Lin Mo suddenly remembered.
Wasn't this the same question Zoro asked him back in Shimotsuki Village?
Without thinking too much, Lin Mo answered Sanji with the same response he gave Zoro: "Less than half a day."
"Eh?" Sanji was shocked and nearly dropped the bottle of alcohol in his hands. "You're kidding, right? In less than half a day, you were able to go toe-to-toe with that old man?"
"Believe it or not." Lin Mo responded with the same answer, brushing off Sanji's doubt.
Sanji stood still for a moment, then continued following Lin Mo without hesitation. "Although it's hard to believe, you don't seem like you're lying. Lin Mo, how did you train your legs? Can you teach me?"
Lin Mo could almost feel the task progress bar moving forward.
But with so many people in the restaurant, it wasn't the right time to give Sanji a personal lesson.
"Come find me tonight."
After saying that, Lin Mo walked straight toward the restaurant's main entrance.
Sanji didn't follow any longer. His hand gripped the alcohol bottle tightly, and his body trembled from the excitement.
"He means he's going to teach me, right? This is great! I'll definitely study hard!"
"Hey, brat!" At that moment, a customer at a nearby table, who had been waiting for their food, impatiently called out to Sanji. "Isn't that my bottle of alcohol?"
Sanji snapped back to reality, immediately smiling as he replied, "Yes, coming right up."
Sanji then smiled and opened the bottle to pour the wine for the customer.
However, after pouring for a while, not a single drop came out. It wasn't until then that he realized he had already poured all of the alcohol into Lin Mo's flask...
Lin Mo arrived at the deck outside the front entrance of the first floor of Baratie.
The cargo ship that had been moored next to his small boat was now replaced by a warship.
At that moment, Garp was standing on the deck of the warship.
Seeing Lin Mo come out of Baratie, Garp grinned and asked, "Kid, are you leaving?"
Lin Mo ignored him, jumped into his small sailboat, untied the ropes, and steered it toward the direction near the calm belt.
He wasn't planning to leave Baratie, just wanted to find some Sea Kings to practice on, maybe even bring one back to Baratie as a token.
Back when he stayed at the Ichiya Dojo, he had done the same. He never ate and stayed without giving something in return.
Garp saw Lin Mo sailing away and immediately ordered his subordinates to launch a small military boat and followed after him.
Garp kept a distance of about fifty meters from Lin Mo, and at first, he didn't notice anything unusual.
After almost half an hour of sailing, Garp realized something was off.
"Kid, do you know where you're heading?" Garp shouted at Lin Mo's back.
Lin Mo didn't respond.
Garp immediately increased his speed, catching up to Lin Mo. "We're almost at the calm belt ahead. Once we're in, the ship won't move anymore. Don't go any further."
Lin Mo continued to ignore him and kept sailing.
Garp scratched his head, then suddenly chuckled. "There are plenty of Sea Kings in the calm belt. Even around the calm belt, there are a lot of Sea Kings. With your little body, you're not even a snack for them, haha…"
Just as Garp finished laughing, a large number of bubbles suddenly surged up from the water in front of them, and the water began to churn.
The roaring waves forcefully rocked both of their boats.
A giant sea monkey leapt out from the center of the churning water, roaring as it swung a paw toward Lin Mo and Garp.
"Lin Mo, get back!" Garp grinned, his expression turning serious.
Lin Mo gave a faint smile, clearly not planning to step in. He motioned to Garp with a hand gesture as if to say, "Go ahead."
Garp leaped from his boat, tightened his fists, grinning as he slammed a punch into the sea monkey's head.
With a flash of light and sparks, the sea monkey's eyes bulged out. It rolled its eyes, then collapsed onto the sea with a loud splash.
Just then, another giant sea frog surfaced behind them.
"Damn, kid, watch out!" Garp shouted in alarm.
He wasn't fast enough to save Lin Mo.
The massive frog opened its large mouth, releasing a foul stench, and its red, barbed tongue rapidly shot toward Lin Mo.
Lin Mo glanced at it casually, then slowly drew Toyako. He casually slashed once.
The sea frog's tongue stopped dead less than half a centimeter away from Lin Mo's face.
There wasn't even a shriek.
As Lin Mo sheathed Toyako back on his waist, the sea frog's head detached from its body.
Garp stared at Lin Mo in astonishment.
Just as Lin Mo turned around, preparing to continue sailing, the decapitated sea frog's mouth shot out a three-meter-long black needle, speeding toward Lin Mo's face.
Garp was about to shout at Lin Mo to dodge, but before he could speak, Lin Mo merely tilted his head slightly, and the deadly needle zipped past him, just a hair's breadth away from his face, before plunging into the sea.
Garp stood stunned.
This kid not only had leg techniques that could rival the great Zepp, but he was also skilled with a sword, and now, his Kenbunshoku (Observation Haki) seemed to be on another level.
With such power, it was no wonder he dared to travel alone on the seas.
This kid has a lot of potential. It would be a shame if he didn't join the Navy!
As this thought crossed Garp's mind, a wide grin spread across his face.
He leapt onto Lin Mo's small boat, abandoning his larger vessel.
"Kid, join the Navy! I can help you get stronger," Garp said with a grin.
Lin Mo looked at him with disdain. "Go back to your own ship!"
"Kid, if you don't agree, I'm not leaving. Hahaha, you'd better not underestimate my persistence. I'll only leave if you agree to join."
"No."
"Don't be so quick to refuse. There are a lot of benefits in joining the Navy. As long as you follow me, you won't have to listen to those old men in HQ. You can do whatever you want, and as long as I'm around, no one in the Navy will dare to mess with you."
It sounded like Garp was serious about it.
Lin Mo glanced at him indifferently.
Still, the answer remained the same. "I'm not interested."
"Hey, don't be so stingy. I'm serious about recruiting you."
"I'm not going to waste my life protecting some so-called justice. I don't want to rely on anyone to get stronger. I just want to live as a free traveler, that's all. The Navy's system doesn't suit me. No matter how much you say, it won't change my mind. Don't waste your time on me."
Garp opened his mouth to say more, but seeing the unwavering look in Lin Mo's eyes, he swallowed the words.
"Tch." Garp feigned regret. "Not joining the Navy will be your loss."
Lin Mo smiled and didn't say anything.
At that moment, a system notification rang in his mind.
Ding! Refused the invitation of Navy hero Garp. Task progress +10%, current total progress 50%. Reward: Armament Haki level +1, current Armament Haki level Lv3.