Chapter 323: Shichibukai Greenbull!
The sunlight spilled across the sparkling sea, coating the entire warship in a layer of golden radiance.
Roy stood at the edge of the deck with his hands in his pockets. Squinting, he looked toward the Oro Jackson, which was gradually shrinking into a black dot in the distance, a wicked smirk hanging on his lips.
Suddenly, he leaned sideways close to Garp and spoke mysteriously in a lowered voice: "Vice Admiral Garp, do you want to blow Roger away with a single punch?"
"Hah?"
Garp was currently wiping the blood off his knuckles with the back of his hand. Hearing this, he froze for a moment before violently turning his head, his eyes glaring wide.
"What the hell are you talking about, brat?!!"
He pointed at the pirate ship that had already sailed far away, his voice so loud the deck hummed along with it:
"That guy Roger might be a slacker full of crazy talk, but his strength isn't so weak that he'd be blown away by a single punch from me, right?!"
Roy, however, maintained his wicked smirk, a sly gleam in his eyes: "Hehe, but what if there was a fruit that could multiply the power of your Fist Bone by a hundred times?"
"Fist Bone strengthened... a hundred times?"
Garp's expression instantly froze.
His fists subconsciously tightened, his knuckles letting out crisp cracking sounds. An image involuntarily surfaced in his mind—
He throws a single punch, and Roger's Kamusari (Divine Departure) shatters on the spot. Roger is sent flying horizontally like a cannonball for dozens of miles, crashing through over a dozen islands, and finally smashing into the bottom of the sea, kicking up a mushroom cloud...
"BANG!!!"
An iron fist landed heavily on Roy's head, instantly raising a massive lump!
"You bastard brat!!! Don't even think about ruining my martial Dao heart!!!"
Roy squatted down clutching his head, baring his teeth and drawing in sharp breaths from the pain, yet that punchable, wicked smirk still hung on his lips:
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... I was just making a casual joke!"
Garp put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily, his chest vibrating endlessly with the sound:
"My fists—don't need any Devil Fruit to strengthen them!!!"
His laughter was gruff and heroic, echoing under the golden sunlight and intertwining with the sound of the ocean waves, exceptionally stirring to the soul.
Rubbing the lump on his forehead, Roy watched this scene, his gaze gradually turning serious as he sighed silently in his heart:
"As expected, he's still the same old man Garp..."
—Not relying on external objects, unyielding and indomitable, relying solely on a pair of iron fists to shake an entire era.
He had known all along that Garp would definitely refuse, but this answer at this moment made him even more certain:
The Garp of this era was equally worthy of entrusting one's back to.
...
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1519
Time slipped away quietly. It had already been over half a year since Roy left.
Although Ace, Luffy, and the others were full of doubts regarding Roy's loss of contact, under the repeated reassurances of the three Marine titans—Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—they managed to suppress their restless thoughts and continued to throw themselves into the daily missions of suppressing pirates.
However, the World Government's movements never ceased. The long-vacant "Shichibukai" seat finally welcomed a new successor.
CP0's intelligence network reached deep into the South Blue and locked onto a rather unique candidate.
This man was named Aramaki, originally a police officer in the Taya Kingdom.
Having been implicated in a major case, he was thrown into prison, but the astonishing strength and extraordinary reputation he displayed caught the World Government's attention.
In the Chamber of Authority, the Five Elders even joked about it: "This time's Shichibukai is not a pirate..."
"Even if he runs into Roy again, he shouldn't get beaten up like last time, right?"
Ultimately, under the World Government's maneuvering, Aramaki was granted a special pardon and exceptionally drafted as the new Shichibukai.
His code name—"Ryokugyu" (Greenbull).
At the same time, the New World also welcomed a dazzling new pirate supernova.
The "Beautiful Supernova," Cavendish, debuted with a bounty of 280 million Berries!
The newspapers tracked and reported on him for days on end, causing a global sensation. In particular, that handsome wanted poster of his was secretly collected by countless female fans, even leading to bizarre incidents where his "wanted posters were completely stolen."
However, compared to Cavendish's popularity, Ace and Luffy back at Marineford cared much more about another matter.
—That new Shichibukai didn't look like a "good guy" no matter how you sliced it.
"Big Brother Roy took out two Shichibukai!"
"That's right! This guy definitely isn't a good person either!"
And so, the two hit it off instantly. After getting Aramaki's location intel from Nojiko, they quietly slipped out of Marine Headquarters, preparing to "get ahead of the curve" and give him a warm welcome ceremony.
One day, Aramaki's ship docked at a deserted island to resupply.
Like two sneaky tanuki, Ace and Luffy quietly infiltrated the ship. Just as they were about to launch a sneak attack, they unexpectedly heard a roar coming from the cabin—
"ADMIRAL AKAINU IS TRUE JUSTICE!!!"
The two froze. Looking up, they saw Aramaki staring at a portrait of Sakazuki (which he had drawn himself) with a face full of fanatical devotion, looking exactly like a superfan gazing at an idol's poster.
"...Eh?" Luffy was dumbfounded.
"...Ah?" Ace's face stiffened.
Aramaki slowly turned around. Seeing the two sneaky brats, he frowned: "Who are you two?"
Luffy scratched his head: "Uh... we're here to beat you up."
Aramaki: "???"
Ace facepalmed, sighing: "...But it seems there's no need for that now."
As the three of them talked, they discovered that not only was Aramaki a fanatic fan of Sakazuki, but he was also absolutely merciless toward pirates—
"Pirates are trash!"
"They should all be thrown into Impel Down!!"
Luffy's eyes immediately lit up, leaning his face in close: "Ooh! I think so too!"
Ace swung a flaming fist: "That's right! Pirates should all be sent flying!"
Aramaki stared at the two, his eyes brightening as he nodded heavily: "You two are very much to my liking!"
And so, what was originally a sneak attack operation was forcibly turned into a "Justice Exchange Mixer."
The three of them threw their arms around each other's shoulders, grilling meat and drinking booze on Aramaki's ship, their conversation growing more and more enthusiastic.
Meanwhile, back at Marine Headquarters.
Looking at the latest report delivered by the intelligence department, a vein popped on Sengoku's forehead. He nearly smashed his desk to pieces:
"Ace and Luffy... went off on unauthorized action again?!"
"Garp, look at your grandsons!!!"
Garp, however, was laughing so hard he was rocking back and forth: "Bwahahaha! Isn't this great?! That Aramaki guy is probably perfectly to Sakazuki's taste!"
Zephyr snorted coldly: "They better not be led astray by Sakazuki."
Far away in the New World, Sakazuki violently let out a sneeze, muttering with a cold face: "...Who's talking about me behind my back?"
...
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1484
Midsummer. Inside a luxurious mansion somewhere in the New World.
By the azure swimming pool, beautiful women in skimpy swimwear played in the water, their laughter rising and falling.
Garp lay back on a sun lounger, happily drinking from a large coconut he held in his arms.
Roy, half-squinting, leaned comfortably on another sun lounger, letting the sunlight spill over his body, his expression lazy.
Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, the Den Den Mushi at Garp's waist suddenly started ringing with a bulu-bulu.
"Hello? ...What the hell?!!"
A moment later, Garp violently jumped up from his chair. His loud voice nearly scared all the beauties by the pool out of their wits:
"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SO EARLIER!!!"
With a smack, the Den Den Mushi was closed. Garp fiercely smacked his fists together, his expression suddenly turning incredibly grave.
Roy slowly opened his eyes, a smile hooking the corner of his lips, as if he had anticipated this moment all along.
"It's finally here, huh... triggered by the treasure..."
He stood up, turning his head to look toward the endless horizon in the distance, his gaze as deep as an abyss:
"The God Valley Incident..."
The clamor by the pool seemed to fade away instantly, leaving only his low murmur, scattered into the air by the wind.
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