"Luffy! I'm about to strike, and I'm not holding back this time! Don't blame me if you die!" Ryu shouted just as Franky was about to use his "Coup de Burst."
Luffy, staring at Ryu with a serious expression, warned, "Everyone, be careful! I can feel it—Ryu isn't going to hold back this time!"
Zoro and Sanji prepared themselves to resist. Though both were far from their peak condition, they were the only ones left who could still stand and fight.
"Hurry, Franky! Or we're really going to die here!" Nami shouted urgently.
"Coup de Burst!"
"Subduing Dragon Palm Strike!"
Franky and Ryu called out their attacks at the same time.
"What?" All the Marines, except Ryu, stared in shock as the small triangular sailboat suddenly shot forward, propelled by a jet of air from its stern, launching it into the air.
Ryu's Subduing Dragon Palm Strike hit the ship's tail. Instead of sinking the Straw Hats' ship, the powerful burst of air propelled it even faster.
"Ha! Impressive—they actually escaped!" Ryu feigned surprise.
"Pursue them! Bring Nico Robin back, no matter what!" ordered the CP9 officer, his face bruised and livid.
"That's enough! Look at Enies Lobby, at our warships—don't you understand? This was a complete defeat," Aokiji finally intervened.
Ryu yawned nonchalantly, as if the matter didn't concern him. "Admiral Aokiji, you saw it—I didn't hold back at all! It's getting late, so I'll be heading back to HQ to rest."
With that, Ryu ordered the Hua Xia to set sail, passing through the re-opened Gate of Justice on its way back to Marineford. Cleaning up Enies Lobby would be Aokiji's responsibility now.
As Ryu departed, Aokiji's expression turned complicated. He'd seen Ryu unleash his ultimate technique, Subduing Dragon Palm Strike, but the outcome suggested otherwise. Yet, without direct evidence, he had nothing more to say, focusing instead on handling the aftermath and pondering how he'd explain the situation to Sengoku.
Back at Marine Headquarters, Ryu was summoned to Sengoku's office. Inside, he found Sengoku and Garp, the latter munching on rice crackers.
"Ryu, what on earth happened at Enies Lobby?" Sengoku demanded, visibly furious.
"Already heard, huh? You're fast. I just got back from there," Ryu replied with a shrug. "What happened? The Straw Hat crew caused an uproar. The CP9 officer, that fool, issued a Buster Call at Enies Lobby, and things turned out this way."
"Straw Hat crew? Garp, is it your grandson again?" Sengoku turned to Garp accusingly.
"Ah, it's Luffy? Didn't think the kid had it in him!" Garp laughed heartily.
"I'm not asking you to praise him!" Sengoku roared. "What's with your family? Reckless troublemakers, the lot of them!"
"Fleet Admiral, I must say, the Straw Hats aren't powerful enough to turn Enies Lobby into ruins. That was the Buster Call's doing. But I have to admit, Luffy's not bad; he managed to escape me—I've got to give him some credit!" Ryu grinned, joining in with Garp.
"Really? Haha! That's my grandson for you—didn't think he'd be that strong!" Garp beamed with pride upon hearing that Luffy had escaped Ryu.
Sengoku glared at the two of them, seething at their casual banter about pirates right in front of him. He nearly slapped them both on the spot.
"Garp, since your grandson caused this mess, you're going to fix it!" Sengoku finally said, trying to contain his rage.
"Me? Alright, I haven't seen Luffy in a while," Garp replied, nodding.
"Sir, I think the Fleet Admiral means for you to capture Luffy, not to pay him a family visit," Ryu whispered, glancing at Sengoku, who was holding back his temper.
"Oh, is that right?" Garp looked at Sengoku, whose face was on the verge of exploding, and became a bit nervous. "Of course, of course. Let's gather Coby and the others, and we'll head out."
"Why do I have to go?" Ryu grumbled as he followed Garp out of the office. "I have my hands full teaching martial arts to the soldiers here."
"What? You're his older brother figure—you can't come along?" Garp retorted. "Now get ready; I haven't seen my grandson in ages!"
Sengoku, listening to Garp and Ryu's voices outside, resisted the urge to storm out and smack them. Instead, he grabbed the stack of files on his desk, determined to distract himself with work.
Preparation for the trip was swift. Normally, they would use Garp's ship, but given Garp's history of abandoning Ryu, Ryu made sure his ship, the Hua Xia, was also ready to sail. He had no intention of being stranded in Water 7.
A few days later, Ryu arrived in Water 7 with Garp. They quickly learned where Luffy and his crew were hiding.
Outside the house where the Straw Hats were staying, Garp took a deep breath, warming up his fists. Instead of entering through the door, he punched through the entire wall.
"Huh? Marines? This is bad—Luffy's still not awake! What do we do?" Everyone inside, except Zoro, was startled, including Usopp, who was hiding by the window.
"I heard the pirate Monkey D. Luffy is here! Some real men outside want to meet him!" Garp announced with a bold entrance.
Nobody responded; Luffy, still recovering from his intense battle, was asleep.
"What? Still sleeping? That's no way to treat a guest!" Garp spotted Luffy snoozing and appeared beside him in an instant.
"So fast!" Sanji couldn't believe it—Garp had moved beside Luffy before he could even react.
"Wake up, you little brat!" Garp smacked Luffy on the head, jolting him awake and sending him rolling across the floor in pain.
Ryu, watching from outside, couldn't help but cringe at the scene. He remembered Garp doing the same thing to him many times when he was younger.
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