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"Huh?"
Aboard the Going Merry.
As Robin read aloud the news article, Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Iron Fist Garp? Grandpa?"
Iron Fist Garp?
Was that his grandpa's nickname?
And he even fought against that Ksitigarbha King, Shaka?
Well, it made sense. His grandpa's fists were definitely tougher than steel. Every time he got punched, the pain was unbearable.
"Grandpa?"
Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Robin all stared blankly at Luffy.
Usopp thought he must have misheard and asked, "Luffy, what did you just say?"
"Huh? I never told you guys?" Luffy blinked in confusion, seeing everyone's stunned faces. "My grandpa's a Marine."
"Gulp! Your grandpa is Marine Hero Garp? That legendary Vice Admiral?!" Nami asked in disbelief.
"Yeah..." Luffy nodded matter-of-factly. "What's the problem?"
"..."
The Straw Hats exchanged looks, at a complete loss for words.
His grandpa was a Marine hero, his sworn brother was the son of the Pirate King, and he himself was aiming to become the Pirate King?
"Luffy, I never expected your background to be this insane!" Robin said, astonished.
She truly hadn't imagined that Luffy's grandfather was the legendary Marine hero.
That meant Shaka had even fought against his grandpa!
"But speaking of which, that Ksitigarbha King is seriously powerful. Even Marine Admirals couldn't defeat him..."
Chopper's eyes sparkled with admiration. He looked at Luffy curiously, then pointed to the newspaper images of high-ranking Marines and eagerly asked, "Luffy, since your grandpa is Vice Admiral Garp, do you know this Admiral, Steel Bone Kong, or this Vice Admiral, Sengoku?"
"Steel Bone Kong? Sengoku?"
Luffy scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Nope, Grandpa never mentioned them."
Well, considering even his grandpa, Monkey D. Garp, was only a Vice Admiral, those who managed to become Admirals or Fleet Admirals must be insanely strong.
And that only further proved how terrifyingly powerful this mysterious Ksitigarbha King, Shaka, truly was.
"Sengoku later became an Admiral and is now the Fleet Admiral," Robin said, taking a deep breath. "And the previous Fleet Admiral? That was none other than Steel Bone Kong, the one who was defeated by Ksitigarbha King Shaka. Now, he's the Commander-in-Chief of the entire World Government military."
She hadn't expected this at all.
Shaka was unbelievably strong.
To rescue his friend, he dared to attack a Celestial Dragon head-on.
Even the so-called highest combat power of the Marines—the Admirals—couldn't stop him.
Steel Bone Kong, once an Admiral and now the highest-ranking military official in the World Government, was personally defeated by him.
As for the part in the article that said he "fled in panic"?
Clearly, the Marines couldn't do anything to stop him, and he simply broke through their encirclement and left unscathed.
"Unbelievable!" Nami was in shock.
She didn't fully grasp how strong the Fleet Admiral was.
But someone who could reach the top of the Marine hierarchy had to be incredibly powerful.
Defeating an Admiral was already impressive, but even with Vice Admirals Garp and Sengoku—two legends of the Marines—rushing in as reinforcements, they still couldn't take him down.
And all of this, just to save a friend.
That kind of loyalty and courage was truly admirable.
The Straw Hats were all amazed.
They simply couldn't wrap their heads around how someone just a few years older than them could have such an insane record.
Not only had Shaka defeated the former Admiral Steel Bone Kong, but even after both Sengoku and Garp showed up, he still managed to escape without a scratch.
"Ksitigarbha King... Shaka..."
Robin, recovering from her shock, murmured, "I never expected him to be such a powerful figure."
Right now, she was still adjusting to being with the Straw Hat crew.
After Crocodile was defeated and Baroque Works collapsed, she had nowhere else to go and had temporarily joined the crew.
But she didn't feel a deep sense of belonging yet.
At best, she had some goodwill toward Luffy for saving her.
Of course, she had saved him back in Alabasta, too.
Having experienced countless betrayals and learned to betray others to survive, Robin was extremely cautious and distrusting.
She had only just boarded the Going Merry, and real trust hadn't been built yet.
She clutched the newspaper tightly.
A mix of anticipation, anxiety, and inner turmoil filled her heart.
If she never returned to the past... would he really come looking for her?
"Robin, keep looking!"
"Yeah, there must be more interesting news in those papers!"
The crew was itching with curiosity, unwilling to let it go.
Robin had planned to search further anyway, so she quickly flipped through the old newspapers, scanning for more information on Shaka.
And then she found another report.
This one was about a conflict between Shaka and the infamous pirate captain, Rocks D. Xebec.
"February 15, Year 1470 of the Sea Calendar: The Renegade Monk Shaka rejected an offer to join the Rocks Pirates, clashed with Rocks, and battled him for an entire day and night before leaving unharmed!"
"Rocks?"
"Never heard of a Rocks Pirates before!"
"Must've been a big shot pirate back in the day."
The Straw Hats listened intently as Robin read the report.
Nami and Chopper were practically turning into fanboys and fangirls.
Even if they didn't know who Rocks was, every single one of Shaka's opponents had been a world-famous powerhouse!
Rocks must have been a terrifying pirate in his era.
"Don't forget, that's a bounty from 50 years ago..." Sanji, cigarette between his lips, pointed out. "If he hadn't been trapped in the Rainbow Mist, his bounty today might be even higher."
"Really?!"
Nami, Chopper, and Luffy's eyes widened.
Usopp gawked. "Then doesn't that mean Shaka's bounty could rival the Four Emperors like Whitebeard and Big Mom?!"
"It's possible," Zoro admitted for once, nodding thoughtfully.
"Not necessarily..." Robin mused. "Once a bounty reaches a certain point, it's hard to increase further. Whitebeard, the so-called King of the Seas, had a bounty of 4 billion Berries twenty years ago, and now it's just over 5 billion."
"After all, Shaka is a solo fighter, aside from his panda companion, White Dragon. He never built a crew or joined a major force."
"His absurdly high bounty was mostly because he killed a Celestial Dragon and enraged the World Government."
Just then—
Two massive ships appeared in the distance.
"We're the Ape Mountain Allied Forces! The treasure from this wreck is ours!" a burly, ape-like man roared. "Be smart and leave, pirates!"
"Huh?"
"Ape Mountain Allied Forces?"
The Straw Hats were stunned, eyeing the newcomers curiously.
"Treasure?"
Nami's eyes sparkled instantly.
She planted her hands on her hips and declared, "No way! Finders keepers! We got here first, so it's ours!"
"Heh, there's a rule among pirates—strike first!" a grinning, monkey-faced brute sneered.
Before anyone could react—
Cannon fire erupted from their ships, blasting straight at the Going Merry.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
"....."