A massive Marine warship bearing the symbol of a dog's head slowly sailed away from the waters near Water Seven.
"Woof, woof! I never imagined the ability of the Eat-Eat Fruit could be this useful! Turning a shattered island into a giant roasted meat leg is truly something else!"
Vice Admiral Garp lay casually on a deck chair, legs swinging as he devoured a mountain sized piece of meat with wild enthusiasm. Between bites, he laughed loudly.
"Ahahaha! I really did not expect Shirogai to be that strong. No wonder the Gorosei are so troubled by his existence."
He took another massive bite and chewed with satisfaction.
"It is a good thing he refuses to become a Marine. At least it gives those old bastards something to worry about. Otherwise, when they get too bored, someone would always end up suffering."
Koby looked at Garp's arm with concern and asked carefully, "Teacher, is your injury truly alright?"
Garp casually rotated his right arm and laughed. "It is nothing serious. Just a minor injury, it is almost completely healed."
Helmeppo hesitated as he looked at the neatly folded coat of justice and the Vice Admiral emblem in his hands. These were the items Garp had given to Shirogai, only to have them refused and returned.
"But he did not accept the Vice Admiral's coat or emblem. Will Fleet Admiral Sengoku blame you for failing the mission?"
"Ahahaha, there is no need to worry about something like that."
Garp waved it off carelessly. "They were already prepared for the possibility that he would reject it."
He swallowed another large mouthful of meat and then glanced at Koby and Helmeppo with a grin.
"You two, do you have the confidence to surpass a man like Shirogai in a few years?"
The deck fell into a brief and awkward silence.
Koby and Helmeppo instinctively exchanged glances.
Boasting was one thing, but boasting about something completely unrealistic was another.
They had personally witnessed the absolute power of Shirogai. To even imagine surpassing him felt almost irresponsible.
"Useless!"
Garp snorted and glared at them.
"Even if you know you cannot surpass him now, you must still place that level of powerhouse as your standard. If you only compare yourselves to the weak, how will you ever grow stronger?"
He leaned back and continued, his tone suddenly more serious.
"Did you not see my grandson? He does not hide his ambition to become the Pirate King. That dream may be troublesome and dangerous, but no one can deny that it is vast and difficult to achieve. A man who does not even dare to dream big will never become truly strong."
The two young Marines were scolded until their faces flushed red. They lowered their heads in shame.
Garp suddenly straightened and shouted again, "I will ask you one more time. Do you have the confidence to one day defeat someone like Shirogai?"
"Yes!!!"
"Yes!!!"
This time, both Koby and Helmeppo answered at the top of their lungs.
Garp nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then I will give you your first mission!"
"Yes!"
The two were instantly filled with fighting spirit.
Then they saw Garp casually shove the massive mountain sized chunk of meat into their arms.
"Go. Eat all of this."
"Ah? Huh?"
Koby stared at the enormous meat leg in disbelief.
"Teacher, I cannot eat that much. I will die…"
Helmeppo's face turned pale with fear. "There is no way this is possible!"
"Cannot eat it? Then go train."
Garp kicked both of them clean off the warship without hesitation.
"When you are hungry from training, you will be able to eat. When you are full, go back to swimming and train again until this meat is completely finished."
He leaned over the railing and laughed loudly as he watched the two struggling in the sea behind the ship.
"Swim properly! When you are too tired, come up and eat. When you are full, go back down again!"
"Yes!"
The two swam desperately behind the warship, beginning yet another round of brutal training.
…
"Wow!!! A mountain sized piece of meat!!!!"
At Dock 1 in Water Seven, Luffy stared with sparkling eyes as Zoro dragged the massive chunk of meat forward step by laborious step, shocking every nearby resident.
"Phew… it is finally delivered."
Zoro dropped the giant meat onto the open ground with a heavy thud and let out a long breath.
Sanji stepped closer and examined the unusual texture of the meat with narrowed eyes.
"This muscle structure looks strange. Was this created by Shirogai using the Eat-Eat Fruit?"
"Yeah."
Zoro stretched his sore shoulders.
"Shirogai and Luffy's grandfather sparred and shattered an entire island. He simply turned the destroyed terrain into giant chunks of meat."
"With that much meat, we can have a feast that lasts forever!"
Luffy jumped straight onto the pile and started biting into it with wild enthusiasm. Even giants would struggle to finish something this massive.
"Huh, where is Shirogai?"
Nami looked around in confusion but could not find him anywhere.
Zoro thought for a moment before replying casually, "Oh, he asked me to tell you that he is heading out for a few days. He said he will be back soon."
"What?!"
Nami clenched her fists in rage.
"That guy ran off to enjoy himself again without us! He is doing this on purpose to irritate me!"
"Oh right, he also mentioned that he is bringing back a Devil Fruit ability this time. Something you would probably really like."
"I will not forgive him! A Vice Captain who keeps abandoning the crew to run around by himself has no sense of responsibility at all!"
Zoro added one more detail, "It seems to be some kind of Gold-Gold Fruit ability. Supposedly, it can collect gold."
"Shirogai! I love you the most!"
Before Zoro could even finish that sentence, Nami's attitude changed instantly. She jumped up with shining eyes.
"Shirogai is the most useful companion on the ship! The cutest! The most responsible Vice Captain!"
She beamed with delight and clasped her hands together.
"Come back soon, Shirogai! Hurry back! Mwah!"
A Devil Fruit that could manipulate gold was simply too irresistible for her.
Even if it meant losing the ability to swim, Nami was confident she would eat such a fruit without hesitation.
"Huh…"
Chopper stared blankly at Nami, wondering if the furious Nami he had seen just moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion.
"Heh, a greedy woman."
Zoro turned and walked away without any sympathy.
Sanji immediately spun around Nami with hearts in his eyes.
"Ohhh! Nami-san is adorable even when she is greedy!!!"
Robin sat nearby, quietly smiling as she watched the lively scene unfold.
…
Under the pitch black night sky, a colossal ship resembling a floating island glowed with brilliant golden light as it sailed across the deep blue sea.
"Gran Tesoro, all the lives you dream of, it has it all…"
Brilliant lights shone across the massive structure, dazzling like a city of gold. Its glamorous glow drew pirates, Marines, and merchant ships alike, all lining up to enter.
"The city of dreams, the playground of desire. Gamble with courage, and your future will shine infinitely bright…"
The amplified singing echoed across the sea, alluring every ship that passed by.
"Wow! That ship is enormous, Dad!"
On a merchant vessel approaching the golden colossus, a middle aged captain and his son stood at the bow, staring in disbelief.
The captain's eyes were filled with burning excitement.
"What incredible luck! To encounter Gran Tesoro, the greatest entertainment city in the world, here of all places!"
He clenched his fists in excitement.
"If we are lucky, we could earn hundreds, even thousands of times more than the cargo we are carrying this trip!"
"Do not worry, Dad! Our luck is amazing. We will definitely make a fortune!"
The teenage boy excitedly turned toward the cabin and shouted at the survivor they had rescued from the sea.
"Friend, you are really lucky! We ran into Gran Tesoro! Do you want to go up and have some fun later?"
"This is a once in a lifetime chance to change your destiny!"
A young man with short black hair walked out onto the deck. He lifted his gaze toward the magnificent golden ship and smiled faintly.
"Yes… how fortunate indeed…"
---