Garp had returned to Windmill Village a few days ago and quickly found Luffy and the others in the midst of their training.
However, what surprised him most was the rapid improvent in Luffy's strength.
After learning that these changes were due to Arakawa Zenkichi, Garp's heart grew heavy.
What troubled him most was that he couldn't accurately gauge Zenkichi's strength.
Even as one of the peak combatants in the pirate world, Garp wasn't confident he could face Zenkichi head-on.
Although there was no proof that he would lose, years of life-and-death battles had sharpened his intuition — and it scread danger.
As a result, Garp kept a low profile these days, pretending to be absent while quietly observing Zenkichi's movents.
When he saw Zenkichi preparing to leave, a small sense of relief rose in his heart, and he silently followed.
Now, without Luffy and the others around, Garp felt it was ti to confront this man and probe his true intentions.
But rather than heading straight for the sea, Zenkichi made his way into the tavern in Windmill Village, calling out Garp's presence the mont he arrived.
"Makino, step outside for a mont," Garp ordered in a low, serious tone.
Zenkichi glanced lazily at him and spoke with calm indifference, "No need. Let her stay. I've no intention of fighting you."
He leaned back, his expression relaxed and unbothered. "Even if I did, I could suppress you without so much as disturbing her."
A faint grin crossed his face. "But there's no need for things to escalate. After all, Luffy and the others are my godsons now."
"Still, I'll give you a word of advice — don't think you can use them to get to ."
His tone was asured, but the underlying confidence was unmistakable.
"Suppress , without affecting her?"
Garp's eyes narrowed slightly, caught between shock and rising anger.
For all his tolerance, Garp would never stand for soone belittling his strength.
"You can mock my wits, but not my dignity," Garp growled, his voice low and threatening.
He took a step forward, his presence oppressive. "Co on, then. Let's see if you can really back those words up."
Zenkichi let out a small sigh, his expression unchanged, and before Garp could react — he vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Garp, his sword Kyōka Suigetsu resting coldly on Garp's shoulder, a sharp, invisible pressure radiating from the blade.
Garp's throat tightened as a chill ran down his spine.
For the first ti in years, he felt genuine, visceral fear.
"What… monstrous strength…" he thought, swallowing hard.
The sensation wasn't just in his mind; his instincts scread that one wrong move here ant death.
Zenkichi's disappointnt was evident as he withdrew the sword.
"That's enough," he said flatly, as if bored.
To him, Garp posed no real interest.
Even if recruiting soone like Garp could boost his system's unlock progress, the man was simply too old for it to be worth the effort.
And thanks to the brief encounter, Zenkichi's system had already acknowledged his superiority — counting it as a victory since Garp hadn't even been able to respond.
Without another word, Zenkichi left the tavern, leaving both Garp and Makino stunned.
By the ti they regained their senses, there was nothing left of him except a gold coin sitting atop the counter.
Even when Garp unleashed his Haki, scouring the island, he couldn't sense Zenkichi's presence anywhere.
---
anwhile — Cocosia Village
Far from Windmill Village, Zenkichi arrived in Cocosia Village.
As he strolled through the streets, he spotted a small, orange-haired girl stumbling along.
She was undeniably cute — a younger Nami, though she had no idea what sort of man, fate had just put in her path.
At that mont, she had just stord out of Bellere's house, furious over a petty argunt and determined to run away from ho.
She barely made it out of the village before crossing paths with Zenkichi.
"Well, aren't you a cute little thing," Zenkichi said, crouching down with an easy smile.
"Little girl, how about coming ho with ?"
Nami froze, wide-eyed with fear, and instinctively took a step back.
"W-Who are you?" she stamred.
The teasing grin on Zenkichi's face widened.
"You can call daddy, if you like."
At those words, little Nami let out a high-pitched shriek and bolted, her tiny legs pumping furiously as she sprinted toward Bellere's house.
Zenkichi simply laughed, watching her scramble away, then casually followed at a leisurely pace.
"Bellere! There's a pervert out here who told to call him daddy!" Nami wailed as she charged through the yard.
Hearing the panicked cries, Bellere burst from the house, a rifle already in hand and fury etched into her features.
Despite having scolded Nami earlier, the woman's protective instinct was fierce.
She had even prepared a hearty al for Nami's return, eager to make up after their spat.
"Who the hell are you?!" Bellere demanded, her weapon trained on Zenkichi.
"Easy, no need to get worked up," Zenkichi said calmly, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"I've got no bad intentions. I just think this little one's adorable."
Bellere kept her guard up.
"You're not from around here, are you? I've never seen you in Cocosia Village."
"You're right," Zenkichi admitted without hesitation. "I just arrived today."
A grin crept back onto his face. "Actually, I don't have a place to stay. How about you put up for the night?"
Bellere blinked, montarily dumbfounded by the man's nerve.
"Are you insane? We can barely afford to eat as it is, and you expect us to host so drifter?!" Nami snapped, hands on her hips.
Zenkichi chuckled and reached into his sleeve, producing a dazzling, fist-sized diamond that glead in the sunlight.
"How about this, then?"
The instant Bellere and the girls laid eyes on it, their jaws nearly hit the floor.
It was more wealth than they'd ever seen in their lives.
---
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