Chapter 175: The Revolutionary Army's Thunderbolt! The Youth's Kick and the Shipbuilding Funds
The morning in Water 7 should have been peaceful and serene.
But at this moment...
"Eh!!"
"The... The Revolutionary Army?!! That man wanted by the World Government, known as the 'World's Worst Criminal'?!"
"You've got to be kidding me?!"
The cigarette in Sanji's mouth fell directly into his coffee cup as he grabbed his hair and screamed in a breakdown.
"That kind of big shot, powerful enough to subvert the world... is actually Luffy's father?!"
Chopper's fur stood on end from the shock: "The worst criminal... Wuwuwu, are we going to be arrested?"
Usopp hid directly behind Zoro, poking only his long nose out, his voice trembling:
"Hey, hey... Is Luffy's father really such a big shot? This joke has gone too far!
"Are we going to face collective punishment?!"
Even the always-calm Robin's face was somewhat pale at this moment.
She set down her coffee cup and looked at Luffy, who was still absentmindedly picking his nose, with a complex gaze, murmuring to herself:
"So that's how it is... No wonder."
"No wonder Luffy has that incredible quality, that power to gather people around him."
Robin took a deep breath, calming the shock in her heart:
"Dragon... he is the only man who can directly overthrow the ideology of the World Government.
"Monkey D. Luffy... this whole family, is this the 'Clan of D'? They really are all monsters."
Luffy looked at everyone's reaction and tilted his head:
"What's wrong with everyone? Is that uncle called Dragon really that amazing?"
"He's your dad!!" everyone roared in unison.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the restaurant.
"Excuse us, Vice Admiral Garp."
Two young Marine officers walked in.
One of them had long hair and two Kukris hanging at his waist, looking somewhat gloomy.
The other was a tall youth with short pink hair, wearing a justice cloak.
Though his face still showed some childishness, his eyes were incredibly resolute.
The pink-haired youth walked up to Garp, then turned to Luffy and Zoro, standing at attention and saluting, his voice booming:
"It's been a long time! Luffy-san! Zoro-san!"
Luffy and Zoro were stunned, staring at these two Marines for a long time.
Luffy narrowed his eyes, looking the masked long-haired man up and down. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he pointed at him, shouting:
"Ah!! I remember now!!"
"You're that butt-chinned brat!!"
"Pfft!"
The long-haired man—Helmeppo—had veins popping on his forehead. He instantly lost his cool, took off his mask, and roared:
"Who has a butt-chin!! I am Helmeppo!!
"And why did you only recognize me!! The main point is Koby!!"
"Koby?"
Luffy and Zoro looked at the pink-haired youth in confusion.
The youth shyly took off his bandana, revealing his signature short pink hair and round-framed glasses.
Though he had grown much taller, that shy smile remained unchanged:
"It's me, Luffy-san. I'm Koby."
"Eh?!!!"
Luffy and Zoro's eyes popped out again, and their jaws nearly smashed through the floor:
"You're that... that stubby Koby?!!!"
"How did you grow so tall?! And you're not fat anymore! You're a completely different person!!"
Zoro was also in disbelief: "You're that crybaby kid from the East Sea? This change is way too big."
Koby scratched his head and smiled sheepishly:
"Hehe... training under Vice Admiral Garp was very hard, but I've certainly grown a lot."
At this point, Koby's gaze suddenly became sharp.
He looked at Luffy, took a deep breath, his tone carrying a hint of plea and fighting spirit:
"Um... Luffy-san."
"It's a bit presumptuous, but could you... please spar with me?"
"I want to show you the results of my training during this time!"
...
A few minutes later, in the courtyard of the Galley-La Headquarters.
The Straw Hat crew and the Marine soldiers formed a circle. In the middle of the clearing, Luffy and Koby stood facing each other.
"Bring it on, Koby."
Luffy pressed down his Straw Hat, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Yes! Then I won't hold back!"
Koby took a deep breath, the muscles in his legs instantly tightening.
"Huff..."
The next second, his feet slammed against the ground at a frequency as fast as a pile driver.
"Soru!"
Swish!
Koby's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
"He disappeared?!"
The watching Nami and Chopper cried out in surprise: "So fast! It's impossible to track with the naked eye!"
This speed was exactly like the CP9 they had encountered before.
"Behind you!" Zoro's eyes narrowed.
Almost at the same time, Koby appeared in the air behind Luffy.
His right leg was raised high like a battle-axe, whistling through the air as it kicked fiercely toward Luffy's shoulder.
"I've got him!" Koby shouted inwardly.
However.
Luffy didn't even turn his head; that relaxed smile remained on his face.
Just at the critical moment when Koby's toe was about to touch Luffy's shoulder, Luffy's body tilted slightly to the side.
"Whoosh—"
That powerful kick brushed past Luffy's red vest and hit empty air.
"Wha...?!" Koby's pupils contracted.
Before he could change his move, a palm shot out like lightning, steadily grabbing his ankle.
"Too slow, Koby."
Luffy gave a giggling smile and lightly tossed his arm.
"Waaaah!!"
Koby felt like a ragdoll, effortlessly thrown away by Luffy.
He flipped several times in the air, using the "Moonwalk" technique to barely adjust his posture, and attacked again after landing.
"It's not over yet!!"
Koby gritted his teeth, his figure turning into an afterimage again as he launched a tempestuous assault around Luffy.
Soru, Finger Pistol, Rankyaku...
Though not yet mastered, they were already well-formed.
However, Luffy was like he was playing with a neighbor's kid.
He didn't even use his fruit abilities, relying solely on physical techniques and the intuition honed in countless life-and-death battles to dodge and maneuver within a small space.
After a dozen rounds.
"Ha... ha..."
Koby was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, his movements finally slowing down.
"Still... not enough..."
Just as he was about to launch one final strike, a hand suddenly reached over and pressed onto his head.
"Thump."
Luffy laughed and rubbed Koby's head against the ground a couple of times, just like before:
"Hahahaha! You've gotten stronger, Koby!"
"If it were before, you would have been crying from that last hit!"
Koby was stunned, and then his eyes turned red.
He wiped the dust off his face, climbed up from the ground, and stood tall.
He looked at the man before him, who was still powerful and optimistic, with tears shimmering in his eyes.
"Luffy-san..."
Koby clenched his fists and shouted loudly:
"I know I'm still far from it... but!"
"I will become stronger! I will work desperately hard!!"
"One day... one day, I will become a Marine Admiral!!!"
"And then... on the sea, I will capture you with my own hands!!!!"
This vow echoed through the courtyard.
"Hiss—"
The surrounding Marine soldiers turned pale with fright.
To say he would capture his grandson right in front of Vice Admiral Garp?
And with the goal of becoming an Admiral?
However, Luffy wasn't angry.
He held his Straw Hat, looked at Koby, and revealed that signature confident smile:
"Good! I'll be waiting!"
"If you want to catch me, then go ahead and try!"
"But I won't be caught... because I'm going to be the Pirate King!!!"
"Wahahahaha!!!!"
Garp, who had been sitting nearby eating rice crackers and watching the show, suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
"What kind of pipe dreams are you all talking about!"
Garp walked over, and with a wave of his large hand, he nearly slapped Koby into the ground:
"Wanting to be the Pirate King, wanting to be an Admiral... you're both a hundred years too early.
"Koby! Go back and double your training!!"
Though he said that, the gratification in Garp's eyes couldn't be hidden.
Finally, Garp stated that because Luffy was his own grandson, he would let it slide this time.
He not only let the Straw Hat crew go but also very "responsibly" led his subordinates away.
To go and repair the wall he had smashed earlier.
"Phew... they're finally gone."
Nami slumped into a chair: "This whole family, really, not a single one of them is normal."
She decided that when she had children with Tatsuya in the future, education must be the top priority!
The crisis was resolved.
Luffy immediately reverted to his true nature, banging his bowl frantically with a knife and fork:
"Meat! Meat!! I want to eat meat!! Bring out all the meat we didn't finish!"
While everyone was once again immersed in the rowdy banquet, celebrating their narrow escape.
No one noticed that Tatsuya had quietly left the crowd.
In his hands, he carried several heavy black large briefcases; that was all of their wealth.
Tatsuya glanced at the lively restaurant, turned, and walked toward the backstreets of Water 7.
Franky House.
Although it had been mostly dismantled by the Straw Hat crew and the Galley-La foremen earlier.
But Franky was a top-tier craftsman, after all, and he had mostly repaired it over the last few days.
"Creak."
Tatsuya pushed the door open and entered.
Inside, Franky was hunched over a table covered in blueprints, writing and drawing with a pen, a nail clamped in his mouth.
Seeing Tatsuya enter, Franky looked up and pushed up his sunglasses:
"Yo, red-eyed kid. Not joining the banquet?"
Tatsuya didn't waste words.
He walked straight to the large drafting table and heavily dropped the heavy briefcases onto the blueprints.
"Thump! Thump!"
The dull thuds made the table shake.
"What's this?" Franky was startled.
Tatsuya reached out, popped the latches on the cases, and flipped the lids open.
"Clatter—"
The golden light and the reflection of green banknotes instantly illuminated the somewhat dim room.
It was neatly stacked Berries, as well as several high-purity gold bricks brought down from the Skypiea.
"Huh?!"
The nail in Franky's mouth fell out, and his sunglasses slipped to the tip of his nose as he stared dumbfounded at the money on the table:
"This... how much money is this?!"
"Five hundred million Berries."
Tatsuya pulled a cigarette from his coat, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Then he leaned against the doorframe, looking at Franky through the swirling smoke:
"This is all of our savings."
"What do you mean by this, kid?" Franky frowned.
"If it's to compensate for the house and my men's medical bills, this is way too much."
"That counts as part of it, but this is mainly the commission for building a ship."
Tatsuya walked up to Franky and pressed his hand onto the pile of money:
"Franky."
"I know you have that thing in your possession... the strongest wood in the world—"
"Treasure Tree Adam."
Franky's pupils contracted sharply: "How do you know..."
"I'm an intelligence officer, don't ask why."
Tatsuya interrupted him, those black eyes seemingly able to see through one's heart:
"I want you to buy that tree."
"Five hundred million Berries, using the highest-grade materials, the craziest design, and your beyond-the-era modification technology."
Tatsuya turned his head, looking out at the vast sea through the window:
"For my Captain... no, for the future Pirate King."
"Build a dream ship capable of crossing ten thousand waves, ignoring any storm, and reaching the end of the world, Laugh Tale."
Silence fell over the room.
Franky looked at the cases of money, then at Tatsuya's eyes, which were filled with ambition and trust.
After a long while.
"Heh..."
Franky suddenly started laughing.
He pushed his sunglasses back into place, and his blue pompadour seemed to become even more upright.
"That's truly... a commission I can't refuse."
"Five hundred million Berries... just enough to buy that tree."
Franky slammed his hand on the table, making the banknotes flutter:
"Listen up, bespectacled kid!"
"Since you have such good taste, then this great one will take this job!!"
"I will build a super warship that will make the whole world's jaws drop!!"
"Just you wait and see!! SUPER!!!!"
Seeing Franky fired up like that, the corners of Tatsuya's mouth curled up slightly.
"Yeah, I'll be waiting."
"Don't make us wait too long, Mr. Shipwright."
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