Chapter 35: The Plan to Suppress the Bandits

Thanks to Garen's elaborate and information-packed description, the notorious sea dragon had instantly become, in everyone's mind, a seasoned and ruthless criminal whom not even the navy could handle unless Vice Admiral Garp himself intervened.

Then, when Garp had his subordinates bring out the bounty pamphlet for a look...

The bounty was twenty million.

“As expected...”

Garp glanced at Garen meaningfully. “So you were spouting nonsense just now, weren’t you?”

“Ahem...” Garen’s gaze drifted, and he replied awkwardly, “Everything I said was true, though...”

“Fisher Tiger’s right-hand man?”

Garp’s eyes bore down on Garen with increasing pressure.

“Uh... he is indeed an officer of the Sun Pirates,” Garen continued, introducing Arlong’s illustrious resume.

It was true that Arlong had once been a cadre of the Sun Pirates, but compared to Captain Fisher Tiger, Arlong was just a minor officer—essentially someone who cheered from the back and shouted, “Captain, you’re the best!”

“A sworn brother of Jinbe, and survived an encounter with Kizaru?” Garp pressed further.

“That’s true as well,” Garen replied through gritted teeth, “but...”

Arlong had indeed survived in front of Kizaru...

Because after Kizaru had given him a thorough beating, he couldn’t even be bothered to kill off such a small fry...

Later, the good-natured Jinbe saved Arlong’s miserable life by accepting the position of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a condition.

Having sailed the seas for so many years, and being well aware of the events of those days, Garp, a high-ranking officer in the navy, was not so easily fooled by Garen’s few words.

He saw through Arlong’s true strength at a glance.

After pondering for a moment, Garp turned to his subordinate and asked, “Where is Cocoyashi Village?!”

“I—I know!”

The first to respond, her voice trembling with excitement, was Nami.

Staring at the legendary navy hero before her, Nami’s eyes brimmed with unprecedented hope:

“If we sail west along the East Blue Current from where we are, using the natural flow, we can reach Cocoyashi Village in three days!”

“West along the East Blue Current?”

Garp muttered to himself, “That’s completely out of the way!”

His destination was the Goa Kingdom. According to plan, after reaching East Blue from the Calm Belt, he was to part ways with Smoker and return to his homeland by a completely different route.

Hearing this casual remark, Nami’s heart instantly turned cold.

During her years adrift at sea, her impression of the navy had been nothing but hypocritical, incompetent, and greedy.

They shunned minor cases, and dared not touch major ones; their credibility as an enforcement body was nonexistent.

Thus, even after boarding the navy’s massive headquarters warship, Nami never felt the urge to seek their help.

Compared to the legendary hero Garp, she would rather place her hopes on Garen, whom she had only just met and whose strength was limited.

She had tried too many times before.

Garp’s offhand comment quickly brought back the countless memories of being turned away by the navy, and the feeling of helpless disappointment.

“Smoker?”

But Garp suddenly turned to Smoker, who was quietly puffing on his cigar nearby, and asked,

“You’re heading to Loguetown for your new posting, right? That should be along this current?”

“That’s right,” Smoker replied, having already checked the route for his new assignment.

“Loguetown is also on the East Blue Current, about halfway between here and Cocoyashi Village.”

“Perfect, it’s on the way,” Garp said, a hint of anticipation in his smile.

“Smoker, I’ll leave the Arlong Pirates to you!”

“This is your first battle in East Blue—be sure to give it your all!”

For a moment, Smoker was taken aback, but quickly regained his usual composure and stoicism.

“No problem.”

...

This massive warship belonged to Vice Admiral Garp.

Whether it was Smoker, who had accompanied him from headquarters, or Garen, who had only recently boarded by chance, they were all just hitching a ride.

Garp’s destination, the Goa Kingdom, was on a different route from both Loguetown and Cocoyashi Village.

Thus, after sailing a little further, Smoker, who had to head for his new post in Loguetown, would part ways with Garp, who was eager to return home and see his grandson. Smoker and Garen’s group would then take a smaller boat and follow the East Blue Current.

Smoker’s plan for eradicating pirates was as follows:

First, complete his handover with the stationed navy in Loguetown, then regroup the East Blue forces at the Loguetown base, and finally lead a large force against the Arlong Pirates.

Since it would be a while before Smoker and Garp went their separate ways, the navy arranged for Garen’s group to rest temporarily in the guest quarters.

As they walked down the long corridor, Nami was beaming with happiness and contentment.

For the first time in so many years, she saw a real glimmer of hope.

“Thank you,” Nami suddenly whispered to Garen, who was walking beside her.

“It was nothing,” Garen replied casually. “I only—”

His words broke off abruptly.

Because Nami had stepped in front of him, blocking his path, and then slowly looked up, meeting his gaze directly.

From this angle, Garen saw in her sparkling eyes a complex emotion he could not quite decipher.

“You...” Nami was silent for a long time, then asked, “How do you know so much about my situation?”

“Well...” Garen answered without hesitation, using the story he had prepared long ago:

“I’m a knight in training here in East Blue, and I gathered information on many villains ahead of time.”

“And the Arlong Pirates are one of my targets.”

“So that means...” Nami’s expression grew intriguing, “You knew who I was from the start?”

“Yes,” Garen replied honestly. “A cadre of the Arlong Pirates, and a small-time thief known as ‘The Cat Burglar’ in East Blue.”

To avoid raising suspicion, Garen gave only the facts about Nami’s public identity, without revealing anything deeper.

But both identities sounded anything but virtuous...

So, out of curiosity, Nami asked, “If that’s the case, why did you help me?”

“Well...” Garen thought for a moment, then replied solemnly, “Didn’t I say it yesterday? You’re my chosen future lady!”

“Dream on!” Nami huffed in embarrassment, but an alluring blush crept up her pale cheeks.

Led by navy soldiers, Garen and the others continued on their way.

“Garen?” Nami strolled beside him, striking up a casual conversation. “Do you think those navy officers can defeat Arlong?”

Though the matter was still heavy, Nami now spoke with a lightness and cheerfulness, like any ordinary young girl excited about the new life ahead.

“Of course they can.” Noticing her change in mood, Garen answered with matching lightness. “Smoker is a captain from navy headquarters and a logia-type fruit user. Dealing with a small-fry like Arlong will be nothing to him.”

“Hmph!” Nami snorted, then added with a hint of slyness, “He couldn’t even beat you, though.”

“He lasted three rounds with me—isn’t that strong enough?” Garen cried out dramatically, puffing up with pride. “In our training match, Garp sent me flying, and I sent Garp flying right back. Do you know what that means? I’m on par with Garp!”

“Yeah, right!” Nami scoffed, but couldn’t help smiling at Garen’s over-the-top performance.

“Here we are—your rooms,” announced the navy soldier leading the way, stopping before a door and addressing Garen with great respect. “Please rest assured and make yourselves comfortable.”

Whatever his real strength, Garen’s feat of besting a captain from headquarters and even clashing swords with the legendary Garp had made every sailor on this ship look at him with awe and even reverence.

Having finished his duty, the sailor prepared to leave.

“Wait...” Nami called after him with a gentle smile. “Could you bring me some suitable clothes? I lost all mine in the sea during the last battle.”

After being blasted into the water twice by cannon fire, her clothes were thoroughly soaked and in a miserable state.

“No problem,” the sailor replied readily.

“Bring me a set too, please!” Wallace chimed in.

“Um...” Garen suddenly remembered something, his face turning odd. “Could you bring me a set as well?”

The sailor agreed to each request and left to fetch them fresh clothing.

“Eh?” Nami suddenly noticed something odd and asked, “Garen, now that I think of it... Ever since I met you in the dining hall yesterday, you’ve been wearing that heavy armor. I haven’t seen you take it off once. Don’t you feel hot?”

Of course, Garen’s armor and sword could be removed—he just had to deactivate his data-combat mode to shed his equipment.

But...

“Uh...” Garen replied gloomily, “That’s a question you really shouldn’t ask.”