As Kara took Zoro and Chopper with her, she quickly spotted Garp's ship, which, to her surprise, hadn't moved far. It seemed they were traveling with the ease of someone who knew there was no rush in life.
Without a second thought, Kara jumped onto the ship with a wide grin.
"Old man, I'm back!" she shouted as she landed, causing a thunderous impact that shook the deck.
The Marines jumped in fright while Garp looked at her in confusion, holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Huh? When did you leave?" he asked, as if just realizing she had been gone.
"Garp! Is Kara with you?" Sengoku's voice came through the snail, sounding more anxious than usual.
Kara immediately stepped forward, shoving her face in front of the Den Den Mushi with a mischievous smile.
"Hello, Sengoku! Did you miss me?"
"No need to hurry back," Sengoku replied with a sigh, ignoring her question. "The Yonko meeting is over. I have another job for you, but for now, stay with Garp… and don't cause trouble."
"I can't promise that!" Kara said cheerfully, spinning around as if she were on a runway.
Sengoku sighed heavily, and before he could say anything else, he turned back to Garp.
"Did you capture the Straw Hats?"
Kara, now sitting comfortably with her legs crossed, watched Garp with interest. She also noticed Aokiji sleeping peacefully not far away, his sleeping mask in place.
"Luffy? Of course not, he's my grandson. I let him go," Garp answered with the proud smile of a grandfather.
Bogart sighed and facepalmed.
"I don't care if he's your grandson! Go back there right now and capture him! He's a pirate!" Sengoku shouted furiously.
Garp scratched his ear.
"Eh… Hello, Sengoku. I can't hear you well, seems like there's interference. I'll call you later."
"Don't you dare hang up on me, Garp! Don't you"!"
Click.
Garp grinned and turned to his Marines.
"Alright, boys, turn around. We're heading back to Water 7."
"Yes, sir!" the Marines responded as they maneuvered the ship.
"But don't go too fast. Let's give Luffy and the others some time to get ready."
Aokiji spoke without removing his mask.
"Sengoku's going to be mad at you again..."
"Bah, that guy is always mad at me," Garp replied nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Kara burst into the ship's interior, kicking down a wall.
"Cook! I want juice!"
The nearby Marines screamed in alarm.
"Miss Kara, please stop destroying the vice admiral's ship!"
"Sir Garp, control your granddaughter!"
The more experienced Marines patted the shoulders of the rookies and shook their heads in resignation.
"You might as well give up..."
"Why?" the rookies asked innocently.
They pointed at Aokiji, who was still sleeping.
"See the admiral over there?"
The rookies nodded.
"Even he couldn't stop Miss Kara from completely destroying his ship... That's why he has to travel by bike across the sea now."
"Eeeeh?! But he's an admiral! Couldn't they give him another one?"
"They did, but Miss Kara kept destroying every ship they gave him..."
Aokiji, sensing that he was the topic of conversation, lifted his mask and looked around with a tired expression. The truth was, he had been assigned a new ship with the highest technology… but he preferred his bike.
Meanwhile, Kara was checking out the new bounty posters for the Straw Hats with a mocking grin.
"Ahahaha! Looks like your grandson is becoming a notorious pirate, old man. And you couldn't do anything to stop it!"
Garp gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up, punching Kara in the head.
She dodged skillfully and immediately started fighting him right on the deck, breaking even more parts of the ship in the process.
"Please, stop! The ship won't survive your fight!" Bogart exclaimed desperately.
At that moment, Chopper ran up to Kara with a panicked expression.
"Kara, we have a problem!"
He showed her three wanted posters with their faces… or at least what the World Government thought their faces looked like.
Chopper appeared as a green, angry humanoid with a human face, Zoro had an exaggerated samurai hairstyle, and Kara had tattoos all over her stomach.
The bounties read:
"Wano Samurai, Zero" – 200 million
"Cannibal, The Beast of Wrath" – 100 million
"Eloise, The Destroyer" – 500 million
Kara looked at the posters with satisfaction.
"Oh, yeah. I sent those drawings."
"WHAT?!" Chopper yelled.
"Now they'll be looking for us too!" he panicked.
Zoro examined the posters, then looked at Kara with understanding.
"We don't look anything like these people…"
Kara nodded proudly.
"Exactly. I added fake details to the drawings, so when they start looking for us, they'll be searching for people who don't exist."
Chopper's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Oh! So you created fake identities so they'd never find us!"
"That's right," Kara said with a satisfied smile.
"You know I'm listening, right?" Aokiji said without moving from his spot.
Chopper panicked.
"Crap, Admiral Aokiji found us! We're doomed!"
He started running in circles until Aokiji, without getting up, caught him with one hand and lifted him like a stuffed toy.
"Ahhh! I've been captured!" Chopper screamed, on the verge of fainting.
"Idiot, he's the one who gave us the secret mission," Kara said, looking at him with pity.
Chopper blinked.
"Oh, right?"
Aokiji sighed and gently dropped him back onto the ground.
"This will be the only mission of this kind I give you. I hope that's clear."
Kara gave him a military salute... while trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry!"
Aokiji just sighed and put his sleep mask back on. He definitely needed more sleep.
...
"Oh, it seems pretty noisy..." Kara commented curiously as the ship approached Water 7. She leaned casually against the railing, looking in that direction with interest.
"Vice Admiral, don't you think it's embarrassing to return after we left on good terms?" Koby asked while saluting Garp with perfect form.
"Tell that to Sengoku..." Garp grumbled, annoyed. "We're here because he wouldn't stop yelling at me. That arrogant bastard!" he added while picking his nose shamelessly.
"And whose fault is it for telling him you wouldn't capture Straw Hat because he's your grandson?" Aokiji commented in his usual carefree tone while lounging on a deck chair.
"Shut up, rookie!" Garp snapped dismissively, not caring that he was speaking to a Marine admiral.
Aokiji simply put on his sleep mask, ignoring him.
"Admiral, is it really okay for you to still be here?" an officer asked with concern.
"It'd be exhausting to bike when there's already a ship nearby... Don't worry, I won't do anything. Just pretend I don't exist," Aokiji replied indifferently.
"What a lazy admiral... Are you catching it from Kizaru?" Kara remarked as she enjoyed an ice cream that, of course, the ship's cook had prepared for her without a care.
"I don't think you're the best person to say that..." Aokiji replied without even opening his eyes.
"I'm starting to think none of the high-ups are reliable at all..." Helmeppo whispered worriedly to Koby.
"I heard you, clown." Kara pointed at him threateningly with her spoon. "But... well, you're right."
As several faces of untrustworthy high-ranking officers passed through her mind, she smiled resignedly.
"This time, I'll spare your life..." she added dramatically.
"My life?" Helmeppo repeated nervously.
"She's just messing with you..." Bogard said calmly. He had known Kara for a long time, so her behavior didn't surprise him.
Then, Garp grabbed a Den Den Mushi and, with a booming voice, spoke toward Luffy's ship.
"Hey, Luffy! Can you hear me? It's your grandpa, answer me!"
"Now what do you want, Grandpa? You said you wouldn't arrest us on this island..." Luffy complained from his ship.
"Well, there was a slight change of plans, sorry... But I have to sink your ship," Garp said with complete nonchalance, as if he were announcing lunchtime. "To show you it's nothing personal, I'll fight alone this time."
Casually, he called over a Marine who was struggling to carry a massive cannonball.
"The ball." Garp took it with one hand.
"Meteor!" he shouted as he threw it as if it were a mere pebble.
The cannonball shot forward at terrifying speed, and upon impact with the water, it created an explosion far more powerful than any cannon blast.
"That looks pretty personal to me..." Kara remarked, watching the scene with interest.
"He did that with just his hand...?" Zoro, surprised, looked at the old man with respect.
"This is bad, Luffy and the others are in trouble..." Chopper said, worried.
Meanwhile, Koby also looked nervous.
"Hey... aren't you guys supposed to be against pirates...?" Helmeppo looked at them in disbelief.
"Ahahaha! And to think I'm losing strength with age!" Garp laughed proudly, tearing off his Vice Admiral cape"a new replacement, since Kara had taken the last one.
"I want a thousand cannonballs!" he ordered enthusiastically.
"This is getting interesting! I'll bring them." Kara, excited, started stacking carts full of cannonballs behind the old man.
And so, Garp began launching them one after another with questionable accuracy while Kara kept restocking him.
"Isn't Luffy supposed to be Kara's brother and Garp's grandson?" Koby whispered, more confused than ever.
"What a shame... This is the end for them," Helmeppo shook his head.
"Hey, old man, do you need glasses? None of your shots have hit the target!" Kara mocked, completely forgetting they were attacking her younger brother.
"Shut up! Do it yourself if you're so good!" Garp retorted, offended.
"Nah... I could destroy their ship from here with my ability, but oh well..." Kara commented nonchalantly.
"Then why don't you?" a Marine asked.
"The old man said he'd fight Luffy alone... obviously." Kara sighed, as if the answer was obvious.
At that moment, everyone noticed the Straw Hat crew quickly rolling up their sails.
"Are they surrendering...?"
"Surrendering? Luffy would never surrender!" Garp declared with certainty.
"Grandpa, and also Kara, Koby, and the others! It was nice seeing you again!" Luffy shouted from his ship.
"What are you talking about, Luffy? I still have more cannonballs!" Garp threw another one eagerly.
Luffy punched it, deflecting it in midair.
"That's enough! We're escaping now. Hope to see you again!" he said with a big grin.
"What did you say!? You're my son's son, how insolent!" Garp raged and was about to jump after the ship, but Kara grabbed him from behind to stop him.
"Bring it!" Garp ordered.
The Marines began running frantically, hauling something gigantic. Kara watched curiously as Chopper's mouth dropped open in shock.
It was a colossal iron ball, nearly half the size of a warship.
Garp grabbed it by the chain and prepared to throw it.
"Sir Luffy, you have to escape!" Koby shouted in panic.
Garp hurled the ball with all his strength.
But just before it hit, Luffy's ship suddenly soared into the air, dodging the attack.
The massive ball crashed into the water, creating gigantic waves.
Everyone stared at the flying ship in awe, some with excitement"like Aokiji, Zoro, Chopper, and Koby.
Kara, with one hand still raised, discreetly pointed toward the iron ball.
"Not bad..." Garp smiled, satisfied.
"What a shame, they got away..." he said with resignation. "Ahahaha, that's my dear grandson!"
"Liar old man..." Kara muttered in annoyance.