With just a single strike, her ship was gone.
Luna clenched her teeth tightly, her fists gripping the reef so hard that her nails almost embedded into her rubber skin.
Anger, heartache, and a trace of lingering fear—if she had already boarded the ship just now, what would her fate be now?
But more of it was a cold sobriety.
Garp was clearly and explicitly declaring: Don’t think about going to sea, obediently come with me.
“Old bastard…” Luna squeezed a few words out from between her teeth, but her gaze grew increasingly sharp.
It was a pity that the ship was destroyed, but fortunately, her most important valuables were all in the pack on her back.
Supplies could be raised again, and a ship could be found (or robbed) again, but if she was caught by person, that would really be troublesome.
After destroying the “departure”, the warship seemed satisfied, slowly approaching the small pier of Windmill Village.
The gangway was lowered, and squads of marine soldiers filed down, quickly deploying security in the pier area.
As for that gray-haired figure—Garp, he directly leaped forward, jumping down from the deck several meters high, landing heavily on the pier’s planks with a “thud”, shaking the entire trestle bridge.
After landing, his first action was not to look toward the village, but to sweep a falcon-sharp gaze across the coastline and that reef area, as if he could pierce through the rocks to see Luna hiding behind them.
Luna held her breath, curling her body to the minimum.
The [Stealth] skill operated at full capacity, and at the same time, the internal breath control brought by [Meditation] lowered her heartbeat and breathing to the minimum.
She wasn’t sure what level Garp’s Observation Haki had reached, but she must never show any flaws.
“Tsk, hiding?” Garp’s loud voice came along with the sea breeze, carrying obvious displeasure, “The brat is quite clever.”
He strode toward the reef area, his military boots stepping heavily on the beach with a dull sound, every step feeling like it was treading on Luna’s heart.
Luna’s brain ran at high speed: escape route, response plan, backup plan…
One plan after another was generated and then rejected.
Fighting head-on was courting death.
Running directly?
On this open coastline, with Garp’s speed and Observation Haki, she wouldn’t be able to run a hundred meters before being hauled back.
Hide?
How long could she hide?
Just when Garp was about twenty meters away from the reef cluster, he suddenly stopped, rubbed the short stubble on his chin, and revealed a seemingly hearty smile that made Luna’s heart crawl.
“Little Luna—!
Gramps has come to see you—!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice making Luna’s eardrums buzz, “Stop hiding, come out!
Gramps will take you to a good place, where there is meat to eat, fights to be had, and a few older brothers and sisters to play with you!”
Luna: “…” I’d have to be a ghost to believe you!
“Gramps helped you deal with that broken ship of yours.
What is a kid playing with a ship for, how dangerous!” Garp said while continuing to slowly approach, his eyes always locking onto the reef cluster, “Come with Gramps, Gramps will teach you boxing!
Guaranteed to have more future than being some pirate!”
Fifteen meters, ten meters…
Luna could clearly see the seemingly casual yet tense muscle lines on Garp’s face, and could feel the formless and intangible yet mountain-heavy oppressive feeling getting closer and closer.
She slowly inhaled, the Rubber Constitution quietly operating, her leg muscles slightly contracting like compressed springs, preparing to burst out at any time.
Five meters!
Garp suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and his smile turned somewhat dangerous: “What, do you want Gramps to ‘invite’ you out personally?”
Before his voice fell, he moved without any warning!
No run-up, no power buildup, just a simple step forward and charge, so fast that it left an afterimage in place!
His right hand formed a claw, carrying a whistling wind, and directly grabbed toward the back of the largest reef where Luna was hiding!
Luna reacted the instant Garp’s shoulder moved slightly—not dodging backward, but forward!
Her curled-up body bounced open like a rubber ball pressed to the limit, her entire person darting forward close to the ground, sliding past the underside of the large hand Garp grabbed with extreme narrowness!
At the same time, her right hand patted the ground, her rubber arm stretched, and her body leveraged force to roll sideways, widening the distance.
“Oh?” Garp’s grab missed, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, but more of it was the excitement of “as expected”, “Not bad moves!
It seems that Red Hair brat really taught you a thing or two!”
Luna did not stop after landing, her legs exerting force once more, sprinting wildly in the direction opposite to the village—the junction of a more complex terrain of reef beaches and bushes!
That place led to the cliff area behind Windmill Village, with rugged terrain, which was convenient for maneuvering and hiding.
“Want to run?” Garp laughed out loud, turning around unhurriedly.
With a single step forward, he instantly shortened the distance by several meters as if shrinking the earth into an inch, “Let Gramps see how much you’ve grown!”
This time he didn’t use a grab, but directly threw a punch!
An unremarkable straight punch, without Haki coating, even deliberately controlling the strength, but the air in front of the fist made a popping sound of being squeezed, and a visible shockwave shot toward Luna’s back like a cannonball!
Luna’s hair stood on end, with [Observation Haki Perception] warning frantically!
She didn’t have time to look back, relying on intuition and perception, forcibly twisting her body during the sprint.
Her rubber waist bent at an incredible angle, nearly folding her entire person in half.
That shockwave flew past her abdomen, bombarding a reef three meters ahead of her!
Rumble!!!
The half-person-high reef exploded at the sound, gravel splashing everywhere like rain, hurting fiercely when hitting Luna.
“Decent reaction!” Garp praised, but his footsteps didn’t stop.
The second punch followed closely, this time a wider-coverage sweep.
Before the fist arrived, the swirling airflow had already blown the sand and stones on the beach flying.
Luna’s pupils contracted.
This punch sealed off her space for dodging left and right, and retreating meant entering Garp’s embrace.
She could only take it head-on or go up—up!
“Rubber…
Rocket!” Her legs instantly stretched backward to the limit, her soles sinking deeply into the sandy ground, and then she released abruptly!
The huge elasticity shot her entire person straight into the air like a cannonball!
Garp’s fist swept past under her feet, and the wind pressure it brought made her tumble several turns in the air.
Luna took the opportunity to adjust her posture, looking downward—Garp was looking up at her, a wide grin splitting the corners of his mouth, a smile that looked no matter how one saw it like a fierce beast eyeing its prey.
“There’s nowhere to hide in the air, little Luna!”
Garp’s legs bent slightly, and the sandy ground collapsed with a roar.
He shot into the sky like a rocket, arriving first despite starting later, instantly catching up to Luna’s altitude, and his big hand grabbed out once more!