A small vice admiral, huh…
If every vice admiral had the power to corner the former Pirate King, Roger, several times, like you, what chance would pirates even have?
Takumi kept drinking, choosing not to say anything.
Enel, on the other hand, looked completely confused. "What's a navy?"
There were no navies or pirates on Sky Island, and since Enel had spent his whole life up there without ever setting foot in the Blue Sea, it made sense that he didn't know about them.
"Huh?" Garp looked genuinely surprised. "You don't know what the navy is? How about pirates?"
Enel awkwardly responded, "What's a pirate…?"
Garp froze for a moment before recalling how Enel had addressed him earlier. Suddenly, it clicked. "Ahahaha! I get it now! No wonder you've been off the radar for so long, Takumi. Turns out you've been up in the sky!"
The people of Sky Island referred to those living below the clouds as "Blue Sea people."
Garp had visited Sky Island once in his youth, so he knew about it, but after returning to the surface, he had never spoken about it to protect its inhabitants.
"So," Enel asked, exasperated, "what's the navy?"
"The navy? It's the world's largest military organization, charged with upholding justice and maintaining peace across the seas," Garp explained, grinning mischievously. "Hey, Lightning Boy, you've got potential. Ever think about joining the navy?"
Enel: "..."
Takumi: "..."
"Ahahaha! I'm kidding," Garp laughed. "Even if I were desperate for recruits, I wouldn't try to poach someone from Takumi here."
"So, you're a vice admiral in the navy," Enel continued. "Is that a high rank?"
"Hmm," Garp scratched his chin. "Well, above vice admiral, there are three admirals, and above them is the fleet admiral. And then there are the Five Elders."
Enel's eyes widened in shock.
There are even stronger people above this guy?!
To Enel, the higher your rank, the stronger you were.
"How many vice admirals are there?" Enel asked nervously.
Garp burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Not many, just a few hundred or so."
A cold sweat dripped down Enel's forehead.
A few… hundred?
The Blue Sea was terrifying. This place was full of monsters.
Takumi noticed the change in Enel's expression, took another sip of his drink, and casually added, "And besides the navy, there are pirates and the Revolutionary Army."
"Exactly," Garp chimed in. "Sure, the navy's enemies are the pirates and the Revolutionary Army, but I've gotta admit, some of them are pretty tough. Take the Four Emperors and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, for example. I'd say any one of the Four Emperors could easily wipe the floor with this Lightning Boy here. As for the Warlords? Well, that might be more of a fair fight."
Enel: "..."
"So, who's stronger? You or one of the Four Emperors?" Enel asked, staring directly at Garp.
Garp scratched his head. "Hard to say. We'd have to fight to find out."
Enel: "..."
If they'd have to fight to know, that means it's a 50/50…
The thought of facing hundreds of vice admirals left Enel feeling hopeless.
The Blue Sea was terrifying. He wanted to go back to Sky Island…
Takumi, having had enough of Garp and Enel's back-and-forth, finished off the last of his bottle and scarfed down the rest of the grilled fish. Wiping his mouth, he stood up, ready to leave.
Seeing this, Garp hurriedly sped up his own eating. Just before Takumi could board the ship, Garp stuffed the rest of his food into his mouth, grinning. "I'm technically a shipwrecked sailor, you know. You wouldn't leave me stranded here, right?"
Takumi: "..."
Enel, surprised, asked, "You're a Devil Fruit user too?"
Garp shook his head. "Nope."
Takumi chuckled. "You're strong enough to swim to the nearest island, aren't you?"
"Swim?" Garp grumbled. "I'm getting old, kid. Aren't you worried some Sea King might make a meal out of me?"
Takumi: "..."
Sure, keep playing the helpless old man…
This was the same guy who was on par with Rayleigh. If Rayleigh could swim all the way from Sabaody Archipelago, across the Calm Belt, to Amazon Lily, there was no way Garp couldn't handle a short trip to a nearby island.
Takumi ignored Garp's antics and simply told Enel, "Let's go."
Enel instantly transformed into lightning, reappearing on the ship's deck in the blink of an eye.
Takumi used Moonwalk to leap onto the ship.
Garp narrowed his eyes. So, the kid's learned Moonwalk too. Looks like he hasn't been slacking these past few years. He's gotten a lot stronger.
As Enel powered the ship's internal mechanisms with his electricity, causing the propellers to spin, Garp excitedly hopped aboard. "This ship is amazing! It can fly, hahaha!"
Just as Takumi was about to kick him off, Garp pulled out his untouched bottle of alcohol and held it up. "Consider this payment for the ride. Just drop me off at the nearest inhabited island, and we're square. Deal?"
"Deal," Takumi replied, accepting the bottle without hesitation.
Enel, meanwhile, looked completely dumbfounded.
Garp laughed heartily. "Haha! Knew you were still a reasonable guy, Takumi!"
"Oh, by the way," Takumi asked, "what sea are we in right now?"
"North Blue," Garp answered nonchalantly.
Takumi: "..."
We ended up in North Blue…
But why was Garp in North Blue? It didn't seem like he was here on business, and if he were on vacation, he'd likely be in East Blue, visiting Windmill Village to see Luffy.
Garp, noticing Takumi's confusion, rubbed the back of his head with a laugh. "Ahahaha! I was supposed to head back to East Blue, but I fell asleep along the way and somehow ended up here in North Blue."
Takumi: "..."
You "fell asleep"? Crossing from East Blue to North Blue requires going over the Red Line! That's no small feat! You either have to go through Reverse Mountain or the Calm Belt. There's no way you slept through all that!
Takumi didn't buy it. Garp had likely come from the New World.
"Is the Blue Sea really this peaceful?" Enel asked, baffled. "Who sleeps while sailing across the ocean?"
"Ahahaha!" Garp chuckled sheepishly.
Suddenly, the sea ahead of them began to churn, and a massive sea creature with a huge, sucker-covered mouth lunged out of the water, heading straight for the ship.
"What is that thing? Is it a fish?" Enel had never seen anything like this on Sky Island, so he was understandably curious.
"Oh, great. A Sea King, right when we just got going," Garp muttered, picking his nose and stepping back. "I'll leave this one to you youngsters. I'm too old for this."
Enel: "..."
Takumi: "..."
*******
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