Jango looked at the four approaching figures and laughed. "Hahaha! Since you dared come aboard a Marine warship, just watch me arrest you."
"Hey! Aren't you a pirate? How come you became a Marine?" Luffy shouted, baring his teeth.
Remembering the lessons he had received from the "Fist of Love," Jango shuddered and looked at Luffy. "What a miserable life! My fate is in his hands, not mine!"
With that, he ignored Luffy and turned toward the Marines. "All soldiers, eyes on me! Watch the throwing disc in my hand. When I say 'one, two, three, Jango,' you'll gain boundless strength and feel no pain. Then capture the Straw Hat Pirates."
"One, two, three, Jango. Zzz..." Jango immediately fell asleep, while the Marines' muscles swelled as they charged at Luffy and the others.
The battle was about to erupt.
Black-Hemmed Hina gave Helmeppo, the Black Cat Brothers, and Kuro their orders. "Each of you pick an opponent. Leave Straw Hat Luffy to me."
Then she turned to her subordinates. "Stop firing the cannons. With that man's ability, we can't break through that pirate ship's defenses. Everyone, engage in close combat and capture the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Yes, Captain Hina!" Everyone saluted in response.
An overwhelmingly one-sided battle was about to erupt.
For the Straw Hat Pirates as they were now, fighting Marines who couldn't even use Haki was child's play.
Kuro approached Sanji with a seductive expression and said in a coy voice, "Hey, handsome~~ Let me fight you~ Be gentle with me, okay? I'm quite taken with you~" He even winked at Sanji afterward.
Every Marine instantly moved away from Kuro, all of them utterly speechless.
"I can't stand it. I seriously can't stand it! Die, you damn drag queen! Urgh... Diable Jambe: Troisième Hachis!"
Sanji coated his foot in Haki and flashed to Kuro's side. A series of kicks from his right foot instantly knocked Kuro unconscious.
The Nyaban Brothers faced Zoro, but before they could even touch him, his Haki-coated Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave struck them both at once. The Nyaban Brothers went down.
Iron Fist Helmeppo was defeated by Bon Clay in a single move, leaving only Luffy and Hina still fighting.
Meanwhile, in the waters not far away... a Dog-Head Warship was sailing toward them.
While Luffy's battle raged, Princess Vivi's speech in the kingdom had only just begun.
Garu turned the loudspeaker's volume up to its maximum. Even Luffy, Zoro, and the others fighting could hear it clearly.
Smiles appeared on their faces as they heard Vivi's words.
"Everything began that day. Those were days of crossing a dark sea in search of despair. The sea beyond our country stretched endlessly into the distance."
"There were incredible islands brimming with power, creatures I had never seen, dreamlike scenery, and music played by the waves, sometimes surrounding us with peace and making us forget our troubles."
"In a dark storm beyond words, I encountered a small boat. That boat pushed me forward and said, 'Can't you see that ray of dawn?' It was a wondrous little boat that never lost its way, even in darkness, dancing across the wind and waves."
"It never fought against the sea, yet its bow still pressed bravely forward, even against the wind. Look~ Ahead~ Once we cross the waves, we'll be able to see the dawn."
On Luffy's side, the longer the battle went on, the more Marines there were rather than fewer, with more warships constantly approaching from behind.
"Luffy! We have to leave! Your grandpa Garp is here!" Liu Qing suddenly shouted.
Luffy's face instantly drained of color, and he shrieked, "What?! My grandpa's here? Where?"
"He's already in the waters nearby. Hurry back, or you're probably getting a beating," Liu Qing replied.
"Quick! Zoro, Sanji, let's get back to the Going Merry! My grandpa's here!" Luffy grabbed the two of them and instantly returned to the Going Merry, with Bon Clay close behind.
"Hurry, Nami! Set off for the next island and break through the encirclement! I'm done for if we get caught!" Luffy urged Nami, a terrified expression on his face.
Just as the Going Merry finished changing course, Vivi and Karoo appeared on the shore.
"Everyone~~ Quack, quack~~"
Luffy, Usopp, and Nami immediately came to the railing and shouted excitedly, "Vivi! Are you coming out to sea with us?"
Vivi smiled and waved. "Everyone! I came to say goodbye. I can't go out to sea with you. Thank you so much for everything up until now. Although I really want to go on adventures with you, I still love my country, so I can't go with you."
As she spoke, Vivi burst into tears. "I... even though I'm staying here, if we meet again someday, will you call me your crewmate again? Sob..."
Luffy and the others said nothing. Instead, they raised their hands, each bearing a large X on its back-the symbol of the promise they had made during their voyage.
At the Marine warships.
"Smoker, why are you stopping Hina? Hina is very angry. You'd better give Hina an explanation." Hina looked in confusion at Smoker, who had arrived at some point.
"Vice Admiral Garp sent me. He wants us to turn back now and return to the nearby Marine Branch. He'll capture the Straw Hat Pirates himself." Smoker looked thoroughly reluctant.
Just then, a figure strode through the air above the Going Merry, moving so fast that he landed on its deck in the blink of an eye.
Aside from Liu Qing, who knew what was happening, everyone was startled. Zoro instantly lowered his raised arm and took a Three-Sword Style stance. Sanji also lowered his arm as flames began appearing on his foot.
The cowardly trio of Usopp, Nami, and Chopper instantly hid behind Liu Qing.
Luffy's smile froze on his face. He turned stiffly and stammered, "G-Grand... Grand... Grandpa! How did you get here so fast?"
"Hahahaha! Luffy, you've really stirred things up! That's my grandson for you!" As Garp spoke, he clenched his fist, coated it in Haki, and slammed it onto Luffy's head.
"G-Grandpa? Huh? Vice Admiral Garp is Luffy's grandpa?" Everyone either lowered their weapons or came out of hiding, speaking with astonishment on their faces.
Garp turned toward Hina and the others, who had yet to leave. "Ahem! You didn't hear anything, did you? Now hurry back to the nearby Marine Branch. Leave the Straw Hat Pirates to me. Understood?"
All the Marines answered awkwardly in unison. "Yes, Vice Admiral Garp! We know nothing! While pursuing the Straw Hat Pirates, we lost them because a tsunami suddenly struck."
Then all the Marines changed course and headed for their base.
Looking at the nervous Straw Hat Pirates, Garp said amiably, "Don't be afraid. I'm quite easy to talk to."
Then he turned toward Liu Qing, instantly appeared beside him, and slung an arm around his shoulders like a good friend. "Young Liu Qing, how about becoming my grandson? Or you could join the Marines. If you join, I guarantee I'll make you an Admiral or even Fleet Admiral."
"Uh, no need for that. I don't want to serve the Celestial Dragons. Isn't that also why you've always refused promotion to Admiral, Vice Admiral Garp?" Liu Qing said firmly.
"Is that so? Hahahaha! Good lad. All right, you can leave. I only came to see Luffy and help the Marines out while I was at it, so you wouldn't wipe them out with that Buddha Form thing of yours." With that, Garp prepared to use Geppo to return to the Dog-Head Warship.
"Wait!" Liu Qing hurriedly grabbed Garp.
Garp looked back in confusion. "What, changed your mind? Want to become a Marine with me?"
"No. Since you're already here, how about leaving a few things for your grandson's crewmates to use? Things like the Six Powers or advanced Haki techniques. You could teach us the Six Powers too. And leave us a Den Den Mushi while you're at it, so we can contact you if some big problem comes up. What do you say?" Liu Qing rubbed his hands together as he asked Garp for things.
After leaving a Den Den Mushi and several little notebooks, Garp bundled Bon Clay and the others together with rope and took them away.
Luffy and the others began sailing toward their next destination.
Half a day later...
As they sailed across the sea, everyone except Zoro, Sanji, and Liu Qing was listless.
After obtaining the advanced Haki methods and the Six Powers, neither Zoro nor Sanji would concede to the other. They secretly competed, training for half a day.
Zoro asked Liu Qing for a Wood Clone to help him train his Observation Haki, while Sanji practiced the Six Powers.
Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper stared blankly over the railing.
"I'm so bored!" Luffy said yet again.
"That's enough, you lot. You've said that hundreds of times since we left Alabasta. If you wanted Vivi aboard so badly, why didn't you just tie her up and drag her aboard?" Zoro looked at the four grumbling figures.
Nami: "Crude!"
Usopp: "Barbarian!"
Chopper: "Heartless!"
Luffy: "Three-Sword Style."
Just then, the cabin door opened.
"Oh my~ We've finally left the island. Thanks for all your hard work," Nico Robin said with a smile.
"Aaah!" Luffy and the cowardly trio screamed.
Zoro immediately took a fighting stance, gripping his sword hilts. "Someone from Baroque Works? What, do you want revenge for your companions?"
With several large bumps on her head from hitting it, Nami asked in terror, "Why are you on our ship?"
Red hearts appeared in Sanji's eyes. "Beautiful lady~"
Usopp and Chopper each clung to one of Liu Qing's legs, sobbing. "We're under attack! Liu Qing, we're under attack!"
"It's all right, Chopper. She's a good person. Don't be afraid." Liu Qing picked Chopper up and began petting him.
Robin used her ability to gather up everyone's weapons. "Don't point such dangerous things at me."
Then she slowly walked over to a lounge chair and sat down, looking at Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy, let me become your crewmate! I have nowhere to go anymore, so let me join you."
Robin began recounting her past, all her escapes and struggles to survive from the age of eight onward. She spoke for a full hour.
Luffy listened intently. "Oh, so that's what happened. Then there's nothing else for it! Sure, you're our crewmate from now on."
"Great! Robin-chan, I'll go make afternoon tea for you right now!" Sanji immediately rushed into the kitchen.
"Then join us. Welcome, Nico Robin." Liu Qing leaped down from the lookout tower and landed beside Zoro and the other two. "Don't worry so much. Try accepting her first. If she has bad intentions, we can talk about it then."
Before you continue