"Puhahaha!!"
The laughter arrived before the man himself.
"Moses, why are you sitting by the door?" Garp approached the entrance, chuckling. "Did you do something to upset that woman Dory?"
"Or did she kick you out?"
"Tell me, your grandpa's here. If she doesn't want you anymore, you can come with me. You're grown up now anyway."
Moses rolled his eyes at him and said flatly, "If you're so brave, why don't you go inside and say that? Let's see if Doctorine doesn't teach you a lesson."
Garp's grin froze, and he returned the eye-roll with one of his own, clicking his tongue.
"Well, I guess not. I was just thinking—Dory dotes on you so much, why would she ever abandon you?"
Watching Garp's lightning-fast change in attitude, Moses sighed. "Grandpa, how long is your leave this time?"
Garp straightened his expression, then grinned, ruffling Moses' hair. "Don't worry. Barring any surprises, this leave should be longer."
"So, do you want to come back to East Blue with me this time? Perfect chance—I can properly train both of you."
"Hmm, alright then. I'll go talk to Doctorine about it."
"Come on, I'll go with you. It's been a while since I last saw her."
Moses stood up and entered the house with Garp. Just then, Kureha descended from the second floor, curling her lip in distaste at the sight of Garp.
"You're here again? Just how much free time does a Navy Vice Admiral have?"
Garp picked his nose and grinned. "I'm just giving the younger generation more opportunities to grow. If an old soldier like me does everything, what kind of example would that set?"
Kureha shot him an unimpressed look, though she wasn't really bothered by his words—she had just asked offhandedly.
Turning to Moses, she said flatly, "Going to East Blue?"
"Yeah, thought I'd go for a bit of fun."
"Fine, go ahead. Staying cooped up here all day isn't good anyway. It's good to get out more. And with this guy around, you can pretty much walk sideways wherever you go."
Moses sighed. "I'm not a crab—why would I walk sideways? I'm perfectly well-behaved."
Both Kureha and Garp gave him a deeply skeptical look.
Garp suddenly burst out laughing.
"Puhaha! Moses, you actually called yourself well-behaved? Are you trying to kill me with laughter? I don't even want to bring up some of your glorious achievements."
Kureha's lips twitched, and she waved a hand dismissively. "Just get lost already."
Resigned, Moses went to his dresser by the bed to pack his clothes.
He stuffed the essentials into a backpack and changed into lighter clothing.
Once everything was packed, he found Bear Cub and Crow Dabao's entire family blocking the doorway.
Moses chuckled. "I'm just going out for a few days. You guys hold down the fort here."
Bear Cub nodded reluctantly. "Ying~ You said... take... me... too?"
Moses smiled and patted Bear Cub's head. "You've got a more important job here. If the household chef leaves, what will Doctorine do?"
"Oh. Right."
Bear Cub nodded half-heartedly, looking thoroughly dejected.
Kureha scoffed. "If he wants to go with you, just take him. It's not like I'll drop dead without him."
"Not this time. Didn't you say your experiment is about to yield results? Bear Cub can stay and help you—running errands is something he can handle."
Kureha fell silent for a moment, about to speak, when Bear Cub hugged her leg and said in a simple, earnest voice, "Bear... no go... home... mom... together."
Kureha couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. This little guy had really taken her as his mother now. She didn't object anymore, reaching out to playfully pinch Bear Cub's ears.
Seeing the matter settled here, Crow Dabao rasped directly, "Me... go... with you."
Moses rubbed his temples, "What about your wife and kids if you leave?"
Crow Dabao said firmly, "Child... big now. Xiao Niu... watch. Me go with you. Me... decide."
True to his role as the head of the family, once Crow Dabao spoke, Crow Xiao Niu didn't argue, simply pressing close to nuzzle him affectionately with her slender neck.
"Xiao Niu... wait home. Child... me care. Safe... return," Crow Xiao Niu croaked.
What a devoted wife and mother!
Watching the birds and bear in the room all speaking simple words, Garp blinked in astonishment. "What's with them?"
Moses chuckled, "I'll explain on the way."
Garp didn't press, casually replying, "Alright then."
After observing the affectionate couple for a while, Crow Dabao gently pushed his wife away with a wing and fluttered up onto Moses' shoulder.
Moses bid farewell to Kureha, Bear Cub, and the room full of birds.
...
Walking through the snowy forest.
Moses briefly explained to Garp, who looked at Crow Dabao flying overhead with newfound interest.
"Your panda is special, but your white-necked crow is genuinely clever."
The two chatted cheerfully as they walked, soon spotting the warship docked by the river.
Boarding the ship, they immediately saw Bogart.
Noticing Moses' arrival, Bogart gave some sailing orders before approaching to size him up.
"Tsk tsk, haven't seen you in ages, kid. You've bulked up. So? Missed your old man?"
Moses grinned at him,
"The sun's still up, old man. Why are you dreaming already?"
"You're just as cheeky as ever, not cute at all," Bogart sighed in mock resignation.
Moses simply smiled, exchanging a few more words before greeting the familiar marines on board.
Then he headed to the cabin with Crow Dabao perched on his shoulder.
As the warship left Drum Island's waters, Crow Dabao soared through the sky, his hoarse yet powerful cries ringing out continuously.
His excitement was palpable—this was his first time at sea, his first time leaving Drum Island's vicinity.
The warmer climate filled him with physical and mental ease.
After flying to his heart's content, he landed atop the warship's mast, standing tall and proud as he scanned the surroundings with keen eyes.
He looked every bit a professional lookout.
"Where'd you get that crow?" Bogart asked, joining Moses at the top deck railing. "That's one fine bird."
Bogart eyed Crow Dabao covetously. The crow's physique was robust, his body taut with visible strength, his frame elegant, beak sharp, claws keen, eyes bright and alert.
Under Moses' care, with regular meals of meat and nutritional supplements, he'd become even more magnificent than when first caught.
He'd even grown slightly larger.
"Envious? Jealous? Green with desire?" Moses teased. "Good—this guy's my pride and joy."
"Caw~ Me... lie. Clearly... me... own... talent... good," Crow Dabao retorted.
Crow Dabao turned around from the top of the mast and cackled mockingly at Moses, "Caw caw caw~"
Bogart looked at Moses with a strange expression, unable to hold back his words, "That crow of yours is quite amusing. Does it lay eggs? If it's this intelligent, I wouldn't mind having one. Belly can be negotiated."
Moses curled his lip in disdain, "Crow Dabao is male, and his offspring aren't for sale. Unless you spend time winning them over and gaining their consent, you won't even get a feather."
Though Moses had no intention of giving any away, he left the door slightly ajar.
Perched atop the mast, Crow Dabao listened to Moses' words, satisfaction gleaming in his beady eyes.
Having spent so much time with Moses, he'd learned that having a master wasn't so bad—at least food and drink were never in short supply.
But if someone wanted his chicks? They'd have to pass the character test and meet his approval first.
Life at sea was often monotonous. As they crossed the Calm Belt into East Blue waters, they were fortunate not to encounter any massive sea kings—though smaller, suicidal ones did come to challenge them.
Without exception, they all ended up as roasted meat, filling the crew's bellies.
Lunchtime arrived.
Crow Dabao tore voraciously into the cooked sea king meat, stuffing himself until his belly bulged.
His avian face bore a peculiar expression—if he'd encountered such monstrous "fish" near shore before, he would've immediately taken flight skyward.
But now...
"Caw~ This ship is full of monsters," he mused.
Moses chuckled between bites, "Keep eating this meat and train hard. You'll grow big and strong too."
"Crow can?" Dabao sounded uncertain.
Moses smiled, "Have you mastered the Breath technique I taught you?"
The crow shook his feathered head, "Almost... there."
Moses nodded, "No rush. I'll keep teaching you. With practice, you'll get it. Once mastered, it'll enhance your digestion—you'll eat more, and eating more means growing stronger."
Crow Dabao's eyes sharpened as he nodded solemnly, "Crow understand. Crow will... work hard. For... wife... chicks."
Quite the ambitious bird.
Bogart, eating nearby, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Noticing this, Moses suddenly laughed,
"Tsk tsk tsk. Some people can't even measure up to a bird. This one's already sired a nest of eggs, while others haven't even kissed a woman's cheek."
"All talk, no action. A! The! O! Ry! Master! Am I right, old man?" Moses propped his right elbow on the table, tilting his head with an impish grin at Bogart, whose face immediately contorted violently.
He glared daggers at Moses.
Moses turned back to Crow Dabao, grinning, "Dabao, what do we call this again?"
"Single... dog... old... bachelor," came the raspy reply.
The mess hall sailors all shot strange looks their way. Bogart's face darkened instantly as he ground his teeth at the crow.
"Damn bird, you looking for a beating?"
Crow Dabao averted his gaze but muttered under his breath, "Two-legs... jealous of Crow."
Moses burst out laughing.
His laughter detonated like a bomb, triggering an explosion of mirth throughout the mess hall. Though Bogart held the highest rank present, no one had dared laugh initially—but now that someone had broken the ice, all restraint vanished.
They laughed with abandon.
Bogart's lips trembled with anger as he glared fiercely at Moses before storming out in a huff.
Moses blinked at Bogart's half-eaten meal, quickly finished his own food in a few bites, then grabbed Bogart's plate and went after him—adding two more delicious fried steaks for good measure.
Stepping out of the cabin, Moses sensed Bogart's presence on the top deck of the warship using Observation Haki and approached with a smile.
"What? Still mad? Can't I just apologize?"
Moses handed over the plate. Bogart took it with a resigned chuckle, only to watch Moses swipe a steak from it.
"Huh? Taking kickbacks now? Weren't these all for me?"
Moses grinned. "One was always mine—just didn't have a free hand earlier."
Bogart scoffed but couldn't help asking, "Seriously, won't you give away any of that crow's eggs?"
"Nope," Moses said. "Those are Crow Dabao's chicks—her call. Or you could catch one yourself, and I'll train it for free."
"Fine. I'll think about it."
Bogart happily dug in. He hadn't truly been angry earlier, just embarrassed—hence the dramatic exit. As a grown man, he wasn't one to hold grudges or fuss over Moses' teasing.
Besides, Moses wasn't wrong.
He just had terrible luck with women.
A few days later.
Around five in the afternoon.
The warship docked smoothly at Windmill Village's harbor.
Moses and Garp disembarked.
They headed to the village chief's house at the eastern end.
At the doorstep, two high-pitched toddler voices echoed inside before the door shook from frantic pounding.
Slab opened the door.
The sight of Garp instantly darkened his mood. His beard bristled as he glared.
"My door didn't wrong you, did it? Must you do this every time?"
Garp chuckled, brushing past him without a care.
Moses shrugged at the fuming Slab. "Hey there, old man."
Slab's face lit up at Moses—only to darken further at the address.
"Little Moses, I'm just a few years younger than Garp. I'm grandpa-aged too."
"But you look young."
Moses grinned.
Slab sighed, half-annoyed, half-pleased. "Ah, suit yourself."
They entered.
In the living room, two two-year-olds tumbled about, giggling.
Garp stood nearby, cheerfully calling their names. When they toddled over, he scooped one in each arm.
He nuzzled them with his beard, only for both kids to squirm away in disgust.
After watching and playing with them awhile, Moses borrowed a fishing rod from Slab and set off to fish.
Rocky shore.
Same spot as last time. Moses sat on the rocks, baited the hook, and cast the line with a powerful flick.
The hook arced perfectly into the sea, the bobber riding the waves.
Rod propped, sea breeze blowing, Moses basked in the quiet joy only anglers understand.
The afternoon sun warmed his skin—blissful comfort he'd never find on Drum Island.
Soon.
Crow Dabao, having circled the village, descended from the sky and perched on the rocks beside Moses.
Tilting his head to look at Moses, Crow Dabao asked hoarsely with curiosity:
"Meh, what, you doing?"
Moses smiled, tilting his head to nuzzle against Crow Dabao's head. "Fishing, of course. What else would I be doing?"
"Fish, catch, me, eat?"
Crow Dabao said with an aloof expression on his bird face.
Moses chuckled: "Let's see if we catch anything first. If not, you'll have to scavenge for shellfish by the shore."
At the mention of shellfish, Crow Dabao looked somewhat confused. He'd never eaten those on Drum Island—it was too cold there, he'd never even seen any.
"Shell, that, what?"