Chapter 422

Under Sima Di's precise guidance, they returned to their temporary residence in about ten minutes.

Sima Di pushed the door open panting and found everything as usual.

It seems Koby hasn't arrived yet. But even if they arrived early, it wouldn't matter; Zoro could still...

"Sima Di, you're back," Usopp said.

He was currently teaching Merry how to read characters.

"Mm, I'm back."

"Huh? That's rare. Zoro actually let you return first."

"What are you talking about? He doesn't..."

Sima Di turned his head while speaking, but froze.

"He's gone!" Sima Di shouted. "How on earth did he get lost even with someone guiding him!"

Zi Zi Busheng saw Sima Di rush in frantically pushing the door, sensed something was wrong, put down the pudding he had snatched from Luffy's grasp, and sprinted at a speed of one hundred meters per three seconds to lock himself inside the wardrobe.

Damn! How could he forget about Koby! Even if he could let his pirate grandson off, he might not let off a traitor of CP9 and a member of the Revolutionary Army like him!

Just as Zi Zi Busheng slammed the wardrobe door shut with a bang, a crash echoed behind Luffy, and the wall was directly punched through a hole.

"You... are the Straw Hat Pirates, right?"

Luffy's grandfather Koby made a shining entrance, and incidentally taught Luffy a lesson with his fist of love.

This time, everyone was far less surprised; they all nodded silently, and the word Haki rose in their hearts.

However, the mention of Shanks the Red-Haired later in Koby's words still made everyone slightly shocked.

It turned out Luffy was actually connected to one of the Four Emperors.

Just as Koby finished speaking about Shanks, he heard commotion outside the house.

"Hm? What's going on?" Koby looked toward the sound. "Oh... it's Luffy's companions. They look fierce! Hey, you two, go stop him."

"Yes!" Two voices answered with great momentum.

Zoro directly intercepted the attack and paid special attention upon seeing the opponent was using a very rare ancient blade.

"Hey! Zoro! Wait! Don't go crazy!" Luffy, fearing Zoro would get serious, hurried out to stop him, but was instead kicked upward by another person.

Luffy barely dodged.

This technique is... Soru?

No matter how strong these two were, they were instantly taken down by Luffy and Zoro.

Sima Di heard a faint noise coming from inside the wardrobe. He guessed it must be that guy Zi Zi Busheng wanting to see, but hesitating to come out of the wardrobe due to fear of Koby.

Koby laughed heartily. "They are no match at all!"

Sima Di took two steps forward and clearly saw the two people whose appearances had changed beyond recognition.

That pink-haired boy is Koby, and that yellow-haired boy is... huh? What was his name again?

Sima Di pinched his chin and thought seriously.

On the other side, Luffy and Zoro also easily remembered Koby, but could not recall the other person at all.

"It's me! It's me!" the yellow-haired boy shouted, pointing at his own face.

Luffy and Zoro looked completely confused, unable to remember this guy at all.

"If you can't remember, Sima Di should at least remember me!" The yellow-haired boy took two steps to stand before Sima Di, took off his glasses, and leaned his face close.

"Ah! I know you!" Sima Di clapped his hands.

"Great, you still remember me..." The yellow-haired boy cried tears of emotion.

"I know you! You are... you are... that useless son of a Marine with braces!" Sima Di held back for a long time before finally uttering such a sentence.

The yellow-haired boy's tears of emotion instantly flowed backward.

So this is the impression he has in other people's minds?

"What about your name?" the yellow-haired boy clung to the last shred of hope.

"Sorry, I really can't remember, haha." Sima Di gave an awkward smile.

"My name is Bellamy, Bellamy! Make sure to remember it properly!"

Bellamy's red heart shattered into a mush of rice porridge.

Old friends not seen for a long time, a rare chance to catch up.

The few of them chatted briefly about the current situation, while Vice Admiral Koby resignedly repaired the wall—the trouble left after his "shining entrance."

Zi Zi Busheng, trapped inside the wardrobe, felt as if countless cats were scratching his heart; he desperately wanted to push the door open and witness these "acquaintances" with his own eyes. But his reason warned him, no, absolutely not...

As Koby continued repairing the wall, he remembered some topics that should not have been brought up.

"By the way, Luffy! I heard you met your father?"

Within the short thirty seconds that followed, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, was revealed.

"Too late to realize," Koby slapped his own head.

"Oh my! Looks like I shouldn't have said that! Then just pretend I didn't say it..."

All the Marines present and Luffy and others were surprised, defeated by this lovely Vice Admiral Koby.

"Never mind, since I've already said so much that shouldn't have been said, let's add a little more," Vice Admiral Koby said.

Sima Di's heart gave a jolt. Is there more?

Vice Admiral Koby turned to look at Sima Di, his expression serious.

"You are Luffy's vice-captain, Sima Di, right?"

"Uh... ah, yes!" Sima Di answered in a panic.

Zi Zi Busheng inside the wardrobe also began to tense up. Could this unreliable Vice Admiral Koby be about to...

"You..."

"What?"

"... Do you want to join the Marines?"

Everyone fell silent, their expressions utterly stunned.

The worst thing in the world is when the air suddenly goes quiet.

Sima Di's train of thought couldn't keep up with this adorable Vice Admiral Garp. It took him a while to remember to speak.

"W-why...?"

"Haha, no reason. I just find you quite likable. If you join the Marines, how about I grant you the rank of Rear Admiral directly?" Garp tossed out a huge piece of bait.

The highest rank in the Marines is Fleet Admiral, the commander of the Marines. Next are the three Admirals. Then comes Vice Admiral, a rank Garp himself holds. Below Vice Admiral is Rear Admiral.

Among the Eleven Supernovas, "Red Flag" X... 【illegible text】... had a bounty of 220 million Berries, slightly higher than Luffy's. Although his strength certainly improved after becoming a pirate, one cannot deny the power a Marine Rear Admiral represents within the Marines.

If nothing unexpected happens, every Marine Rear Admiral possesses strength worthy of a bounty of at least one hundred million.

The Straw Hat Pirates stared tightly at Sima Di, waiting for his decision.

"I don't understand..." Sima Di said after thinking for a moment.

"What don't you understand?" Garp asked.

"Pirates defecting to become Marines happens often, but I've never heard of a pirate becoming a Marine." Sima Di looked at Garp, mustering his courage.

"That's right, that's right, Grandpa is just causing trouble!" Luffy nodded.

"You have no right to call others causing trouble!" the entire Straw Hat crew retorted.

Garp laughed, unconcerned: "True, but that's for others. If it's you, there's no problem. Moreover, there have been pirates who became Marines in history. Besides... being Luffy's companion, I can trust your character. Recommending you to become a Marine is just a casual matter." Garp answered seriously, "And if you become a Marine, you can also help balance those arrogant guys."

Those arrogant guys...

That must refer to the Spades!

Garp indeed knows those guys exist!

If that's the case, Sima Di joining the Marines would be tantamount to declaring his return to the Spades. Whether it's the guys above in the Marines or the people of the Spades, they would both be happy to see this situation.

"Balance those guys..." Sima Di repeated in a low voice.

Garp saying such things clearly shows he strongly disapproves of the Spades' existence. If he really joins the Marines...

Seeing Sima Di wavering, Garp continued to add weight to the scale.

"If you choose to join the Marines, I am willing to lend you the power of the Marines to accomplish what you wish to accomplish. Others perhaps cannot do it, but you can... Those guys are a mess of muddy water, though it is very important muddy water."