"Splash~"
In a small wooden boat, Luffy, wearing his iconic straw hat, and Zoro, dressed in a bellyband, stared at each other.
"Ya~ So Wright-sensei is your senior, Zoro? Hahaha!"
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, laughing so hard he almost fell over:
"Hahaha! I knew it! When I saw you, Wright-sensei's crystal was flashing—it's been years since I last saw that!"
"Idiot!"
Zoro's anger flared:
"I'm grateful you didn't let me waste this crystal... but I must've had lard in my brain to agree to become a pirate with you!"
Darkness clouded Zoro's vision:
"Ah... Wright-senpai is now an Admiral, Kuina is a Commodore... Hehehe, just thinking about facing their pursuit makes me..."
"So excited!"
Zoro's mouth curved into a grin, revealing his anticipation:
"Finally, a chance to test my skills against them. If I don't defeat them, how can I become the world's greatest swordsman?"
"Hahahaha~ Zoro, you're really an interesting guy!"
Luffy was already doubled over with laughter:
"Speaking of which, Ace joined the Marines too! Before I set sail, he was already a Headquarters Captain!"
"I've never beaten him... but I'll never give up! But..."
Luffy sat up, tilting his head seriously with a pout:
"He has the Flame-Flame Fruit... Without Haki, I can't even hit him—that's so unfair!"
"Oh well... I'll learn it eventually!"
"..."
Zoro twitched, staring at Luffy. This guy was actually Wright-senpai's student... and his older brother was brought into the Marines by Wright-senpai...
Hah, this is getting interesting—his brother and my senpai (Kuina) coming after us? What kind of hell-difficulty opening is this?!
"Hmm? Doesn't that make me a generation above you?"
"...Yeah!"
"Never mind, it doesn't really matter."
"Yeah, I think so too!"
"..."
An awkward silence fell. Zoro's expression gradually darkened:
"By the way, don't you know navigation? We're just drifting aimlessly—where are we even going?"
"Ah, I usually just drift... I learned some navigation from Wright-sensei, but I've forgotten most of it..."
Luffy said nonchalantly:
"It's fine, isn't it? You're a pirate hunter—you must know navigation!"
Zoro snorted:
"I only hunted pirates to make a living. I set out to find someone... but I got lost on the way back to the village."
"What? So you're just lost?"
"Idiot! D-Don't say it like that!"
...
"Oh? News about Zoro finally reached Headquarters?"
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Kuina scanned the report from East Blue's 153rd Branch.
With her recent promotion to Commodore, Kuina's duties focused more on honing her swordsmanship and Devil Fruit powers. She was currently receiving swordsmanship instruction from Wright at Headquarters while mastering the Float-Float Fruit's control.
Reports from East Blue were usually delivered straight to Garp. However, since Wright had become a permanent resident at Headquarters, the old man had embraced his inner lazybones.
Now, most East Blue reports were forwarded to Wright, with only critical ones reaching Garp.
The Commander of the 153rd Branch was deeply grateful to Luffy and Zoro for defeating Morgan and liberating the branch, even going so far as to express gratitude to pirates.
When contacting Headquarters to request Morgan's transfer, the Commander mentioned the pirate hunter Zoro—without mentioning he'd become a pirate.
But Wright, receiving news of that green-haired head for the first time at Headquarters, instantly understood what had happened...
So, Zoro's information was passed to Kuina, who became quite intrigued—so he'd finally set sail?
"Pirate hunter? Not bad... Wright-senpai, this is a perfect opportunity. How about I go to East Blue to escort Morgan?"
Kuina's eyes sparkled. It had been two years since she'd seen Zoro. His reputation in East Blue was considerable, and for that to reach Headquarters meant he was finally worthy of attention.
How strong was he now?
"You're interested? Alright, go take a look. But since a Branch Captain is the highest rank in the Four Seas, Garp wants to handle this personally—you'll accompany him."
Wright's smile was meaningful:
"By the way, check on Nami... She might be ready to see the world."
"Ha! I was thinking the same thing. If she changes her mind and wants to join the Marines, I'll bring her back. Besides, the Float-Float Fruit is weak against storms—having a genius navigator like Nami would make the 'Song of the Azure Sky' unit much more secure!"
"True... but will she make it in time...?"
...
Luffy and Zoro, fresh from thrashing Buggy the Clown, stood stiffly, staring at the orange-haired girl pleading for their help.
Three Lightforged Crystals shimmered in unison on their bodies.
"So unfair..."
Luffy pouted:
"Why did Wright-sensei give you such a beautiful pendant, while mine's just a plain crystal~"
"Hey, idiot Luffy, shouldn't you be asking why we keep running into people connected to senpai?!"
Zoro turned to Nami:
"So... you're Nami? What's your connection to Wright—the Marine Admiral?"
"Ya~ I was just out practicing navigation... When I saw Buggy oppressing the townsfolk, of course I had to... um, teach him a lesson!"
"That's the sea chart to the Grand Line!" Nami grinned slyly.
"You're pirates, right? I heard you talking to Buggy... Aren't you afraid of Wright-ojisan and Kuina-neesan chasing you down?"
"!!"
Zoro's face twitched, refusing to speak.
Luffy's grin stretched wider and wider:
"Nami~ We need a navigator—join us!"
"If Wright-sensei and Kuina-neesan are going to chase us anyway, having one more person will give us better odds~"
"...Why would I want to get chased with you two idiots?!"
With a punch for each, Nami sent both of them flying.
"Why... did you hit me too..."
Zoro twitched.
...
"So that idiot Luffy really became a pirate?!"
Aboard the dog-headed warship bound for East Blue, Garp clenched Luffy's wanted poster—
"DEAD OR ALIVE: Monkey D. Luffy — 25,000,000 Berries"
Garp ground his teeth. Beside him, Bogard silently shook his head.
"Defeated the 15 million bounty 'Buggy the Clown' and the 17 million bounty 'Fleet Admiral Krieg'..."
"That's an exceptionally high bounty for a rookie—not surprising, being the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp."
"Uh... Garp-jiisan, the Marines don't know about Luffy yet, right?"
Kuina whispered:
"That guy... one-track mind... Should I go catch him?"
"Sigh... If Luffy were half—no, one-tenth—as easy as you, I wouldn't have so many headaches!"
Garp glanced at the valiant Kuina, his fists itching for some monkey-beating.
"Kuina, go... um, 'inspect' him. I heard he's found some crewmates..."
Garp sighed heavily, muttering to himself about how at least there was still Ace...
"I'll escort Morgan... You check if they're ready to brave the Grand Line!"
"Don't worry, Garp-jiisan..."
A sharp glint flashed in Kuina's eyes:
"I hear one of his crewmates is a certain green-haired idiot..."
Patting her beloved Wado Ichimonji, Kuina floated into the sky:
"Most of them are old acquaintances... I'll make sure to 'inspect' them thoroughly!"
Watching Kuina soar away, Garp sighed:
"Ah... That brat Luffy is definitely getting beaten up..."
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