A moment later, several companions also clad in Justice capes ran up behind him.
One was a young woman with a pure appearance, a gun slung over her back, a serious gaze, and deep blue hair.
Her name was Tsuru.
Another person accompanied Tsuru, running by her side.
He was a young, lean man with an afro, a face full of disdain for everyone, and whiskers that wrapped around his temples like a pair of headphones.
His name was Sengoku.
Looking at the three of them, only Garp's skin was particularly dark, while Tsuru and Sengoku's skin was relatively fair.
"Garp, did you catch them?" Sengoku came to Garp's side, noticing his gaze fixed on the ocean, and followed his line of sight.
"They got away, those two bastards." Garp grinned, baring his large teeth, with his fists clenched and held against his chest.
When Sengoku saw the ship on the distant sea, his mind had already analyzed the situation; that must be the ship Roger and the others were on, escaping from this town.
"The soldiers' investigation says the report came from the underworld Gangs of Loguetown. Roger and Rune, those two guys, trashed someone's casino over a personal grudge."
Tsuru also came to Garp's side and informed him of the intelligence gathered by her subordinates. Seeing the ship receding in the distance, she immediately took the gun from her back, aimed solemnly at the back of Rune's head on the ship, and decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang! A bullet burst from the barrel, piercing the air and heading straight for Rune on Rayleigh's small boat.
However, in her line of sight, she saw Rune, who was facing the cabin door with his back to her, slightly tilt his neck as if he had predicted it in advance, dodging the bullet.
The bullet struck the wall of a building, causing the three people on the boat to become instantly alert.
Then, looking shaken, they abruptly turned to look at the coast, at the three individuals who had come to arrest them.
It was none other than the future Marine Trio!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku!
Hero Garp!
Chief of Staff Tsuru!
"Damn, he dodged it again!" Seeing that she couldn't even hit him from behind, Tsuru silently lowered her gun, her face full of displeasure.
"Hahahaha!" Garp laughed instead. "Now this is interesting, Little Tsuru! That boat's sailing speed won't get them far; we'll catch up with them soon!"
Garp's eyes were filled with a thirst for battle, his burning gaze as if he were on a mission.
"Just as well, we'll set the battlefield on the sea to avoid involving the innocent!"
Bang! Garp slammed his fists together, the hot blood within him already boiling.
Beside him, Sengoku stared at Garp with disdain and snorted:
"I don't care about you; I'm going to throw them straight into Impel Down anyway! Hurry up and dispatch the warships!"
"Calm down, Sengoku, Garp. Don't forget Rune's ability. It's not a Devil Fruit, but it's quite troublesome!"
Faced with Tsuru's reminder, Garp didn't care at all. Even if Rune's ability was troublesome, he wouldn't fear it in the least.
Whether it was Roger or Rune, he truly wanted to defeat them face-to-face.
But Rune's ability would make things exceptionally difficult for them, whether at sea or on land.
That Haki talent, comparable to Roger's, was also rare in the world. The only upside was that his personality was very similar to Roger's.
The two wouldn't cause trouble for no reason; they usually only did something out of line when faced with injustice or oppression.
"By the way, Little Tsuru!" Sengoku scanned the surroundings, not finding the other companion who had joined them for this operation, and asked:
"Where's that kid Zephyr? I don't see him."
Zephyr, the future Marine Admiral, was the youngest of the four and a genius who had joined the Marines at the same time as Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru.
Garp is currently only 23, Sengoku is 24, and Tsuru is 22.
They were all in the prime of their youth.
"Report, Major Sengoku! Major Zephyr just received word and has already taken a warship to pursue Roger and the others."
Zephyr, the youngest Major among the four, was only 18 years old, in the prime of his youthful vigor and the most aggressive of them all... On the small boat that had already sailed past the Loguetown horizon, Rayleigh brought out some bread and milk from the cabin.
Inside the cabin, Rayleigh sat opposite Rune and Roger, frowning as he observed the two.
Roger's face always bore a wide grin, while Rune beside him ate with no regard for his image, wolfing down the food.
"Tell me your plan. How do you intend to turn the world upside down?"
Rayleigh asked the two, feeling a bit of anticipation for the so-called "turning the world upside down" Roger spoke of.
After all, he was tired of his boring life; it was time to find a new goal and stop drifting like this.
"Well..." Roger swallowed the bread in his mouth, downed the milk on the table in one gulp, and said:
"First of all, we have to form a pirate crew, Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh looked at them with disdain and retorted, "So, aren't you two just bandits?"
"Not bandits! We're pirates!" Roger shouted his identity and slapped Rune on the back.
Rayleigh watched them with a skeptical gaze and asked again, "Fine then, how many people have you gathered under your command?"
"Right now, it's just you, me, and Rune! More companions will join later! I've already thought it out! I'm the Captain! You and Rune are the first mates! The three of us will start an adventure together!"
When Rayleigh heard Roger was the Captain, his face immediately showed some displeasure. The boat was his, so why was he the first mate?
However, forming a pirate crew was indeed a good idea. To make a name for oneself on this sea, the greater the crew's reputation, the stronger it meant they were.
Nowadays, many monsters on the Grand Line have been reported in the news.
One that particularly shocked Rayleigh was a girl of only thirteen who had a bounty of hundreds of millions of Berries.
Her name was Charlotte Linlin.
"Hahaha!" Rayleigh laughed out of frustration. "Can the three of us even be called pirates? Don't be ridiculous! Pirates are outlaws. How can we form a crew with just this small boat I stole?"
"It's fine, Rayleigh!" Roger added. "In the future, we'll have a super large ship and all sorts of trustworthy companions!"
Hearing this, Rayleigh suddenly covered his face, more certain than ever that he had met a guy full of fantasies.
He couldn't believe it. His house had just been burned down, and now he was stuck in this situation, his face seen by the Marines, and identified as an accomplice of these two.
"Rather than that, let's talk about the current danger. That woman who shot at me from the coast was Tsuru, Roger!"
Rune suddenly spoke up, mentioning that he had seen Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru, and there was one more guy proficient in Rokushiki who hadn't appeared yet.
If they brought warships to chase this boat, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they had already set out.
"Yeah, Garp and Sengoku are here too. This is really troublesome!" Roger also looked troubled, rubbing his chin as he thought.
"By the way, what exactly did you two do? Why are those three famous rising stars of the Marines coming to catch you?"
Rayleigh asked them with immense curiosity. In a place like the East Blue, any pirate would be scared out of their wits just hearing the names of Tsuru, Garp, or Sengoku.
These two in front of him had provoked all three; it was truly unbelievable.
"Let's not talk about the ugly details..." Rune was a bit reluctant to mention it, as it was out of necessity.
"It's all some childhood grudges and some things that are hard to talk about."
Loguetown was already a town with many East Blue Gangs, and it was the closest town to Reverse Mountain from the East Blue.
They had been causing trouble on various islands in the East Blue for years, even brawling with the local Gangs in Loguetown. Some powerful figures and Gangs in the East Blue hated them with a passion.
"Yahahaha! It's fine, Rune! Our consciences are clear about what we've done. Those people we beat up deserved it!"
"Gangs?" Rayleigh caught the keyword. "Do you deal with Gangs often?"
"Yeah, we deal with them with our fists. A bunch of arrogant guys who abuse their power; they're perfect for practice."
Roger said, pointing his thumb at Rune beside him, and laughed loudly:
"Rayleigh, this guy also frequently picks up their young mistresses. He's a bastard that people both hate and envy!"
"Shut up, Roger!" Rune quickly stopped Roger from continuing. Those matters were truly hard to describe.
It really wasn't his fault; those underworld heiresses were willing.
"Are you a playboy, then?" Upon hearing this, Rayleigh turned to Rune and laughed:
"But that's how a man should be! I also love young and beautiful women the most! Hahaha!"
Rune and Roger were momentarily stunned and glanced at each other as they saw Rayleigh laughing.
At this moment, a special kind of empathy seemed to bond the men.
The next moment, the three of them burst into uproarious laughter inside the cramped boat.
Among the three, Rune was the most handsome, with a ruggedly masculine attractiveness in both looks and build.
Roger looked remarkably like a young Ace, just without the freckles and with a more wild aura. He wore a black shirt on top and jeans on the bottom.
Both of them looked somewhat unreliable, while only Rayleigh appeared more mature and steady.
As the three were laughing, a small Marine warship quietly approached their path on the sea not far from the boat.
A high-spirited purple-haired youth, wearing a Justice cape and a Marine tank top, stood at the front of the warship with his arms crossed, observing their small boat.
"Are you sure that's the ship?" the purple-haired youth asked the soldiers behind him.
"Don't get it wrong and make me bear a bad reputation!"
The Marine behind him looked at the photo that had just been handed over. After confirming, he reported to the purple-haired youth:
"It's definitely that ship, Major Zephyr! Roger and Rune are on it, and they've now added a new accomplice!"
Zephyr frowned. Over the years, Rune and Roger had provoked countless people. Now, Sengoku, who was supposed to be on a mission in the South Blue, Tsuru, who was catching a criminal gang in the North Blue, and even he, who was sent on a mission to the West Blue, had all been transferred to the East Blue.
"Turn the cannons and aim at that ship. Today is their doomsday!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers on Zephyr's ship received the order and immediately went to direct the artillerymen to bring out the cannons.