In Garp's original plan, Luffy would become the strongest Marine in history.
However, after distancing himself from the traditional Marines and, alongside Zephyr, founding the so-called Neo Marine, Garp began to see the world from a completely different perspective. Things he had never considered before started to make much more sense… while others lost their value entirely.
"Tashigi, come with me! I'll teach you the basics of Haki!" Garp's voice echoed with energy, completely different from his usual laid-back demeanor.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Even while flying through the skies, the system still counted it as "navigation," constantly rewarding Luffy with adventure coins. During all that time, he tirelessly continued refreshing the adventure shop every single day.
Unfortunately… nothing new appeared.
At that moment, sitting calmly on the bow turret of the warship, Luffy took an Akuma no Mi out of his portable space.
It was a Mythical Zoan.
If Logias had their own value, then Mythical Zoans possessed an even more absurd one. They were incredibly rare and extremely powerful.
And yet, in the hands of Kurozumi Orochi, that fruit had been completely wasted.
The fruit of the legendary Yamata no Orochi—each of its heads represented a life.
A power that, in theory, made its user almost impossible to kill.
Luffy spun the fruit between his fingers, deep in thought.
He had already considered giving it to someone… but simply couldn't find a suitable candidate.
Among the core members of the Straw Hat crew, few truly matched that kind of ability.
Giving it to a female crew member? It felt strange… and inappropriate.
Among the men...
Zoro? Not a match.
Usopp? Completely out of the question.
Franky? Not suitable either.
Ah, and there were still Johnny and Yosaku, currently stationed in Dressrosa… but neither of them seemed fit to wield a power of that level.
After thinking for a long time—
Nothing.
"I'll deal with this later…"
He stored the fruit again.
"Luffy! We can already see the island!"
A Marine shouted from the deck.
Luffy raised his gaze and, indeed, on the horizon, the silhouette of an island was beginning to take shape over the sea.
Binz approached, clearly surprised.
"Three islands…? Aligned side by side? That's strange…"
Luffy pointed downward casually.
"The farthest one is Amazon Lily. The one in the middle is Elegia. And the closest one is Fish-Man Island."
As soon as he finished speaking, he made a gesture with his hand.
Immediately, both the warship and the Thousand Sunny began descending at the same time.
Shortly after, both docked at the port.
Luffy jumped down first.
His eyes quickly found another ship already anchored there.
It was the ship of the Sun Pirates, led by Jinbe.
"Lord Luffy!"
Bartolomeo ran over immediately, completely excited. But upon seeing the massive warship behind him… he froze.
Then, his eyes widened as he recognized the figures stepping off the vessel.
Garp.
Zephyr.
"H-Huh…?!"
"Hahaha! What a beautiful island, Luffy!" Garp commented, laughing loudly. "Hey, I just had an idea! How about setting up the Neo Marine headquarters here?"
He turned to Zephyr.
"What do you think?"
"Very suitable," Zephyr replied, analyzing the surroundings. "It's an isolated location, difficult to find. Without an Eternal Pose, ordinary people would never locate this place."
Then both of them turned their gaze toward Luffy.
…
His eyelids twitched.
"This is my base," he replied, clearly irritated. "Why the hell do you want to set up the Neo Marine headquarters here?!"
"What's the problem?" Garp answered casually. "You're the Marshal of the Neo Marine, aren't you? And this place is practically empty."
…
Luffy was speechless for a moment.
This was starting to sound far too serious.
A Pirate Emperor becoming a Marine Marshal?
That was so absurd it bordered on insanity.
With a sigh, he pointed toward a nearby island.
"You see that island over there? Take it. Build your headquarters there."
That island was none other than Elegia, the former concert stage, now reduced to ruins.
Zephyr chuckled lightly.
"No problem. I'll take care of it. Once it's ready, I'll invite you to see it."
Without wasting time, he began organizing everything.
Garp, on the other hand, stayed beside Luffy, following him toward the castle.
As they passed through the ruins of the old city, he sighed.
"Back then, the Marines received news that everything here had been destroyed by the red-haired pirates… and that there were no survivors."
"There are two," Luffy replied.
Uta and Gordon.
Garp remained silent for a few seconds… then smiled.
"Then this place can be rebuilt. We can turn this city into a place where Marines' families can live."
Like the former headquarters at Marineford.
"If you want, go ahead," Luffy replied indifferently. "There's no one here anyway."
Then he looked at Bartolomeo.
"Has Jinbe returned?"
"Yes!" Bartolomeo replied immediately. "He brought a Poneglyph! He's in the castle waiting for you!"
"I see."
Luffy nodded.
Suddenly, Garp stopped, his gaze fixed on the nearby ruins.
Several men were working there.
Hammering.
Carrying wood.
Rebuilding structures.
Rob Lucci.
Kaku.
Jabra.
Blueno.
Fukurou.
Kumadori.
And Kalifa, holding architectural blueprints and coordinating everything with precision.
Garp froze completely.
…
"Isn't that CP9?"
"It is," Luffy replied casually. "I captured them and put them to work here."
He shrugged.
"They're actually pretty obedient… and seem to enjoy this peaceful life."
Garp approached, curious.
As soon as they noticed his presence, all the CP9 members immediately stopped.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Kalifa said, adjusting her glasses.
"I've already left the Marines," he replied casually.
"My apologies… Mr. Garp. How can I assist you?"
Garp laughed.
"You're the World Government's elite… and you're here building houses?"
Kaku scratched his head, sighing.
"We don't have a choice. We failed our mission… and the Government has probably already discarded us. Besides… our hearts are in Straw Hat's hands."
He gave a resigned smile.
"Whether we resist or not… it makes no difference. So we decided to accept it. And honestly… this life isn't bad."
Waking up early.
Working.
Rebuilding something.
It was… strangely satisfying.
Garp listened to everything.
Then suddenly turned around.
"Luffy! Give me these guys!"
He pointed directly at the group.
"The Neo Marine needs strong people!"
Luffy approached, thoughtful.
After a few seconds—
"Do whatever you want, Gramps. But remember: they're still loyal to the World Government."
"Loyalty?"
Garp smiled.
"Leave that to me. I'll take care of it."
Then he looked directly at Kalifa.
"Girl, what's your name?"
"Kalifa."
"Good. From now on, you're the Marshal's secretary."
He pointed at Luffy.
"The Marshal is him."
…
Silence.
Luffy: …
Kalifa: …
Her expression went completely blank.
From a CP9 agent…
To Neo Marine secretary.
…
"Understood."
She nodded without hesitation—after all, being a secretary was definitely better than continuing as a construction worker.
---
(End of Chapter)