"I was wondering whose man this was—impressive strength, and that silver tongue of his too. Turns out he's yours, huh?"
"Well, what can I say? Every word comes from the heart."
Though Toji didn't know exactly what Ginn had said, judging from Garp's attempt to recruit him into the Navy, it probably had something to do with "justice."
"At the end of the day, you're still a pirate. Why don't you join the Navy? With my word, it'd be no problem."
Toji grinned, answering word by word: "I. Don't. Want. To."
Garp scratched his head, wearing that troubled look of his. "Still that same annoying charm of yours."
"Hey, don't say it like that. My orientation's perfectly normal, thank you very much." Toji's skin crawled at the remark, rubbing his arms to shake off the goosebumps.
"If that's all, I'll be on my way. Got things to do."
"I am your thing. Be a good boy and come with me—or I'll knock you out and drag you back."
Toji stretched lazily, calculating how far Ginn and Aiden had gotten. "Funny, you weren't good enough before. You're definitely not good enough now."
A tic mark popped on Garp's forehead as he forced a smile. "Oh? Forgotten the time I knocked you out, have you?"
"You mean the time I caught you off guard with my Thousand Years of Pain?" Toji tilted his head, tapping his chin as if reminiscing deeply.
Boom!
The wooden sign of The Old Spot Tavern exploded into splinters from the shockwave. Oak barrels burst like ripe fruit, and amber whiskey arced through the air in shimmering trails.
In a storm of sawdust and shattered glass, two figures clashed within a haze of liquor vapor. Every impact shattered the air for several meters around them.
"Take this—Monkey's Peach Snatch!"
Toji roared, and Garp flinched, his body tensing.
He instantly clutched his precious "peaches" with one hand, coating them in Armament Haki for protection.
But Toji shifted mid-swing—claws turning into a fist—and his Haki-wrapped knuckles slammed into Garp's exposed chest. The old Marine felt the sting and realized too late he'd been tricked.
Crack!
"Hehehe, fooled you!"
"It's actually Monkey Smash!"
As Garp was blasted back, Toji didn't waste a second. He bolted, vanishing into a blur that dissolved into the smoky ruins, leaving only his mocking laughter echoing in the wreckage.
"Toji!"
Though the blow barely fazed him, Garp's face twitched with irritation before he finally exhaled a long sigh.
"Forget it. I'll let you off this time. Roger's crew comes first."
Seeing Garp wasn't chasing, Toji huffed, "Hmph. I'm only in a hurry to build my ship—not running away."
Born in the East Blue, ever since he raised his pirate flag, Toji had run into Garp more times than he could count—especially that one time he got lost and wandered into Windmill Village.
With Garp now at Sabaody Archipelago, Toji quickened his pace toward Grove 51, unwilling to tempt fate.
"Captain, over here!" Ginn waved energetically from the air, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Toji glanced behind to make sure Garp wasn't following, then reappeared on the deck of their small, rickety ship. "Set sail! Next stop—Water 7!"
.....
Two days of sailing passed without a single pursuer in sight. Ginn finally relaxed, making sure they were still on course before stabilizing the ship's power.
Toji stroked his chin. "That floating ability of yours… kind of like the Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit. How long can you keep this power going?"
"At the current level, I can keep it permanently—unless something disrupts or destroys the effect."
It was the conclusion Ginn had reached after days of testing. Toji nodded thoughtfully, not doubting him in the slightest.
After all, he hadn't eaten the fruit himself. If Ginn said that's how it worked, he'd trust it.
Meanwhile, Aiden silently continued his weighted training. He dreamed of becoming a great swordsman and feared that eating a Devil Fruit would taint that purity.
If Toji knew what was going on in his stubborn crewmate's head, he'd probably "enlighten" him with a few brotherly punches—just to clear his mind a bit.
These days, Toji didn't think much of Devil Fruits. His natural talent in combat was more than enough. Fruits were just icing on the cake—fun little toys, nothing more.
Splash.
Once again, Aiden fished Ginn out of the sea. The two of them flopped onto the deck like soggy sardines, staring blankly up at the sky.
"How can the gap be so big…"
"I just beat you in my specialty. If I went all out, you two together could still probably… give me… a scratch?"
Toji trailed off, unable to find the right word, and Aiden's forehead twitched.
"You're terrible at comforting people. Don't do it again."
"Hahaha! You guys aren't weak—it's just that I'm too strong!" Toji laughed heartily, hands on hips, head thrown back.
Yeah. He was just too strong.
Aiden had already touched the threshold of sword masters—he could cut with Haki now, just needed time and refinement to solidify his foundation.
His Armament Haki was at an intermediate level, capable of coating and flowing. Ginn was a bit behind—still at the basic hardening stage.
For Observation Haki, Aiden was at beginner level, Ginn at intermediate.
Neither had awakened Conqueror's Haki—or maybe, under Toji's grueling training, they simply hadn't reached the right emotional trigger yet. Hard to say.
"Captain," Ginn asked eagerly, "how did you train your advanced Armament and Observation Haki? You're crazy strong!"
Toji puffed his chest proudly. "Blame it on my talent."
Sure, talent played a role. But without relentless effort, no amount of talent would matter.
When it came to the body, even the gifted had to grind. Still, those with talent would always go farther under the same effort—that's just reality.
Toji often suspected that his incredible recovery might be the price for never being able to gain a Devil Fruit ability.
Ginn sulked, realizing it was no use complaining. He and Aiden had seen how much Toji trained—the sheer volume and willpower were terrifying. It was a miracle anyone could keep up.
Then Ginn noticed something off.
"Captain, you train that hard every day. Doesn't it hurt?"
"Of course it hurts. It's sore as hell," Toji said, rubbing his shoulder.
"Then how can your body still take it?" Aiden frowned. He'd tried copying Toji's regimen once—his muscles tore so badly he couldn't move for days.
Toji thumped his chest proudly. "I've got a national-defense-grade body. Heals fast, built tough."
"No worries. Once we reach the New World, I'll find someone to teach you Life Return."
Aiden and Ginn's recovery rates weren't bad either, but compared to the more exotic races out there, they were still human—limited.
Life Return had many applications, but its healing use alone was practically divine, compensating for their species' physical limits.
"Wait, isn't that technique kept by the World Government? Are we gonna raid a Navy base or something?" Ginn's eyes lit up, clenching his fists with fiery excitement.
Toji facepalmed. "In the New World, monsters are everywhere. People who can use Life Return are a dime a dozen."
Ginn's enthusiasm deflated instantly. His homeland had been destroyed by corrupt Marines, and he still held deep resentment toward them.
Seeing him fall silent, Toji sighed inwardly. Was he a captain or a big brother? He finally said, "If we can't find one, we'll just pick a lucky Navy base and rob it."
"Yeah!" Ginn cheered, instantly revived.
Toji shook his head with a half-smile, "Ginn, you've gotten sneaky. You're even using acting to trick your captain now."