It has to be said, Garp is truly a maverick in the Marines.
With his unparalleled achievements and "Iron Fist," this Vice Admiral is practically untouchable at Marine Headquarters, enjoying privileges no other Vice Admiral has.
Just a few days ago, during dinner at Zephyr's house, he mentioned taking Yoriichi to sea, and less than a week later, Yoriichi has finally gotten his chance.
Early in the morning, Yoriichi was peacefully reading at home when Garp barged into Zephyr's house.
As if returning to his own home, Garp immediately found Yoriichi and said,
"Hey! Kid, I'm going to sea, you come along too,
Yoriichi, sitting behind a pile of books, looked up at the noise and couldn't help but twitch at the sight of Garp's hurried appearance.
"Wouldn't this be inappropriate?"
"Zephyr isn't home, shouldn't I at least say goodbye to him?" Yoriichi
was still somewhat tempted to go to sea.
He had been in the Navy for almost a month, but apart from feeling Zephyr's familial care, his progress in strength had stagnated.
Yoriichi vaguely guessed that Zephyr's reluctance to teach him combat was probably due to orders from higher-ups. He had this feeling when he saw the books Zephyr had brought earlier.
Garp's return further confirmed his guess.
He definitely wasn't unable to learn Haki and other abilities unique to the One Piece world because of insufficient physical strength. Although Yoriichi acted like a complete novice in the Navy, he had some understanding of the power system of this world.
Although Zephyr said his 5000+ power level was weak, Yoriichi knew clearly that at that level, he could have already learned things like the Six Powers and Haki.
Even a "genius" like Lucci only had 4000 Douriki power.
Although Yoriichi longed to go to sea, he didn't want to appear "uncontrollable." Zephyr and Garp were fine with it, but Yoriichi knew that it wasn't these two who were limiting him.
"I've already spoken to Zephyr, he has no objections!"
"Besides, why ask others about this?"
"Kid, do you want to stay here reading? Don't you really want to go to sea?!"
"What you want to do, you can't do by reading!"
Although Garp hadn't known Yoriichi for long, after so many years of experience, he was quite perceptive.
"..."
"I want to go to sea, but..."
After a long silence, Yoriichi nodded, just as he was about to say something, Garp interrupted him.
Glancing at the black longsword beside Yoriichi, Garp smiled, walked to Yoriichi's side, grabbed Yoriichi's waist with one hand, and with the other hand holding the sword, simply lifted Yoriichi and walked out of the room.
"Uh..."
"Vice Admiral Garp, I think I can walk by myself."
Garp carried Yoriichi like a chick, tucked him under his arm, and led him towards the naval port. Along the way, the marines they encountered greeted Garp, all giving Yoriichi curious looks.
Being stared at with strange eyes was unpleasant, and after being led around like that, Yoriichi couldn't help but say.
"Hahaha!"
"What does it matter?!"
"If you want to go to sea, then go to sea."
"We marines are very free too! Hahahaha!"
Garp laughed heartily, completely unconcerned about the stares from those around him. *
Freedom is only for you, Yoriichi
thought to himself.* Since he couldn't resist, Yoriichi resigned himself to his fate and let Garp carry him.
Soon, Garp's personal vessel, the dog-headed warship, appeared in Yoriichi's sight. Garp seemed to have been preparing to set sail for some time; all the marines on board were already in position, waiting for their leader.
However, just as Garp was about to take Yoriichi onto the ship, a group of marines blocked his path.
Leading the group was none other than Fleet Admiral Kong!
Behind Kong stood Zephyr and Sengoku on either side, and behind them was a squad of marines. Upon seeing Garp, Kong immediately roared,
"Hey! Garp, what are you doing?!"
Seeing Kong, Garp's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected that simply taking Yoriichi to sea would alarm the Fleet Admiral.
Was Kong too idle, meddling in such trivial matters?!
The surprise vanished quickly. Garp casually put Yoriichi down, tossed his longsword to him, picked his nose with his little finger, and calmly replied,
"Isn't it obvious?"
"I've learned of Roger's whereabouts and am preparing to set sail." Kong seemed immune to Garp's impolite attitude, ignoring him and turning his gaze to Yoriichi beside Garp. He said,
"If you want to go after Roger, then go."
"You can't take this kid with you."
"He's Zephyr's student, a key figure in our Navy's training program. He can't easily go to sea."
Upon hearing this, Garp walked to Yoriichi's side, placing a hand on Yoriichi's back, and said with a smile, "I know, that's why you need to go to sea even more."
"The Navy can only become stronger on the high seas!"
"That's how I got here, I have the right to speak."
Garp's expression was firm, showing no weakness despite Kong's objections. A vice admiral, facing a fleet admiral, still maintained his independent demeanor.
"..."
"Do you really have to do this, Garp!"
Kong looked at Garp's expression, his tone suddenly softening, which greatly surprised the group of Marines following behind him. Kong had risen to his position as fleet admiral through ruthless methods; no one in the entire Navy Headquarters could make Kong yield.
"Hahahaha!"
"I'll bring him back, move aside."
Garp suddenly laughed, grabbing Yoriichi's shoulder to board the ship. This time, Kong didn't stop him. As Garp passed by, Kong whispered to him,
"Garp, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Don't disappoint me!"
Garp turned and grinned at Kong, saying nothing, leading Yoriichi onto the warship.
"Depart!"
A loud shout rang out from the deck. Then, the anchor slowly rose, and the dog-headed warship slowly left the port in Kong and the others' sight, disappearing from their view.
Zephyr watched the warship leave the port with a smile in his eyes, but the smile vanished instantly when Kong turned around.
Sengoku, seeing Kong's displeasure, tried to smooth things over, saying,
"Marshal, don't you know Garp? That's just how he is. Don't take it to heart."
"Besides, he's just a brat. He's been taken out, so what? It doesn't matter, hahaha, it doesn't matter!"
Sengoku's words completely ignited Kong's pent-up anger.
At that moment, his pent-up rage erupted completely.
"Damn it!"
"That kid awakened Conqueror's Haki! Sengoku, you know what that means!"
"A talent one in a million. If we can nurture him properly, he will definitely be a pillar of our navy in the future."
"No matter how many admirals we train, just one person like him can bring peace to a vast sea!"
"Don't you understand how important he is?!" "
Garp... I'm worried because Garp took him away!"
"He knows how to train the navy? He knows nothing!"
"Experienced people, if everyone were like him, I would have died of anger long ago!"
"Hmph!"
It was clear that Kong was really angry, but more than that, he was complaining. Faced with Garp, even as a fleet admiral, he was helpless.
On the vast and boundless sea, the blue waves rippled, and warships sailed by, leaving white trails in their wake.
Yoriichi stood on the deck, his hands gripping the railing.
The cool sea breeze was refreshing, and Yoriichi's bright red hair fluttered in the wind, revealing the red markings on his forehead. Looking at the boundless sea, Yoriichi felt a sense of exhilaration.
"There's a reason so many people flock to the sea."
"This feeling of freedom is always exhilarating, no matter how many times you experience it."
Yoriichi squinted slightly, enjoying the sea breeze.
"You also…like the sea?"
Footsteps approached from behind, and a tall figure stood beside Yoriichi, following his gaze as he looked out at the sea, asking with a smile.