Desires are endless.
Now that they had a ship, Uta became restless, running to the deck every day to play. She often compared the Navy vessel to Shanks' Red Force, noting every difference.
"I really want to set sail, but we don't know how to sail a big ship." She sighed, crouching on the deck with her hands on her cheeks.
Flags, sails—they knew nothing about handling any of it.
Even with a ship, they could barely make it out of the bay, only able to drift close to shore, letting the waves rock the vessel to fulfill their urge to explore.
Meanwhile, Sabo and Ace were thrilled, scrambling across every corner of the ship, taking in the sight of the massive deck.
They had once dreamed of saving enough to buy a pirate ship and set sail into the open sea. Yet now, neither of them mentioned it aloud.
"Luffy, look what we found! It's a sea chart—a map of the East Blue!" Sabo exclaimed, holding up the map triumphantly.
"Oh, so there was something like this left behind?" Luffy's excitement matched Sabo's. A Navy map was bound to be far more detailed than anything on the market.
While exploring, Luffy had even found a Navy communication line onboard.
"With this, we can set out to sea!" Luffy said confidently.
"Are we really going to set sail? But none of us know how to sail!" Ace hesitated.
"It's not 'we'—it's just Uta and me. You two are too weak for it. I can only protect Uta, so I'll handle the rest," Luffy said with a grin.
"Want to go on an adventure, Uta?" Luffy turned to her.
"Are you sure it'll work?" Uta asked, a touch of concern in her voice.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy replied, eyes glinting with determination.
"Dang it, I'm supposed to be the older brother here!" Ace and Sabo felt the sting of their limitations. Every time they challenged Luffy, he would easily defeat them.
"Fine then! Five hundred more sets of training today!" With that, Ace and Sabo ran around the island, swords in hand, determined to catch up.
After Uta's birthday, Garp had disappeared again—a routine the kids had grown used to.
For Luffy, Garp's absence was a relief, a chance to slip away unnoticed.
Grabbing the Den Den Mushi, Luffy looked at the map and dialed the nearest Navy branch to Cocoyasi Village: Branch 77.
"Purupurupuru…" The Den Den Mushi rang, waiting to connect.
"Are we really calling the Navy?" Uta asked, leaning against Luffy's arm with a mischievous grin.
"Yep. The Navy will be the safest way," Luffy replied.
"But why not just call the closest base?" Uta pointed to Branch 153 on the map.
"Because that's likely where this ship came from," Luffy replied.
Judging by Garp's questions and the ship's arrival, it was clear he had requested the vessel from the nearest base.
"We'll keep it a secret. If Grandpa finds out, we're in trouble."
The thrill of sneaking out made Uta's eyes sparkle. She licked her lips, excited by the idea of defying adult orders.
"Do you think it'll work?" Her dark purple eyes glanced at Luffy.
"Luffy, you're such a bad boy, disobeying the grown-ups."
"Oh? Planning to report me, big sister?" Luffy asked with a smirk.
"If they try to scold you, I'll protect you," she promised with a mischievous wink.
"Hello, this is Navy Branch 77. How can I assist you?" came a voice through the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, I'm Monkey D. Luffy. My grandpa disappeared, and we're trying to sail to find him, but none of us know how to steer the ship, and now we're drifting…" Luffy said.
"Monkey D.… Your grandfather is…?"
The operator's voice wavered, recalling the rumors about Vice Admiral Garp's grandson being in the East Blue and even visiting the Navy base on Glass Pearl Island.
"Garp. His name is Garp."
On the other end, there was a scraping noise as a chair slid back, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground.
After a moment of chaotic noise, the operator's voice came back, full of urgency: "Lord Luffy, we'll be right there to rescue you! Can you give us your coordinates?"
"Are you in need of food or water?"
Luffy rattled off their coordinates, reassuring them that they were well-supplied.
"Stay right where you are. We'll come immediately!" The operator's voice was full of vigor.
"Just a few people will do. We have a ship, just don't know how to sail it…"
"Leave it to us!"
The operator checked the map and saw that Branch 153 was actually closer. But there was no way he was letting that branch steal such a prestigious assignment. This was the grandson of a Vice Admiral!
After thinking it over, he immediately reported the incident to his superior, sparking excitement throughout the base.
"The grandson of that man… Launch the ship immediately!"
"But, sir, you need to stay on patrol!" A Marine held down a square-jawed officer.
"Nonsense! This is a perfect chance to make a name for ourselves!"
The officer and his Marines argued as they scrambled onto a smaller Navy vessel, which soon sped off.
"Now I'm really jealous…" Those left behind could only stare wistfully at the waves.
"So, Luffy, are we setting sail now?" Uta asked, seeing that Luffy had secured some grown-up help.
"Nope. We still don't know how to handle the ship. Let's wait for them here—that way, there's zero risk," Luffy said.
"Now, let's clean up the ship and bring aboard anything you'll need."
A big ship was like a mansion—wonderful but a hassle to maintain. And Luffy had no servants.
So why not recruit some helpers?
"I'll go find some help," he announced, tossing aside his broom.
Luffy stopped by a fruit shop, filling a basket with fruits, then ran off to the mountains.
"Hey, Tyson, you still around?" Luffy shouted, munching on fruit as he looked for the large gorilla he'd named Tyson.
A few moments later, a massive black gorilla dropped from the trees, towering over Luffy, beating its chest with a resounding thump before extending a hand, turning its head to the side.
In the world of pirates, animals often seemed nearly human. Though they couldn't speak, their intelligence sometimes rivaled people's.
"Come be my crewmate. Free food and lodging," Luffy said, setting the fruit basket on the ground.
The gorilla sat down beside him, joining in the feast.
It growled a few times.
"No fighting required. You're not strong enough. Just help clean the deck and do odd jobs. Sounds good, right?" Luffy somehow understood
its grunts.
"You're allowed to run if there's trouble."
The gorilla raised its hand, and Luffy clapped it with his own.
"Deal!"
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