As weeks passed, the Roger Pirates continued their journey across the Grand Line, adventuring and exploring islands they had never visited before. Along the way, they encountered enemies—mainly rival pirate crews—but surprisingly, not a single marine squad had confronted them. Perhaps it was due to the recognition of Roger's flag; after all, no one wanted to throw their life away for nothing.
Koa's Conqueror's Haki training with Rayleigh progressed steadily. He could now release it successfully once in every twenty attempts. His physical strength had also begun to grow significantly, thanks to his constant training with someone who could match him. His height was slowly increasing as well, and his Armament Haki had noticeably strengthened. Koa estimated that the quality of his Armament Haki might now be on par with Katakuri's, though he wasn't entirely confident in that assessment.
Ginny, who had recently awakened her Observation Haki, was learning to combine it with her Devil Fruit powers and marksmanship. She had also started practicing Geppo, the Moonwalk technique used by Marines.
The Roger Pirates happened to possess an instructional manual for it—an item recovered during one of their raids. Though she was improving, Ginny still struggled to use her Haki, Devil Fruit, and Geppo in sync. Her physical conditioning hadn't yet caught up to her ambitions.
Kuma had also awakened his Observation Haki, but something unusual happened to him. He found that he could sense more than just presence—he could perceive intent. He instinctively knew, for instance, that Koa's intention was purely to grow stronger. He sensed that Ginny's desire was simply to remain with them and not be left behind. Ivankov's intention, meanwhile, aligned with Roger's: to see the world, something he could never do while enslaved.
When Kuma shared this discovery with the others, Koa was confused.
Where did he get that ability? Is that innate? he wondered, recalling Vegapunk's statement that Buccaneers possess unique traits. He remembered how Kuma, even without memories or personality, instinctively protected Bonney, his daughter.
Maybe joining the Roger Pirates helped him realize his freedom. Maybe watching Roger do whatever he wanted made Kuma feel unshackled by his bloodline. If he stopped viewing his nature as a curse, maybe he finally accepted himself… and that allowed him to fully access his Buccaneer instincts, Koa theorized. It was a working hypothesis—possibly right, possibly wrong.
Kuma's Devil Fruit powers had also grown. During a sparring match, he unconsciously expelled a red bubble, pain extracted from another crew member. Recognizing it immediately, Koa touched the bubble and absorbed the pain into his own body. The entire process lasted around twenty seconds, and strangely, Koa didn't feel much discomfort. He wasn't sure if that was because he was simply used to pain or if the bubble hadn't contained much to begin with.
"Koa, are you alright?" Kuma asked, concern on his face as Koa stood frozen.
"I'm fine," Koa replied calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"What was that?" Ginny, who had also seen the event unfold, asked the two of them. Kuma responded with a brief explanation.
"I think it was someone's pain. It seems like my Devil Fruit allows me to repel pain from other people's bodies," he said, scratching his head, still unsure himself
Ginny looked even more confused, and before they could go further in circles, Koa cut in.
"It doesn't matter. It didn't hurt," he said, ending the conversation before it spiraled into mutual misunderstanding.
Ivankov, however, showed the most dramatic growth among the three. Not only had he awakened his Observation Haki, but he also developed a sonar-like ability that enhanced its range. By releasing slugs—biological constructs produced by his Devil Fruit—he could extend his Haki to cover a wider area. His martial arts also progressed rapidly. While his style remained simple, Ivankov created several unique variations that allowed him to fully capitalize on his Devil Fruit powers.
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One afternoon, while the Roger Pirates were going about their usual routine, Koa suddenly heard a loud boom in the distance. Turning toward the sound, he spotted what looked like a cannonball flying toward them at high speed.
Reacting instantly, Koa leapt into action and swung his axe, sending a flying slash to intercept the projectile. When the slash collided with the cannonball, it exploded mid-air, sending a shockwave across the sea. A booming laugh echoed from afar.
Roger, who had already sensed the disturbance, chuckled as he turned his gaze toward the warship that had fired on them.
As the smoke cleared, a Marine warship came into view—its figurehead unmistakable: a dog biting down on a bone. Koa instantly recognized it. It was the most iconic warship in all of One Piece. And the man now stepping forward, laughing boldly, was just as legendary.
There stood the Hero of the Marines. The father of Monkey D. Dragon. The grandfather of Monkey D. Luffy. None other than Monkey D. Garp himself. Then, in a booming voice, Garp shouted:
"OIIII, ROGER! IT'S TIME I DRAGGED YOU TO IMPEL DOWN!"
He laughed heartily while stretching his arms, casually warming up for battle.
"NEVER!" Roger bellowed in response, grinning widely as he unsheathed his sword, Ace. Without hesitation, Roger leapt from the Oro Jackson just as Garp jumped from his ship. In mid-air, the two charged their attacks, pouring their full power—and their Conqueror's Haki—into the clash.
"DIVINE DEPARTURE!"
"GALAXY IMPACT!"
Their voices rang out as their weapons met, the collision unleashing an overwhelming shockwave of Conqueror's Haki that rippled through the sky and sea. The force of their clash sent waves crashing in all directions. Watching from the ship, Koa couldn't help but grin.
This never happened in the original story. But now... I'm living it.
This really is the greatest anime ever, Koa thought as the titanic impact between Garp and Roger destabilized the sea. A massive tsunami surged toward both ships, threatening to engulf them.
Without missing a beat, Koa countered by using the Earthquake powers of his Devil Fruit—similar to Whitebeard's—to unleash a seismic wave of equal force, colliding with the tsunami and nullifying it before it could strike.