Starting with the Red-Hair Pirate's Invitation Chapter 23

It was just like this back in Shimotsuki Village; both Dragon and Koshiro could sense that his strength had grown.

Yet this time.

The advancement of his Conqueror's Haki seemed to work just like his swordsmanship. The entire oppressive aura instantly rippled outward, spreading even farther than when his swordsmanship had leveled up to Level 6.

Even down in the restaurant below.

The original sounds of laughter and chatter abruptly ground to a halt.

Marco's subordinates and Baratie's cooks all fainted on the spot.

Only Zeff and Marco, who had just returned from finishing a phone call with Whitebeard, remained unharmed.

"What was that just now..." Marco exclaimed in shock. "Conqueror's Haki? Who did that?"

Zeff's expression was far from pleasant, yet he could sense that the Haki from a moment ago had cascaded down from upstairs!

At this moment, there should only be Sanji and Lin Mo upstairs.

Without a second thought, Zeff hurried up the stairs.

Marco followed closely behind.

When they reached the staff room.

They found Sanji knocked out, while Lin Mo was completely fine.

With a grave expression, Zeff asked, "Was it really you, Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo glanced back at the two men at the doorway and replied calmly, "Yeah."

Zeff pressed a hand to his forehead and said with a headache, "I never expected that you'd have Conqueror's Haki... Even if you do, you shouldn't just let it loose like that; it's way too dangerous."

"I'm afraid it wasn't something he did on purpose," Marco said with a solemn look. "His Conqueror's Haki must have leveled up, causing his aura to leak out unconsciously."

"Is that so?" Zeff said in surprise. "An aura that leaks out unconsciously has power this strong? What would happen if he released it at full force?"

Marco chuckled lightly. "I'm afraid both you and I would get caught in the fallout."

Zeff gave a start and couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. "That is downright terrifying."

"Lin Mo, kid," Marco began, "are you truly unwilling to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Lin Mo answered flatly, "No."

"I just spoke with Pops on the den den mushi, and he really wants to meet you."

Lin Mo: "..."

So that was it. No wonder he had suddenly received progress on his quest from Whitebeard.

Seeing that Lin Mo didn't speak, Marco curved his lips into a smile. "You'll be heading to the Grand Line next, right?"

Lin Mo nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. When you see the Moby Dick out there, remember to come see Pops. Both you and Pops enjoy a drink; you might just turn out to be great drinking buddies," Marco said in a relaxed tone.

Lin Mo gave a perfunctory nod.

Marco saw right through it, but he had no intention of calling him out.

"Alright, then I won't disturb you any longer. My men have eaten their fill and it's time to head back to the ship. Man, I have no idea when those guys are going to wake up—looks like I'll have to carry them all back to the ship by myself."

Speaking as he walked, Marco quickly left the room.

Zeff stared at Lin Mo in silence for a long while before finally letting out a breath. "Whatever. Let's close up early and rest today."

With those words.

He too left the room.

After using a tremendous amount of effort to carry all his subordinates onto his ship.

Marco immediately placed another call to Whitebeard. "Pops, I think I roughly know why Garp holds that kid Lin Mo in such high regard. Not only is his swordsmanship exceptional, but he has also awakened very powerful Conqueror's Haki. Who knows, he might even master Armament and Observation Haki as well..."

The next day.

Sanji woke up in a daze.

As for what happened last night, all he could remember was talking with Lin Mo when a terrifying sensation that made his heart leap into his throat suddenly appeared. After that, he didn't remember a thing.

He instantly bounded out of bed.

Sanji caught sight of Lin Mo outside on the hallway balcony, drinking wine while the sea breeze blew past.

Stunned for a moment, Sanji immediately stepped outside, came right up to Lin Mo, and asked in a hurry, "Lin Mo, what happened last night? I somehow passed out for no apparent reason."

Lin Mo said nothing.

Sanji continued, "And you? Are you alright?"

Lin Mo glanced at him and shook his head. "I'm fine."

Sanji couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. "Good, good. As long as you're fine."

Lin Mo smiled and hooked his wine gourd back onto his waist.

Just then.

A familiar voice suddenly drifted up from downstairs.

"Eh? What's going on with the deck by the entrance? Did pirates show up yesterday?"

At those words.

Lin Mo's expression stiffened.

He was utterly speechless in his heart.

Why is that old geezer Garp back again...

Floating Restaurant: It Was Vice Admiral Garp

Lin Mo had originally assumed that Garp had returned to Foosha Village to find Luffy.

As it turned out.

That old fox had actually returned to Baratie bright and early with a net full of seafood.

Zeff and his crew of cooks were busy repairing the deck outside the door.

Seeing Garp return, he said irritably, "You've come at a good time. That guy's head is still worth a few million Beli; I don't need extra, just give me ten thousand Beli and take that fellow away."

Garp turned to glance at the stiffened corpse nearby, scratched his head, and curled his lip. "Who's that?"

Zeff said with a dark face, "Krieg. He's the captain of the crew that came to the restaurant to cause trouble yesterday morning."

"Oh, oh, oh, I remember now," Garp grinned, baring his teeth. "Not bad, Zeff. Even with one leg broken, you still managed to kill this heinous pirate. Hahaha, you're certainly still full of vigor in your old age."

Zeff: "..."

Zeff speechlessly replied, "I didn't kill him."

"Hmm?" Garp's brow twitched. "If it wasn't you, then who was it? Could it be Lin Mo? Hahaha..."

"Yeah, it was him," Zeff said, wearing a look that welcomed chaos as he curled his lips into a smile. "Marco came by here last night. Lin Mo killing Krieg in two strikes was something he witnessed with his own eyes, and he even invited Lin Mo to join his ship."

"What?" The smile on Garp's face instantly froze as his eyes widened. "Are you talking about Whitebeard's division commander, Marco the Phoenix?"

"That's right, him."

Garp asked nervously, "Did that Lin Mo kid agree?"

Zeff shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face. "Who knows? He's upstairs right now; you can go ask him yourself."

"Damn it! I was the one who invited that kid first!" Garp dropped his net of seafood onto the deck and angrily marched toward the spiral staircase inside the restaurant.

Zeff watched Garp's retreating back with a smile and deliberately added, "Oh, by the way, Lin Mo has Conqueror's Haki. You probably knew about that already, though."

Garp halted his steps.

A flash of shock crossed his face.

Conqueror's Haki?

That kid actually has Conqueror's Haki!

Seeing Garp stop.

Zeff continued, "Would you believe it? That kid's Conqueror's Haki is quite formidable. Just an unintentional leak of it knocked out all my men and Marco's men as well."

Garp: "!"

Without lingering any further, Garp immediately headed upstairs.

He found Lin Mo and, without a word, threw a punch straight at him.

Lin Mo used Flash Step to easily dodge out of the way.

Garp kept throwing punches. "Kid, you couldn't possibly have agreed to join the Whitebeard Pirates, right?"

Lin Mo: "..."

"Why aren't you talking? Could it be that you actually said yes to that stupid bird Marco?" Garp threw another punch.

"No!"

Lin Mo was starting to get annoyed.

He wrapped Level 3 Armament Haki around his fist.

He stopped dodging.

He threw a punch forward, colliding with Garp's iron fist.

Immediately following that.

A powerful shockwave rippled outward from between their clashing fists.

A trace of surprise flashed through Garp's eyes.

When he usually used the Fist of Love to beat up Luffy and Ace, he only used ten percent of his strength.

Knowing that Lin Mo's strength was formidable, however.

He had used thirty percent of his strength to punch him.

As a result.

Not only had he failed to land the hit.

Lin Mo had actually blocked it head-on!

Sure enough, this brat had even mastered Armament Haki!

Possessing leg techniques that could match Zeff evenly, wielding the Three Types of Haki, and seeming to be a swordsman to boot.

Just how many secrets was this kid hiding?

Garp found himself growing more and more interested in Lin Mo.

The two of them withdrew their fists at the same time.

Inside Lin Mo's mind, the system notification sound suddenly rang out.

Ding! Sparring with Garp the Hero, sign-in progress +10%.

Ding! Floating Restaurant Baratie sign-in mission complete. Congratulations to the host for unlocking Geppo and Tempest Kick, and for receiving Flash Step level +1 and Night Guy level +2. Current Flash Step level is Lv3, and Night Guy level is Lv2.

Geppo was one of the Six Powers, an ability where one used powerful leg strength to kick off against the air, generating strong hovering force to walk through the air as if treading on stairs.

Tempest Kick was one of the Six Powers attack skills, where one utilized the rapid contraction and extension of leg muscles to generate kinetic energy, then kicked out swiftly to compress the air in front of the leg, whipping up a 'vacuum' slash to cut down and slay opponents.

Lin Mo's brow twitched.

As the new skills unlocked and Flash Step and Night Guy leveled up.

A potent surge of power surged outward from the soles of his feet.

He stood there without doing a thing.

With his feet as the center, the deck where he stood cracked outward into countless dense, fine fissures, resembling a spiderweb.

With a crisp crack,.

The spot where Lin Mo and Garp stood fractured and caved inward, forming a large hole.