The Star Train's Journey Through the Heavens

Chapter 176: A 60-year-old man was gang-beaten. Is it a sign of moral decay or a distortion of human nature?

"Crack~"

Garp's snot bubble burst, and Garp woke up with a start.

"Ah, sorry, I accidentally fell asleep." Garp rubbed his nose, stood up, and said insincerely.

"What do you mean, asleep? He was clearly knocked unconscious," Luffy bluntly exposed.

Garp casually punched Luffy on the head and said to the marines surrounding him, "What are you all doing surrounding me? Go help my fellow countrymen with their work."

“Yes, Vice Admiral Garp,” Bogart replied, leading the marines into Windmill Village.

Windmill Village was already very familiar with these marines under Garp's command and treated them with great enthusiasm and friendliness.

“You are very strong, even stronger than Roger. I am no match for you. I don’t even know your name?” Garp said to Meng Huaifeng, his expression becoming serious.

It might even be stronger than the World Government's trump card, but they play by the mechanism of immortality and forced transformation.

Until a solution is found, no matter how powerful it is, it's useless, right?

Humans cannot imagine things beyond their own comprehension, and Karp could not imagine how much stronger Meng Huaifeng could be than Roger.

"I am Meng Huaifeng, an unnamed passenger on the Starry Sky Train," Meng Huaifeng introduced himself.

"You're so strong, how come I've never heard of you before?" Garp asked.

“We just arrived here,” Meng Huaifeng said ambiguously.

"So you just set sail. What are the Pioneers then?" Garp nodded and continued to ask.

"The nameless one is a pioneer, but a pioneer is more than just a nameless one. A pioneer is someone who dares to explore the unknown world and looks forward to exciting and thrilling adventures..." Meng Huaifeng explained to Karp.

"Isn't that similar to being a pirate?" Garp scratched his head.

"Not at all. Pioneers don't burn, kill, or loot; on the contrary, they'll help those in need," Meng Huaifeng corrected.

"Oh, there are indeed a small number of such pirates among the pirates." Garp nodded in realization.

However, this small group was still wanted and labeled as pirates because their targets, besides other pirates, were often corrupt nobles.

How can you expect to make amends after offending the nobles?

What awaited them was, of course, a relentless manhunt and pursuit.

When encountering pirate crews like this, Garp often just puts on a show, all bark and no bite.

"Young man Huaifeng, your concept of a pioneer is excellent, but you can't stay on the high seas for long. I can tell you have a strong sense of justice. Take my advice and join the Navy. Although there will be some constraints, you are strong enough that as long as you don't cross certain lines, you can completely ignore them, just like me." Garp earnestly advised and sincerely invited him.

"Perhaps Uncle Garp is right, but we can't possibly be marines. Thank you for your kind offer," Meng Huaifeng said with a smile, declining the offer.

Garp sighed helplessly. "Young people these days are so hot-blooded and stubborn."

However, given his strength, even if he were turned into a pirate, he wouldn't be in any real danger, so Garp stopped trying to persuade him.

But Luffy is different.

"What kind of pioneer are you? Become a Marine for Grandpa, you bastard!" Garp was about to punch Luffy again.

"Snapped."

Meng Huaifeng caught Garp's fist and encouraged Luffy, "There's no future in being a Marine. Don't listen to your grandpa. Be a pioneer."

"Yeah! I will definitely become a pioneer!" Luffy hid behind Meng Huaifeng and made all sorts of faces at Garp.

"Join the Navy!"

"Be a pioneer."

"navy."

"pioneer."

"I'm so angry!"

Garp gradually became irritable, and the tension between the two escalated once again.

Meng Huaifeng shook his fist. Garp didn't care whether he could win or not; he just wanted to fight first.

This time, Meng Huaifeng had no intention of engaging in a passionate brawl. With his protective powers activated, he used one hand to deflect Garp's iron fist and the other to instantly knock Garp unconscious.

Don't be fooled by the fact that there are many powerful people in this world who can destroy countries and sink islands. The countries in this world are too small, with each island being a country. There aren't many truly large islands, and they are far smaller than a modern metropolis.

Therefore, the strongest experts in this world who can destroy countries and sink islands are comparable to intermediate-level Destiny Walkers.

Meng Huaifeng, however, has far surpassed that level.

"Wow, Brother Huaifeng is amazing! I want to become a pioneer and freely explore and adventure on this great sea!" Luffy cheered, causing quite a stir.

This time, Garp didn't fall asleep and woke up from his coma in less than a minute.

"What a monster," Garp muttered, looking at Meng Huaifeng.

"Uncle Garp, trust me, Luffy has a bright future as a pioneer." Meng Huaifeng patted Garp on the shoulder.

Luffy is likely to embark on a pioneering journey as a trailblazer, while joining the Marines would be a complete waste of his potential.

"Hmph, I can't beat you anyway. Never mind, I have other things to do, I'll be going now." Garp turned and left with a dark face, going to check on his other grandson first.

I'll correct that brat after you leave; I don't believe you'll stay here forever.

"Brother Huaifeng, tell me more about pioneering!" Luffy asked expectantly.

"The world contains the known, the unknown, and the unknowable. Exploration can tolerate the unknown, but it will never succumb to the unknowable..."

"The outcome of pioneering is important, but the process is even more important..."

……

Where did you put all your things?

Ace watched as Xing picked up a lot of things, but then disappeared again. Finally, he couldn't help but ask.

If they had something this convenient, they could take many things with them all at once, without having to go through all that trouble.

"It's in the ticket," Xing pointed to the ticket hanging on her clothes.

"Where did this come from..." Ace was about to ask when Sabo suddenly covered his mouth. How could he ask about something as precious as this?

"Ace, so you've been here all along. I've finally found you," Garp's voice rang out.

"Grandpa, you're back?" Ace asked with some surprise.

Karp glanced at Xing, his gaze lingering on the same train ticket Xing had that Meng Huaifeng had.

"Are you Meng Huaifeng's companion?" Karp asked.

"Um, my name is Xing. Who are you?" Xing asked.

"I am Vice Admiral Garp, Luffy and Ace's grandfather. Haha, let me test the mettle of that monster kid's companion." Garp said with great interest, striding towards Xing.

He wanted to see just how much potential this team had.

Xing clearly sensed that Garp's physical strength was even more abnormal than Shanks', so he immediately increased his strength and knocked Garp unconscious before he could react.

Before falling into a coma, Karp was completely baffled.

That's not right. Even if I didn't use my full strength and took Roger's hit head-on, Whitebeard would only suffer minor injuries at most.

How come I've run into two people today who can knock me out in one go?
This world is changing so fast!
"Gudong."

Ace swallowed hard. He could take down those thugs one by one with a single blow, and even his grandfather would only need one...

Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance, then knelt down in front of Xing with a thud.

"Boss, we want to learn baseball!"

"Alright, watch closely. This move is called 'Rules,' and it's meant to be broken..." Xing taught her her ultimate technique without reservation. Although this move requires destructive power to maximize its effectiveness, other energies can be used instead. Even the way she uses her body to generate power is full of skill.

Ace and Sabo's eyes lit up. One wanted to break the rules of the pirates, and the other wanted to break the rules of the nobles. This move was exactly what they wanted to do.

The steel pipes in their hands whirred as they swung them. They hadn't yet awakened their domineering aura, and their understanding of energy manipulation was limited to memorizing.

As for their physical strength, it's far superior to their previous street fighting techniques, significantly increasing their attack power.

……

A man in his sixties was beaten by the train crew in turn. Is this a sign of distorted humanity or moral decay?
The train crew said they didn't want to either, but Garp seemed to be possessed, challenging them one by one just like Shanks.

Shanks, a young man, faced no pressure whatsoever when fighting with the train crew.

But this man in his sixties...

But you can't just not fight back. The old man has a bad temper. If you don't hit him, he'll hit you on his own. You can't just take the beating without fighting back, can you?

Fortunately, although the old man in his sixties was old and his hair was half white, he was still in good health.

He was beaten up but nothing happened to him; Danheng even used a Cloud Chant spell to heal him.

Not only was he unharmed, but his strength even seemed to have increased slightly.

One monster might not be a match for the person behind the World Government, but eight or nine monsters...

Garp's heart burned with fervor: "Gentlemen, why don't you overthrow the World Government? The Navy will definitely lend a helping hand!"

Sengoku and Zephyr are best friends. The three new generals are all Zephyr's students, and they respect him. They are also full of justice.

Garp believed that as long as he demonstrated enough strength, he would be able to persuade them.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Garp, the Star Train will not interfere with the civilization process within a planet,” Himeko said, shaking her head in refusal.

"Why? Don't you know just how corrupt the World Government is?" Garp asked.

"The change of regime is a common and normal phenomenon in the process of civilization, and it should be, and can only be, resolved by yourselves," Yan said.

Angels also have rules against interfering with the normal progress of civilization. Yan was already used to this phenomenon and could understand the train crew's rule.

"Even if we help you overthrow the World Government, then what? All sorts of heroes will rise up, vying for the position of World King, and starting a war that will affect the entire world? You yourself have said that losing order is more terrible than the worst order."

"The Navy is strong, but under the World Government's control, it's not strong enough to suppress pirates. If those pirates were to become the new World Kings, things probably wouldn't be much better. We can't exactly be expected to take care of all those great pirates for you, can we?"

“Even if your navy wins and gains control of the world, you are just a military organization with all sorts of different understandings of justice. Can you really manage this world well?” Meng Huaifeng asked.

“Well…why don’t you just become the new world kings?” Garp said.

“We won’t stay in this world forever; we’ll be leaving soon. Besides, if every world train group gets involved to this extent, the stars will be like puppets on strings, and this universe will be nothing more than an exquisite tomb,” Meng Huaifeng said, shaking his head.

If train crews were to manage the world, influenced by their own perceptions, they would only guide each different world toward similar ones, causing the universe to lose its diversity and become monotonous.

They dismantle the shackles of civilization, but refuse to become new chains.

It will not overthrow the regime, will not act on behalf of the people, and will not defend the regime permanently.

The train crew is not a god, but a messenger of hope. The true meaning of "pioneering" is to teach every race to gather firewood in the darkness.

“You need an organization that can truly replace the World Government, not those pirates,” Meng Huaifeng reminded him.

Garp suddenly remembered his son, Dragon, and the Revolutionary Army he had created.

It turns out he was the one on the right path.

“We’ve been on this island for three days now, it’s time for us to set off,” Himeko said, standing up.

The train crew left the room, leaving only Karp in a daze.

From initial excitement to the train crew's rejection, Garp's mind was in turmoil; he wasn't exactly a good thinker to begin with.

After a long while, Garp took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Old man?" The Den Den Mushi, mimicking a dragon's face, asked in confusion.

“A group of people left Windmill Village. They are nameless passengers on the Star Train, the Pioneers. You'd better go find them,” Karp said in a complicated tone.

"Is there anything special about them?"

"Didn't you create the Revolutionary Army? Perhaps you can get some inspiration from them. It would be even better if you could recruit them into your Revolutionary Army, although it's basically impossible."

"...Thank you, Dad."

On March 7th, feeling slightly heavy-hearted, she whispered in Meng Huaifeng's ear, "Are we really not going to help at all?"

"We certainly won't interfere in political struggles. But we can stand up for what's right and help those in need," Meng Huaifeng said with a light laugh.

"What does this mean? What does it have to do with anything?" March 7th was completely baffled.

"You'll find out later," Meng Huaifeng said.

The train crew arrived at the dock.

Ji Zi handed a blueprint to Meng Huaifeng: "This is the blueprint for the ship. We'll use this as a reference."

Meng Huaifeng opened the blueprints, revealing a medium-sized sailboat that resembled the style of this world, but with an energy furnace and propeller installed at the bottom.

Well, it's basically a modern yacht with a retro leather overlay.

In addition, there are some devices and facilities that are not very coordinated and appear somewhat out of place.

If I'm not mistaken, it must have been someone else who added a few strokes.

Meng Huaifeng released a large amount of timber, hemp rope, and rags, and Xing also released the scrap iron he had collected.

Ether Edit!

A large amount of material was quickly edited into a sailboat that was over forty meters long.

Xing couldn't wait any longer and rushed to the bow of the ship, flicked his trench coat, and shouted, "Men, raise the sails and set sail!"

The deck beneath Xing's feet cracked instantly, and Xing was thrown into the sea.

"Hey, Xing, what's the rush? I haven't finished editing yet," Meng Huaifeng said anxiously, slapping his thigh.

Xing climbed ashore, puffing out her cheeks, and said angrily, "Guess if I believe you or not?"

"I believe you." Meng Huaifeng nodded heavily.

"I don't believe you! Don't run away!" Xing headbutted Meng Huaifeng.

Meng Huaifeng hid behind March 7th.

"Hey, hey~" March 7th tried to dodge left and right, but was always stuck between the two.

"Behold my blessing!"

On March 7th, he hurriedly applied a layer of six-phase ice to himself.

"clang!"

Xing crashed headfirst into the ice wall in front of March 7th.

"Alright, stop fooling around, let's get on the ship," Himeko said with a light laugh.

"Wait a minute! I want to become a pioneer too! Take me with you on your journey to the sea!" Luffy's anxious voice came from afar.

The train crew turned to look and saw Luffy holding onto a stake with both hands, his hands stretched out like rubber bands, and with a 'whoosh,' he was launched over.

It was pulled too far and too forcefully; it will likely fall into the sea.

Meng Huaifeng leaped up and caught Luffy, placing him on the ground.

"Take me with you! I can be an intern first, mopping the floor, doing laundry, cleaning the deck, anything," Luffy said expectantly.

(End of this chapter)