Chapter 56: Pirate King of the East Blue

"Besides wrapping and hardening, Armament Haki has many other applications; I won't bore you with them all. In short, while techniques vary in difficulty to learn, there is no distinction of strength or weakness in actual combat."

Garp said in a deep voice, "In the end, no matter which technique you excel at, you must raise its intensity! Only intensity is the foundation of Armament Haki, and that is the direction you should focus on improving!"

Siano had long understood this principle.

Overwhelming force breaks all methods; it was just like when sparring in swordsmanship with Sister Sister Guyina and Zoro earlier...

Whoosh—

Suddenly, the treetops in the distance rustled loudly, startling birds into flight.

Interrupted from his thoughts, Siano looked up following the sound, just in time to see a figure wearing a wide-brimmed coffee-colored hat descending from the sky using Moon Walk.

Bogart?

Siano recognized the visitor's identity at a glance.

This fellow looked very young, appearing to be in his twenties or thirties, but he had begun following Garp before the God Valley Incident, making him at least the same generation as Akainu.

"Mr. Garp."

Bogart spoke with a furrowed brow, "Vice Admiral Fire Mountain sent a communication stating that he has already driven the Buggy Pirates out of the East Blue and is currently docked at a nearby naval port; he plans to depart for Marineford first thing tomorrow morning, so we must set out immediately."

"Why the rush?"

Garp picked at his ear impatiently, "I've only been back in my hometown for a few days; can't I rest for two more days?"

"But your leave period is about to expire, and don't forget, Vice Admiral, we hitched a ride on someone else's ship to get here; your flagship is still undergoing repairs at Headquarters."

Bogart remained expressionless, "If we don't leave now, tomorrow we'll have to swim across the Calm Belt ourselves."

"... Uh." Garp froze mid-motion.

Swimming across the Calm Belt wasn't particularly difficult for him, but it was truly exhausting; how could it compare to the comfort of lying on the deck basking in the sun every day?

"Alright."

Garp compromised helplessly; just then, Luffy and Ace walked over, and he reached out his large hand, vigorously rubbing the heads of his two grandsons.

"I'm leaving! Remember to listen to Dadan; if by the time I return next you still don't look like proper Marine recruits, just see how I deal with you!"

Who wants to be a Marine! Luffy grumbled, about to shout, but Ace shot him a look to stop him—Idiot, he's about to leave; can't you just go along with what he says!

"Mr. Garp."

This time it was Siano who spoke, calling out to Garp who was already preparing to turn away.

He clenched his fist, feeling that faint trace of Armament Haki aura, "Aren't you going to explain?"

"What?" Garp looked at him blankly.

"I'm not a child so easily fooled." Siano grinned, "I can understand why you think highly of me, but ultimately we aren't that close; there's no reason for you to teach me such good things upon our first meeting."

"Didn't you save Luffy once from the mountain bandits last year? Isn't it perfectly normal for a grandfather to repay this life-saving debt on behalf of his grandson?" Garp raised an eyebrow.

"That was just a misunderstanding; I don't believe Luffy didn't explain it clearly to you."

"... Can't hide it after all, huh?" Garp scratched the back of his head somewhat dejectedly.

"Fine, then I'll just tell the truth; originally, when there was a vacancy among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, I was the one who first proactively suggested to Sengoku inviting Sea Knight Jinbe to join."

"Originally, I simply felt that given Jinbe's character, letting him fill this position was better than granting legitimate plundering rights to other pirates, but I didn't expect the subsequent series of messes: the Sun Pirates splitting up, Arlon establishing his own faction, and fleeing to the East Blue."

"On Conomi Island, multiple towns suffered heavy casualties."

Garp let out a long sigh, "And if Cocoyasi Village hadn't produced a little monster like you, it probably would have shared the same fate; therefore, when I first saw your photo in the newspaper, I felt guilt in my heart, and meeting you in person made me feel even more uneasy."

"There's no need for that." Siano shook his head slightly, "Dragging Jinbe into Arlon's grievances is already the limit; what does that have to do with you?"

"But ultimately, it's hard to get over this hurdle in my heart; however, hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better."

Garp suddenly grinned, patting his shoulder, "Consider Armament Haki my compensation to you; continue cultivating diligently, kid, and make yourself stronger! With your aptitude, one day you will become so strong that even if you've been gone for a long time, those with ill intent will hear your hometown mentioned and flee in terror like homeless dogs!"

You are certainly strong enough, and your reputation is already terrifyingly huge.

But when the Mountain Bandit King Higuma broke into Foosha Village...

Siano couldn't help but think sarcastically, but ultimately didn't say it aloud; standing together with Luffy and Ace, he watched Garp and Bogart's figures gradually recede, disappearing beyond the edge of the forest.

"That was tough; the old geezer finally left!"

Luffy completely relaxed, lying on the grass and stretching comfortably, then suddenly remembering something, he turned his head and looked at Siano with a grin:

"Hey, Big Brother Siano! We're heading back to find Dadan; do you want to come too? We'll hold a banquet and celebrate properly!"

"By the time we get there, it'll be late night, won't it? Manba and the others came with me this time; there are quite a few people, so I'm afraid there won't be enough room."

"Don't worry, there are plenty of empty rooms! We can arrange everything! Sabo's room has been unoccupied; you can stay there tonight!"

Sabo's room, huh?

Siano nodded, revealing a sincere smile: "Alright."

At the dock.

Bogart, who was preparing to buy ship tickets to the nearby naval port, looked at Garp yawning beside him and finally realized what was wrong.

"Mr. Garp, where is your dog-head hat?"

"Hm?"

Garp was startled, instinctively reached to check, and indeed found it empty.

"How strange..." The old man puzzledly patted all four of his pockets, "I clearly remember picking it up and stuffing it into my pocket after the fight; could I have accidentally dropped it again?"

"Your careless habit of losing things is truly hard to change..." Bogart said speechlessly.

"You only know how to criticize me?" Garp glared at him dissatisfiedly, "Are you any better? Let me ask you, where is your hat?"

"Isn't it right here on my head?"

Bogart didn't understand Garp's meaning; smiling lightly, he reached up with his right hand to touch the top of his head, but grasped at thin air, instantly dumbfounded.

Eh, where is my hat?!!

Could it be that the wind at the dock was strong, and it accidentally blew away?

……

"All good stuff, wow."

Late at night, leaning against Sabo's headboard, Siano's face was flushed; having eaten and drunk his fill, he let out a long burp and looked contentedly at the system panel before him.

The stream of information scrolling by one after another confirmed the sweat and effort he had expended.

【You sacrificed Garp's dog-head hat and obtained 4000 points.】

【You sacrificed Bogart's wide-brimmed top hat and obtained 200 points.】

【You sacrificed Sabo's old coat and obtained 150 points.】

【You sacrificed Ace's adult magazines hidden under the bed and obtained 250 points.】

【You sacrificed Dadan's treasured wine and obtained 50 points.】

【You sacrificed Luffy's counterfeit straw hat and obtained 3000 points.】

(End of Chapter)