After dropping off Aris and Pearl at Loguetown, we set our course for the Goa Kingdom.
I had made sure to provide the two of them with a way to contact me, giving them the reason that I "didn't want to let excellent talent slip away," but in reality, I wanted to ensure their safety.
Pearl had been in tears at the thought of parting ways with Gin, which made for a memorable goodbye.
I managed to convince him by promising I'd come to visit someday. After all, you have to take care of your future subordinates.
In Loguetown, I took some time to browse around—visiting Ipponmatsu's weapons shop and other local spots.
I finally saw the Pirate King's execution platform, though my only real impression was that it looked... surprisingly ordinary.
If I had been there during the actual execution, it might have been different, but I had been bedridden in a hospital room back then.
Since there wasn't much else to see, we weighed anchor quickly. While en route to the Goa Kingdom, my lookout reported a ship approaching with a dog-shaped figurehead holding a bone in its mouth, flying the Marine flag—Vice Admiral Garp's ship.
I ordered my ship to pull alongside and started thinking. That man wasn't at Marineford when I reported in. But what should I say? I can't exactly be honest and tell him I'm here to check if Ace exists...
Before I could reach a decision, the Beatrice was side-by-side with his vessel. I couldn't keep brooding, so I took Lieutenant Pasqua with me to meet the Vice Admiral.
"Bwahaha! Krieg!! I heard you bagged Shiki! Well done, lad!"
"I was mostly lucky, sir. The Golden Lion was overconfident. By the way, Vice Admiral Garp, what brings you to these waters?"
"Me? Hmm... Ah! That's right! My grandson was just born, so I came to see his face!"
Grandson? Probably not Luffy yet, given the timeline. That confirmed Ace was already here. In that case, I didn't need to visit Foosha Village; I could stick to checking the general situation of the Goa Kingdom.
"I see, a grandson! I'd certainly like to see him myself."
"Oh! You're interested? I was just on my way back, but no matter! Turn the ship around! Set course for Foosha Village!!"
I watched as Captain Bogard frantically tried to stop him, while Garp argued back, shouting, "I'm on vacation! This much is fine!"
"No, no! It's quite alright, Vice Admiral Garp!" I interjected hastily. "I have several other places I need to visit, so I'll save the meeting for another day!!"
"Hm, is that so? Then I'll take you there next time. But why are you out here after capturing Shiki?"
A fair question.
"I'm conducting a survey and hunting pirates, sir. I've been offered a promotion, and since it'll be harder to move around like this once that's settled, I wanted to get this done first.
Besides, I haven't been back to the East Blue since you brought me here, and I've heard rumors that former members of the Pirate King's crew are active in this area."
I think Shanks is in the East Blue around this time? Or was he? Buggy is somewhere out there, too... probably.
"I see. That makes sense," Garp nodded. "But a Commodore at your age... you're doing well. At this rate, the rank of Admiral isn't just a dream."
"Hardly, sir. Those three seniors will surely take those seats. I'm just a fledgling; I'm satisfied just doing the job I've been given to the best of my ability."
"Bwahaha! That's the spirit! Well then, I'm heading back to Marineford. Good luck with your patrol!"
After the farewells, I returned to the Beatrice. I said it to give him a reason, but now I'm actually thinking about Shanks... and Buggy. The chances of them being in this sea were definitely high. What would I even do if I ran into them?
Whether my thoughts acted as a "flag" or not, remains a mystery.
Log Entry:
Month ○, Day ○: The weather is fine today.
Month ○, Day ×: The weather is fine today. The waves are a bit high.
Month ○, Day △: It rained today. The sea was rough.
Month △, Day ○: The weather is fine today.
Month △, Day ×: The weather is fine today. We all went fishing. The fish was delicious.
Month △, Day △: "The weather is fine today..."
I was writing in the logbook while sipping coffee with plenty of sugar and milk when a report came in.
"Captain! Pirate ship ahead!"
"What's the flag?" I asked through the speaking tube.
"Crossed swords with a red line! Intelligence says it's the Red-Haired Pirates! Bounty: 10 million berries!"
Pffffft!!
I spat my coffee across the desk. Wait, "Red-Haired" has to be Shanks, right?! I thought he might be here, but... 10 million? Well, it is 20 years before the original story started, I guess that makes sense.
"I'm coming up! Signal them to stop!!"
I gulped down the rest of my coffee and rushed to the bridge. "Give me the details!"
"Sir! The Red-Haired Pirates, led by Red-Haired Shanks. Risk level: Low. Priority: Low. They entered the wanted list about a year ago for ignoring multiple warnings regarding their pirate flag.
They have repelled several Marines and bounty hunters, and their bounty was updated to its current amount a few months ago!"
I see... ignoring warnings about flying a pirate flag... and then using force to back it up.
"Hmm. There's something I want to check, so I'll go over alone. The ship is to stand by here. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Normally, they would try to stop me, but whether it was out of trust or just being used to my whims, they let me go.
I used Geppo to kick through the air toward the Red-Haired ship. It wasn't the massive vessel from the original story; it looked like he was just starting his journey toward becoming a Yonko.
I brought my sword and mace just in case things got ugly.
I landed on the deck and was immediately surrounded. Ah, there's Beckman, Lucky Roux, and Yasopp.
"Relax, I'm not here for a fight. Who's the captain?"
"I'm the captain, Mr. Leader of the Seagull Platoon," a voice rang out.
A young man appeared—red hair, a straw hat, and a hand resting on a single sword at his hip. His eyes were sharp and focused.
Man, he's young!!
"Heh, I'm honored you've heard of me. I'm Krieg, Commander of the Marine Independent Company."
"And I'm Shanks, the captain of this ship. Your 'Red Seagull' flag is famous; there isn't a pirate alive who doesn't know it. So, what's this about? If you're here to tell us to take down our flag, the answer is no. It's our symbol of freedom."
"No, I've given up on that after seeing how many warnings you've ignored."
"Well, that's why we're wanted men now. Because of that, bounty hunters have been hounding me lately. Can't you do something about that?"
"Of course not. What kind of request is that to a Marine? But a pirate at your age... how old are you? Why are you doing this?"
"Hah! I'm seventeen, but age doesn't matter. The sea is vast and wide! I want to have an adventure! And above all, being a pirate means being free!!"
I see. So that's Shanks' reason for being a pirate. He sounded just like Luffy... or rather, Luffy was influenced by this.
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