"Alright, young man, what are you after? Need a lift?"
"No need," Mislanda said lightly. "I've got two good legs — I can manage just fine."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the deck of the ship.
"Vice Admiral Garp," he asked curiously, "where are you headed this time?"
"Oh, just off to deal with a pirate crew. Their captain's bounty is two hundred and fifty million," Garp replied casually, sitting back in his chair and grabbing a doughnut from the table.
"Ah, I see!"
Mislanda chuckled. "As expected of the great Marine hero — even a 250-million pirate sounds like no big deal to you!"
He smiled faintly. "You know, when I was a kid, my old man used to talk about you all the time."
Garp raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I was that famous, huh?"
He took a big bite of his doughnut, grinning broadly.
"Of course," Mislanda said with a knowing smile. "You were the man who chased the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, across the seas! Who hasn't heard of that?"
"But…"
Mislanda's tone suddenly shifted. His eyes gleamed with intrigue.
"The thing I admire most, though, is your battle at God Valley — when you and Roger took down the Rocks Pirates."
Boom.
The deck fell silent.
"God Valley"… "Rocks Pirates"…
Names that had been buried for decades.
Garp froze mid-bite, then slowly rose from his chair.
His expression hardened, eyes narrowing. For the first time, the joking demeanor vanished from his face.
It had been years since anyone had dared mention that incident.
Garp's fists clenched, his aura flaring like a volcano about to erupt.
At that moment, Mislanda's system window appeared before his eyes:
[Marine Vice Admiral – Monkey D. Garp]
Power Level: King Tier
Victory Reward: ★★★★★ (High-tier points)
Just as expected.
The pressure radiating from Garp was immense — enough to make the air itself vibrate — but Mislanda only smirked faintly.
"Kid," Garp growled, stepping forward, "who the hell are you? How do you know about that?"
"Oh come on," Mislanda said with a sly grin. "It's something worth being proud of, isn't it? Why look so tense, Garp-san?"
Seeing Garp's fists tighten, Mislanda rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles.
"Y'know, I just changed my mind," he said, his tone calm but his eyes burning with excitement. "Since I've run into the legendary Marine hero himself… it'd be rude not to test those fists of yours!"
Before Garp could reply, Mislanda launched himself forward.
Boom!
Their fists collided midair.
The dog-headed warship lurched violently, waves exploding outward in all directions.
The sea itself roared beneath the shockwave.
Garp's eyes widened slightly — this kid's strength wasn't something to take lightly.
"So strong, at such a young age…" he thought. "Unbelievable."
But then his grin returned.
"Not bad, brat! But you've still got a long way to go if you want to match me!"
The Fist of Iron, feared across the seas — every pirate shuddered at its name.
Mislanda's dragon essence made him tough, almost unbreakable… but even that couldn't make up for the sheer power gap.
After several seconds of deadlock, the pressure finally overwhelmed him.
He was sent flying backward like a cannonball, smashing through the air before regaining control.
Using the momentum, Mislanda twisted in midair, turned to black mist — and vanished.
Garp straightened up, the sea slowly calming around him.
He stared at the fading traces of darkness on the horizon, his brows furrowed.
"Bring me my Den Den Mushi," he ordered his men grimly. "We're contacting Marine Headquarters."
He didn't know who that boy was…
But he was certain of one thing — that youth would one day shake the world.
"Phew… as expected of the Iron Fist Garp," Mislanda muttered some time later, flexing his trembling arm. "That punch still hurts like hell."
He grinned despite the pain. "Give me six months — a year at most — and I'll be able to go toe-to-toe with you."
After all, that had only been a clash of raw strength — Garp's specialty.
"Alright," he sighed. "Time to get back on track. Sabaody Archipelago, here I come."
The Sabaody Archipelago — one of the most crucial points in the world.
The Calm Belt and Red Line divided the world into four seas: East, West, North, and South.
To reach the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, there were only three possible routes:
Fly over the Red Line.
Practically impossible — almost no one in the world could truly fly.
Pass through Mariejois.
That path was reserved for World Government officials, nobles, and Marines.
Ordinary people? No chance.
Go through the deep sea — the Fish-Man Island route.
And to do that, one had to stop by the Sabaody Archipelago to have their ship coated in a protective film.
Even then, of ten ships that attempted the dive, maybe two or three would survive.
That was the reality of the world.
And on this strange island of bubbles and mangrove roots… lived a man named Silvers Rayleigh — now working quietly as a ship coater.
After ten days of travel, Mislanda finally arrived.
It had been years since he'd last seen his old mentor. He couldn't help but feel a hint of nostalgia.
Following the direction of the Vivre Card, he found Rayleigh in a quiet alleyway.
Five years had passed. The old man's hair had grayed, and wrinkles had deepened around his eyes — but his spirit was as sharp as ever.
The two had kept in touch through Den Den Mushi calls over the years, so Rayleigh already knew much of Mislanda's exploits.
The moment he saw him, Rayleigh smiled.
"You've grown strong, Mislanda," he said, eyes gleaming with pride. "At this rate, it won't be long before you surpass me."
Mislanda grinned. "Of course! My goal is to become the world's strongest. If I can't even surpass you, what kind of dream would that be?"
Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, "So… are we just going to chat here, or are you going to introduce me to my stepmother?"
Rayleigh froze. "…She's not your stepmother, brat."
"Really?" Mislanda raised an eyebrow. "Come on, old man — even you don't believe that."
Before Rayleigh could argue, Mislanda grabbed him by the arm and started walking toward Grove 13.
There, nestled among the mangroves, stood a certain bar — Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
Years ago, Rayleigh had quite the romantic past.
His old flame, Shakky, wasn't just any woman.
She was the former Empress of Amazon Lily, the previous ruler of the Kuja Kingdom.
Back in those days, Rayleigh had been the first mate of the Roger Pirates, while the Kuja Pirates were already a formidable force.
It was then that Marine Hero Garp decided to capture them.
But when Shakky was cornered—
Rayleigh had appeared.
~~--------------------------
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