Lucas Moore had assumed Garp had gone back to Windmill Village to check on Luffy.
Instead, that sly old man returned to Baratie at dawn with a net full of seafood.
Zeff was outside on the deck, helping his chefs repair the broken door.
When he saw Garp approaching, he barked impatiently, "Perfect timing. That guy's head might be worth a few million berries. I don't care for more. Just give me ten thousand berries and take him away."
Garp turned to glance at the stiffening corpse nearby. He scratched his head and muttered, "Who's that again?"
Zeff's expression darkened. "Don Krieg, the captain of that crew who made a scene here yesterday morning."
"Ohhh, right!" Garp grinned, baring his teeth. "Not bad, Zeff. Even with one leg, you managed to take out that scum-sucking pirate. You're still going strong for an old man!"
Zeff said nothing.
With a deadpan expression, he clarified, "Wasn't me who killed him."
"Huh?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "Then who was it? Don't tell me it was Lucas Moore? Hahaha…"
"That's right," Zeff said with a teasing smirk. "Marco came by last night. Saw it with his own eyes. Said Lucas took Krieg out in just two blows. He even invited him to join their crew."
"What?" The grin froze on Garp's face. His eyes widened. "You mean that Marco? The Phoenix? The Whitebeard Pirates' division commander?"
"Yep. Him."
Garp tensed. "Did that brat agree?"
Zeff shrugged and chuckled mischievously. "How should I know? He's upstairs. Go ask him yourself."
"Damn it! I asked him first!" Garp dropped the net of seafood onto the deck with a huff and stormed into the restaurant, heading straight for the spiral staircase.
Zeff watched him go, still smiling, and added casually, "Oh, by the way, Lucas has Conqueror's Haki. But I'm sure you already knew that."
Garp froze.
A flash of astonishment crossed his face.
Conqueror's Haki?
That brat has it?
Seeing Garp hesitate, Zeff continued, "Quite powerful too. Just a slight leak of it knocked out all my guys and Marco's crew alike."
Garp's eyes widened.
Without saying another word, he rushed upstairs.
He found Lucas and threw a punch at him without a word.
Lucas easily sidestepped using Shave.
Garp followed up with another swing. "Brat, don't tell me you actually agreed to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Lucas didn't respond.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did you really say yes to that damn bird Marco?" Garp hurled another fist.
"No!" Lucas, clearly irritated, activated his Level 3 Armament Haki, wrapping his fist in a dense black sheen.
He didn't dodge this time.
He struck back.
Their fists collided with a thundering crash, sending out a shockwave that swept across the entire floor.
Garp blinked in surprise.
When he punched Luffy and Ace, he only ever used ten percent of his strength. But with Lucas, he used thirty.
And yet the kid had just taken it.
And not only taken it. Matched it.
So he's mastered Armament Haki too?
Powerful leg techniques rivaling Zeff's, all three types of Haki, possibly even a swordsman…
Just how many secrets is this kid hiding?
Garp's interest in Lucas deepened.
They pulled their fists back at the same time.
Suddenly, a chime echoed in Lucas's mind.
Ding! You've exchanged blows with Marine Hero Garp. Sign-in progress: +10%.
Ding! Baratie sign-in task complete. Congratulations, host, for unlocking Moonwalk and Tempest Kick. Shave upgraded to Level 3. Night Gate upgraded to Level 2.
Moonwalk allowed the user to kick off the air with immense leg strength, creating bursts of lift to walk as if on invisible stairs.
Tempest Kick compressed air into razor-sharp vacuum blades with a snap of the leg, launching deadly slashes with each kick.
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
As the skills awakened and the upgrades settled into place, a powerful surge of energy burst outward from beneath his feet.
He didn't move.
And yet, spiderweb-like cracks spread from where he stood across the wooden deck, radiating outward in a dense pattern.
Then came a loud crack.
The deck beneath Lucas and Garp collapsed into a gaping hole.
The two reacted instantly, leaping to the sides and landing on intact parts of the floor.
From a side room, Sanji peeked out, jaw slack with shock.
"Huh?!" Garp exclaimed. "Lucas, what the hell did you just do?"
Lucas stretched his legs and shook his head. "Nothing."
Garp twitched. "I don't believe that for a second!"
Lucas didn't respond. He simply walked past Garp, calm and composed.
"Where are you going?" Garp asked.
"I'm leaving."
Now that the sign-in was done, it was time to move on.
"What?" Garp chased after him. "So soon? Hey, how about joining the Marines? Give it another thought?"
Lucas didn't hesitate. "No."
Seeing him about to leave, Sanji finally snapped out of his shock and ran after him.
"Lucas, you're really going? Right now?" he asked with a frown.
Lucas nodded. "Yeah."
When they reached the dining hall downstairs, Sanji darted ahead and blocked his way. "You said you'd teach me legwork. You haven't even started. How can you leave now?"
Lucas was silent for a moment.
"When did I say that?"
Sanji froze. Thinking back, he realized Lucas had never actually promised to teach him.
"But didn't you… kind of imply it?" Sanji asked, eyes full of disappointment.
Lucas glanced outside, where Zeff was still barking orders as his chefs patched the deck.
"You already have a good teacher."
Sanji bit his lip, eyes beginning to mist.
Lucas passed him without another word.
But just before reaching the restaurant doors, he paused.
Then, he turned slightly and said, "All Blue is real."
Sanji's heart skipped a beat.
He turned sharply to look at Lucas's back.
He was sure he hadn't mentioned All Blue to him before.
Wait.
He had said something that night, maybe in passing, when Lucas asked about his dream…
He remembered.
Lucas had remembered too.
"You've made a good friend," Garp said as he walked up beside Sanji, grinning while watching Lucas's back.
Sanji looked at Garp, the frustration and sorrow on his face slowly replaced by a smile. He nodded firmly. "Yeah."
Lucas made his way to the lower deck and informed Zeff that he was leaving.
Zeff, ever straightforward, ordered his chefs to prepare a supply boat for him.
Compared to the tiny sailboat he had arrived on, this new one was twice as large.
Lucas hopped aboard without hesitation.
He pulled up the system's navigation and began sailing toward his next destination.
He hadn't gone far when voices rang out from the deck behind him.
"Lucas!" Sanji shouted. "Next time we meet, I'll make you the best dish in the world, with the finest ingredients!"
Garp called out too. "Even if you're not a comrade, you can still be a friend. Next time, let's have some delicious donuts together, alright?"
Zeff's voice followed. "Lucas, if you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, come back to Baratie. I'll make sure you never go hungry here."
Lucas didn't answer. Didn't look back.
But he lifted his hand and waved.
The three stood there on the deck, watching him go.
Just then, one of the chefs came running from the restaurant in a panic.
"Boss, bad news! The second floor deck has a massive hole in it!"
"What?!" Zeff's eyes widened. He turned to Sanji. "What happened up there?"
Sanji looked away and muttered, "It was Vice Admiral Garp's fault…"
"Huh?!" Garp pointed at himself, stunned. "Me?! How was it my fault?!"