Chapter 29 – Who Do You Think I Am? Bring the Ship Around!
Zou Island.
A mysterious island located deep within the New World.
According to legend, Zou rests upon the back of an enormous elephant that has lived for over a thousand years. Its legs reach down to the ocean floor, its body towers into the heavens, and its back is vast enough to carry an entire island as it slowly roams across the seas.
The inhabitants of Zou are the Mink Tribe—beastmen, in more direct terms.
They detest outsiders and forbid anyone from setting foot upon their land. Because of this, Zou has never fallen under the jurisdiction of the World Government.
What makes it even more elusive is that, as a moving island, ordinary Log Poses used to navigate the New World cannot point the way to it.
After Bogart gave Garp a quick rundown of what little was known about Zou, the old Vice Admiral fell silent.
Roger was on a moving island that couldn't be reached by any normal means…
How in the world was he supposed to give chase?
"Hey, Bogart—are you trying to make fun of me here?!"
Garp barked, glaring with clear irritation. "If the Log Pose doesn't work, then how am I supposed to find this Zou Island? And another thing—where exactly did this information come from? Did that guy actually see the island himself?"
Garp's voice boomed through the air. Nearby, Aokiji and Yoriichi, who had been sparring moments earlier, paused mid-exchange. They sheathed their weapons and moved closer, listening intently to the conversation.
"The report came from G-33 Base," Bogart explained. "They extracted the information from a group of captured pirates. According to the pirates, they ran into the Roger Pirates while drinking at Dressrosa about a week ago. They overheard talk that Roger's crew had stopped there to charge their Log Poses before setting sail again."
"So G-33 deduced that the Roger Pirates must've been heading for Zou," Bogart concluded.
Garp's scowl slowly faded as he mulled over the details. Then, a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Alright then! We're setting sail for Dressrosa!" he said, his voice booming with renewed vigor. "If Roger really stopped there, then Zou can't be too far away! Even if we can't locate the island directly, we can trace his course from Dressrosa and figure out where he's headed next!"
Chapter 30 – Who Do You Think I Am? Bring the Ship Around!
The moment Garp finished speaking, he turned on his heel and strode straight toward the naval harbor—clearly intent on setting out immediately. Yoriichi and Aokiji exchanged a glance, hefted their bamboo swords, and followed after him without a word.
During Garp's stay at G-10 Base, his crew had continued to live aboard their ship, using the base's training grounds only for drills. It was a deliberate arrangement—so that the moment any news of Roger surfaced, they could set sail without delay.
"Vice Admiral Garp," Bogart called after him, worry creasing his brow, "Dressrosa points to three different islands. There's no guarantee the Roger Pirates will go to any specific one of them. And if Roger's crew has an Eternal Log Pose, they could veer off in a completely different direction."
"If we set out like this, there's a good chance we'll come up empty-handed! It'll take nearly a month just to reach Dressrosa. Shouldn't we report to Headquarters first and—"
Before Bogart could finish, Garp cut him off with a booming laugh.
"If we need permission every time we take action, we'd never get anything done!"
"I've already decided—we're heading for Dressrosa!"
He clapped Bogart on the shoulder and added with a grin, "I know what's got you worried. A voyage like this burns through supplies, and if we come back empty-handed, Sengoku will probably have Kong yelling my ear off! Hahaha!"
"But it's fine! If there's one thing the New World isn't short on, it's pirates! Even if we don't find Roger right away, we'll definitely run into a few worth catching along the way!"
"By the time we reach Dressrosa, there's no way we'll return without results!"
Garp's grin widened into a full-throated laugh. "We'll just blast through anyone who gets in our way! Kong won't have a word to say about that! Gahahahaha!"
With that, he quickened his pace, marching straight for the Dog-Head Battleship.
Back aboard, Garp ordered the crew to sound the assembly broadcast. One by one, sailors began rushing back to the ship.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of Rear Admiral Roka, commander of the G-10 Base. The old man stormed out of the command building, face red with irritation.
"Leaving without even saying goodbye? How rude!" he shouted—though his words were soon drowned out by the roar of the sea.
Within ten minutes, the crew had fully assembled. Standing at the bow, Garp bellowed toward the dock:
"Uncle Roka! I'll bring you back a souvenir next time!"
"As for the royal reparations from the Neel Kingdom—file the expenses under Sengoku's account! I already talked to him about it!"
"See you around, hahaha!"
The mooring lines were cast off, the anchor began to rise, and the Dog-Head Battleship's sails unfurled in the wind. The ship slowly glided forward, its engines thundering across the harbor. Garp waved one last time to Roka before stepping back onto the deck.
Roka stood at the edge of the pier, watching the battleship shrink into the distance. A faint smile touched his lips as he muttered softly to himself,
"I wonder if this old man will ever get to taste that souvenir of yours…"
His back hunched slightly as he turned away. Watching the Dog-Head Battleship fade into the horizon, he fell silent for a long moment before finally heading back toward the base.
Out on this perilous sea, farewells often turned out to be forever. Such was especially true in the Navy—many who set sail never came home again.
Roka knew Garp's strength well, but he also knew how dangerous the Roger Pirates were. Even for Garp, this pursuit would not be without risk.
"Juuuuuuu——!"
BOOM!
A sharp whistle tore through the air, followed by a thunderous explosion that shattered the calm of the open sea.
"Quick! Turn her around! Bring the ship about and return fire!"
On the vast waters ahead, chaos erupted aboard a pirate vessel flying a skull-and-crossbones flag. Its captain, Casper Lyman, drew the long blade from his waist and shouted orders, trying to steady his panicked crew.
The Lyman Pirates carried a combined bounty of 210 million berries. Lyman himself was worth 80 million.
They had only entered the New World earlier that year, already infamous across the West Blue. Their most notorious feat was escaping a joint naval ambush led by three Vice Admirals—sinking one of their ships in the process.
Now, however, the Lyman Pirates found themselves being rapidly pursued by a single navy ship—the Dog-Head Battleship closing in fast from astern.
Whoever was aboard that ship clearly hadn't heard of the Lyman Pirates—or didn't care. One ship alone, and they still dared to charge right in.
"Captain! We won't have time to evade—the enemy's closing in fast!" a crewman yelled, panic in his voice. "We should fall back first!"
"Too late to dodge? Fall back?!" Lyman snarled, veins bulging on his neck. "It's just one navy ship! And you expect me to run?!"
"Three navy warships couldn't take me down before, and now you want me to retreat from one?!"
He slammed his fist into the railing, his voice turning to a roar.
"Do you even know who the hell I am?!"
"A little damage is nothing! Bring the ship around—get close and board them! We'll smash that navy ship to splinters and use its planks to patch our own!"
Lyman bellowed as he seized a crewmate by the collar and hurled him aside. Then, leaping up to the sternmast, he swung his gleaming blade, cutting clean through two incoming cannonballs.
BOOM!
The shells split apart midair and exploded harmlessly above the waves, their shrapnel scattering into the sea.
Lyman grinned as he lowered his sword, seeing no further cannon fire from the approaching warship.
"Heh. Guess they've realized just who they're up against… and given up the bombardment!"
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