"Good grief, if you knew it would turn out like this from the beginning, you shouldn't have let them drink so much!"
At the party site, Katsuyu, who had split herself into hundreds of smaller bodies to absorb the excess Natural Energy from the pirates' bodies, complained to Sakura.
Apart from a few with monster physiques who were drunk and snoring soundly, most of the others had developed mild symptoms due to excessive Natural Energy intake.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. But this way, their old injuries heal faster too. Besides, you're here, aren't you?" Sakura leaned against a large tree created by Wood Release, sipping the sake she had made with Senjutsu.
"Mou~, you're practically half a sage of Shikkotsu Forest yourself. You need to be more aware of the dangers of your own techniques!" A small Slug crawled past Sakura, raised its body, and lightly tapped her head.
Although Katsuyu complained verbally, her body faithfully helped Sakura treat the aftereffects of the Natural Energy.
She worked through the night, and only when the sky began to lighten again did she finish treating everyone.
"Katsuyu, help me get Ace and the others onto the ship. It's time for us to go back."
Stopping the flow of Chakra to Katsuyu, Sakura hoisted Sato Sakura, whom Katsuyu couldn't move, onto her shoulder and headed toward the ship.
"You're leaving already? Disappearing without saying goodbye again, you bastard!" A slightly drunken voice sounded.
Sakura turned around and saw Shanks, the flush of alcohol still on his face, looking at her with narrowed eyes.
'Being able to withstand the intoxication of wine infused with Natural Energy… this guy might have the aptitude for practicing Senjutsu.'
"Hmm? Goodbye, then." Sakura tested a farewell.
She raised Sato Sakura's hand, which was draped over her shoulder, and waved it at Shanks. "Come on, say bye-bye to Uncle Shanks~"
"Pfft!" Katsuyu, in the middle of transporting people, couldn't help but laugh, burying her head in the sand, her body trembling.
"You bastard..." Shanks took a deep breath and let out a helpless sigh. "Let me remind you of two things. After Kaido's defeat, Wano might become a target for everyone. And that guy you knocked into the sea might not be dead yet!"
"Can you tell me something I don't already know?" Sakura settled her daughter onto the ship and manipulated the Wood Release, making the vessel begin to sail away from the coast.
The girl's smug attitude made Shanks grind his teeth in frustration. He raised his fist and shook it at her. "Damn it, I'm trying to give you friendly advice!"
"I know, kind-hearted Red-Hair." Sakura stretched lazily on the ship. "Anyway, see you on the seas!"
"Don't die!"
"Can't you say something nice!"
…
Elsewhere, Medical Island Marian.
Puru puru puru...
The comfortable sunlight, refracted through sea clouds, fell upon the garden of the Upperworld Sanatorium. An old man with gray hair wearing sunglasses lay on a beach chair. The Den Den Mushi beside him kept making ringing sounds.
"Oh, miss over there, could you get me another juice?"
As if he hadn't heard the Den Den Mushi at all, the old man waved to the winged nurse in the sanatorium.
After taking a big gulp of the juice he received from her, he calmly answered the Den Den Mushi.
"Garp, you bastard!!!"
The Den Den Mushi perfectly imitated the anger on the other end of the line. The roar carried a shockwave that ruffled Garp's hair.
"Sengoku, don't be so impatient. You know, anger is bad for the liver~"
Garp leisurely picked up his juice and took a sip.
"You have the nerve to say that!" The Den Den Mushi showed Sengoku gritting his teeth. "Why didn't you report the duel between Haruno Sakura and Kaido to headquarters in advance?"
"Didn't I report that she went out to sea?" Garp looked innocent. "Besides, if I'd known she was going out to start a fight, I would have followed along to watch the fun."
During this time, he had been so bored on this island he was practically going to waste.
No fights, couldn't see his grandson in the East Blue, didn't even have anyone to talk to. The only thing he could do to pass the time was buy a newspaper and read it all day.
If it weren't for the Marine, for the World Government, for staying behind to gather intelligence, would he have to work so hard?
'Damn Sengoku, instead of thinking about rewarding me, a loyal and devoted servant of the Marine, he actually blamed me first.'
'It was completely outrageous. I wanted to see the Commander-in-Chief! He wanted to see Kong-san!'
"Damn it. Leaving you there was my mistake."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku took several deep breaths.
It was his own lapse in judgment to put the careless Garp in charge of intelligence work. He should have known from the start how unreliable this old fossil was.
According to intelligence from the CP, someone had reportedly spotted Kaido in Totto Land after his defeat.
Although the accuracy of the information couldn't be verified, given the current complex situation.
The Marine had to fully contract its combat power, hold its various bases, and prepare for the impact of the coming chaos among the pirate forces in the New World.
After a moment's thought, Sengoku issued an order as Marine Marshal: "The intelligence mission is over. Return to the G-5 Branch."
"Fine. When are you sending a battleship to pick me up?"
Garp put down his empty glass, clasped his hands behind his head, and leaned back comfortably in the beach chair.
"Battleship?"
The Den Den Mushi's imitated face started grinding its teeth again.
'Did this old bastard even hear what he was saying?'
'Sending a battleship into an Emperor's territory at this critical juncture… was the situation in the New World not chaotic enough already?'
"Find your own way back!" Sengoku roared. "And the World Government is preparing to hold you accountable for your medical expenses. Enjoy your year without pay!"
Click!
Without giving Garp a chance to explain, the Den Den Mushi was unilaterally hung up. Garp and the snail were left staring at each other with sad expressions.
So he quickly packed his things, slipped over the thorny wall of the Upperworld under cover of darkness, and dove into the sea, disappearing.
Just as someone was diving into the sea and running away, the great Pirate Emperor returned to her loyal Marian Island.
After Sakura landed on the island and handed Ace and the others over to Fisher Tiger for training, she received two pieces of news from Leviathan.
"The Marine guy you captured earlier ran away!"
The night raven, having shrunk to the size of a crow, descended onto Sakura's shoulder and reported.
"Not surprising. It's a miracle he lasted this long before running." Sakura couldn't help but laugh.
Only the Garp family could conduct espionage so openly and honestly.
And despite always acting carefree, that old man was actually very shrewd.
He understood from the beginning that his rescue was thanks to Ace.
To strike a balance between the Marine and the pirates, he chose to stay on the island in an almost obvious way, passing intelligence that Sakura approved to the World Government.
He skillfully managed to help neither side, yet let both sides get what they wanted.
The cost was merely a bit of reputation.
Sakura rubbed her chin, clicking her tongue in wonder. "Who says the scheming in the Monkey Family only went to Dragon? This old man's not bad either!"
"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing."
Leviathan nodded. "And one more thing. While you were out at sea, Shiki came looking for you."
"The old lion? What did he want?"
"Apparently... it has to do with Wano Country."