Luffy and his crew, having reached the Going Merry first, hurriedly prepared to set sail.
Garp, his grandfather, was here. Those words alone were enough to strike fear. Luffy's childhood memories of the man held few fond moments and countless unpleasant ones.
Visibly shaken, Luffy urged his crew to move faster.
His rare display of fear left Usopp and Nami skeptical, unable to fully grasp the urgency since they didn't know Garp personally.
"Hey, Luffy, he's your grandpa, right? No need to be that scared," Usopp said.
"Yeah, he's family. Just get along with him," Nami added.
"I don't hate him or anything, but his punches hurt like hell. And he's always nagging me to become a Marine even though I wanna be a pirate," Luffy explained.
"So that's why you're so freaked out," Usopp realized.
"Even you've got things you're afraid of, huh?" Nami teased, chuckling at his unusual expression.
The dynamic had flipped.
Luffy, usually fearless, was rattled, while Usopp, typically the nervous one, worked casually. Nami found Luffy's rare anxiety amusing, stifling a laugh.
Despite being only three, they finished preparations quickly—small sailboats like the Merry were easy to ready.
They were set to sail, waiting only for their missing crewmates.
With nothing left to do, Luffy gazed at the island, Usopp joining him.
"Think Kiri and the others are okay? That call came from Coby, and it sounded urgent," Usopp said.
"Who's this Coby guy? I listened 'cause it seemed serious, but…" Usopp trailed off.
"He's our friend. He's a Marine now, though," Luffy replied.
"A Marine friend? For pirates?" Usopp asked, incredulous.
"Yeah. Weird?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Well, yeah, kinda," Usopp admitted.
"Haven't seen him in a while. Feels nostalgic already," Luffy said, grinning.
Unlike his tense talk about Garp, Luffy's smile returned at the mention of Coby.
They must've been close. What a coincidence to meet him on this random island.
Wondering about Coby, Usopp glanced at the island, realizing he didn't know much about Luffy's past adventures. Curious, he decided to ask later and turned to Nami.
"Yo, Nami, you know anything about Luffy's journeys?" he asked.
"A bit. Silk filled me in," Nami replied.
"Huh. So I'm the only one in the dark," Usopp grumbled.
"Just ask later. Things are hectic now," Nami said with a smile.
Usopp nodded, satisfied. There'd be time to catch up once they escaped.
Arms crossed, he glanced toward the forest and spotted two figures sprinting toward the beach. The crew turned their attention.
Two Marines in uniform—Coby and Helmeppo—ran frantically. Seeing them, Luffy's face lit up.
"Coby!" he shouted.
"L-L-Luffy-san!" Coby called back.
"What about me!?" Helmeppo yelled.
Stopping just before the water, they waved at the ship.
Luffy's reaction suggested he might not remember Helmeppo, but there was no time for complaints. Both Marines, clearly shaken, raised their voices.
"Is everyone okay? Kiri-san and the others are probably holding off Vice Admiral Garp. Get ready to sail the moment they're back!" Coby said.
"No worries, we're good to go," Luffy replied.
"But are they okay? They're fighting that hero Garp, right?" Usopp asked.
"They said they'd escape before getting beaten, but… wait, why are we helping them? Coby, this is too risky! If we're caught, we're done as Marines!" Helmeppo panicked.
"Y-Yeah, but we can't abandon Luffy-san and the others…" Coby stammered.
"Friend or savior, whatever—he's the enemy now! We gotta be ruthless. A Vice Admiral might get away with this, but newbies like us? We'll be fired!" Helmeppo argued.
"Hmm, you look familiar. Who're you again?" Luffy asked, crouching on the railing.
"See! He doesn't even remember me! Why are we risking ourselves for this guy!?" Helmeppo fumed.
"C-Calm down, Helmeppo-san," Coby urged.
Helmeppo launched into a desperate self-introduction, certain Luffy had met him. He'd even been punched by him.
But Luffy's clueless expression didn't change.
"It's me! Helmeppo, son of Captain Morgan from Shells Town! I nearly had Roronoa Zoro executed! You can't forget that!" Helmeppo shouted.
"Hmm, rings a bell…" Luffy muttered.
"I'm the pompous, useless son who couldn't do anything!" Helmeppo added.
What a cruel twist, forced to demean himself.
Finally, Luffy's face brightened with recognition. He'd been bothered by a vague memory, but now it clicked—the guy he'd taken hostage and punched for threatening Coby.
Relieved, Luffy welcomed him warmly.
But Helmeppo's grudge over being forgotten lingered, his scowl unchanged.
"Oh, it's you! Thought I knew you from somewhere. My bad!" Luffy laughed.
"Damn it, Coby, I told you I didn't want this! That's who this guy is!" Helmeppo snapped.
"C-Calm down," Coby said, restraining him.
Coby, with a wry smile, turned back to Luffy.
They'd gotten a fine ship and more crewmates since last they met. Including the three Coby knew, two more had joined. Their journey was progressing well.
Despite the earlier panic, seeing their growth made Coby smile. Luffy was as energetic as ever, steadily moving forward.
Though worried, seeing him eased Coby's nerves.
The reunion felt meaningful.
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