"Lott, what did you do to Laboon? Why did it suddenly change its attitude?" On the deck, Nami held Lott's hand as she asked softly.
Lott glanced at the others and found their eyes full of questions.
But Lott merely smiled. "It was just a memory. In two years, a group will come to Twin Cape, and they'll find the only member of the Rumbar Pirates still out at sea."
"But how do you know that?" Ling'er poked her cheek and asked curiously.
The other companions aboard had always wondered why Lott knew so much despite his young age, as though he were a prophet.
Lott rubbed his chin. "Because I'm the savior chosen by the Will of the World!"
His expression was unbearably smug.
"Tch."
Kuro and Zoro curled their lips. Surely he could come up with a better way to fool them. Since Lott wouldn't tell them, they both went off to train.
Ling'er ran over and hugged Lott's arm. "Lott, you must have your reasons. I support you. I'm going to train."
With that, Ling'er walked away too.
Lott gently rubbed Nami's little hand. "Nami, why does nobody believe me when I tell the truth?"
Nami looked up at Lott. "Lott, I believe whatever you say."
Then she suddenly rose onto her tiptoes, pecked Lott on the cheek, pulled her hand free, and ran into the cabin.
Watching her run off, Lott touched the lingering warmth on his cheek and shook his head. That girl launched a sneak attack.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Good morning, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Wearing his trademark dog-head hat, Garp disembarked from the warship. The many soldiers in the harbor saluted him, the young soldiers' eyes full of admiration.
Garp took off his hat and acknowledged them one by one.
Just then, a soldier ran up to Garp and saluted before helping drape his cape over his shoulders. "Vice Admiral Garp, the Fleet Admiral asked you to visit the Fleet Admiral's Office when you returned."
Garp nodded. "Good timing. I wanted to see him."
The Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku was pacing inside, looking rather anxious. On a chair to one side, Staff Officer Tsuru was sipping tea.
Bang!
The office door was kicked open, followed by a hearty voice. "Sengoku, I'm back."
Sengoku stopped pacing and turned toward the doorway. "Garp! How many of my doors have you kicked to pieces?"
Garp walked over to the sofa and sat down without a care. "Don't be so stingy, Sengoku. It's just a door."
Sengoku wanted to say more, but shook his head instead. "Forget it. I'll settle that with you later. Let's talk about Lott first."
Staff Officer Tsuru also set her teacup on the table and looked at Garp, concern likewise showing in her brow.
The soldiers under Garp's command had long since reported his battle with Lott in the East Blue to headquarters.
And according to the soldiers' accounts and the footage recorded by the visual Den Den Mushi at the time, Lott was actually strong enough to fight evenly with Garp for a short time!
To be honest, they found it hard to believe that a teenager could possess such strength.
Garp picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup, then spoke slowly. "Yes, it's more or less what you heard. That kid really does have some strength. Even I might not be able to take him down quickly."
With Garp's confirmation, Sengoku's expression turned rather grim. He had only a few years left before he could apply for retirement, and now Lott had appeared and stirred up this mess.
Tsuru asked, "They said he seemed to be some kind of Devil Fruit User, correct?"
Garp raised his teacup and took a sip, turning his gaze to Tsuru. "He seems to be a Devil Fruit User. He can fly, and it doesn't seem to be Geppo. He wasn't using any other tools, either."
Tsuru pondered for a moment, the abilities of Devil Fruits that allowed flight flashing through her mind. "Could it be something like the Press-Press Fruit?"
Then Garp revealed another piece of news that shocked them. "But it also seems like it isn't a Devil Fruit. I knocked him into the sea, and he actually flew back into the air without being affected at all!"
"What?" Sengoku slapped both hands on the desk, his voice carrying a measure of disbelief.
He didn't believe a mere human body could hover in the air, yet he also couldn't believe there was a Devil Fruit User unafraid of seawater.
But no explanation seemed capable of accounting for this phenomenon.
Tsuru's brow was tightly furrowed too. Even within her understanding, such a situation was nothing short of a miracle.
Somewhat disbelieving, she asked, "Are you sure he flew? And are you sure you really knocked him into the sea?"
"Hahaha, Tsuru-chan, I may be old, but I haven't gone blind. I'm certain of both."
This time, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru had anything to say. They could only attribute this phenomenon to the realm of mysterious Devil Fruits.
Then Sengoku spoke again. "And the strength of his crew members can't be underestimated either, especially Kuro and that Roronoa Zoro."
Tsuru interjected, "Yes. I never expected those two little girls to be Logia Devil Fruit Users as well. I can hardly imagine what they'll be like if they're allowed to grow."
She sighed and continued, "Their strength is already beyond what the branches can handle. Get their Wanted Posters issued as soon as possible."
The Skybreaker.
Holding a rolled-up newspaper, Nami poked the delivery pigeon in front of her. "Why has the price gone up again? Isn't this a little expensive? If you raise it again, I'm not buying next time."
Looking at the orange-haired woman before it, the delivery pigeon scratched its head helplessly with a wing.
"Nami! Any news?"
Ling'er walked up to Nami with two glasses of Water-Water Fragrant Pear juice.
Nami took one and set it on the side table beside the lounge chair, then began leafing through the paper.
"Oh, another country has had a rebellion? These really are troubled times."
Just as Nami turned to the next page, several Wanted Posters fell out.
Ling'er quickly snatched one up. "Whose Wanted Poster could it be?"
She turned it over for a look, then cried out, "L-L-Lott!"
"What? Is it Lott's Wanted Poster?" Nami hurriedly leaned her little head closer.
"Ah! Lott's bounty has gone up so much!"
Hearing the two girls' cries, Lott and the others came onto the deck.
Kuro adjusted his glasses and asked, "What happened?"
Zoro picked up several Wanted Posters from the ground. "Aren't these our Wanted Posters?"
They laid the five Wanted Posters out in order on the lawn.
Lott
ONLY DEAD
1200000000
Kuro
DEAD OR ALIVE
150000000
Roronoa Zoro
DEAD OR ALIVE
134000000
Nami
DEAD OR ALIVE
80000000
Imela Ling'er
DEAD OR ALIVE
72000000
"Huh?! All of us have bounties now?" Ling'er held her own Wanted Poster, her delicate hands trembling slightly.
She had never imagined that she would become a wanted criminal one day. She had always been a law-abiding citizen.
But as long as she could stay by Lott's side, she would be willing even to become a villain who committed every conceivable evil.
Holding his Wanted Poster, Zoro's lips curved slightly. "Not bad. Over a hundred and thirty million on my second bounty. But it's still not enough."
Then he leaned over to Kuro and glanced at his Wanted Poster, his eyes nearly popping out. "Why is your bounty higher than mine?"
Kuro placed the Wanted Poster on the side table and said calmly, "The size of a bounty doesn't prove anything. Don't fixate on something so superficial. Training hard is what matters. After all, we're not in the East Blue anymore."
Zoro pouted and muttered, "Don't act like you've got everything figured out."
Before you continue