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Chapter 7: A Wooden Barrel Was Discovered
1,304 Words
"Grandpa... Grandpa?!" Luffy's eyes widened, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets in fright.
If he had to name the person he feared most in his life, it would undoubtedly be his grandfather, Garp, who had subjected him to grueling training since childhood.
To my utter surprise, I ran into him on the very first island I landed on!
No, if I don't run, he'll definitely catch me.
In a moment of quick thinking, Luffy grabbed Coby, who was still bewildered, and threw him at Garp's face.
"Goodbye, Coby! You'll be joining the Navy with my grandfather!"
After quickly saying goodbye, Luffy unleashed his fastest speed ever, his rubber arms extending rapidly to grab a distant building before his body shot forward.
He completed this series of actions in just a few seconds.
However.
"Hmph. Brat, you think you can run away after bumping into me? Come back to Marine Headquarters with me!"
A smile appeared on Garp's lips. He hadn't expected his grandson, whom he hadn't seen for many years, to come to him on his own.
Luffy's burst of speed was almost indistinguishable from standing still in his eyes.
"Shave!"
With just a light step, he casually carried Coby and appeared at Luffy's landing spot in an instant, a large hand covered in Armament Haki firmly gripping the back of Luffy's neck.
"Hehe. You two brats, are you ready to receive my loving iron fist?"
That night, Luffy and Coby, who had just received a beating, were in a sealed room inside the base.
"Ouch, that hurts! Luffy, how could your grandpa be so rough?!" Coby, covered in bruises, lay on the bed, examining his injuries by the moonlight.
Good heavens, he was covered in bruises and his whole body was swollen. He hadn't suffered such a serious injury in the two years he was on Alvida's ship.
"That's just how Grandpa is. I get beaten up every time we meet, but I seem to get a little stronger after each beating." Luffy wasn't much better off, with a bruised and swollen face.
"What? Can I really become stronger?" Coby became excited upon hearing this, as he desperately wanted to become stronger.
"Who knows?" Luffy chuckled, then slowly stood up while rubbing his fists. He looked up at the ceiling where moonlight streamed in, a flash of determination crossing his eyes.
"Coby, you stay here and train with that old geezer. It hurts, but you'll definitely get stronger!"
"And... what about you?" Coby realized something, sat up, and looked at Luffy with reluctance.
"Haha, of course I'll go first!" With that, he punched through the ceiling above his head, revealing a starry night sky.
"How can pirates hang out with you Marines?"
"I'm going to find my companions!"
After saying that, he smiled at Coby, made a goodbye gesture, and then pulled hard with both hands, his body springing into the sky.
On the rooftop of another building, an elderly man with gray hair witnessed the entire process of Luffy's "escape."
"You brat. I'll bring you back one day!"
...
One day later.
A single-masted sailboat, about five or six meters long, sailed quietly on the sea.
Inside the cabin.
Ganyu curled up against the wooden wall, her fingertips gently turning the pages of a yellowed "Introduction to Navigation in the East Blue Sea." Her eyes occasionally glanced at a nautical compass on her wrist.
This was an essential tool for sailing on the high seas.
"When sailing the seas, ordinary compasses are sufficient. But once you reach the Grand Line, you will need a Log Pose that can record the magnetic field of the islands."
"That kind of pointer is much more complicated to use. I still don't even know how to use this basic compass... sigh."
After ten days of practice, Ganyu had come to a profound understanding that nautical knowledge was not so easy to master.
On their first day at sea after leaving Shells Town, they rescued a merchant ship that was being attacked by pirates. In gratitude, the captain gifted them a large amount of treasure.
After rejecting Zoro's suggestion to hoard large quantities of alcohol, Ganyu purchased the small sailboat they now owned.
However, once they got the boat, they realized that neither of them knew how to sail.
With no other option, Ganyu found a nautical book at the market and began studying it while practicing on the high seas.
During those ten days, Ganyu, still a novice, repeatedly steered the boat into dangerous whirlpools, crashed into rocky shores, and even ended up in the mouths of sea monsters.
In fact, improper operation led to several capsizing accidents, including one where Zoro happened to be napping and almost drowned.
In short, it was incredibly lucky that these two had survived until now.
Luffy, Nami, where are you?
Looking at the obscure knowledge in the book, Ganyu sighed silently.
Sigh, I'm having such a hard time.
I've never sailed a boat in my past life, and now my only companion is a complete idiot when it comes to directions!
Even now, Ganyu still believed that most of their unbearable experiences were caused by Zoro, the helmsman who couldn't distinguish east from west.
But her own seafaring skills were also only so-so.
"Hey, great navigator, come out for a second."
At that moment, Zoro's voice came from outside the cabin.
"Great Navigator" was a nickname Zoro gave Ganyu after she wrecked the ship several times.
"What is it?" Ganyu replied impatiently. Although she was annoyed, she still closed the book.
For this directionally-challenged person to call out, something must have happened.
After emerging from the cabin, Ganyu immediately spotted Zoro standing by the side of the ship. His gaze was fixed on the sea, his eyes shining like a wolf eyeing its prey.
Following his gaze, on the flat sea surface, there was a striking yellow dot, which could be vaguely seen to be a wooden barrel.
"I recognize the logo on that barrel. It must contain rum." Zoro licked his lips and looked at the woman who had stepped out of the cabin, gleaming in the sunlight.
I have to say, this woman is really pleasing to the eye.
"So what?" Ganyu asked coldly.
Zoro patted her shoulder casually. "You can fly, right? The task of retrieving the barrel is up to you!"
You called me just for this?!
Ganyu bit her lip, her beautiful pink and purple eyes glaring at him fiercely. This guy really treated her like a laborer.
He constantly called her "stupid woman" and "great navigator," yet he acted with complete self-righteousness when ordering her around.
To make matters worse, this guy was also hopelessly directionally challenged, rendering all her hard-earned navigation skills useless.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Ganyu clenched her fist. Ice-blue elemental power gathered in her palm, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. Even the sea surface began to form tiny ice crystals.
"Hey! Crazy woman, what are you doing?!" Zoro instinctively took a half step back as he watched her increasingly powerful aura.
"Of course..." Ganyu suddenly smiled, her eyebrows curving into crescent moons, looking extremely cute, but in reality, it terrified Zoro.
"I'll take you to find your rum."
A palm strike, imbued with frost, landed heavily on Zoro's back.
The next second, the three-sword style swordsman turned into a shooting star, his scream piercing the heavens.
"Phew. That feels good." Ganyu looked at the parabola and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
All the resentment that had been building up for so many days vanished with that ever-shrinking black dot.