Garp and the others managed to leave Wano without much trouble.
In fact, things went almost too smoothly. Kaido never appeared from beginning to end.
It was only later that they learned he had gone out looking for food again.
King the Wildfire did attempt to stop them, but Yamato, who had arrived with the ship, joined Marco in holding him off.
Marco intended to remain in Wano for the time being and help Yamato deal with the aftermath.
There was little doubt that after everything that had happened, the Beasts Pirates would retaliate against Kuri.
Marco planned to stay until those problems were settled.
With his current strength, escaping from the Beasts Pirates afterward would not be difficult.
As for Yasopp, without Shanks's permission, he could not openly launch an attack against the Beasts Pirates.
Protecting the food shipment earlier had technically been self-defense, so that was different.
The moment he learned that Garp intended to transport the new recruits to a Marine fleet, Yasopp asked Yamato for a small boat and immediately rowed away by himself.
Garp watched him closely from behind.
The only reason he had not attacked Yasopp earlier was because of Shanks.
But now that the man was sailing away on his own…
How could Garp possibly let him leave without throwing a few cannonballs?
And so Yasopp finally experienced the same miserable situation Cain had suffered when Yasopp used to shoot at him across the sea.
In a strange way, Cain's grandfather had avenged him.
Yasopp could only fire back while rowing frantically and constantly changing direction, inching his way toward the East Blue.
Yes.
The East Blue.
Yamato had also asked Yasopp to deliver the Seastone components Cain needed for the weapon he planned to forge.
So Yasopp intended to create a miracle with nothing but his two hands, one gun, and a pair of oars.
"Like hell I do! There's no way I'm rowing all the way there!"
Yasopp hurled down an oar and slammed the Seastone components strapped to his back onto the bottom of the little boat.
"I'm not delivering this crap! I'm going back to our territory! If Cain wants it, he can come pick it up himself!"
Yasopp changed his mind almost immediately.
The moment he finished shouting, another cannonball came screaming toward him and nearly blasted him into the sea.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Garp watched Yasopp gradually disappear into the distance and shook his head.
He had never seriously intended to chase him down.
If Yasopp wanted to leave, then let him go.
Garp shifted his foot and only then noticed Aramaki lying beside it, battered almost beyond recognition.
He quickly untied the rope around the man's neck, though the Seastone cuffs remained firmly in place.
Then Garp gave Aramaki's face some basic treatment with bandages.
The swelling was so severe that his entire head looked like a pig's, making his original features almost impossible to recognize.
Unable to stand looking at him, Garp casually grabbed a shopping bag that had once held snacks and pulled it over Aramaki's head.
Then he dumped him near the side of the ship.
With that taken care of, Garp turned his attention toward the gathered samurai.
They had now officially left Wano's waters.
The warriors stared back at their homeland with complicated expressions, their hearts filled with anxiety, reluctance, and emotion.
Tama felt the same.
She hugged Komachiyo tightly in front of her.
The enormous komainu had come aboard too.
The Moby Dick was large enough to accommodate him, and Komachiyo had helped carry Tama's belongings aboard.
More importantly, he could not bear to be separated from her, so he had simply followed along.
At that moment, Shinobu approached Garp.
"Vice Admiral… Garp?"
She still sounded slightly uncertain about how she was supposed to address him.
"Before we left, Tenguyama Hitetsu asked me to give you this sword."
"He hopes it can become a source of strength for Tama in the future."
"But because of how dangerous the blade is, he thought it would be better to leave it in your care for now."
"You're free to use it as much as you like. Once Tama grows strong enough to control it, you can pass it on to her."
Hitetsu was Tama's master, after all.
He had thought long and hard about what kind of farewell gift he could give her before eventually settling on this sword.
Nidai Kitetsu.
One of the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades.
A cursed sword.
Hitetsu believed Garp could subdue it and keep it until Tama became worthy of wielding it—
No.
Rather, he hoped the sword itself would someday be worthy of the Tama she grew into.
"Is it really that dangerous?"
Garp clearly did not believe the stories.
He drew the blade.
A red gleam flashed through his eyes, and he immediately sensed the sinister aura radiating from the sword.
Garp did not care.
A little cursed aura?
Was it stronger than his presence?
With that thought, Garp tightened his grip around the hilt.
Armament Haki spread directly across the blade.
Nidai Kitetsu trembled slightly.
Then Garp released his Conqueror's Haki.
The sword seemed to immediately scream, 'I surrender! I surrender!'
But Garp was not satisfied.
Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki came down together.
The overwhelming pressure made everyone aboard the ship uncomfortable, though Garp precisely controlled it so none of the Conqueror's Haki leaked outward enough to harm them.
By now, the cursed Nidai Kitetsu seemed practically ready to beg for mercy.
Instead, Garp's eyes began shining with interest.
He had discovered something entertaining.
Again and again, he coated the sword in Armament and Conqueror's Haki, repeatedly hammering the cursed blade with his will.
Each time he watched its sinister aura disappear beneath his Haki, he increased the intensity.
How could Nidai Kitetsu possibly endure treatment like this?
After one coating after another, the cursed sword was practically abused into submission.
Then, once Garp had finished playing with it, he quickly lost interest.
He sheathed the blade, casually tossed it into a corner of the Moby Dick, and strode away like an irresponsible man abandoning someone immediately after having his fun.
"This old man fights with his fists! What the hell do I need a sword for?"
"And as for giving it to Tama…"
Garp snorted.
"I don't think it's good enough for her!"
Every samurai aboard stared at the sword lying abandoned in the corner.
For a moment, they could almost hear Nidai Kitetsu quietly sobbing to itself like a woman who had been thoroughly toyed with and then discarded by a heartless bastard.
That immediately ignited their tempers.
To a samurai, a sword was practically their life!
Everyone began shouting furiously at Garp.
Then Garp's overwhelming presence washed over them.
Their voices immediately shrank back down.
…
After finding a nearby island, Garp's group stopped there to wait for the Marines.
The latest Marine warships were incredibly fast.
Less than a day later, Smoker and his men arrived.
Since Garp wanted to make sure the newly recruited samurai were properly settled, he decided to accompany Smoker back to Marine Headquarters.
Bogard and a large Marine force were still stationed in Whitebeard's territory, so Garp did not need to return there immediately.
As for why they needed another ship in the first place…
The Moby Dick had already visited Marine Headquarters once during the Summit War.
Bringing Whitebeard's flagship there a second time would be a little inappropriate.
So they transferred ships.
Garp led the samurai aboard the Marine vessel himself.
Aramaki, meanwhile, was handed over to Smoker.
Smoker stared at the unconscious man covered in injuries.
His head was wrapped in bandages.
A shopping bag had been placed over it.
His face underneath was swollen so badly that he looked like a pig, leaving him completely unrecognizable.
Smoker had also spent most of his recent time on the New World front lines and had never met Aramaki.
The only obvious clue was the pair of Seastone cuffs locked around the man's wrists.
So Smoker naturally assumed he was a pirate.
He had no idea which pirate crew Aramaki belonged to, but that hardly mattered.
Smoker ordered another Marine warship to transport the prisoner to Impel Down for interrogation.
And so, while Aramaki remained unconscious after being beaten senseless by Garp…
His own fellow Marines personally delivered him straight into Impel Down.