Meeting Garp; A Helpless Escape / Racing Across the Sea

So my guess was right. Beating a boss came with a hidden reward.

What a terrifying boost! (You really are a sneaky bastard! Milking the same guy over and over? Crocodile said, "I never want to see you again as long as I live!")

At the end, Dongze had confirmed something else: Sword Intent could indeed hurt a Logia user. That was no small gain. (Crocodile: Don't get me started! I dodged for a whole day and night, only to learn at the very end that this monster could cut me! What the hell was I dodging for?)

Looking at Crocodile sprawled in a basin, Robin asked, "Mr. Dongze! What should we do with him?"

"Forget it. Let him go. I never meant to do much to him anyway."

"Besides, he's a Shichibukai. His status complicates things. We can't make a move against him right now."

If Crocodile hadn't already passed out, hearing that would have made him cough up blood.

Please, have mercy! I won't dodge anymore!

Three days later, under another blazing sun, Robin was back aboard the ship and once again wearing her pretty little swimsuit.

Reclining beneath a parasol, she picked up her books on the legends of the sea again.

The trip to Alabasta had made her realize just how shallow her earlier understanding had been.

She had always thought that no matter how strong one person was, they could never stand against an army. Now her view had changed completely.

She glanced discreetly at Dongze, who sat cross-legged nearby.

He was like an enigmatic whirlpool, drawing her in and making her want to know what went on inside his head.

Thinking of that, she picked up one of her favorite bookmarks from between the pages.

A line was written on it.

"If life could stay as it was when we first met, why would the autumn wind grieve the painted fan?"

The more she savored the words, the more beautiful they seemed.

Another read, "Heaven gave me gifts for a reason; a thousand gold pieces spent will come again!"

She found these little lines even more captivating than the Poneglyphs.

And when she thought back to the royal tomb in Alabasta, she suspected Dongze might even know the history of those hundred missing years. He simply wasn't saying anything.

As for Dongze, he had added another activity to his daily routine since returning from Alabasta.

He called it "Meditation."

In simple terms, he emptied his mind and tried to sense the world around him.

If its effects hadn't appeared on his panel, he probably wouldn't have believed in such a thing himself.

It was the special skill that had dropped after he defeated Alabasta's boss, Crocodile.

The more he learned about his Golden Finger, the better he understood its functions.

He could now say for certain that defeating boss-level figures awarded extra skills.

Meditation, or Basic Meditation, was one of them.

With only 10,000 proficiency points, it was a level-two skill.

It might not sound impressive, but he could feel his mental strength slowly improving. Ten percent of that growth also boosted his Sword Intent. It was killing two birds with one stone, so he never slacked off.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he meditated to raise the skill's proficiency. As for the Sea Kings, he had put them aside for now. Improving his Sword Intent came first.

Apart from his two daily sword strikes imbued with Sword Intent, he spent most of his time meditating.

His progress over the past few days had been encouraging.

Basic Meditation: 1500/10000.

Considering the feedback he had received from the Poneglyph, he had also developed an interest in them.

He suspected the next stage beyond Sword Intent might be Swordsmanship.

That was why their next destination was Sky Island.

More specifically, the Poneglyph near the Golden Bell in the Golden City, Shandora.

With Sea Kings pulling the ship, he reckoned they could get there in a few days.

At the Marine Branch in Loguetown, East Blue, Harry suddenly received word. After a moment's hesitation, he made another call.

"Vice Admiral Garp! We've found that kid!"

"He's at 45°23′, 36°52′. Looks like he's heading for Jaya Island!"

"Got it!"

"We've also been notified that Admiral Aokiji has come to the East Blue. He should reach the Loguetown branch in the next few days. Would you like to see him?"

"Kuzan? What's that brat doing in the East Blue instead of staying at headquarters? Forget it, I won't see him! I finally got a couple of days off, and I want to give my adorable grandson a proper education. I don't have time!"

On a stretch of the East Blue, Garp stood aboard a warship adorned with an enormous dog's head, picking his nose.

"Honestly, Sengoku didn't send Kuzan to drag me back, did he? Good thing Harry warned me, or my vacation would've been ruined! My dear grandson, once I find that kid, I'll take him back and educate you both. I'll make fine Marines out of you!"

Mid-sentence, a snore escaped him. The legendary Marine hero had fallen asleep standing up.

His adjutant, Bogard, watched with a pained expression. He didn't even know what to say about his superior anymore.

Then again, considering how Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates would one day eat in his sleep, perhaps it wasn't so strange.

He really was Garp's grandson, wasn't he?

Just then, a cool sea breeze blew past. The bubble at Garp's nose burst with a pop, and he opened his bleary eyes.

"Bogard! How did I fall asleep here? Did something happen?"

Bogard's face darkened at the question.

"Vice Admiral Garp, weren't you going to meet that Pirate Hunter? And educate your adorable grandson?"

"Oh, right! Right!"

"Men, set course for Jaya Island!"

Bogard's expression grew even more strained. So the old man did remember after all!

Why am I more worried about this than he is?

Two more days passed. Dongze was meditating when his eyes suddenly opened.

His Observation Haki had picked up a warship—and not just any warship, but the Dog-Head Warship.

There were plenty of warships in the world of pirates, but he remembered only one that distinctive: the vessel of Garp the Hero.

Garp was no ordinary man. He had once chased the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, all over the world.

His fighting strength surpassed even the Admirals, perhaps even Emperor-Class fighters. He was an outright anomaly. And since this was a good six or seven years before Luffy's journey, the old man's strength probably hadn't declined much.

By Dongze's rough estimate, his chances against Garp were next to nothing, especially with Robin along.

His Erosion Sword Intent stood at 420000/1000000.

He could trade blows with an Admiral and still escape. Against this man, though, there was no telling.

"Damn it! Another one I can't beat!"

Noticing his expression, Robin asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Dongze?"

"Turn the ship around!"

"Now!"

The seriousness in his voice made Robin's face fall.

She could hardly remember seeing him look like this. She hurried into the cabin and used her ability to turn the ship around.

But it was already too late. If Dongze's Observation Haki could detect Garp's ship, what about Garp?

How could a man who had mastered Haki fail to notice Dongze's ship?

"Huh? That ship's strange. It doesn't have a flag!"

Bogard paused at Garp's mutter. Remembering something, he reported, "Vice Admiral Garp, I heard Dongze travels on a single-masted sailboat with no flag!"

Garp blinked at his adjutant's report.

"What did you say?"

He looked toward the distant vessel again. No flag, one mast, heading for Jaya Island. Everything matched!

Huh? Why was the brat turning around?

"Brat! You think you can get away while I'm here?"

The moment he finished speaking, Garp shot forward.

His Observation Haki had already caught the sailboat's sudden turn. Trying to run, was he?

Dongze's expression changed. He sprang to his feet as if the deck beneath him had shocked him.

"Damn it, this is bad!"

Without another word, he strapped Forgotten Dust to his back, rushed into the cabin, scooped up Robin, and launched into the air with Geppo. At the same time, he used Shave to accelerate.

"Mr. Dongze?"

Robin's head spun from how abruptly he had grabbed her. Seeing the tension in his eyes, she felt a sudden surge of panic.

"Ran into an old man. Can't beat him! Gotta charge extra—hell, gotta run!"

Garp had noticed what was happening aboard the ship. When he saw someone shoot into the air, he paused, then grinned.

The kid had detected him from that far away. That meant he had likely awakened Observation Haki too.

And if he could move through the air, he probably knew Geppo and had trained his body to an impressive degree.

According to Harry's report, he was also a swordsman who showed pirates no mercy. To Garp, he was perfect Marine material.

He couldn't let the kid get away. It never occurred to the muscle-brained Garp to wonder why Dongze was running. All he wanted was to bring him back.

If the kid refused? No problem. Garp had always been good at using force to make his point.

"Brat! Stop right there!"

High in the air, Garp's expression grew darker and darker. He had thought he would catch the kid in no time.

Instead, the gap between them had barely narrowed.

They had raced dozens of miles, but the kid ahead showed no sign of slowing down.

He darted about like a rabbit with a dog on its heels.

And he was carrying someone. Even Garp found that ridiculous.

"Old man! Why don't you stop chasing me first? I can't relax with you right behind me!"

Dongze caught his breath and shouted back.

Garp chuckled at Dongze's words.

"Nice try! Roger used that same trick on me years ago. I'm not falling for it again!"

"The moment I stop, you'll be gone! Where would I find you then?"

Dongze froze. That was exactly what he had planned: get Garp to stop, then seize the chance to escape.

He hadn't expected Roger to have used that trick already!

Still, it was easy enough to believe. Knowing Garp, Roger could well have fooled him that way.

Garp had chased Roger for years. The two must have crossed paths countless times.

And Roger was just the sort of man who might pull a shameless stunt like that!

Given Garp's straightforward nature, there was a good chance he had fallen for it.