Chapter 113 Meryl's Rebirth: Karp's Surprise AttackThe kings, who had been arguing vehemently, fell silent instantly, realizing that the World Government was backed by the lawless Celestial Dragons.
However, this battle did severely damage the World Government's prestige.
On the other hand, the Navy's reputation soared several notches thanks to Luffy's Oscar-worthy performance; everyone hailed him as the next Garp.
But all this turmoil was irrelevant to Luffy at this moment.
He had simply planted a seed under a boulder, patiently waiting for it to take root and sprout.
At this moment, Luffy, along with his Straw Hat crew, stood before the battered Going Merry.
A massive new keel was being carefully placed into the ship's structure!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The crisp sound of hammering seemed to strike directly into everyone's hearts, each sound carrying the hope of rebirth.
With a muffled thud, everyone involuntarily shuddered.
Iceberg straightened up, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and let out a long sigh of relief. "It's done!"
"Although I don't understand why you guys went through all this trouble, every single part of this ship, inside and out, has been completely replaced!"
Usopp, his palms sweating with nervousness, stared intently at Luffy and asked in a trembling voice, "How is it?"
Luffy activated his Rinnegan, purple ripples flowing in his eyes.
A joyful smile gradually spread across his face as he gave everyone a thumbs up. "OK!"
Usopp and the others jumped up excitedly, shouting, "The Going Merry has finally been reborn!"
That's right, after experiencing this philosophical experiment akin to the Ship of Theseus, Luffy finally confirmed a fact.
By gradually replacing all the timber in the ship's hull, the ship spirit can be perfectly transferred to the new vessel!
At this moment, everyone is cheering for the Going Merry's rebirth.
Just then, an incredibly powerful fist strike came from behind without warning!
Luffy's expression changed drastically. His entire arm instantly enveloped in dark Armament Haki as he turned to block!
A deafening boom resounded.
A terrifying shockwave exploded from the point where their fists met, sending debris flying everywhere.
Luffy was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the rubble!
Everyone was shocked and turned around sharply.
Who was it?!
Still too inexperienced! Luffy!
An aged yet powerful voice, like a resounding bell, rang out.
With a loud crash, Luffy pushed aside the rubble and scrambled to his feet, grimacing and rubbing his arm.
"Damn it, that hurts like hell! Couldn't you have greeted me more normally, you old geezer!"
"Old man? You bastard! Call me Grandpa!"
Garp angrily swung his iron fist, his beard bristling.
Luffy completely ignored the old man. Although this body owed him a great deal of gratitude, he was, after all, a transmigrator with little emotional connection.
Calling him "Grandpa" out of respect was fine, but genuinely calling him "Grandpa" felt a little awkward.
Fortunately, Luffy and his two brothers had always been mischievous, and Garp was already used to the kid's lack of respect.
What brings you here? Aren't you busy enough with Whitebeard's mess?
Luffy rolled his eyes at Garp.
"You little brat, how dare you mention that!"
Upon hearing this, Garp was furious, his beard bristling and eyes wide with rage. He pointed at Luffy's nose and cursed.
Blackbeard captured Ace and handed him over to the World Government in exchange for a Shichibukai position—was that the idea you came up with?!
Luffy's lips twitched. "I'm not taking the blame for this!"
He immediately raised his hand in righteous indignation, "Impossible! How could I do something so heinous!"
Zoro, standing nearby, silently turned his head away, unable to bear watching.
Garp nodded thoughtfully, "I knew it! Looks like my beating of Blackbeard wasn't for nothing. That kid really needed a good beating."
"You came all this way just to brag to me?"
Luffy, who had been inexplicably punched, looked helplessly at the old man.
Even his overpowered skill of catching a blade barehanded was countered by this old man breaking his weapon. His beast-like combat instincts were simply absurd.
Unlike Mihawk, that stubborn fool, who didn't even consider throwing away his sword and using his fists after being knocked down twice.
Maybe that's the damned romance between swordsmen.
"What? You've grown wings? Can't I even come see my grandson!"
Garp replied sarcastically, leaving Luffy speechless.
Then, he casually tossed a document to Luffy, picking his nose as he spoke nonchalantly.
"Your secretary's identity issue is resolved. Besides, quite a few pirates saw those six guys named Pain back on Drum Island.
Of course, they're all probably dead in Impel Down now, so there's no way to verify it."
Having said that, Garp glared at Luffy, his tone becoming more serious.
"Don't think you're so smart, kid. You've been used as a pawn without even realizing it."
"What does CP9 do? They're the heads of professional intelligence agencies!"
"The little things you did, anyone with a brain could easily find out."
"You were playing dumb with them, and now you've been outmaneuvered without even realizing it!"
Luffy had initially been impressed, thinking, "As expected of Sengoku, the so-called strategist. His little tricks couldn't escape that old fox's notice."
"But the more he listened, the more something seemed off. He finally realized that Garp only thought CP9 had used their intelligence advantage to trick Luffy; the news had been forcibly suppressed by Sengoku."
As for why Garp couldn't figure out the truth?
With his perpetually offline thought process, he could never have conceived of such a complex and convoluted scheme.
Clearly, Sengoku had specifically sent this old man to give him a heads-up, to make him more discreet in the future.
Luffy looked at the smug old man, nodded, and said perfunctorily, "Got it! Got it! Anything else? If not, you can leave."
After all, the public execution dates for the captains under the Whitebeard Pirates are almost set, right?
Garp was taken aback, his nose-picking finger freezing in mid-air. "How did you know?"
Then, he casually picked his nose, flicking away a booger. "You guys didn't hear anything."
Everyone chorused, "We heard it! We were so loud! Do you think we're deaf?!"
Garp laughed heartily. Anyway, it'd be in the newspapers in a couple of days; it wasn't top-secret intelligence. Sengoku was just using these few days to send out spies.
Luffy curled his lip, dismissively saying, "A complete waste of time and manpower."
"Go back and tell that old lady Sengoku that instead of wasting time, she should send people to keep an eye on the Sabaody Archipelago. Fish-Man Island is Whitebeard's territory; that's where the storm is."