to coach Sanji alone.
"Come find me tonight."
With that, Lin Mo walked straight toward the restaurant entrance.
Sanji did not follow. His grip tightened around the bottle, and he began trembling with excitement.
That means he'll teach me, right? This is great! I'll work hard. I swear I will!
"Hey, kid!" A customer waiting at a table called to Sanji impatiently. "Is that the wine I ordered?"
Sanji snapped out of it and answered with a grin, "Yes! Coming right up."
Still grinning, Sanji pulled out the cork and tried to pour the customer a drink.
But not a single drop came out. Only then did he remember that Lin Mo had just emptied the whole bottle into his Wine Gourd...
Lin Mo stepped onto the deck outside Baratie's main entrance.
The cargo ship that had been moored beside his small sailboat had somehow been replaced by a Marine battleship.
At that moment,
Garp stood on the battleship's deck.
Seeing Lin Mo emerge from Baratie, Garp grinned. "Kid, are you leaving?"
Lin Mo could not be bothered to answer. He jumped onto his sailboat, untied it, and headed toward the Calm Belt.
He was not leaving Baratie.
He only wanted to find some Sea Kings to fight, get a little practice, and bring one back to Baratie.
He had done the same while staying at Isshin Dojo.
He would not eat and stay somewhere for free.
So he brought back his catch in return.
When Garp saw Lin Mo sail off,
he immediately had his men lower a small military boat and followed him.
Garp kept a distance of fifty meters between them.
At first, he noticed nothing unusual.
Only after nearly half an hour of sailing did he realize something was wrong.
"Kid, do you know what's up ahead?" Garp shouted at Lin Mo's back.
Lin Mo did not answer.
Garp sped up. When he had nearly caught up, he called out again, "You're getting close to the Calm Belt. Once your boat goes in, it won't be able to move. Turn back."
Lin Mo ignored him and kept going.
Garp scratched his head, then laughed. "The Calm Belt is full of Sea Kings, and plenty lurk around its edges too. A scrawny kid like you wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps in their teeth! Hahaha..."
Garp had barely finished laughing
when dense bubbles suddenly rose from beneath the water ahead of them. Then the surface began to churn.
Powerful waves tossed both of their boats.
A huge Sea Ape burst from the churning water and roared as it brought a palm down on Lin Mo and Garp.
"Stand back, Lin Mo." Garp bared his teeth in a grin, his expression turning a little more serious.
Lin Mo chuckled. He had no intention of attacking and gestured for Garp to go ahead.
Garp sprang from his boat, clenched his fist, and grinned as he slammed a punch into the Sea Ape's head.
It happened in a flash.
The Sea Ape's eyes bulged. Then they rolled back, and it collapsed onto the sea with a bang.
Water sprayed in every direction.
Just then,
a giant Sea King frog surfaced behind them.
"Damn it! Watch out, kid!" Garp shouted.
There was no way he could reach Lin Mo in time.
The giant frog opened its foul-smelling mouth. Its dark red tongue, covered in backward-pointing barbs, shot toward Lin Mo.
Lin Mo gave it a calm glance.
He drew Toyako and swung it once, almost casually.
The giant frog's tongue stopped less than half a centimeter from him.
It did not even manage a roar.
By the time Lin Mo returned Toyako to his waist, the giant frog's head had parted from its body.
Garp stared at Lin Mo in surprise.
Lin Mo turned away, ready to continue on.
Then a black needle more than three meters long shot from the severed frog head's mouth, hurtling toward him.
Garp was about to shout a warning.
Before he could,
Lin Mo tilted his head slightly. The venom-coated needle passed less than half a centimeter from his face and plunged into the sea.
Garp's mouth fell open.
The kid had kicks that could match Red-Leg Zeff's, exceptional swordsmanship, and now, apparently, a strong command of Observation Haki.
With strength like that, no wonder he dared to travel the seas alone.
He's got so much potential. It'd be a shame if he didn't join the Marines!
At the thought, Garp's grin widened.
He abandoned his larger boat and jumped straight onto Lin Mo's.
"Kid, join the Marines! I can make you stronger," Garp said with a grin.
Lin Mo gave him a look of disgust. "Get back on your own boat!"
"Not until you say yes! Hahaha! Don't underestimate my determination. Agree to join, and I'll go back."
"No."
"Don't dismiss it so fast. Being a Marine comes with plenty of benefits. Stick with me, and you won't have to listen to those old fossils at Marine Headquarters. You can do whatever you want. With me watching your back, nobody in the Marines will dare touch you."
It sounded like Garp was serious.
Lin Mo looked at him calmly.
His answer remained the same. "Not interested."
"Come on, don't be like that." Garp made no effort to hide his disappointment. "I really do want you to join."
"Enough," Lin Mo said firmly. "I won't stake my life on protecting some so-called justice, and I don't want to rely on anyone else to get stronger. I just want to travel wherever I please. That's all. The Marines aren't for me. Nothing you say will change that, so stop wasting your time."
Garp had been about to tempt Lin Mo with more benefits, but the unwavering look in his eyes made him swallow the words.
"Honestly." Garp put on a rueful expression. "You're the one missing out by not joining the Marines."
Lin Mo smiled without answering.
Just then, the System Notification Sound rang in his mind.
Beep! Rejected Garp the Hero's invitation. Mission Progress +10%. Current total progress: 50%. Reward: Armament Haki level +1. Current Armament Haki level: Lv. 3.
Floating Restaurant: Who Is Krieg?
The reward for completing a progress task was connected to the person who had triggered it.
An increase in his Armament Haki level was exactly the sort of reward Lin Mo had expected from Garp.
Improvements in Armament Haki and Observation Haki did not give off any outward aura.
Only Lin Mo himself could feel the change.
Garp had no idea Lin Mo had suddenly grown stronger.
Afterward,
Lin Mo drove Garp off his boat.
Garp reluctantly returned to his own boat. Seeing Lin Mo continue sailing forward,
he thought it over and followed, still too worried to leave him alone.
They returned to Baratie one after the other at dusk.
Lin Mo brought back a fish more than three meters long.
He would have liked to bring back a Sea King.
Unfortunately,
even the smallest one could capsize his boat.
He had no choice but to give up.
Baratie had limited rooms for its staff.
Usually, three or four people shared one room.
So Zeff put Lin Mo in Sanji's room.
That night,
Sanji met Lin Mo on the deck outside the second-floor back door, as they had agreed.
Faint moonlight fell over them.
Unable to contain his excitement, Sanji said, "Lin Mo, I'm ready! Let's start!"
Before you continue