Chapter Seventy-Nine: Garp Arrives (Second Update)

“Your name?”

Buggy was momentarily taken aback, then tried to recall Roran’s self-introduction just moments before. He remembered hearing something about a newly appointed Navy captain, but hadn’t caught the actual name. If his memory served him right, the arrogant officer standing before him was called Roran…

“Roran!!”

Buggy shot up, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at Roran.

Hello, Buggy, let me introduce myself: I’m Roran, the newly appointed captain from Headquarters. Pleased to meet you.

That plain and unremarkable introduction now echoed over and over in Buggy’s mind, and each time it did, a chill ran down his spine. And then, remembering his own response—what was that about “damned Navy”? When had he ever been so daring, to insult a Navy captain to his face? Especially this captain, the same Roran who had become famous throughout the East Blue not long ago for single-handedly eradicating the Krieg Pirates, the Steel Blade Pirates, and the Arlong Pirates, and had even casually apprehended two Navy branch captains along the way.

How had he the nerve to lose his temper in front of someone like that?

“C-Captain Roran, this… this is all just a misunderstanding…”

Realizing what he’d done, Buggy stammered, trying to explain.

“Hey, Red Nose, who is this guy anyway?” Luffy, watching Buggy’s fearful expression, was puzzled. Even if he was a Navy man, there was no reason to be this scared, was there?

“Who are you calling Red—” Buggy started to shout at Luffy, but Roran’s gaze made him retreat in fright. He explained, trembling, “The Krieg Pirates, feared as the Admirals of the East Blue—wiped out by Captain Roran. The Steel Blade Pirates, a grave threat—wiped out by Captain Roran. The Arlong Pirates, who terrorized entire regions—wiped out by Captain Roran. Their bounties were seventeen million, thirteen million, and twenty million, respectively.”

“Just so you know, according to the rumors, Captain Roran took down all three pirate crews single-handedly.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Luffy’s mind worked differently from Buggy’s. Instead of fear, he looked at Roran with excitement.

“Hey, Roran, don’t be a Navy man, come be a pirate with me! I’m going to become King of the Pirates!”

While Buggy looked as though he’d seen a ghost, Luffy extended his invitation.

“A pirate? You mean like him—someone who fires cannons at towns for fun?” Roran glanced at Buggy, his tone indifferent.

“You mean Red Nose? He’s not a real pirate. True pirates should be like Shanks, free and unrestrained, sailing the seas with abandon,” Luffy argued.

“Shanks? One of the Four Emperors of the New World? Do you really think he got to where he is by simply adventuring?” Roran replied.

He continued, “Don’t kid yourself. Not one of the Four Emperors of the New World is an easy opponent. Maybe this Shanks you speak of was free-spirited before he became an Emperor, but once he had territory and power, how could he remain as carefree as you imagine?”

“Even if he stayed true to himself and did no evil, what about the men he recruited? Every pirate who makes it from the Grand Line to the New World has climbed over a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.”

“By gathering such people under his banner, whether intentionally or not, he’s offering shelter to a pack of villains. Do you understand?”

Roran had no real intention of changing Luffy’s mind. After all, Luffy was the hero of this world, inspired since childhood by Shanks to become King of the Pirates. Later, with Ace and Sabo, who shared the same dream, that idea had become deeply rooted in Luffy’s heart. How could a few words change it? He wasn’t Naruto; he didn’t have that kind of persuasive power.

He said all this merely in hopes that Luffy would be less naive—piracy was far from the romantic ideal he imagined.

“N-no, that’s not true, Shanks, Shanks he…” Luffy was simple-minded, but not stupid. He understood what Roran was saying—he just didn’t want to think about it. With Buggy as a living example before him, he knew that further argument would be pointless.

“Isn’t it?” Roran smiled, pulling a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and asking Pangeles to bring Zoro and Nami over. Once they landed, Roran pointed at Nami.

“She’s eighteen, my navigator. Do you know how she’s survived these past years?”

“The very Arlong Pirates Buggy mentioned took over her hometown. To protect her people, she had to join them as an officer, forced to do things against her will.”

“Moreover, just days before I took down Arlong, his crew orchestrated the Gosatown massacre. If you’ve read the papers, you’ll know that Gosatown is now a living hell—no one survived.”

“He’s lying, isn’t he, Red Nose?” Luffy shouted at Buggy. Despite only sharing a single meal, Luffy trusted Buggy, a fellow pirate, more than this Navy officer.

“It’s true,” Buggy replied, glancing at Roran, his fear preventing him from lying.

“How can this be? Pirates… pirates aren’t supposed to be like this. They should be free and fearless, brave warriors of the sea, not like this…” With Buggy’s confirmation, Luffy was dumbfounded, his thoughts in chaos.

He wanted to be a pirate, to become King of the Pirates, to fulfill his promise to Shanks. But he hated killing, refused to do evil, and couldn’t imagine destroying an entire town.

“Straw Hat Kid, you say you want to be King of the Pirates?” Roran pressed on. “I’ll admit, Roger was a great man, stirring up storms across the sea. Even our Navy hero, Garp, respected him.”

“But by himself, he started the Great Pirate Era, luring countless ill-intentioned people to the sea. Was that really a good thing?”

“You want to be a pirate—maybe because of Shanks, or because of Pirate King Roger. I believe, with your character, you wouldn’t become someone like Arlong. But what about the others?”

“For example, this clown Buggy before you, or Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, whom we’re about to hunt down. People like them disrupt peace and order.”

“If, by some chance, you became the second Pirate King after Roger, gaining as much fame, influence, and wealth, do you know what would happen?”

“The result would be even more schemers pouring onto the seas, making things even more chaotic. Is that really what you want?”

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Glancing at the two people beside the Navy captain—the orange-haired girl and the green-haired swordsman—he couldn’t say why, but he suddenly felt a sense of loss, as if something important had slipped away from him.

“Well said, Roran! You truly are the captain I personally recommended to Sengoku,” a hearty voice suddenly called from the shore.

They all turned, each reacting differently.

“G-Grandpa?!” Luffy was shocked and scared.

“G-Garp?!” Buggy was both stunned and terrified.

“Vice Admiral Garp,” Roran said, saluting, though not very properly, equally surprised.

“You idiot, Luffy! So you really did sneak out to sea to become a pirate behind my back.” Garp strode up to Luffy and delivered a loving iron fist to his head, instantly raising a large lump.

“Just as Roran said, do you really want to become that kind of person?” Garp sighed and asked.

“Grandpa, I…” Luffy gritted his teeth, saying neither yes nor no.

“Grandpa?!” Hearing how they addressed each other, Buggy’s face turned deathly pale.

Now he was truly finished. That Straw Hat kid was the grandson of Garp, the very man who’d chased Captain Roger all over the seas. And he’d just tried to kill him—if Garp found out, he’d really be doomed.