Chapter 283: Garp’s Considerations!

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

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"Grandpa, Naruto is my first mate, so he can't become a Marine!" Luffy shouted anxiously when he saw Garp trying to take Naruto from him.

But Garp shot him a fierce glare, instantly silencing him.

After all, this was a reflex ingrained from years of discipline—Luffy had been on the receiving end of countless beatings from his grandfather to suddenly change now.

Turning to Naruto, Garp's expression softened into a more friendly one.

"Naruto, you can come back with me to the Marine headquarters. As long as you pass the test, I guarantee you can rise through the ranks quickly!"

If any Marine officers overheard Garp's offer, they would naturally agree.

Despite only being a Vice Admiral, Garp's standing within Marine headquarters far exceeded that of the three Admirals.

His reputation and status as a Marine hero—having repeatedly brought down notorious pirates—made him a legend.

He had trained alongside the current Marine Fleet Admiral and Chief of Staff, and even Admiral Aokiji had once served as his ship's second-in-command.

Even the other two Admirals rarely crossed him on matters of importance.

In short, being under Garp's wing meant having a powerful Marine backing.

"Really?" Naruto was overjoyed because of how easy it was.

Naruto was not the type to overthink at all.

He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly—he had practically joined the Marines in a blur.

"Great! Let's go to the Marine headquarters!" Naruto exclaimed and started walking.

Garp laughed heartily, pleased with Naruto's enthusiastic response.

'That's more like it! As soon as you hear about becoming a Marine, this is exactly the reaction you should have!'

Bogart, Garp's adjutant, stepped forward and whispered.

"Vice Admiral Garp, maybe we should investigate this kid's background first?"

Garp was a bit annoyed—what could be wrong with someone who was radiating pure innocence? But, out of respect for Bogart, he asked Naruto a few basic questions.

"Naruto, wait a bit, I have a few questions for you…"

"…"

Regarding the questions, Naruto answered truthfully, explaining how he had no idea how he had ended up on this island.

He simply didn't know the details of what kind of [ninjutsu] Colt had used to bring him over, so he wasn't lying.

Garp and his men didn't doubt Naruto's words.

Though he mentioned places like the Konoha Village and the Cloud Village, they had never heard of them.

But considering how vast the world was, even the World Government couldn't track every small village, especially from non-affiliated nations.

In truth, Garp had a way to tell if someone was lying— [Observation Haki]. And with his experience, it was clear to him that Naruto was telling the truth.

This was exactly why Colt had sent Naruto to the Marines.

As expected, those who seemed simple-minded were hard to detect as threats.

Someone as straightforward as Garp could easily sense malicious intent from others.

In the entire ninja world, Naruto was probably one of the most straightforward people around—except, maybe, Might Guy.

But Guy... well, Colt would never use him for undercover work.

If Sasuke had been sent instead, he wouldn't have lasted a day before causing a massive fight at the Marine headquarters.

"Naruto, I'll be staying here for another half a month, but don't worry. We'll be heading straight to the Grand Line via the Calm Belt—it'll save us a lot of time," Garp said, throwing an arm around Naruto's shoulders with enthusiasm.

The two seemed to get along quite well right from the start.

Garp also had his own ulterior motives.

'He could be a good influence for Luffy'

He saw how close Luffy and Naruto were, and if Naruto joined the Marines, perhaps Luffy might follow suit.

With these thoughts swirling in his head, Garp smiled even more broadly.

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Grand Line – Near Water 7 – Spade Pirates Ship

Ace sat among his drunken crew, the scene chaotic with scattered plates and empty bottles from their banquet.

Sasuke, standing amidst the chaos, felt a sudden urge to summon the [Susanoo] and cleave these fools and their ship in half.

'I'm really stuck on a pirate ship,' he thought in irritation.

In the first couple of days, these idiots had managed to keep things relatively tidy, much to Sasuke's satisfaction.

But now, as time passed, their true nature was showing.

What did pirates do with their free time? Other than sailing, their main form of entertainment seemed to be endless drinking.

The Spade Pirates had fully embraced this tradition, throwing a small banquet every three days, and a large one every five.

As a ninja, Sasuke despised alcohol, but every time Ace offered him a drink, he felt obligated to accept it, even though it was the last thing he wanted.

Even Deuce, who usually remained sober to help Sasuke stand guard over the crew, had joined the festivities last night, leaving Sasuke as the only one awake.

Sasuke kept walking until he reached a certain someone.

*Bang*

"Bastard Ace, I'm not your babysitter!" Sasuke growled, glaring down at Ace, who was clutching his bruised face after being smacked around.

Ace winced, sucking in a breath as he rubbed his sore cheek.

"Alright, alright, you hit me too hard! You didn't have to hit me that much, Sasuke!"

"Stop complaining. Now, tell me—are you awake yet?" Sasuke's expression remained grim, unamused by Ace's antics.

He has plenty of experience dealing with idiots like Ace.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake. Don't hit me again!" Ace replied hastily.

Despite being a Mera-Mera Fruit user, Sasuke's flames, particularly the black ones from [Amaterasu], terrified him.

Even as a [Logia] user, Ace knew better than to mess with those black flames.

In addition, Sasuke's overall fighting skills and [Haki] were superior to Ace's, and if Ace relied solely on his fruit power, he wouldn't stand a chance against Sasuke.

'No, I need to train harder so I can catch up to him!' Ace silently vowed,

"Wake up you lazy bastards, and get back to work, we need to reach our destination," He started yelling, directing the crew towards Water 7.

Their plan was to repair the ship and replace some of its primary components.

The ship, originally seized from another pirate crew, wasn't bad, but it wouldn't withstand the unpredictable weather of the New World.

To be safe, they decided to refurbish it before continuing their journey.

In recent weeks, the Spade Pirates had been targeting other pirate crews to accumulate enough funds for the repairs, and they finally had a few hundred million Beri.

As the ship sailed steadily forward, Sasuke stood at the bow, eyes closed.

He was practicing his [Observation Haki].

With the combined power of his [Sharingan] and [Rinnegan], he knew his strength would only grow the more he trained.

'When I see Naruto again, I'll be much stronger,' Sasuke thought to himself.

He was confident that more people from the ninja world would arrive in this world soon, and he needed to be prepared for that.

'I'll make sure to widen the gap between me and Naruto while I can!'

But what Sasuke didn't know was that Naruto had already arrived in the world of pirates.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a strong fluctuation through his [Observation Haki].

He opened his eyes and looked towards Water 7 with a sharp gaze.