“Ouch!
It hurts!” Mina clutched the two fresh, steaming lumps on her head, glaring with resentment at the old man nearby who was standing with his hands on his hips, laughing wildly.
The recent “combat lesson” had ended with her being smashed into the sea by a solid “Fist of Love” from Garp, leaving her with two symmetrical “horns” on her head.
Standing on the floating debris, Garp watched Mina’s angry and aggrieved expression, laughing so hard tears were almost streaming down his face; he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
As expected, teaching disobedient brats a lesson is one of life’s greatest joys.
Just then, the transponder snail in his pocket rang out of turn with a “brru-brru” sound.
Garp pulled out the transponder snail and answered it casually.
The next second, the roar of Kong, the Fleet Admiral of Marineford, erupted from the other end of the transponder snail like a volcanic explosion.
“Garp!
You bastard, where have you run off to again!” “I have an urgent mission for you!
Go immediately to the waters at coordinates XXX near you.
Three cruise ships carrying the heavenly tribute have suddenly lost contact.
Find out exactly where they are and if they’ve been attacked by pirates!” Garp picked his nose, glanced at the three burning wrecks of the luxury cruise ships on the sea nearby, and then at the wailing Mina, his expression instantly changing to one of seriousness.
“Reporting to the Fleet Admiral!
I’ve already spotted them!” He reported loudly into the transponder snail.
“Those three ships were attacked by a super-giant Sea Kings at sea and were unfortunately sunk.
They’ve already fallen into the ocean, leaving only some floating debris.
I only discovered this after a very careful and thorough observation!” Kong, on the other end of the line, was silent for a moment.
Then came an even more violent roar.
“I don’t believe a word of that!
Monkey D.
Garp!
Take this seriously!
If you’re going to make up an excuse, make it believable!” “I’ve already finished investigating!
If you don’t believe me, send someone over to check right now!” Garp said dismissively, “The mission is complete, so don’t skimp on my reward!
Remember to give me leave, and don’t forget my donuts—not a single one!
Otherwise, I’ll go back and tear your office apart!” “You—!” “Click!” A crisp sound came from the other end of the line, followed by Kong’s furious voice.
“My desk…
Garp!
You bastard!
You just wait!” “Hey, old man, who are you talking to?
It sounds lively?” Just then, Mina’s massive figure leaned in, looking curiously at the transponder snail in Garp’s hand.
“Who is this woman’s voice?” Kong, on the other end of the line, keenly picked up on this unfamiliar voice.
“Garp, what kind of mischief are you up to lately?!” “Oh, her?” Garp picked his nose, a smug expression on his face, and began to spout nonsense with a straight face.
“My newly accepted personal disciple.
She has the same potential I had back in the day, doesn’t she?” Upon hearing this, Mina’s eyes lit up instantly.
She became interested, snatched the transponder snail from Garp’s hand, and let out a howl into the receiver.
“Hey—!
Hello!
I’m Mina!
Want to eat some barbecue together?!” Her voice, like rolling thunder, combined with a comedic tone identical to Garp’s, instantly caused Kong on the other end of the line to feel a sense of palpitations.
One Garp was already enough to give him a headache; now there was a female version too?
“The Marine having you two…
is truly…
a blessing!” Kong forced these words out through gritted teeth.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up!” Garp snatched the transponder snail back.
“Remember my donuts!” With that, he decisively hung up the phone, completely ignoring the Fleet Admiral on the other end who was on the verge of exploding.
“Bang!” Before Mina could react, Garp’s fist landed precisely on top of her head once again.
Another fresh lump formed, creating a perfect “tripod” formation with the previous two.
“What are you doing, you stinking old man!” Mina clutched the top of her head and let out an angry roar.
“Alright, you little brat, behave yourself.
I’m not playing with you this time,” Garp said with an expression that said ‘I have serious business to attend to.’ “The move I taught you should be enough once you’ve learned it.
Don’t be too greedy!” He pointed to the three slowly sinking cruise ship wrecks in the distance and ordered in an unquestionable tone.
“Also, get that junk you made to sink to the bottom of the sea immediately.
Don’t leave any traces.
Otherwise, next time, I’ll beat your head until it looks like a garden!” “And…” “Alright, alright!
I got it!
Stop nagging!
Stinking old man!” Mina interrupted him impatiently.
Her look of disdain made Garp feel exhausted for the first time.
How could this girl be even harder to manage than his unfilial son, Dragon, and the troublesome Ace combined?
Forget it, whatever.
Garp shook his head, stopped paying attention to the troublesome girl, leaped back onto his dog-headed warship, and urged the Marines to leave this place of trouble immediately.
…
Marineford, Fleet Admiral’s office.
Kong looked at the desk in front of him that had been smashed in half by a single punch, his temples throbbing with rage.
Recalling the two identical, comedic voices on the phone just now, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of despair.
The future of the Marine was pitch black.
After sulking for a while, he finally forced himself to calm down and dialed the red transponder snail that led directly to Pangea Castle.
“The matter has been investigated.” He reported into the transponder snail in a weary and helpless tone.
“The three cruise ships carrying the heavenly tribute were attacked by the Whitebeard Pirates near the entrance to the New World.
They have all sunk to the bottom of the sea, and there are no survivors among the passengers.” “Kong, are you trying to bluff us?” The cold and majestic voice of Satan Saint came from the other end of the line.
“Even if you want to bluff, you have to find a decent excuse.
Do you really take us for fools?
Whitebeard is clearly deep in the New World; how could he suddenly run to the West Blue?” “This was reported by Garp, who was performing a mission nearby and witnessed it with his own eyes,” Kong said, passing the buck without changing his expression.
“If you don’t believe it, you can ask him yourself.” There was a moment of silence on the other end.
“Fine, fine, fine…
We will go and ‘ask’ him.” “However, as punishment for this dereliction of duty, your Marine’s military budget for next year will be cut by half as compensation for the World Nobles.” Satan Saint’s voice betrayed no emotion.
“Click.” The phone was hung up.
Kong leaned back powerlessly, sinking into his chair, his face full of exhaustion.
On the other side of power, after hanging up the phone, Satan Saint exchanged glances with the other four.
“Whitebeard?
Such a clumsy lie wouldn’t even fool a three-year-old.” “That bastard Garp is becoming more and more lawless.” “However, this matter cannot just be left at that; there must be an explanation.” In the end, they quickly found a perfect scapegoat.
“Announce to the public that it was done by Kaido of the Beasts Pirates.
The reason being that he is dissatisfied with the World Government’s recent contact with Wano Country.” …
Mina cursed and grumbled on the spot for a long while, but eventually, she reluctantly dived into the sea and used brute force to drag the three massive cruise ship wrecks into the bottomless trench, destroying the evidence.
After finishing, she dragged a large bag of Berries and valuables, jumped back onto her surfboard, and continued her journey.
However, not long after, a torrential rain began to fall from the sky.
The bean-sized raindrops hit her body; although it didn’t hurt, the wet, soggy feeling made her feel irritated.
“Tch, there’s not even a place to hide from the rain.
How annoying!” She lay on her surfboard, looking at the grey sky and the raging sea, and for the first time, a thought sprouted in her mind.
Should she get a big ship to play with?
Otherwise, always being exposed to the wind, sun, and rain like this—there’s no style to being an adventurer.
Just as she was letting her imagination run wild, an island shrouded in rain appeared within the range of her Observation Haki.
“Finally, a place to rest my feet.” She immediately changed direction, stepped on her surfboard, and rushed towards the island.
It was an unremarkable, ordinary little island, with lush vegetation and filled with a primitive atmosphere.
As soon as she got on the island, a faint, suppressed whimpering sound came from the edge of the bushes nearby.
“Hmm?” Mina walked over curiously and gently pushed aside the dense grass that was taller than a person.
Behind the bushes, a little girl with black hair, wearing a tattered dress and covered in mud, was curled up under a tree root, hugging her knees and sobbing softly while shivering.