The next day.
"The Straw Hat Pirates caused an uproar at Enies Lobby, rescued the 'Devil Child' Nico Robin, and fought their way through a Buster Call, becoming the only pirates known to ever escape such an onslaught."
Hina stared at the newspaper in her hands, her delicate face filled with disbelief.
"That was a Buster Call! Someone actually survived a Buster Call?!"
A Buster Call—a level of authority held only by the highest echelons of the World Government. Its minimum deployment consisted of five Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals leading ten warships. Any island targeted by a Buster Call was wiped from the map entirely; within a decade, people would likely forget the island ever existed.
Islands like God Valley or Robin's hometown, Ohara, were erased this way. In recorded history, Nico Robin was the only one to escape alive, and even then, only because Aokiji had a momentary lapse in judgment and let her go. Otherwise, she would have died in Ohara.
But today! The entire Straw Hat crew had escaped. This was undoubtedly a massive slap in the face to the World Government. Then again, the World Government had been getting slapped quite a bit lately; they were probably used to it by now.
For the next little while, Garp should be heading to Water 7 to check on his grandson. He won't have time to hunt me, Ren thought. With Garp away, I wonder who they'll send to replace him?
He soon found out exactly who was taking over Garp's shift.
"If you were to take a trip... where would you like to go?"
A towering figure suddenly appeared on Ren's ship. The newcomer wore a black jacket, white trousers, and black leather shoes, topped with a white bear-themed hat. He stood there with a vacant, stoic expression.
Krillin and the others instantly drew their weapons, treating him like a formidable foe!
"How did this guy get here?!" "Teleportation?"
Ren remained seated in his chair. He picked up a small megaphone and shouted toward the kitchen: "Bonney! The person you're looking for is here!"
He didn't even need to shout. The moment she heard Kuma's voice, Bonney dropped her food and sprinted out of the kitchen. Seeing that familiar silhouette, the joy on her face was uncontrollable.
"Papa!"
With a flicker of motion, Bonney reverted to her original child form and lunged into Kuma's arms.
"Papa?!" Ren's crew gasped in shock.
They had assumed Bonney and Kuma had some sort of grudge, which was why she allied with Ren to find him. Who could have guessed that the "Tyrant" Kuma had a daughter, and she was...
Wait! Everyone's gaze sharpened as they looked at Bonney in shock.
"So, this is your true form? A ten-year-old kid?" Hina asked with a look of utter bewilderment.
Bonney hopped down from Kuma, turned around, and grinned. "That's right! Let's get re-acquainted! I'm Bonney, and I'm ten years old!"
"Really ten years old..." The crew felt their brains stall. They didn't even know how to process this information.
"So, now that you've found Kuma, what's the plan?" Ren asked.
Bonney looked at her father and smiled. "We're going home together, of course!"
Hearing her words, a gentle smile appeared on Kuma's face, but thinking of her current situation, he shook his head slowly. "No. It is not yet time to return."
"Eh?! Why?" Bonney looked up at him, confused.
Kuma shook his head, offering no explanation. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ren and his crew. "May I trouble you to look after Bonney for me?"
"No," Ren refused without a second thought. "Take care of your own kid. You're a pirate anyway; having an extra person around shouldn't matter, right?"
Kuma shook his head. "I have a deal with the World Government. I cannot be seen with Bonney."
"A deal? What deal?" Bonney frowned. Recalling her experiences at Egghead years ago, she asked, "Is it about my illness?"
Before Kuma could answer, Bonney added with conviction, "It must be those bastards forcing Papa! I hate the World Government!"
Seeing her try to look fierce while in her child form, the crew couldn't help but chuckle. Blu remarked, "Exactly! It's all a plot by that insidious World Government!"
While the group was condemning the government, Kuma finally spoke: "It was a trade. They have fulfilled their end; I must fulfill mine."
"What trade?" Bonney asked.
Kuma didn't reveal the terms. He just looked at her tenderly and said, "Bonney, it is not yet time for us to be together. But believe me, we will meet again in the New World."
"The New World?" Bonney didn't fully understand the weight of it, but since the New World was technically just "next door," she didn't overthink it. She nodded with a smile. "Then it's a deal! I'll get to the New World as fast as I can!"
Kuma didn't explain the reality to her. He looked at Ren and the others with a solemn expression. "I leave Bonney in your care!"
Ren: "???" "Hey! Wait a minute!"
But Kuma gave him no chance to refuse. He pulled off his glove with lightning speed and slammed his paw-pad into his own chest, vanishing instantly.
...
A metaphorical crow flew overhead, cawing in mockery.
Ren looked at Bonney, who had transformed back into her older self. She looked at Ren and said, "Alright, I'm an adult now. I don't need you to 'look after' me!"
Just as Ren's crew breathed a sigh of relief, Bonney asked, "By the way, when are we going to the New World? I want to reunite with Papa!"
"We'll see. We might have to fight our way in..." Ren rested his head on his arms. He already had an idea of how to cross. He waved a hand and commanded: "Set sail! Destination: Sabaody Archipelago!"
"AYE!!"
While Ren and his crew were making their grand approach to Sabaody, things were moving in Water 7.
Luffy and his crew had been celebrating for days. Just as they were about to reconcile with Usopp and head back to sea, an uninvited guest arrived.
"Luffy!"
Garp's entrance was as unconventional as ever. Despite there being a perfectly good door, he punched a hole through the wall and appeared before Luffy, landing a "Fist of Love" squarely on Luffy's rubber head.
Duang—!
The force of the punch sent Luffy flying across the room, knocking over two tables before he finally came to a stop.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew were too stunned to react, staring at the figure who had just burst through the wall. As Luffy scrambled up from the floor, he clutched his head and wailed, "AAAGH! THAT HURTS!"