Luffy's blunt declaration had officially secured the title of first mate, yet the air on the Thousand Sunny's deck remained stiff. Shock and disbelief were etched across every face.
Nami pressed her hand to her forehead, as if she were witnessing countless Berries sprouting wings and flying away.
Sanji held his extinguished cigarette, his gaze flicking back and forth between Garp and the kitchen, confusion and frustration warring in his eyes.
Zoro clutched his twin swords tightly, brow furrowed.
Usopp and Chopper huddled together, trembling. Chopper's blue wig sat crookedly atop his head, making him look particularly ridiculous.
Only Robin appeared calm, holding the thick, unexpectedly acquired rice cracker in her hands. Its edges were slightly damp, and she studied it with thoughtful curiosity.
"Fi…first mate?"
Finally, Nami burst out, her finger shaking as she pointed at Garp. "Luffy! Did that punch knock some sense out of your head? That's Garp! The monster who sank twelve warships with a single punch, the world's most notorious Marine! His bounty is sure to skyrocket everyone in the world will hunt us down!"
"What does that matter?"
Luffy rubbed a bump Nami had left on him and grinned carelessly. "Grandpa's strong! With him around, we'll find ONE PIECE faster! Right, Grandpa?"
He turned to Garp, his eyes shining with excitement.
As if performing magic, Garp reached into the pocket of his damp, powder-stained Marine pants and pulled out a crumpled cloth bag, tied with a simple piece of grass string.
Faintly stamped on the bag were the words "Marine HQ Special Supply," bleached white by the saltwater. Garp grinned, showing his iconic white teeth, and deftly untied the string.
A subtle, inviting aroma of grains mixed with the ocean's scent wafted out. It was not overpowering, yet it carried a warmth that reminded one of sunlight on a golden wheat field.
Garp reached in and pulled out a square, unusually thick rice cracker, as large as his palm. The edges were softened by seawater, yet the center remained solid.
Sunlight glinted off its surface, highlighting a faint, almost imperceptible sheen of oil.
"You noisy little brats!"
Garp's booming voice cut through the chatter. "Since I'm your first mate now, here's a welcome gift! Taste something I've been saving for a long time!"
He waved the rice cracker with pride, a playful, childlike flourish. "This is a secret recipe from an old comrade in the East Blue. You can't buy it anywhere. Take it, kid!"
With that, he flicked his wrist, sending the thick rice cracker flying in a perfect arc straight toward Luffy's face.
"Oh!"
Luffy's thoughts were always simple and direct. His mouth opened wide like a baby chick waiting to be fed, drool spilling out instantly. "Ah !"
A gleam of extreme mischief sparkled in Garp's eyes, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Just as the rice cracker was about to enter Luffy's mouth, Garp's fingers holding the bag twitched ever so slightly.
The rice cracker's trajectory shifted at a nearly imperceptible, nanometer-level scale.
Snap!
Instead of landing in Luffy's mouth, the cracker grazed his drooling lips and landed squarely in the palm of Robin's outstretched hand. She had just set her book on her lap, preparing to observe the new "first mate."
Warm to the touch, the rice cracker exuded a tempting aroma in the air.
Robin: "…?"
She looked down at the unexpected "offering" in her hand, a rare flicker of surprise crossing her elegant face.
"Hahaha!"
Garp laughed triumphantly, his tone full of mischief, and nonchalantly pulled out an even larger cracker from the bag. "My bad, kid! Slipped! This one's for "
"You clumsy grandpa !!!"
Luffy's anger erupted instantly. Steam shot from his head as he activated Gear Second.
He became a faint red blur, lunging toward the new rice cracker in Garp's hand like a furious, deceived tiger. "How dare you trick me! All the rice crackers are mine!"
"Nonsense! You're too slow and clumsy, that's why you can't catch them!"
Garp let out a strange cry and, agile as an eel, spun around, hiding the cracker behind him, easily evading Luffy's furious grab.
His movements were comically provocative, like a monkey performing on the street.
A chaotic chase erupted on deck, one that belonged solely to this grandfather-grandson duo.
"Catch me if you can!"
"Too slow! Too slow! Haven't you eaten enough, kid?"
"Watch me speed up with Gear Second, Soru!"
The deck became their playground. Luffy roared, steam rising from his body as his rubber limbs wildly stretched and struck.
In contrast, Garp's movements were peculiarly calm. His waist twists looked awkward but each dodge was flawless, always staying just out of Luffy's fingertips at the last moment.
His feet seemed nailed to the deck, each movement making only the slightest "creak," while Luffy's high-speed steps made the deck buzz.
Strong wind blew barrels and ropes across the deck!
Bang! Crack!
A dull thud followed by the deafening crash of breaking porcelain. Then came Sanji's mournful, despairing roar:
"You idiots! You two grandfather-grandson fools!"
"My bisque ah!"
Because of Garp's perfectly timed, almost exaggerated evasions, Luffy, unable to stop his momentum, instinctively swung his rubber arms horizontally… and hit the target!
Solid!
Unbelievably precise!
It smashed into the large, steaming pot of creamy seafood bisque Sanji had carefully carried out from the kitchen, intended as the main course for lunch.
Splash!
The exquisite, heavy white ceramic pot shattered instantly.
The rich seafood bisque, with tender lobster, plump scallops, and vibrant broccoli, flooded across the sunlit teak deck.
Precious ingredients scattered, the aroma of creamy soup mingling with fresh seafood, spreading vigorously. Steam hissed mournfully from the hot liquid, rising in thick white clouds.
"Puhahaha!"
Garp clutched the bag of rice crackers, laughing hysterically, utterly unsympathetic.
Luffy stared at the flowing "meat soup," drooling with a mix of regret and despair. "Ah, my lobster!"
Sanji's heart shattered like the pot itself.
He stood rigid, golden bangs falling over his eyes, the air around him chilling to a near-freezing point, finger joints cracking audibly.
The next instant, he appeared beside Nami, his voice cold and piercing, like frost from the ninth layer of hell:
"Nami-san~~~~~"
Nami, too, was furious at the spectacle.
She watched the fruits of Sanji's labor vanish, and the tender shoots of her carefully nurtured Bellemere orange saplings splashed with bisque.
Berries! Hard work! Ship rules! Reason utterly collapsed!
"You two! Idiots! Fools!"
Her scream was louder and more terrifying than Zeus' thunderclouds.
Her eyes blazed, and the tip of her weather rod glimmered with brilliant lightning, crackling and coiling ferociously.
"Die ten thousand times Weather Control: Thunderstrike!"
Crash! Crack!
A ferocious, twisting bolt of white lightning, thicker than a grown adult's waist, tore through the clear sky.
It carried the aura of a destructive tyrant, mercilessly targeting the two at the center of the chase, Luffy and Garp.
The speed was astonishing!