CHAPTER 87

For the crew, this was also a ritual of sorts.

A new journey symbolized a new life, and they wanted to solemnly send Kozaburo Shimotsuki—who had been of great help to them—back to Shimotsuki Village using their pirate ship, a vessel that represented their identity. It was both a farewell and an act of gratitude.

After sending off Kozaburo, they did not immediately set sail for their next adventure. Instead, they made a detour to the Goa Kingdom.

This was at the request of Gliner.

Being so close to the Goa Kingdom was a rare opportunity. He had been away from his homeland for two years and wished to return for a brief visit.

Upon arriving at the Goa Kingdom, they anchored their ship offshore and went ashore.

Since everyone had different interests and goals, they decided to split up and explore separately.

With the crew's strength, there was no reason for concern, even if they were scattered.

No pirate in the East Blue could pose a threat to them.

Even Lily, the current weakest member of the crew, was at least as strong as a Marine Commodore—

and not just any Commodore, but one from Marine Headquarters with considerable combat ability!

For a navigator who wasn't a frontline fighter, her strength was already remarkable.

As Caesar and the others wandered through the Goa Kingdom, they didn't bother to conceal themselves. They intended to restart their journey from the East Blue anyway.

However, it didn't take long for their presence to be noticed.

The first to be recognized was Caesar.

The Ba Dao—the massive sword floating beside him—was far too conspicuous.

Anyone with sight could spot him in a crowd.

When he caught the attention of Marine soldiers, they cautiously observed him. But soon, some Marines managed to identify him despite his casual disguise.

Thus, word quickly reached Marine Headquarters…

"Marshal Kong! Vice Admiral Garp! We've found traces of Caesar!"

A Marine suddenly burst into the office, reporting in an urgent voice.

Inside, Garp—who had coincidentally stopped by the Marshal's office—was munching on senbei.

Hearing the report, he choked, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"What?! They're finally showing themselves?! Quick! Tell me where they are!"

Steel Bone Kong, seated at his desk, was equally taken aback.

It had been seven months.

Seven months since the Marines had lost track of the Kaiser Pirates.

While he was relieved to receive news about them, a sense of unease crept in.

Would this turn into another massive headache?

The Kaiser Pirates were never ones to go unnoticed.

For them to reappear after months of silence… it likely meant something big was about to happen.

If it did, he would undoubtedly face another round of reprimands from the Five Elders.

The reporting Marine continued, "They're in the East Blue! Marines stationed there spotted Caesar."

"The East Blue?" Steel Bone Kong frowned and glanced at Garp.

Why would Caesar be in the East Blue?

What could possibly be drawing him there?

But considering that the East Blue was Garp's homeland, it made sense for Garp to handle this mission.

Garp, however, didn't wait for orders.

Rolling up his sleeves, he strode toward the door and shouted, "Leave that brat Caesar to me! There's no way I'm letting him run rampant any longer! He's gonna see just how much I've improved in the past half year!"

Steel Bone Kong watched Garp leave with a lingering sense of unease.

He was well aware of Garp's recent progress.

But his opponent was Caesar—who had also been silent for over six months.

There was no way Caesar had remained stagnant.

He wanted to send Sengoku or Zephyr along with Garp, but manpower was stretched thin.

In the end, he could only sigh heavily.

"I just hope Garp doesn't mess this up."

Meanwhile, in the Goa Kingdom…

Caesar wandered through a small coastal town, taking in the sights.

As he observed the local scenery, he mused to himself, "We agreed to regroup in two days. Was that too long? Now that I've looked around, I realize the Goa Kingdom doesn't have much to offer. Two days might be a bit dull… I need something to pass the time."

His casual stroll, however, had an unintended effect—

He was scaring the townspeople.

Even the Marines stationed there weren't an exception.

It couldn't be helped.

The Ba Dao he carried was far too striking.

Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a pirate.

Although it was a Marine's duty to capture pirates, they weren't foolish.

A man wielding such a massive sword was clearly not someone to mess with.

They weren't about to throw their lives away by challenging someone so obviously powerful.

As for the more well-informed individuals who recognized Caesar, they wasted no time fleeing.

Joke's on them—Caesar wasn't interested in causing trouble at the moment.

Yet, seeing the people scatter only made him more bored.

As he walked, something caught his eye.

A teenage boy stood in the middle of the road.

He looked about seventeen or eighteen—around the same age as Caesar.

He had a sharp, intimidating gaze, devoid of the usual innocence of youth.

But what struck Caesar as most peculiar was the boy's lack of eyebrows.

For some reason, Caesar felt a strange sense of familiarity with him.

The boy didn't flee.

Unlike the frightened townspeople, he stood his ground, staring directly at Caesar.

The surrounding residents called out to him, urging him to run.

But the boy didn't move.

Some brave individuals even attempted to pull him away, but others stopped them, sensing that the situation was beyond their control.

Caesar approached with curiosity.

"Aren't you going to run? Aren't you afraid?"

The boy responded firmly, "What difference does it make? If you wanted to kill me, would you spare me just because I ran away? And if you don't want to kill me, would you change your mind just because I stood my ground?"

His body was tense, muscles coiled like a spring. His sharp eyes remained locked onto Caesar.

Even though he knew he was outmatched, he stood resolute, prepared to fight.

That kind of unwavering determination intrigued Caesar.

This boy had guts.

Caesar's interest deepened.

Then, realization struck.

[99] Monkey D. Dragon?

Caesar's eyes narrowed.

This kid's strength was no joke.

Through the natural intuition of a warrior, Caesar could sense it—

This boy had the combat power of at least a Marine Rear Admiral, possibly even higher.

For someone his age, that was absurdly rare.

Although he was nowhere near Caesar's level, fighters of his caliber weren't common in the world.

Caesar considered recruiting him.

If trained properly, this boy could become a powerful asset.

He smirked.

"What's your name?"

The boy answered without hesitation.

"Monkey D. Dragon."

Caesar's eyes widened.

"What? Monkey D. Dragon? You're Garp's son?"

No wonder he was so tough.

But that raised another question—

Why did Dragon refuse to become a pirate?

Had he already formed his revolutionary ideals?

Caesar asked, "You don't want to be a pirate? Then what do you want to be? A Marine?"

"That's none of your business," Dragon replied coldly.

Caesar fell silent for a moment.

If Dragon was already on the path to revolution, then that was one thing.

But if he was considering joining the Marines…

That could be a problem.

A dangerous, annoying problem.

Caesar grinned.

"Dragon, do you really think joining the Marines is the right choice? You'd be serving the Celestial Dragons, those pathetic parasites. You'd be taking orders from them, bowing to their whims. How humiliating would that be?"

He chuckled.

"But being a pirate? That's different. We do what we want. No one controls us. That's real freedom."

He leaned in.

"Or better yet… why not overthrow the Celestial Dragons altogether?"

Caesar had no intention of forcing Dragon.

But the thought of steering Garp's own son down a new path?

Now that was exciting.

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