After taking down a dozen giant snakes on the island, they had no regrets about this trip to the Calm Belt.
The five of them immediately boarded the Black Hawk and headed back to Cocoyasi Village. After being away for over six months, Bellemere and Genzo were surely worried.
Since they were all still underage, Bellemere and Genzo would never truly feel at ease.
After a three-hour flight, the Black Hawk finally landed on the mountains behind Cocoyasi Village. The Black Hawk was so large that it could only maneuver in the mountains.
"Bellemere! Genzo! We're back!"
"Bellemere, did you miss us?"
Using Nami's alternate dimension, the five of them returned straight to the mansion, ending up in Nami's workshop. The girls immediately rushed downstairs.
But when they reached the bottom, they froze.
Two people in Marine uniform were in their house! And they were even having a meal here!
"What the heck!"
"Garp, why are you here?" Ryuen yelled in shock.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"And Lieutenant Bogart... why are you in our house?" Nami shouted, suddenly a little scared.
The other three girls also looked on with alarm.
After all, they had, at one point, taken down some so-called royal heir. Could Vice Admiral Garp be here to cause trouble?
"Show some respect!"
"Is that how you talk to Vice Admiral Garp? Stand up straight!" Bellemere shouted.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Bellemere!" The five kids immediately stood at attention.
"Sorry, Vice Admiral Garp, they're just used to being a bit informal. Please don't mind them," Bellemere said apologetically.
"Hahaha, they're just kids. I won't take it to heart," Garp laughed, unbothered.
This time, he had come to Cocoyasi Village because East Blue's intelligence department hadn't seen these kids in over six months. He got a bit concerned, so he decided to stop by while visiting his grandson.
"I don't believe you, you're a crafty old man!" Nami muttered quietly.
But everyone heard it!
"Nami!" Bellemere shouted at Nami, furious.
Oops!
Nami had accidentally said it out loud! Seeing Bellemere's angry face, she darted behind Ryuen.
Garp and Bogart, watching how fast Nami moved, suddenly noticed something unusual, Marine Rokushiki! This little girl could actually use Marine Rokushiki!
"Oh no!" Ryuen thought to himself.
Even Bellemere felt a sense of dread.
"Hahaha! Hey, girl, how did you learn Marine Rokushiki?" Garp asked in his usual carefree tone.
"Um, Vice Admiral Garp, I taught them," Bellemere said, embarrassed. She had agreed to it back then, but now that Garp himself knew, she was feeling nervous.
Garp looked at Bellemere without saying a word, making the girls tense up. Only Ryuen kept a calm face.
"Well~ I won't hold it against you," Garp said. "Hey, kid, do you want to join the Marines?" He looked over at Ryuen, who remained calm.
In his mind, he thought, *What a promising kid!*
"No, no, Vice Admiral Garp, we've already joined the World Government, so we can't accept your offer," Ryuen replied directly.
"What? Joined the World Government?" Garp shouted in shock.
Now both he and Bogart were stunned. How could kids this young have joined the World Government?
"It's true. Nami, go upstairs and get that document," Ryuen said, giving Nami a look.
"Oh~ I'll go get it right now," Nami said, understanding immediately. She knew the document was actually in her alternate space, but she understood Ryuen's hint—her Devil Fruit ability couldn't be revealed yet!
Pretending to go upstairs, Nami came back with a document in hand and handed it to Ryuen.
"Here you go, big brother."
Ryuen took it and passed it to Vice Admiral Garp, saying, "Here, Vice Admiral Garp, we're now a World Government reconnaissance team, approved and certified by the Celestial Dragons!"
Garp took the document suspiciously, studying it closely, and his face immediately darkened.
After reading it, he passed it to Bogart, who only needed a quick glance before nodding, confirming that it was genuine.
Now Garp was thoroughly confused, unable to understand why the World Government would have taken an interest in these kids!
Even though he didn't care about the attitude of the World Government or the Celestial Dragons, he could see that these kids clearly didn't plan on joining the Marines. But he wasn't ready to just let go of such promising talents.
"Studying geography and climate, making world maps? Kid, you can really do that?" Garp looked at Ryuen with a doubtful expression.
"Of course I can't, but my sister can!" Ryuen pulled Nami, who was hiding behind him, forward.
Now, Nami wasn't afraid. Instead, she looked at Garp with full confidence and a bit of pride.
Bellemere, worried that Garp might not believe them, quickly went to get a few maps Nami had drawn of Cocoyasi Village.
"Vice Admiral Garp, these are some maps Nami made before. She really has a natural talent for this!" Bellemere said softly.
Garp didn't hold back; he took the maps and examined them closely, though he didn't quite understand them. So, he handed them to Bogart instead.
After looking for a moment, Bogart suddenly turned to Nami in amazement. This little girl had some serious talent!
"Vice Admiral Garp, her maps are excellent. She truly has a gift for this!" It was rare for Bogart to say so much in one go.
"Kid, even if you join the Marines, you can still do this kind of work. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Garp, unwilling to give up, gave it one more try. He could tell that the other kids seemed to listen to Ryuen.
"Are you sure? If we join the Marines, they really won't restrict us? We'll be able to do what we want?" Ryuen asked, eyeing Garp.
"Wahahaha! Of course! I can guarantee that!" Garp, seeing hope, immediately promised.
After all, the Marines did have a special department that offered freedom.
"Let us think it over. I'll let you know what we'll say when we've grown up." Ryuen replied, now serious.
"I see. Understood!" Garp nodded, feeling confident that Ryuen would join the Marines in the future.
If Ryuen knew what Garp was thinking, he'd probably say: "Yeah, sure, that way we'll have ties to both the World Government and the Marines. Who'd dare mess with us then?"
"Well, I'll be off, then!" With that, Garp was about to leave.
But just as he turned around, he noticed the delicious food that hadn't been finished yet.
"Uh… Vice Admiral Garp, why don't you stay for dinner first?" Bellemere immediately suggested upon seeing this.
"In that case, I won't say no! Wahahaha!" Garp cheerfully sat back down and continued enjoying the food.
"Hey! Garp, you're going too far!"
"You brat! You dare steal food from me? Taste my Fist of Love!"
"Ah!"
"You jerk, old man! How dare you hit my brother!"
The four girls were furious and started ganging up on Garp! Though Garp would hit Ryuen, he wouldn't dare strike a girl!
Nami: Not in the mood today...
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