Chapter 100 General Aokiji boards the ship on a bicycle"What a great guy! Not only does he provide meals, but he also fixed up the Going Merry like new for free!"
Usopp watched Jonathan's retreating figure, tears streaming down his face.
"Idiot, we're part of the Navy now, these are benefits of the system, you know?"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, looking at Usopp with disdain. "But that head chef's cooking was undeniably excellent."
Jonathan's lips twitched.
Benefits my ass! Get lost!
"Luffy, where do we go next?" Zoro asked, wiping his sweat.
Luffy, holding the newspaper he'd swiped from Jonathan, pointed to the sea: "Where to? Back to Marine Headquarters, of course, to join the fun!"
He squinted, gazing at the surging waves in the distance, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "The door to a new era is about to be kicked open! The largest war since the Pirate Era is about to begin! This is a true clash of titans!"
"On this sea ahead, only the truly strong will have the right to speak."
With that, Luffy burst into laughter, his voice carrying far on the sea breeze.
Zoro and the others stared at the inexplicably excited Luffy, utterly bewildered.
Luffy suddenly stood up, striking an extremely enthusiastic, clenched-fist pose.
Chopper looked at the handsome captain with adoration, yelling along even though he didn't understand, "Awooo! New era!!"
"Let's go, Going Merry!" Luffy scooped Chopper up and lifted him high. "You're an old-time reindeer; the new era's pot can't hold you!"
Chopper: "???"
"Phew—"
Sanji exhaled a long puff of smoke. "Finally, some peace and quiet. These past few days have been exhausting."
Zoro, soaking wet, slumped on the deck, clutching his beloved sword and resting with his eyes closed.
This journey has been too tumultuous.
Just leaving the G8 base, they were chased by a tsunami triggered by a group of reckless sea monkeys. After barely escaping the giant waves, they bumped into the Fox Pirates with their parted hair.
Based on the principle that even a small gain is still a gain, Nami decisively ordered Zoro to take down the 24 million bounty "Walking Berries."
Before they could even take a picture, they were spotted by a group of chattering sea monsters.
The intense voyage of the past day and night had exhausted everyone; they were all sprawled on the deck like dead dogs, too tired to move.
Just then, Usopp, who was on lookout duty, suddenly frowned and rubbed his eyes: "Hey, do you guys think anyone can ride a bicycle on the sea?"
Sanji didn't even bother to lift his eyelids: "Huh? Are you out of your mind? This is the ocean, where would you find a bicycle?"
Usopp let out a long sigh and patted his chest: "Am I just hallucinating from exhaustion...?"
Ding-a-ling—
The crisp sound of a bicycle bell was particularly jarring on the silent sea.
"Hey, guys, need a ride?"
A lazy voice drifted over from below the ship's side.
Everyone jumped in surprise and craned their necks to look down.
A tall, curly-haired man was riding an old-fashioned bicycle, stopped on the sea, and waving at them.
Everyone: "..."
"Holy crap! Someone's actually riding a bicycle on the sea!"
"Huh? This guy looks so familiar?"
Zoro frowned, staring at the blindfolded man, racking his brains, feeling like he'd seen him somewhere before.
Just then, Robin, who had been calm all along, suddenly froze, her pupils contracting sharply, her eyes revealing undisguised fear.
Her voice trembled: "This...this is one of the three strongest combatants in the Marine Headquarters! Admiral Aokiji!!"
"Ah! I remember! No wonder he looked so familiar, I saw him on the photo wall at the medal ceremony last time!" Zoro slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing.
Sanji, cigarette dangling from his lips, casually tossed the rope ladder down, looking relaxed: "Tch, scared me half to death, turns out he's one of us."
At this moment, apart from Robin, still haunted by childhood trauma, no one else felt any fear.
After all, everyone was wearing Marine uniforms, all paid by the government, what was there to be afraid of?
The sunlight on the deck seemed to lose its warmth in an instant, and Robin, who had grown up in the shadow of wanted posters, felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She stared intently at the tall, languid figure, her pupils dilating, her face filled with undisguised fear.
Luffy strolled leisurely out of the cabin, a mischievous grin playing on his lips, and waved at the tall figure.
"Yo, isn't this your father-in-law? A rare guest indeed! Did you come all this way to see your daughter?"
Last time in Alabasta, this guy rushed over in a panic, and after settling things, he turned and ran.
He didn't dare to even look at Robin; he was a textbook example of a tsundere doting father.
Since he was here this time, Luffy knew exactly what was going on.
After all, the Going Merry was about to arrive at Water Seven, a place that was now a hotbed of trouble.
The World Government's CP9 intelligence agency had already infiltrated the area thoroughly.
Given Robin's current sensitive status, going to Water 7 would be like throwing good money after bad, or walking right into a trap.
The core objective of CP9's lackeys is to steal the Pluton blueprints.
And Robin, as the only surviving survivor of Ohara, is undoubtedly their prime target.
Aokiji, though usually lazy, secretly hopes Robin can find a reliable partner.
His appearance this time is clearly to vet his "daughter," to assess whether the current team is capable of handling her.
Unfortunately, Robin is completely unaware of all this.
Through her childhood trauma-filled lens, every time Aokiji shows his face, her companions are either dead or injured, never ending well.
Even though her bounty had been revoked, the ingrained stress response still made her tremble with fear.
Luffy watched Aokiji slowly climb onto the deck and teased him with an irritating grin.
"Hey, you're a Marine Admiral, don't you have to clock in every day? So free?"
Aokiji boarded the Going Merry, and before he even settled in, he scratched his tousled curly hair, looking like he hadn't slept properly.
"Ah, well... the Whitebeard Pirates have been causing quite a stir lately, asking everywhere about your whereabouts."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku was worried something might happen to you, so he specifically sent me as a bodyguard to escort you back to Marine Headquarters for some tea."
Luffy glanced at him sideways, giving him a huge look of disdain.
I don't believe you for a second! That old geezer is really cunning!
Even if I have incredibly powerful backers, at this crucial moment when the Marineford War is about to break out, who has the manpower to waste an admiral as my bodyguard?