A massive Marine warship bearing the symbol of a dog's head slowly sailed away from the waters near Water Seven.
"Woof, woof! I never imagined the ability of the Eat-Eat Fruit could be this useful! Turning a shattered island into a giant roasted at leg is truly sothing else!"
Vice Admiral Garp lay casually on a deck chair, legs swinging as he devoured a mountain sized piece of at with wild enthusiasm. Between bites, he laughed loudly.
"Ahahaha! I really did not expect Shirogai to be that strong. No wonder the Gorosei are so troubled by his existence."
He took another massive bite and chewed with satisfaction.
"It is a good thing he refuses to beco a Marine. At least it gives those old bastards sothing to worry about. Otherwise, when they get too bored, soone would always end up suffering."
Koby looked at Garp's arm with concern and asked carefully, "Teacher, is your injury truly alright?"
Garp casually rotated his right arm and laughed. "It is nothing serious. Just a minor injury, it is almost completely healed."
Helppo hesitated as he looked at the neatly folded coat of justice and the Vice Admiral emblem in his hands. These were the items Garp had given to Shirogai, only to have them refused and returned.
"But he did not accept the Vice Admiral's coat or emblem. Will Fleet Admiral Sengoku bla you for failing the mission?"
"Ahahaha, there is no need to worry about sothing like that."
Garp waved it off carelessly. "They were already prepared for the possibility that he would reject it."
He swallowed another large mouthful of at and then glanced at Koby and Helppo with a grin.
"You two, do you have the confidence to surpass a man like Shirogai in a few years?"
The deck fell into a brief and awkward silence.
Koby and Helppo instinctively exchanged glances.
Boasting was one thing, but boasting about sothing completely unrealistic was another.
They had personally witnessed the absolute power of Shirogai. To even imagine surpassing him felt almost irresponsible.
"Useless!"
Garp snorted and glared at them.
"Even if you know you cannot surpass him now, you must still place that level of powerhouse as your standard. If you only compare yourselves to the weak, how will you ever grow stronger?"
He leaned back and continued, his tone suddenly more serious.
"Did you not see my grandson? He does not hide his ambition to beco the Pirate King. That dream may be troubleso and dangerous, but no one can deny that it is vast and difficult to achieve. A man who does not even dare to dream big will never beco truly strong."
The two young Marines were scolded until their faces flushed red. They lowered their heads in sha.
Garp suddenly straightened and shouted again, "I will ask you one more ti. Do you have the confidence to one day defeat soone like Shirogai?"
"Yes!!!"
"Yes!!!"
This ti, both Koby and Helppo answered at the top of their lungs.
Garp nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then I will give you your first mission!"
"Yes!"
The two were instantly filled with fighting spirit.
Then they saw Garp casually shove the massive mountain sized chunk of at into their arms.
"Go. Eat all of this."
"Ah? Huh?"
Koby stared at the enormous at leg in disbelief.
"Teacher, I cannot eat that much. I will die…"
Helppo's face turned pale with fear. "There is no way this is possible!"
"Cannot eat it? Then go train."
Garp kicked both of them clean off the warship without hesitation.
"When you are hungry from training, you will be able to eat. When you are full, go back to swimming and train again until this at is completely finished."
He leaned over the railing and laughed loudly as he watched the two struggling in the sea behind the ship.
"Swim properly! When you are too tired, co up and eat. When you are full, go back down again!"
"Yes!"
The two swam desperately behind the warship, beginning yet another round of brutal training.
…
"Wow!!! A mountain sized piece of at!!!!"
At Dock 1 in Water Seven, Luffy stared with sparkling eyes as Zoro dragged the massive chunk of at forward step by laborious step, shocking every nearby resident.
"Phew… it is finally delivered."
Zoro dropped the giant at onto the open ground with a heavy thud and let out a long breath.
Sanji stepped closer and examined the unusual texture of the at with narrowed eyes.
"This muscle structure looks strange. Was this created by Shirogai using the Eat-Eat Fruit?"
"Yeah."
Zoro stretched his sore shoulders.
"Shirogai and Luffy's grandfather sparred and shattered an entire island. He simply turned the destroyed terrain into giant chunks of at."
"With that much at, we can have a feast that lasts forever!"
Luffy jumped straight onto the pile and started biting into it with wild enthusiasm. Even giants would struggle to finish sothing this massive.
"Huh, where is Shirogai?"
Nami looked around in confusion but could not find him anywhere.
Zoro thought for a mont before replying casually, "Oh, he asked
to tell you that he is heading out for a few days. He said he will be back soon."
"What?!"
Nami clenched her fists in rage.
"That guy ran off to enjoy himself again without us! He is doing this on purpose to irritate !"
"Oh right, he also ntioned that he is bringing back a Devil Fruit ability this ti. Sothing you would probably really like."
"I will not forgive him! A Vice Captain who keeps abandoning the crew to run around by himself has no sense of responsibility at all!"
Zoro added one more detail, "It seems to be so kind of Gold-Gold Fruit ability. Supposedly, it can collect gold."
"Shirogai! I love you the most!"
Before Zoro could even finish that sentence, Nami's attitude changed instantly. She jumped up with shining eyes.
"Shirogai is the most useful companion on the ship! The cutest! The most responsible Vice Captain!"
She bead with delight and clasped her hands together.
"Co back soon, Shirogai! Hurry back! Mwah!"
A Devil Fruit that could manipulate gold was simply too irresistible for her.
Even if it ant losing the ability to swim, Nami was confident she would eat such a fruit without hesitation.
"Huh…"
Chopper stared blankly at Nami, wondering if the furious Nami he had seen just monts ago had been nothing more than an illusion.
"Heh, a greedy woman."
Zoro turned and walked away without any sympathy.
Sanji imdiately spun around Nami with hearts in his eyes.
"Ohhh! Nami-san is adorable even when she is greedy!!!"
Robin sat nearby, quietly smiling as she watched the lively scene unfold.
…
Under the pitch black night sky, a colossal ship resembling a floating island glowed with brilliant golden light as it sailed across the deep blue sea.
"Gran Tesoro, all the lives you dream of, it has it all…"
Brilliant lights shone across the massive structure, dazzling like a city of gold. Its glamorous glow drew pirates, Marines, and rchant ships alike, all lining up to enter.
"The city of dreams, the playground of desire. Gamble with courage, and your future will shine infinitely bright…"
The amplified singing echoed across the sea, alluring every ship that passed by.
"Wow! That ship is enormous, Dad!"
On a rchant vessel approaching the golden colossus, a middle aged captain and his son stood at the bow, staring in disbelief.
The captain's eyes were filled with burning excitent.
"What incredible luck! To encounter Gran Tesoro, the greatest entertainnt city in the world, here of all places!"
He clenched his fists in excitent.
"If we are lucky, we could earn hundreds, even thousands of tis more than the cargo we are carrying this trip!"
"Do not worry, Dad! Our luck is amazing. We will definitely make a fortune!"
The teenage boy excitedly turned toward the cabin and shouted at the survivor they had rescued from the sea.
"Friend, you are really lucky! We ran into Gran Tesoro! Do you want to go up and have so fun later?"
"This is a once in a lifeti chance to change your destiny!"
A young man with short black hair walked out onto the deck. He lifted his gaze toward the magnificent golden ship and smiled faintly.
"Yes… how fortunate indeed…"
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