"Luffy-san, how's the journey going?" Coby asked.
"Great! Got more crewmates. Heading to the Grand Line next," Luffy replied.
"Really… I'd love to catch up, but now's not the time," Coby said.
"No biggie. We'll meet again. Coby, hurry up and get promoted so you can hit the Grand Line too. Don't dawdle, or we'll be Pirate King before you!" Luffy grinned.
"About that… we're on Vice Admiral Garp's ship, so from now on—" Coby started.
A shout cut him off.
As three figures emerged from the forest, Kiri's voice rang out, sharp and unlike her usual self.
"Luffy! Set sail!" she yelled.
"There they are! They're back!" Luffy said.
"They look panicked. Are they being chased?" Usopp wondered, uneasy.
Seeing Kiri, Zoro, and Silk, Usopp's anxiety grew. Their tense expressions suggested danger was close. He'd hoped for smiles, given the enemy's proximity.
Zoro's mouth was bloodied.
Against a hero like Garp, that was minor, but his unsteady steps—supported by Kiri—suggested he could collapse any moment.
Silk ran ahead, worried but urging a quick escape.
Tension surged. Moments later, a roar echoed from the forest.
"Wait, you brats! I won't let you escape!" Garp bellowed.
"That voice…!" Luffy gasped.
Coby and Helmeppo's faces shifted too.
Though Garp wasn't visible, he was closing in—seconds away.
Kiri, gritting her teeth, shouted to Silk.
"Silk, get to the ship! Raise the sails and head out!"
"But that leaves you defenseless!" Silk protested.
"We'll manage. We're done for otherwise," Kiri insisted.
"…Got it. Don't do anything reckless," Silk replied.
Reaching the shore, Silk splashed through the water, heedless of her soaked clothes, and boarded the Merry.
Kiri and Zoro stopped on the beach, standing before Coby and Helmeppo.
A reunion at a better time would've been preferable.
Seeing their exhausted state, there was no room for pleasantries.
They turned to the forest's edge.
As Garp's figure emerged, his grin visible even in the shadows, tension spiked.
"Reload," Garp said.
"Here," Bogard replied, handing him a coconut from the island's trees—hard, round, unremarkable.
Garp gripped it firmly, taking a pitcher's stance, and hurled it with full force.
A simple act, but a devastating attack.
"Fist Bone Meteor!" he roared.
Just a thrown coconut, but faster than a cannonball.
Facing the deadly projectile, Coby and Helmeppo screamed, hands raised. It could kill anyone, and their panic was natural.
Silk, the only one who could defend, was on the ship. Her wind blades weren't an option.
Kiri had used all her paper.
Zoro stepped forward, enduring pain, and swung his sword.
A deafening clash.
The coconut split in two, hitting no one but crashing into the sea, raising a massive water column. Truly cannon-like.
Though he cut it, Zoro's right arm trembled unnaturally.
He couldn't do it again, he thought, gritting his teeth.
"What the hell was that!?" Usopp yelled.
"Just a thrown coconut… with that power?" Nami gasped.
"That's Luffy's grandpa!?" Usopp exclaimed.
"He's here!" Luffy shouted.
The ship buzzed with panic, mirrored by screams on the beach.
Kiri and Zoro steadied their breathing, glaring at the forest. Hesitation could be fatal. The crisis demanded constant vigilance.
Garp appeared on the beach.
His eyes locked onto the ship with a Straw Hat skull flag—the Merry, Luffy's ship. Finding his target brought a satisfied grin. The ship was already moving, leaving two crewmates behind to escape.
That detail nagged, but finding Luffy was enough for now.
All that remained was to retrieve him.
Garp and Bogard walked slowly across the sand.
Kiri reached toward Zoro.
"Zoro, lend me a sword."
"Fine. Don't drop it," he replied.
Zoro tossed her a black-hilted sword. Kiri caught it, switching it to her right hand.
Zoro drew one sword, holding it in his left.
As Garp stepped onto the beach, Kiri's voice rang out.
"Don't move!"
Simultaneously, she grabbed Coby, pressing the blade to his neck. Zoro did the same with Helmeppo. They'd taken hostages.
The sudden move made Coby and Helmeppo scream, raising their hands in surrender.
Garp and Bogard froze.
Kiri's voice was chillingly cold, unnerving even Coby, who'd met her before. Zoro's fierce gaze, bandana still on, heightened the tension. The hostages trembled.
"W-What, Kiri-san!?" Coby stammered.
"Quiet. It's fine, I won't really cut you," Kiri whispered.
She might've meant to reassure Coby, but the situation's intensity wrapped them in fear. Helmeppo's face twitched.
Words were scarce—they were desperate.
Despite his fear, Helmeppo muttered weakly.
"You better mean that…"
"Shut it, or I might," Zoro warned.
"Helmeppo-san, let's trust them. I didn't expect this, but…" Coby said.
Reluctantly agreeing, they fell silent.
Kiri's piercing gaze locked onto Garp, her sword steady as she spoke.
"Keep fighting, and we won't hold back. If you don't want them dead, don't move. Do nothing. Stand there and let us go."
"Hmph, clever kid. I hear you. They're your friends, right?" Garp said.
"So we can't kill them?" Kiri asked.
"If it's a bluff, stop. You'll only worsen your crimes," Garp warned.
"Then come closer," Kiri challenged.
Garp's brow furrowed deeply.
Kiri's face was devoid of warmth, her gaze icy, her voice emotionless, radiating danger. She seemed a different person from their earlier clash.
As the Merry drifted away, the air grew heavy.
Coby, hearing her up close, sweated profusely. He trusted her, but fear surged, unable to shake the "what if." Helmeppo whimpered softly.
The silence was agonizing.
After a few seconds, unable to bear it, Kiri smirked.
"If you think we're just kids, fine. Underestimate us. But we can kill now."
Her chilling words made even Garp shudder, sensing her immense resolve.
Both he and Bogard recognized her potential, awestruck.
She had the makings of a Conqueror.
Unpolished, but her presence hinted at greatness. A true talent—yet a pirate, their enemy. A pity.
They stopped moving.
She might actually do it—kill Coby.
That conviction led to their inaction.
"Fine. But what now? If neither side moves, there's no resolution," Garp said.
"Oh, there will be," Kiri replied.
"How?"
"Your grandson's got skills."
Kiri softened, smiling lightly.
Luffy's arms stretched from the Merry, grabbing Kiri and Zoro by the necks. Neither resisted nor flinched, accepting it naturally, relaxing their bodies. Pulled swiftly, they didn't release the hostages, and all four flew toward the ship.
Garp and Bogard froze, stunned.
This was the plan behind the threat.
No time to stop them. The rubber arms retracted, pulling them away instantly.
Garp reached out, but they were too far gone.
Kiri, Zoro, Coby, and Helmeppo landed on the deck.
A flawless escape. No prior coordination, yet each understood their role, executing it wordlessly. And it worked.
Luffy climbed the mainmast, shouting to the distant shore.
"Grandpa!"
"Luffy! Get back here!" Garp roared.
"No way! I'm a pirate now! I ain't becoming a Marine!" Luffy yelled.
"What!? You don't know how I feel, you selfish—!" Garp shouted.
"I decided to live my way! No regrets! So I ain't listening to you!" Luffy declared.
"How dare you talk to your grandpa like that!?" Garp bellowed.
He reached toward Bogard, who handed him the last coconut.
Garp reared back to throw.
Luffy jumped from the mast, running to the ship's stern.
"I'll be the Pirate King!" he shouted.
"You'll be a Marine!" Garp countered.
He hurled the coconut, speeding toward the ship.
Luffy, tracking it, jumped and inhaled deeply, his rubber stomach inflating like a balloon. Catching the coconut, he bounced it back at the same ferocious speed toward Garp.
Bogard stepped forward, slicing it in two. The halves crashed through trees, gouging the ground with a thunderous roar before disappearing.
Unfazed, Garp stared at the receding ship.
"I'll keep coming, and it'll be the same! I ain't quitting piracy!" Luffy yelled.
"Damn you…!" Garp growled.
With Luffy's shout, the Merry sailed onward, too far to swim. Without a ship, pursuit was impossible.
Garp and Bogard could only watch the ship fade.
On the deck, Kiri and Zoro collapsed.
Kiri sat with legs sprawled, Zoro lay flat on his back.
They couldn't regain composure.
Escaping such a powerhouse was a miracle. The exhaustion—especially mental—was unlike any fight before. Freed from tension, they didn't want to move.
"Phew… we made it," Kiri sighed.
"No more fighting that guy's family," Zoro groaned.
"You guys okay?" Silk asked, rushing over with Usopp.
"You made it out alive. That was 'Fist Bone' Garp, huh?" Usopp said, awestruck.
They tended to the two. Zoro's single hit left significant damage; Kiri, though unharmed, was sweating, her demeanor starkly different. Both showed expressions the crew hadn't seen.
As the ship distanced from the island, calm began to return.
But the clear difference was the two hostages, still shell-shocked.
Coby and Helmeppo, left unattended, struggled to steady their racing pulses.
"That… that was terrifying. Warn us if you're gonna pull something like that!" Coby said.
"Sorry for the scare. Had to, or he wouldn't let us go. But I wasn't really gonna kill you," Kiri assured.
"Y-Yeah…" Coby mumbled.
"Like I can trust that voice! And why are we on this ship!? You don't need hostages anymore!" Helmeppo snapped.
"Uh, got carried away," Kiri said.
"Forgot to let go," Zoro added.
"Don't mess with us!" Helmeppo shouted.
Despite his protests, Kiri and Zoro brushed it off with relaxed smiles, their tension gone. But Coby and Helmeppo couldn't relax. Kidnapped and held hostage, they couldn't rejoice, even with friends. They were Marines now.
Luffy returned from the stern, spotting the two, his usual grin back.
"Oh? Coby, you guys came too? What, you secretly wanna join us?" he teased.
"No way! We were dragged here as hostages!" Coby protested.
"Turn back! There's still time!" Helmeppo urged.
"No way! Grandpa'll clobber me!" Luffy shot back.
"We're risking our jobs! What if we're punished!?" Helmeppo argued.
Their bickering escalated, but Kiri, shrugging, turned to Coby.
Her eyes softened, back to the Kiri he knew, bringing odd relief.
"Might as well enjoy the hostage life for a bit," she said.
"Easier said than done. We just got in trouble recently…" Coby replied.
"Luffy's grandpa won't be too harsh. Probably," Kiri said.
"That's so vague," Coby sighed.
"Training's good, but this is experience too. Don't worry, we'll drop you at the next island. You can call your crew with a Den Den Mushi. That's our best compromise," Kiri offered.
"Can't use the ship's Den Den Mushi?" Coby asked.
"Nope. It'd be intercepted, and they'd find us," Kiri said, making an "X" with her arms.
Coby sighed, reassured by her normalcy but aware trouble loomed.
Pirates through and through, they wouldn't let them go easily.
The Merry sailed quietly away, swiftly evading the Marines.
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