The Grand Line.
Water 7.
Franky House.
As usual, everyone was sprawled out in a drunken stupor, fast asleep after a wild party.
Suddenly, in the middle of the empty room, a door opened out of thin air. Several figures leaped through the portal one after another.
"Target confirmed. It's definitely Franky!"
"Check his abdomen. According to the Commodore, there should be a mechanism to open it!"
"Blueno, you do it. I have no desire to touch that pervert!"
Upon hearing Lucci's order, Kalifa immediately refused. The idea of touching a man's body—especially a pervert like Franky—was a job she wanted no part of.
Blueno said nothing and went straight to work. He began feeling around Franky's body, probing left and right. Kalifa found the sight an absolute eyesore and simply turned away.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Blueno to find the trigger. In the next instant, Franky's abdomen swung open like the door of a safe, revealing the contents within.
Blueno retrieved the items and verified them.
"Lucci, it's all in ancient text, but there are several design blueprints here. It looks correct."
"Good. Ancient text is what we're looking for. Swap them with the prepared documents and let's get out of here!"
"Understood!"
Nodding, Blueno pulled out a thick stack of papers. He compared them to the blueprints of Pluton, selected a portion, and ensured they matched the weight of the originals before stuffing them into Franky's abdomen. Finally, he gently closed the hatch.
"Retreat!"
At the command, the others nodded. Just as they had arrived, Blueno activated the Door-Door Fruit once more.
'''
An hour later.
The group had re-boarded their ship and sailed away from the harbor, beginning their journey back to the East Blue.
"Lucci, are we really not handing this over to the World Government?"
"Exactly. If we gave this to the World Government, it would be a massive achievement."
"Shut up! Whatever Lucci decides is what we do!"
"Lucci, you make the call. We're with you!"
Listening to the four of them, Lucci looked at the blueprints of Pluton in his hand. He seemed to hesitate for a moment.
But very quickly, he made his decision.
"Sean was right about one thing: regardless of who possesses these blueprints, it is not a good thing for the world!"
"Therefore..."
In the next moment, Lucci produced a lighter and set the stack of blueprints ablaze.
"Remember, you are no longer members of CP9. You are Marines of the Marine's 16th Branch."
"And betrayal... no matter when or where, is the most unacceptable act of all!"
'''
East Blue.
Marine's 16th Branch.
Inside the military tent serving as Sean's temporary office.
"Commodore, the Pluton blueprints have been destroyed."
"You did well. Come back now."
"Understood!"
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sean was satisfied with Lucci's performance.
As for the actual Pluton ship resting beneath the sands of Alabasta... there was no rush for that. (T/N: Wasn't Pluton in wano?)
After all, if he tried to recover Pluton now, he didn't possess the absolute strength required to defend it. Doing so would only attract immense trouble. Since the ship wasn't going anywhere, he could wait two or three years.
Next was the matter of that kid, Luffy.
While Garp's promise was tempting, Sean was in no mood to repeatedly deal with a boy so full of selfishness and such warped values.
"Someone come in!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
At Sean's call, the messenger outside immediately entered.
"Bring Luffy here!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
A few minutes later, Luffy appeared in Sean's temporary office.
"Well? You've seen what pirates are really like, and you've been back for over half a month now. Have you thought it through?"
"Yeah!"
Sean was genuinely surprised by the answer. Had the kid actually changed his ways?
Unfortunately, Luffy's next words left him completely speechless.
"Being a pirate and becoming the Pirate King is my dream! Those guys from before? They don't even deserve to be called pirates!"
Good grief...
'Those guys don't deserve to be called pirates?' What kind of logic was that? In Sean's eyes, those people were the definition of actual pirates!
"So, you still intend to be a pirate? You still want to be the Pirate King in the future?"
"That's right! It's my dream, and no one can stop me. I'll bet my life on it!"
Luffy's gaze was unwavering.
Looking at him, Sean could only mutter silently in his heart: 'This guy... is a lost cause!'
"Fine. Since your mind is made up, I'll have someone escort you back to Foosha Village tomorrow. Why don't you go say goodbye to Ace and Makino before you leave?"
"Eh? You're not arresting me?"
"You aren't a pirate yet. Why would I arrest you?"
"Oh, so you are a good person! Shishishi!!"
'A good person...'
'When you set sail and become a pirate three years from now, you'll find out exactly what kind of person I am!!'
Waving his hand, Sean told Luffy to get lost. Then, he picked up the Den Den Mushi and called Garp.
"This is Garp!"
"Old man, I've got some good news and some bad news for you. Which one do you want first?"
"Sean, you brat! Give me the good news first!"
"Alright. Ace has come around and officially joined the Marine. He's currently undergoing recruit training!"
"Really?"
This was indeed great news. Given Ace's unique heritage, if he had become a pirate, his identity would have been exposed sooner or later. When that happened, not even Garp could have protected him. Now, that worry was gone.
Garp was instantly overjoyed.
"Of course! Ace said that this Great Pirate Era was created by Roger, so he feels it's his responsibility to end it with his own hands!"
"Good, good! That's wonderful! What about Luffy?"
"Well, that's the bad news..."
The Den Den Mushi, which had been mimicking Garp's excitement, suddenly shifted into an expression of worry.
"Luffy... what happened to him?"
"Actually, it's nothing major. I had Lucci take him out to see what pirates are like, and they happened to run into some pirates slaughtering a village. Out of over a hundred people, everyone was brutally murdered except for five women."
"Those damn pirates!"
Garp exploded in rage. Slaughtering a village was the most heinous of crimes, and for it to happen in his own homeland was simply unforgivable.
"Sean, since you're in the East Blue, you must find those pirates!"
"Don't worry, Lucci and the other Marines wiped out those pirates on the spot!"
"Good, good! Well done!"
"Now, don't get ahead of yourself, old man. Here is the real issue."
Before Garp could enjoy the moment, Sean's tone shifted.
"At the time, right in front of all the Marines, Luffy questioned Lucci on why he had to kill those pirates when he could have just arrested them."
"That little brat!"
The entire village had been slaughtered, and yet Luffy had the nerve to ask Lucci why he killed the pirates in front of everyone?
'Is my grandson an idiot?'
Well, alright—his grandson actually was a bit of an idiot.
Come to think of it, Garp's family spanned three generations.
The grandfather seemed unreliable on the surface, but deep down, he understood everything. The father was perhaps the most normal of the lot.
And the grandson...
It was enough to bring a tear to one's eye!
"Old man, I'm truly at my wit's end with your grandson. I'll have someone send him back to Foosha Village tomorrow. It looks like I can only fulfill half of what I promised you."
"Sigh... forget it. Let Luffy decide his own path from here on. Still, I owe you a great deal for what you did for Ace. My previous promise still stands—as long as it doesn't conflict with Justice, I'll grant you any one request in the future!"
Garp sighed softly. He didn't blame Sean for giving up halfway; in his eyes, Sean had already done more than enough.
"Old man, let me give you a piece of advice."
"I'm listening!"
"If you don't want to witness your own grandson being led to the execution platform in the future, throw him into Impel Down for a few years. We can let him out once we've brought this Great Pirate Era to an end."
"This..."