"Oh, old man Garp."
Kaoru Tsubasa stared at Kuro and smiled faintly.
"This butler named Klahadore… seems to be the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates. Could you please confirm it?"
You thought I couldn't expose your identity, didn't you?
Then I'll show you the power of the Navy's intelligence network.
"Oh? This guy?"
Garp glanced at Kuro when he heard Kaoru's words.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but when he looked closely—his eyes widened in surprise.
This man really did look like the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates.
But hadn't that pirate already been arrested?
Because Garp often returned to the East Blue, he'd seen most of the bounty posters of local pirates.
Garp frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Den Den Mushi.
He planned to call Bogard—his loyal adjutant who often accompanied him across the East Blue.
After all, Bogard remembered those wanted posters far better than he did. Garp was the kind of commander who left the details to others; Bogard handled everything except the fighting.
"Mr. Navy, I'm not a pirate!" Kuro's voice trembled slightly. "I'm just the butler of this manor—the young lady can vouch for me!"
When he saw Garp calling for backup, panic flashed across Kuro's face.
He thought his secret identity couldn't possibly be uncovered—especially since reports said that the real Kuro had already been caught by the Marines.
Even if Garp noticed the resemblance, he could always claim it was just a coincidence.
"We'll discuss that when my deputy arrives," Garp said calmly, unmoved by Kuro's excuses.
Garp had long heard of the Black Cat Pirates. That crew had once massacred civilians and even killed Marine officers.
Crimes like that were intolerable. Not even Garp could forgive those who slaughtered the innocent.
The moment Kuro realized Garp wasn't buying his act, his figure blurred and vanished.
But before he could escape—he was slammed to the ground.
"Trying to run, huh?" Garp said, pressing him down effortlessly. "You're fast… but not fast enough."
Kuro's "Silent Step" technique was merely an enhanced movement skill—far inferior to the Navy's Soru. Even his fastest move, the "Spoon," couldn't compare.
Kaya gasped in shock at Kuro's sudden burst of speed.
She finally believed what Kaoru Tsubasa had said earlier—that her butler was indeed a pirate captain in disguise.
"So fast…" Zoro muttered, his eyes widening.
Is this… the speed of a top-tier powerhouse on the seas?
Luffy, however, looked unimpressed. He already knew his grandfather's strength was beyond comprehension.
To him, Garp was stronger than anyone he'd ever met.
Moments later, a tall man in gray clothes and a wide-brimmed hat appeared—Bogard, with his sword hanging from his hip.
"Bogard, take a look at this guy," Garp ordered, lifting Kuro up by the collar. "See if he's a pirate."
Bogard examined Kuro closely. "He does look a lot like 'Hundred Plans' Kuro. But according to East Blue intelligence, Kuro was already captured.
And… he doesn't have Kuro's signature weapon, the Cat's Claws."
Bogard searched him thoroughly but found nothing.
Kuro exhaled in relief. He'd hidden his claws years ago, just in case.
"Mr. Garp, can you let me go now?" he said quickly.
Garp hesitated. The man's weak imitation of a movement skill hardly matched Kuro's reputation, and without the weapons as proof, it did look like he might've grabbed the wrong person.
"Is this what you're looking for?" Kaoru interrupted.
He tossed a pair of gloves with long, sharp metal claws onto the ground.
Just moments earlier, while Garp had been talking, Kaoru's physical clone had quietly searched and found the evidence.
Bogard's eyes widened. "That's it! These are the Cat's Claws—the weapon of Kuro, former captain of the Black Cat Pirates!"
Recognition hit him instantly.
"Confirmed. Bogard, lock him up on the warship," Garp ordered firmly. "He'll be sent to Impel Down along with Morgan."
Before Bogard could move, Kuro tried one last desperate step, vanishing again to snatch his weapons.
But Bogard moved like a shadow, catching him mid-motion and slamming him down effortlessly.
After all, he was Garp's right hand. A weakling could never hold that position.
"That settles that," Garp said, dusting his hands.
"Now then, Luffy—time for you to explain yourself."
Luffy froze.
"Explain what?" he asked nervously.
"Why you ran off to become a pirate without telling your grandpa!" Garp barked. "I planned to train you into a fine Marine!"
"Didn't I already say I want to be a pirate?!" Luffy yelled back.
"How dare you shout at your grandfather!"
Garp grabbed him by the collar.
"Ah—sorry, Grandpa!" Luffy squealed, remembering his childhood trauma from Windmill Village.
And then—both of them… fell asleep standing up.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
"They're… asleep?" Usopp blinked.
Zoro sighed. "Yeah, they're definitely family."
Kaoru just chuckled quietly, unfazed.
Kaya covered her mouth to hide her laughter—the earlier tension she'd felt over Kuro's identity completely gone.
Moments later, Garp stirred awake. He hadn't slept properly in days thanks to his donut-eating contests.
Realizing he'd dozed off, he rubbed his eyes—only to notice Luffy snoring in his arms.
"You brat! Falling asleep in the middle of a lesson of love?!"
He cracked his fist, coating it in Armament Haki, and slammed it into Luffy's head.
"OWWW! That hurts!" Luffy wailed, clutching his scalp.
Zoro frowned. "Huh? You're a rubber man—how can that hurt?"
"The Iron Fist of Love can't be resisted!" Garp declared proudly, flexing his arm.
Kaoru chuckled and explained to Zoro, "That's Haki. I'll teach you all about it when we reach Sabaody."
In truth, Kaoru already planned to train the Straw Hat crew in Haki later. And if things went south, he could always drag Kaido in to help—after all, Luffy was basically Kaido's little brother now.
Hearing that, Zoro immediately decided to ask Kaoru for guidance.
"Hey, Kaoru, stop telling him things!" Garp barked. "What if my sweet grandson gets ideas?"
But Luffy, now paying attention, blinked in realization. "So that's what you used, Grandpa?"
"Oops," Garp muttered under his breath.
Kaoru shrugged innocently.
After a long "lesson," Garp finally relented. Seeing Luffy's unshakable resolve, he decided not to stop him.
Instead, he gave his grandson a few pieces of advice before leaving—escorting Morgan and Kuro back to Marine Headquarters.
Once Garp was gone, Kaoru turned to Kaya. "Miss Kaya, could you sell us a ship?"
Kaya smiled softly. "Of course."
She sold them a small sailboat and named it Going Merry, after her old caretaker.
Kaoru handed her some gold from his system's inventory and even gave her a Panacea—a miraculous cure that healed her illness completely.
(If Chopper ever found out Kaoru used a divine medicine so casually, he'd lose his mind.)
With the ship ready, Luffy climbed aboard, shouting, "Alright! Let's go!"
"Goodbye, Luffy," Usopp called, waving. "Next time we meet, we might be rivals!"
"What are you talking about? You've been my partner all along!" Luffy grinned.
"Yeah, get on board already," Zoro added.
Kaoru smiled. "Welcome aboard, partner."
Moved, Usopp said a quick goodbye to Kaya and climbed onto the Merry.
"So, I'm the captain, right?" he asked confidently.
"What? I'm the captain!" Luffy shot back.
Kaoru sighed with a smile. "Since we have a ship, how about we make a pirate flag?"
"Good idea!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
Usopp grabbed a brush and proudly showed them his first design—a skull with a long nose.
He was promptly beaten up by Luffy and made to draw another, featuring a skull with a straw hat instead.
"This is perfect," Luffy declared proudly.
Kaoru and Zoro hoisted the new flag up onto the Merry's mast.
As it fluttered in the wind, Kaoru opened his system interface. "Let's see what the lottery gives today…"
[Ding!] Congratulations, host! You've obtained a Bronze-tier item: A Box of Boiled Water!
[Ding!] Silver-tier item: Gale Ring!
[Ding!] Gold-tier item: True Word – a blade equal to a Supreme Grade Sword!
[Ding!] Gold-tier item: Bloodthirsty – a Demon Sword forged from the blood of an entire city!
Kaoru drew fifty times total, receiving four Gale Rings, two swords, and various other odds and ends.
He checked their descriptions carefully.
Gale Ring (Silver) – Grants flight ability.
True Word (Gold) – A sword once wielded by a great swordsman from another world, now lost to time.
Bloodthirsty (Gold) – A demonic blade forged from the blood of thousands. It grants immense power, but corrupts its wielder.
Kaoru's expression darkened slightly. The sword seemed almost… alive.
When he drew it from its sheath, he could feel the weapon's rejection—an eerie, pulsing hatred aimed straight at him.
So this is the spirit of the blade…
He tightened his grip, feeling its dark aura whispering just beneath the surface.
...
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