Early the next morning, the Dream Team members split up to handle their own tasks.
Hogg grabbed his axe and headed out first. He was going to learn the coating technique from the old masters at the shipyard on Island 50—after all, they would need it when they traveled to Fishman Island.
After finishing breakfast, Daisy also left the villa to look for rare medicinal herbs.
Sabaody Archipelago's market was very advanced, selling things unavailable elsewhere, including rare herbs.
Robin, carrying a backpack, went out for archaeological research.
Sabaody Archipelago has a long history, with many ruins and sites that interested her. She needed to find and study them.
Lia and Anya were excited about the local street food, so they happily headed off together to Island 40.
Kuina had disappeared early in the morning with her sword.
Now, only Ryuen, Nami, Nojiko, and Sugar were left in the villa.
"Uh... Nami, what about us? Do we have anything to do today?" Sugar asked hesitantly, avoiding eye contact with Ryuen.
She didn't dare look at him—he seemed way too scary!
"Hehehe~~~"
"Come out with us today and help with the mapmaking. It'll be a good chance for you to understand what we're working on." Nami grinned.
She really liked this adorable girl!
"Yes, yes! I want to see how sea charts are made too!"
For Sugar, it felt like she had found someone to rely on in the Dream Exploration Crew. After observing for a day, she quickly realized how special Nami was within the team.
While other crew members sometimes hit Ryuen, none of them did it as casually as Nami.
Nami would just hit him whenever she felt like it!
Thinking about this, Sugar suddenly felt that maybe she could keep Ryuen in check in the future too!
"I have a feeling you're up to something bad~~~" Ryuen squinted at Sugar.
"I am not!"
"Nami, look at him! He's trying to bully me again..."
Sugar was startled for a moment but quickly denied it. Then, she turned to Nami, her eyes welling up like little pearls about to drop.
She had mastered this routine by now.
"Ryuen! I told you not to bully Sugar!" Nami immediately scolded him.
Seeing Ryuen get told off again, Sugar was secretly delighted.
"Fine, fine, I won't. You just keep tattling all day, like a little kid!" Ryuen rolled his eyes at Sugar.
"You're the little kid! I'm almost 20! Call me big sister!" Sugar shouted, hands on her hips, feeling bold with Nami backing her up.
"Little! Kid!"
"Little! Brother!"
"Enough, you two! If you keep arguing, I'll throw you both out!" Nami yelled.
"Ohhh~~~" ×2
Ryuen and Sugar immediately lowered their heads, but they kept sneaking glances at each other, still glaring.
Sitting on the couch, sipping milk, Nojiko just shook her head at the scene.
She felt that Ryuen could be mature at times, but other times, he was just as childish as when he was younger.
~~~~~~
After breakfast, the four of them used the warp space to arrive at the treetop of Island #1.
Colorful bubbles floated up from the base of the tree, rising to the top before popping. Standing there, surrounded by countless bubbles, the four of them felt like they had stepped into a fairytale world.
"Wow~~~"
"It's so beautiful! Look at all those bubbles~~" Sugar was mesmerized by the sight.
She had always been the one being protected. Even though she had come to Sabaody Archipelago, she had never really wandered around like this before.
"It's really stunning~~~" Nojiko couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"And the air here is so fresh." Nami stretched out her arms, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, instantly feeling refreshed.
Ryuen simply sat down, munching on a dragon fruit while taking in the scenery.
So big~~~
Huh, that one's flat~~~
After they each took a moment to enjoy the scenery in their own way, Nami pulled out her tools and started working.
Sugar couldn't really help, so she just sat nearby, snacking on blueberries while curiously watching the three of them work.
~~~~~~
While the Dream Exploration Crew was busy, Garp had already left the Kingdom of Dressrosa.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Fleet Admiral Sengoku said that once we arrive at Sabaody Archipelago, we should ask Captain Ryuen what exactly they plan to do with that failed artificial Devil Fruit." Bogard said after finishing a call.
*Crunch, crunch~~~*
"Sengoku loves doing useless things like this. Knowing that kid Ryuen, there's no way he told the truth."
"By the way, isn't HQ planning to promote him?" Garp asked while munching on rice crackers.
"Uh… (⊙o⊙)..."
"Yes, since Captain Ryuen set out to sea, he's already earned military merit three times."
"The Crocodile incident, the Jaya Island incident, and now this Doflamingo case—these are enough for him to be promoted to Rear Admiral," Bogard recalled.
"Huh???"
"Wait a minute, Bogard, wasn't I the one who defeated Crocodile?" Garp asked, his eyes wide like two big copper bells.
"Well, you didn't want to become an Admiral..." Bogard replied, feeling a bit speechless.
"Uh... (ˉ―ˉ?)"
"WAHAHAHA! That's true! What's so great about being an Admiral anyway? I sure don't want to waste my time protecting those trash!" Garp laughed, though his expression turned disdainful by the end.
"Vice Admiral Garp..." The surrounding Marines sighed in exhaustion.
"Uh..."
"Did I say something I wasn't supposed to just now? If I did, I didn't mean it. Or maybe you all just misheard me."
"WAHAHAHA~~~" Garp said, completely unfazed.
The Marines had no words. Thankfully, their officer was the Hero of the Marines. Otherwise, badmouthing the Celestial Dragons like this—*even Akainu wouldn't dare.*
————
The next afternoon.
Garp's warship finally docked at Island #69.
He glanced at the Dream Exploration Team's ship in the distance and asked, "Where's that kid Ryuen?"
"They're staying at a villa hotel on Island #70," Bogard answered.
"A villa hotel *again*? That kid sure is rich. Going out to sea is supposed to be tough, but they're treating it like a vacation," Garp muttered enviously.
"Uh… (⊙o⊙)..."
"Vice Admiral Garp, let's hurry up," Bogard urged.
"We still have to escort the Donquixote officers to Impel Down, and after that, we need to rush back to HQ."
Garp nodded. Bogard picked up the small box, and the two of them started heading toward Island #70.
————
"Hey!"
"Ryuen, old man's got what you asked for!"
As soon as they arrived at the villa hotel, Garp shouted at the top of his lungs.
His voice was so loud that the neighbors all came out to see what was happening...
In a flash, Ryuen teleported right next to Garp. His eyes lit up as he stared at the small box in Garp's hands.
"You got it?"
"Yeah, as soon as I arrived at Sabaody Archipelago, I brought it straight to you. But first, you need to tell me why you—"
"That's all I needed to know!"
Ryuen didn't even wait for Garp to finish. He snatched the box from his hands and dashed back inside the villa.
Garp and Bogard stood there, stunned.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman