"Hiss…" Sandy gasped and shouted, "Garp the Hero, are you trying to slap me to death? Is that how a Navy hero acts?"
"Huh?" Garp picked his nose nonchalantly.
"Don't mind the details. You haven't answered my question yet. How did you suddenly appear on my ship?"
Sandy dragged his chair away from Garp and replied,
"I'm not really sure either. It's a power I got after eating a Devil Fruit."
Both Garp and Aokiji perked up at that. Aokiji was the first to speak.
"What kind of ability? Teleportation?"
Sandy shook his head.
"It should be something related to space. I'm not really good at using it yet. I almost fell into the sea earlier, hahaha."
Aokiji leaned back and muttered,
"Sounds like a Paramecia-type ability. If you develop it properly, it could be incredible."
Sandy rolled his eyes inwardly. Devil Fruits are flashy, but martial arts and Haki are the real deal. I'm not gonna end up like those guys who rely on their fruits too much.
Before Sandy could continue thinking, Garp slapped him hard on the shoulder again.
"AHH! Old man, don't come near me, that hurts!" Sandy howled, clutching his arm.
"Ahahaha," Garp laughed heartily, ignoring Sandy's pain.
"Looks like you only just ate the fruit. No wonder you're clumsy with it."
Then his expression turned slightly sharper.
"You didn't happen to steal the Devil Fruit that was going to be auctioned on the island and got chased, did you?"
Sandy stared at him wide-eyed. Damn… what a huge imagination. That's actually a much better story than "I punched a Celestial Dragon."
Noticing Sandy's expression, Aokiji smirked and teased,
"It couldn't really be like that, could it?"
Sandy bobbed his head like a chicken pecking rice.
"Yes, yes, yes! I hadn't eaten for three days and three nights. I accidentally ate some weird fruit on the way and turns out it was the Devil Fruit they were gonna auction. No wonder they were chasing me!"
This lie was perfect. The warship had already left Sabaody, so no one could verify it now.
Garp rolled his eyes.
"Is that really the case?"
"Yeah," Sandy replied quickly.
"Otherwise, why would I run into your arms? Oh, and thank you for letting me ride the ship, but… I don't have any Belly."
Garp waved him off.
"No need to thank me. The Navy doesn't need rewards for helping people in trouble. As long as you're not some evil pirate, there's nothing wrong with giving you a lift."
Sandy grabbed Garp's hand with mock tears of gratitude.
"You Marines are such good people. Thank you so much. May the heavens bless everyone. Long live, long live, long long live!"
"…" Everyone stared at him like he was some kind of weirdo.
Garp coughed awkwardly and quickly pulled his hand back.
Aokiji, still lounging in his chair, asked,
"Young man, where's your home? Are you sailing with us?"
Oh right. I didn't even think that far ahead…
Sandy glanced at Garp and immediately stood up, just in case the old man smacked him again.
"Sailing together?" Sandy tilted his head at a dramatic forty-five-degree angle and gazed at the horizon.
"I haven't had a home for a long time. Life in this world is but a fleeting moment, here and gone…"
Aokiji's face darkened.
"Speak human language."
Sandy scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Just drop me off at the next island."
SLAP!
Garp appeared behind him like a ghost and smacked him on the shoulder again, laughing,
"Kid, in that case, why don't you join the Navy and sail with us?"
"Hiss!" Sandy jumped away, holding his shoulder like a wounded animal. The image of Celestial Dragons chopping him up and feeding him to sea beasts flashed through his head.
"No, no, no, I don't wanna be a Marine. It's impossible for me to be a Marine in this lifetime!"
The air on deck suddenly grew serious.
Sandy noticed and cursed inwardly. That was pure instinct just now…
Aokiji broke the silence first.
"Why such a reaction? Did the Navy do something to you?"
Sandy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Uh… no. I'm just lazy. I like being free. Marines have to wake up earlier than chickens, sleep later than owls, and follow orders. That life isn't for me."
Garp rolled his eyes.
"Tch. You've got too many excuses, kid. I can see you've got spirit. Join the Marines with me. You might even become an Admiral someday."
Sandy immediately flared up.
"You're so bad, old man! Stop trying to trick me. Be honest—You know about the human auction on Sabaody Archipelago, right?"
Aokiji raised a brow.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Sandy crossed his arms.
"It's got everything to do with it. Marine Headquarters is right next door to Sabaody, and that kind of disgusting human trafficking still happens openly. If I joined the Marines, I'd be a corpse in no time."
He took a deep breath.
"What exactly is justice? Is it just serving certain people, ignoring principles, and treating human lives like trash to be bought and sold?"
[Congratulations to the host for asking a soul-stirring question to an important figure in this world. Rewarding the host with Conqueror's Haki. Go ahead and be as flamboyant as you want, dear host…]
Before Sandy could react, an overwhelming pressure burst out of him.
A powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki spread across the ship. Marines froze, some dropping unconscious as their eyes rolled back.
"…" Garp.
"…" Aokiji.
"…" Sandy.
"…" The few Marines still standing.
"This… this is Conqueror's Haki, right?" a Marine muttered, barely staying on his feet.
"Did he just do that?"
"An incredible guys come aboard our ship…"
Sandy broke out in a cold sweat. Pheromone system, are you trying to make me die in style!?
But there was no escaping the situation now.
He forced out an awkward laugh.
"Uh… I was impulsive. Sorry! I really didn't mean to!!"
Garp gave him a meaningful look.
"Kid, you're dangerous."
Sandy stumbled back a step.
"What are you gonna do? I'm a good person, and you're Navy, don't mess around!"
THUMP!
Aokiji punched him on the head.
"Mess around? Look at the mess you just caused, you brat. Come and help."
"Help? Help with what?" Sandy asked blankly, though inside, he was screaming with joy.
Conqueror's Haki, baby!
Aokiji sighed.
"The guy steering the ship just passed out because of you. So did half the crew. What do you think?"
"I—I can't do it!" Sandy protested.
THUMP!
Garp smacked him too.
"No excuses!"
Tears welled up in Sandy's eyes.
"I swear I'll go to Marine Headquarters and file a complaint against you two for abuse, wooooo…"
After some chaotic fumbling, the warship finally stabilized and resumed its journey across the vast sea.