Half an hour later.
The warship set sail again.
Unlike when it arrived at Cocoyashi Village, there were now two additional members aboard.
The two adopted daughters of the posthumously recognized Marine Hero Bellemere—Nami and Nojiko.
Nojiko's reaction was relatively calmer because she wasn't very keen on becoming a Marine.
The reason was that if both she and Nami went to Marine Headquarters, the orange grove left by their foster mother would be left unattended.
Even though Genzo volunteered to protect the orange grove, she still felt reluctant to leave.
Nami's nature was somewhat wilder.
Leaving Cocoyashi Village wasn't a big deal to her.
After all, her childhood dream had always been to travel the world and draw a complete world map.
Now that an opportunity was right in front of her, she naturally wouldn't refuse.
Of course, if this had been before, she definitely wouldn't have chosen to become a Marine.
Because of Arlong and his crew, she had naturally come to hate the Marines for their inaction.
But ever since Marine Fleet Admiral Orion personally came to the East Blue, completely wiping out Arlong and his crew, and then carrying out a series of righteous actions, her perception of the Marines had completely changed.
Not only did she no longer reject them, but deep down, she also hoped that one day she could don a Marine uniform and become a righteous Marine.
Most importantly, she wanted to see that Marine Fleet Admiral again.
The moment she heard that the Marine Fleet Admiral would become their instructor and personally lead them to become righteous Marine soldiers, she agreed almost without any hesitation.
"Hey there! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's gonna become the Pirate King!"
On the deck of the warship, Luffy tilted his head, staring at Nami and Nojiko for a long time.
Eventually, he couldn't hold back, his arms suddenly stretching out before snapping back to bring him right in front of the two sisters.
Acting familiar, he continued, "See that green-haired guy behind me? That's Zoro, my crewmate. And that serious-looking guy sitting at the bow, that's Ace—he wants to become the Pirate King too. Oh, and there's Usopp with the slingshot—he wants to compete with me for the captain position, shishishi~"
Pausing slightly, Luffy suddenly put on a mysterious tone.
"Do you two also want to become pirates and got caught and brought onto this warship? Don't be scared! The officer in charge of this warship is my grandpa. He won't hurt us!"
"??"
Watching this clueless guy suddenly approach them and boldly declare in front of Marines that he was going to become a pirate, both Nami and Nojiko were caught off guard, their eyes widening in shock.
Then—
Nami abruptly stood up and, without hesitation, swung her hand and slapped Luffy across the face, sending him tumbling twice across the deck before he came to a stop.
The sudden turn of events made Zoro and Ace widen their eyes almost simultaneously, while Usopp was so frightened he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.
Before the three could react, Nami rushed in front of Luffy, grabbed his collar like a furious harpy, and scolded him.
"Who told you we want to become pirates? Are you proud of being a pirate? I was invited by Garp-san to join the Marines! Once I become a true Marine soldier, I will definitely arrest all you damn pirates and throw you in jail!"
As she spoke, Nami still hadn't vented her anger.
She raised her sandbag-sized fists and started pummeling Luffy's head from both sides.
"!!!!"
No one expected Nami, who usually appeared quiet and gentle, to be so violent.
Zoro was shocked into a face full of meme-worthy expressions, his eyes bulging as he stared at Ace sitting calmly at the bow.
"Hey! Hey! Aren't you going to stop this? That's your brother getting beaten up, you bastard!"
Ace remained silent, wearing an expression that clearly said "none of my business."
Usopp was completely intimidated by Nami's aura.
Kneeling on the deck, he kept shuffling backward, stammering, "So... so scary! This is too terrifying!"
Luffy clearly hadn't anticipated Nami being so "nuclear" in her kindness either.
He just let her pummel him, his head and face swelling up from the beating.
"St-stop hitting me!"
Finally, the intense pain jolted Luffy awake.
He raised his hands to protect his now mushroom-adorned head, crying out with a pained expression.
"I was just curious why you were brought onto Grandpa's warship too! Ouch ouch ouch, it really hurts!"
Nami knew when to stop.
She flung Luffy away with a toss of her hand, her expression still fierce.
"From now on, don't you dare talk about becoming a pirate in front of me again!"
"Because I'm going to be the woman who becomes the Marine King!"
"Okay," Luffy mumbled through his swollen mouth, nodding frantically.
Just then, Garp emerged from the ship's cabin.
Having witnessed the entire scene on deck from inside, Garp showed no heartache over Luffy being beaten into a pig-headed state.
Instead, he burst into loud laughter at the sight of Luffy's miserable condition.
"Ahahaha, what terrifying fists! They can actually make Luffy feel pain. Impressive, very impressive! No wonder Orion specifically requested to bring you to headquarters!"
"To be precise, being recognize by Orion means you brats are anything but ordinary! Ahahaha!"
Amid Garp's hearty laughter, the sea restaurant Baratie came into view in the distance.
About ten minutes later, the warship docked steadily right in front of the sea restaurant's entrance.
The arrival of the warship didn't attract attention from the diners or chefs inside the restaurant.
The sea restaurant had always enjoyed good business, and its reputation was well-known.
Many Marine officers from East Blue branches often visited upon hearing of its fame, so over time, the restaurant had grown accustomed to such visits.
However, while the diners and waitstaff inside remained undisturbed, in a bedroom on the restaurant's top floor, the restaurant owner Zeff—wearing his towering chef's hat—instantly turned grim when he clearly saw Garp's face on the warship's deck.
As a former great pirate who had ventured into the Grand Line and sailed for over a year before returning to East Blue, Zeff was not only familiar with Garp but knew him quite well.
Every time Garp returned to East Blue for vacation, he almost always passed through the sea route where the restaurant was located.
Yet he had never approached it before.
And now, Garp had not only approached but also docked his warship right in front of the restaurant's entrance, clearly coming with ill intentions.
"Zeff, stop hiding!"
The moment Zeff stood by the window observing the warship, Garp—as if he had long noticed his presence—stood on the deck, slightly raising his head to meet Zeff's gaze from the warship's elevated position, and speak in a deep voice.
"Although you've been keeping a low profile all these years in the East Blue, running this sea restaurant peacefully, that doesn't mean I'm unaware of your past identity."
"But don't be nervous. I'm not here to hold you accountable. I've come under the Fleet Admiral's orders to take a kid from your restaurant."
"Vinsmoke Sanji, the third son of the Vinsmoke family."
As Garp's voice rang out, some diners in the restaurant turned to look out the window.
Sanji, who had just stepped out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food, froze in place upon hearing the name "Vinsmoke Sanji."