Atlas's Drifting Voyage / Garp and the Fist of Love

Atlas felt a thrill of excitement.

Suddenly, a red gleam flashed through her eyes...

Then her world of perception cracked open like an egg, emerging from darkness into dawn. Philoc's attacks appeared in her mind with perfect clarity, as if they were moving in slow motion.

Observation Haki! It had awakened!

Atlas grinned. "Hahahaha! I'm done playing with you!"

"Hmph! Arrogant brat."

Philoc paid her no mind, assuming he had beaten her senseless. Though he couldn't explain why he had just felt as if someone had seen right through him...

Atlas answered with a massive fist that slammed into Philoc's face.

How?!

Philoc's heart lurched. How had Atlas suddenly become so fast?

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Nothing beats the feel of a fist landing!"

Atlas had no intention of explaining. She tossed her standard-issue Marine sword aside and flexed her calloused fists, each as big as a cooking pot. Scarlet flashed through her eyes as she unleashed her Observation Haki at full strength!

She slipped past Philoc's claws with ease, then hammered him from both sides until his head burst. Red and white matter sprayed everywhere, but Atlas used her Observation Haki to dodge every drop.

Philoc died without understanding how Atlas, who had been trading blows with him a moment ago, had suddenly overwhelmed him so completely...

The answer was simple. Atlas had always been physically stronger than Philoc; she had only been a little slower. Earlier, she had held back to give herself a chance to awaken her Observation Haki.

With Philoc dealt with, Atlas prepared to check whether any lucky survivors remained.

Then something unexpected happened.

A burly shadow shot out of the cabin, leaped high, and landed squarely in the little boat Atlas had rowed over in. His arms worked the oars like pistons...

Atlas's jaw nearly dropped. The shadow was Jim, the Philoc Pirates' vice-captain!

He had been playing dead from the start. The moment he saw Philoc killed, he had bolted.

He usually seemed simple-minded, but he was no fool. Philoc had probably never imagined that the Jim he looked down on could be so calculating.

Atlas had no intention of letting Jim escape. If she remembered her predecessor's memories correctly, he was the one who had murdered the Kanos couple!

She hurried into the wheelhouse to chase Jim, who had already gained some distance. There was just one problem... she didn't know how to sail a ship!

With no time to think, Atlas dove into the sea and swam after him. She still had plenty of stamina...

Damn brat!

Jim watched Atlas pursue him relentlessly and cursed her for what felt like the hundredth time. How in the world did she still have so much energy? All he wanted was for a Sea King to swallow her and shit her out!

After half a day, Atlas had steadily closed the gap. Jim finally broke and began begging for his life.

Atlas didn't believe a word of it. She burst from the water, ready to finish him with one punch!

Jim refused to give up. He raised an oar to block her fist.

It was useless!!

Her massive fist smashed through the oar, reducing it to a cloud of splinters.

Jim collapsed with a thud. Atlas landed steadily on the bow, then kicked his lifeless body overboard for the fish.

"Grrr..."

As the sun set, crimson light spread across the calm sea. A little boat drifted aimlessly over the water.

A girl in a slightly torn Marine Uniform lay aboard it, her powerful muscles on full display. Frustration covered her delicate yet resolute face. It was Atlas, fresh from her pursuit of the pirates.

Atlas hadn't expected such rotten luck. She had smashed the oar during the fight.

Now she could only drift with the current. There were no spare supplies aboard, either, and she was getting hungry.

But the worst part was this:

She was lost!

She hadn't thought about her route while chasing Jim and had swum straight into unfamiliar waters.

Out at sea, with no landmarks to guide her, even a keen sense of direction was useless!!

Atlas Adrift ### In the end, hunger got the better of Atlas. She caught a small Sea King, but with nothing aboard to start a fire, she ate it raw.

To her surprise, a Sea King from this world tasted pretty good raw.

Whether it was the geography or the climate, the meat had little of the usual fishy smell. It practically melted in her mouth.

As for parasites, there might not have been any in a small Sea King to begin with. Even if there were, Atlas's body could handle them. Besides...

After killing Jim, Atlas had discovered that the Horse Talisman had vanished from her mind. That meant its power had become an innate part of her body!

It hadn't done much for her fighting strength yet, but it had raised her physical potential.

Before, Atlas's talent might have carried her as far as an ordinary Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, even if she exhausted every bit of her potential.

With the Horse Talisman's help, though, her physical gifts had become monstrous even by a monster's standards!

Monsters were those who grew rapidly under relentless, punishing training. The Marines' three monster Vice Admirals were examples of that.

The most obvious change was that Atlas had learned Life Return automatically. It had become an instinct, allowing her to absorb energy from food quickly and use every bit of it!

Of course, her body still couldn't compare to Big Mom's Iron Balloon. But this gave Atlas the potential to reach the very top!

Her frequent use of the Horse Talisman had already brought it close to being absorbed, but for some reason, she hadn't been able to finish the process.

Atlas suspected that, as a visitor from another world, she had never been fully compatible with this body. But after avenging its former owner,

the obsession lingering within it had disappeared, allowing Atlas to take complete control.

Once she had eaten enough to take the edge off her hunger, Atlas activated her Observation Haki.

Not bad. Its range is about five thousand meters already. Looks like I've got some talent for this.

With that pleasant thought, Atlas drifted off to sleep. The day's fighting had worn her out.

"Mmm..."

Atlas rose early the next morning and took a look around.

Nope. Still no island.

So she jumped off the boat for a swim, dragging it along behind her.

Over the next several days, Atlas spent her time staring into space and occasionally using her Observation Haki to check for passing ships.

When she got hungry, she caught fish in the sea. But after days with no change, she was close to losing her mind.

Sea Circle Calendar, July 1, 1500. Weather: clear

Another dull day. After my usual swimming workout, I used my Observation Haki to check for ships. I think its range has grown a little. Maybe it's because I use it so often.

Forget it. I'm hungry. Time to catch some fish.

Sea Circle Calendar, July 2, 1500. Weather: cloudy

Ugh... Still no ships today. The sight of fish makes me sick now, especially raw fish. I might never want to eat fish again.

Sea Circle Calendar, July 3, 1500. Weather: clear

The weather's as nice as ever, but I'm miserable. Damn you, heaven! I'd take a pirate ship at this point!

Bored out of her mind, Atlas had begun keeping a diary on the sixth day of her drift. Of course, she wrote it entirely in her head before going to sleep each night.

Finally, on her tenth day of eating raw fish, a ship came into view!

A Marine warship! With a dog's head on the bow!

Atlas froze when she recognized it, then grew excited. Wasn't that Vice Admiral Garp's ship? But Luffy hadn't even been born yet. What was Garp doing in the East Blue?

"Hey! Is anyone there? Help me!"

Atlas cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the warship.

The crew seemed to hear her. The warship slowly turned toward Atlas.

—A few minutes later—

On the broad deck of the Dog-Head Warship...

A middle-aged man with dark hair and a coat emblazoned with Justice over his shoulders was shouting gleefully into a Den Den Mushi. His bulging muscles strained against his Marine Uniform, and a goofy grin covered his face.

"Hahahahaha! Sengoku, I've got all your Senbei!"

"What?! Damn you, Garp!... Fine. Just hurry back when your vacation's over. We need you in the New World."

The Den Den Mushi, wearing round glasses, mimicked Sengoku's voice.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Garp picked his nose, unconcerned. Before Sengoku could say another word, he hung up with a click.

Atlas had already boarded the warship. She stood off to one side, unwilling to interrupt the two big shots.

"Hey, brat! Hahahaha! Your name's Atlas, right?"

With the call over, Garp finally turned his attention to her.

Atlas had no idea how he knew her name, but she answered politely.

"When I passed through Loguetown, that brat Randall asked me to look for a missing Marine. Didn't expect to run into you out here."

"You're in a sorry state, Atlas! Hahahahaha..."

Noticing her confusion, Garp gave her that brief explanation.

Atlas felt embarrassed. She had expected an easy fight, only for one thing after another to go wrong. By now, everyone at the base probably thought she was dead.

"Bogard, take this brat below..."

Garp turned to give his Aide-de-Camp the order. Then his head lolled to one side, and he fell asleep...

Just like that...

Atlas had known Garp could be unreliable, but seeing it firsthand still left her speechless.

Bogard, on the other hand, was used to it. He headed toward the cabin and motioned for Atlas to follow.

After a long soak in hot water and a meal big enough for fifteen people, Atlas finally felt alive again...

Garp and the Fist of Love ### "Huff... huff... huff..."

It was Atlas's third day aboard Garp's ship. She had resumed her usual training the day after coming aboard: four solid hours of physical conditioning, followed by sword practice. After finishing everything else, she added half an hour of meditation to train her Observation Haki.

"Hey, Atlas! Come over here and let this old man give you a few pointers! Hahahahaha!"

Garp seemed bored. He picked his nose as he called her over.

Atlas perked up. Garp was a Marine hero, a man who had cornered Pirate King Roger more than once. He stood at the pinnacle of strength in this world. His guidance would be invaluable to her.

But as soon as Atlas stepped in front of him, she felt an indescribable pressure—not just from his physique, but from his sheer presence. Still, she wouldn't buckle so easily. She intended to become the World's Strongest Man!

A flicker of approval crossed Garp's eyes when she withstood his presence. Then his goofy expression returned, and he clapped her shoulder so hard he nearly knocked her flat.

"Hahaha! Not bad, brat. I watched you train. You focus mostly on building your body, and that's the right idea. Your physique is the foundation of your strength."

Atlas glanced at Garp's thick arms and couldn't argue.

"Come on, let this old man be your opponent! Time to feel my Fist of Love!"

Garp said no more. Teaching wasn't his strong suit compared with Zephyr; he preferred to teach through a fight. Before Atlas could object, his fists came straight at her face.