Brother Finn, You Are So Annoying...

Days later, the super battleship returned to Naval Headquarters.

It had taken almost half a month for the round trip.

Before disembarking from the warship, Finn retrieved all the toys of the Red Hair Pirates. First, he applied more than a dozen medical ninjutsu techniques and anesthesia techniques on each of them. Then, he instructed Granu to release their toy contracts and return to their human forms.

Finn tied the group together with a rope and then flew into the air, heading for Sengoku's office.

"Huh? Finn!?" Sengoku was absorbed in some paperwork when he suddenly looked up and saw Finn entering. His surprise was evident.

Hadn't this kid gone to East Blue? It had only been half a month, so surely he hadn't even reached Windmill Village yet, right?

"Finn? What are you doing back here? Didn't you go to Windmill Village to find your brother?" Sengoku asked, confused.

"Grandpa Sengoku, I was on my way to Windmill Village when I ran into a group of pirates. So, I captured them and decided to bring them to Naval Headquarters first," Finn casually fabricated a story.

"You captured a group of pirates?" Sengoku frowned, still trying to process the situation. Why would it require a special trip back to Naval Headquarters?

"Yes. I've tied them all up. They're just outside your office door. Want to bring them in for a look?" Finn asked.

"Nonsense! Do you think I have nothing better to do?" Sengoku's patience was wearing thin as he pointed to the pile of paperwork in front of him. He grabbed a phone bug and tossed it to Finn. "Dial this. Someone will handle it."

"Oh~" Finn took the phone bug, dialed the number, and Stucky, Sengoku's adjutant, answered the call.

"Hey, Marshal," Stucky greeted.

"It's Finn. Grandpa Sengoku is busy, so he asked you to take care of some pirates," Finn said nonchalantly.

Sengoku frowned. He suspected Finn was pulling a prank on him.

A few moments later, Lieutenant Stucky arrived outside Sengoku's office with a group of Marine soldiers.

"Take them straight to the prison," Stucky ordered, moving to handle the captives personally.

One of the pirates was lying on the ground, and Stucky turned him over.

"What's this? A one-armed man? A redhead?" As Stucky looked at the pirate, he gasped. "Ah!"

"What's going on?" Sengoku frowned, his annoyance rising at the sudden disturbance.

"Marshal, you'd better come see this," Stucky's voice sounded tense.

Sengoku shot Finn a suspicious look.

Finn shrugged, spreading his hands as if to say, "Don't look at me."

Sengoku stood and walked out of the office, his curiosity piqued. When he saw the pirates, he couldn't help but gasp. "Ah!"

He turned to Finn in disbelief. "Finn, are these the pirates you captured?"

"Yeah. I found them in East Blue. They insisted they were part of the Four Emperors' crew, but I thought they were fakes. I took them out and captured them," Finn said, feigning surprise.

Sengoku stared at Finn, his blood pressure rising. "You caught a group from the Four Emperors?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Sengoku turned to his adjutant. "Stucky, get the high-level forces from Naval Headquarters here immediately. Escort these people to the deep-sea prison and don't make any mistakes. We have ten minutes."

Then, as Sengoku looked up, he saw that Finn had already stepped out into the corridor and was walking toward the beach.

"Finn, where are you going?" Sengoku asked urgently.

"I'm going to find my brother! Grandpa gave me an order, I have to go," Finn replied, not looking back.

"Don't forget the time!" Sengoku called after him. "You've got two and a half months until the World Summit! Don't be late!"

"I won't!" Finn waved back without turning his head.

Leaving Naval Headquarters, Finn's super battleship headed toward the New World.

"Brother Finn, has Ace also come to this sea?" Makino asked as she adjusted Finn's cloak, making sure he stayed warm despite the wind.

Of course, with Finn's physique, he wouldn't catch a cold even without the cloak, but Makino insisted.

Finn thought about a saying from his past life: "There's a kind of cold that's called 'your mother thinks you're cold.'" For Finn now, it was more like "there's a kind of cold called 'Makino thinks you're cold.'"

Still, he felt warm inside, knowing she cared.

"Yeah. My second brother always wants to prove himself. He worries me more than Luffy, actually."

He paused, his expression softening. "Well, Luffy at least has the protagonist's aura. He can die as much as he wants."

"But Ace is at greater risk," Finn added with a sigh.

"Don't worry too much, Brother Finn. Ace is blessed by God, he'll be fine," Makino reassured him.

"Yeah." Finn nodded and then leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "Sister Makino, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Makino asked, intrigued.

Finn winked. "I peeked at you while you were taking a shower last night."

"Ha!?" Makino's face immediately flushed bright red, and she lowered her head, flustered. Her hands fidgeted nervously, and her lips pressed together uneasily. "Brother Finn, why are you acting like a child again?"

Finn grinned at her reaction, teasing, "Hey, it just shows I'm still the same boy I used to be. I haven't changed a bit."

Makino blushed even more. "You're so talkative again..."

"But, Sister Makino, you've changed. You're more beautiful than before," Finn said with a playful wink.

Makino, who was usually reserved, turned even redder at the compliment. "Brother Finn, you're so annoying..."