"Makino! I'm back!" Garp thundered as he barged into Partys Bar, his booming laughter shaking the bottles on the shelves. The Vice Admiral's uniform made him look even more imposing, but the villagers were used to this sight.
"Garp!" several of the elders called, raising their glasses. "Still alive, old dog?"
"Bwahaha! More alive than you sorry geezers!" Garp barked, pounding one massive fist on the counter before swiveling his head. "Oi, where's Luffy? Shouldn't he be here stuffing his face off with meat?"
Makino, busy serving fried chicken to a customer, hid a knowing smile. "Oh, he's out fishing with the fishermen today."
Garp blinked. "...Fishing?"
"Yes," Makino said lightly as she polished a stack of plates.
The Vice Admiral narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Oh, kid's probably in that steamboat I saw passing by my ship just now....Hey wait- you let him go out to the sea just like that? You, Makino, of all people? Hah, that's really unlike you!"
She giggled softly. "He'll be fine. I saw him swim the other day, he's really good at it. Fast too. And the fishermen know what they're doing. I can trust them with him."
"Hmph." Garp scratched his head, clearly unsettled. He dropped onto a barstool, muttering, "That boy, going off doing things I didn't tell him to do..."
Makino continued, tone warm but sly. "You know, Luffy's been trying a lot of new things lately. Just the other day I saw him helping the firewood seller, carrying logs, chopping wood. He says it's strength training, but honestly, I think he just enjoyed helping."
The elders chuckled. One of them leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Garp... did you know? The kid can read now."
Garp threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Bwahaha! You almost got me there with that one!"
But then he noticed the silence. Makino's hands paused on a plate. The elders exchanged smirks and nods. No one corrected the claim.
Garp's laugh faltered. He sat forward, eyes wide. "...Wait. You're kidding me, right?"
No answer. Just the creak of stools as the old men leaned back, enjoying the sight of the Hero of the Marines caught completely off-guard.
Makino finally broke the silence, her smile gentle but proud. "He's been working very hard, Garp-san."
For once, Garp was speechless. His mouth opened, closed, opened again, then finally stretched into a grin as loud as ever. He threw back his head and bellowed, "BWHAHAHAHA! That brat! He's growing up faster than I thought!"
Still, behind the laughter, his mind was already racing. Monkey D. Luffy, stronger, taller, sharper, and now literate? Oh, Garp had a lot to catch up on indeed.
"So what's caused the brat to suddenly be like this, eh?" Garp asked, tearing into a hunk of meat the moment Makino slid it across the counter. "I know the kid, he's basically me. Lazy, loud, stubborn as a damn mule. Someone must've gotten into his head, or maybe injured his pride."
Across the bar, the same elders who'd once teased Luffy months ago raised their hands in perfect unison.
Garp froze mid-bite, staring at them. "...You lot?"
The old men shuffled, sheepish but still grinning. One cleared his throat. "Well, uh, it started when we were ribbing the boy. Told him he couldn't be strong if he couldn't even read or count."
"Just some harmless teasing!" another added quickly, waving his hands.
"Aye, we didn't think he'd take it so seriously," the third said, chuckling. "We didn't know it'd have this much of an impact though."
Garp blinked. Then, slowly, a dangerous grin spread across his face. "Bwahaha! So that's it! You fools shamed him into improving!" He slammed his fist on the counter, rattling bottles. "Perfect! That's the best kind of motivation, pride! No one ever grew strong without having their nose rubbed in the dirt first!"
Makino frowned, arms folded. "Don't praise them like that. If anything, it was cruel. You should've seen him afterward. He didn't pout or throw a tantrum, he brooded. Quietly. That's not like him, Garp-san. That moment stuck with him."
The elders exchanged glances, looking suddenly guilty. "We really didn't mean for it to cut that deep..."
But Garp only laughed louder, meat grease dripping down his chin. "Bwahaha! Don't sweat it. That's the kind of fire he needs! You plant one little seed of doubt, and look what happens! The boy's charging forward like a cannonball, just like me in my youth!"
Makino sighed, though even she couldn't deny the results. "Still, it's strange," she said quietly. "For all his loudness, it's the quiet moments where he grows the most."
Garp leaned back, tearing off another bite of meat, eyes gleaming not just with pride but with curiosity. Soon enough, the conversation shifted, and the bar filled with laughter as the old men swapped stories of their youth. It was almost as if nothing had happened.
Then-BANG!
The door slammed open with the same thunderous energy Garp had brought earlier.
"Makinooo!! I'm back!" a familiar voice rang out. "I caught a lot just now! Look! Look!"
Makino turned, and her jaw nearly hit the floor.
There stood Luffy, cheeks flushed from exertion, carrying a fish four times his own size slung over one shoulder, its tail dragging across the floorboards. In his other hand, he dragged a massive net bulging with smaller catches, each one still longer than his arm.
"This'll last for weeks!" he boasted proudly, grinning ear to ear. "That is... if I don't eat 'em all in a couple days! Shishishishi!"
The entire bar erupted in whistles and laughter, half impressed, half bewildered. A six-year-old, hauling a catch that would make seasoned fishermen sweat.
But then the mood shifted.
A shadow loomed. A towering figure stepped directly into his path.
Luffy stopped, blinking up. His grin faltered for the first time. "...Gramps?"
Garp stood with arms crossed, a broad, toothy grin spreading across his weathered face.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other. The Marine Hero and his grandson, the future pirate still oblivious to his destiny.
Then Luffy dropped everything, the giant fish, the bundle of smaller ones, and leapt forward. "Gramps!!"
He buried his head into Garp's chest, wrapping small but surprisingly strong arms around him.
"Bwahaha!" Garp roared, wrapping one massive arm around the boy and lifting him up as if he weighed nothing. "Long time no see, brat!"
The bar was filled with warmth, cheers, and chuckles. Makino exhaled softly, smiling at the sight. The old men lifted their glasses. For a moment, Foosha Village felt like the center of the world, because Garp and Luffy had returned to each other.
"Gramps! Did ya know? I can read now!" Luffy boasted to his grandfather after settling down. Makino slid a chunk of meay towards Luffy, the same size as Garp's. Garp grunted and nodded at Luffy's boast, chomping down on a second chunk of meat.
"Yeah I know! But I wanna see it for myself." Garp grinned as he snatched a newspaper near him, placing it down in front of Luffy.
"Gramps! Did ya know? I can read now!" Luffy boasted, pounding a fist against his little chest as if declaring victory.
Makino chuckled and slid a slab of meat the size of his head across the counter. Luffy snatched it up with both hands, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, I know!" Garp barked, a grin splitting his face. He tore another chunk of his own meat with a loud crunch. "But I wanna see it for myself."
Before Luffy could reply, Garp snatched a folded newspaper from a nearby table and slapped it down in front of the boy. The bar quieted a little as curious eyes drifted their way.
Luffy tilted his head, blinking. "Eh? Reading? Now? But the meat'll get cold!"
"Meat doesn't get cold," Garp barked, though the corner of his mouth twitched with amusement. "Go on, brat. Show me."
Luffy frowned, but leaned in, squinting at the bold print on the front page. His lips moved slowly, soundlessly at first. Then, with growing confidence, he began to read out the headline. The villagers blinked; the illiterate boy who used to shout nonsense about becoming the Strongest was now piecing together sentences.
Garp, arms crossed, wasn't just listening to the words. He was watching his grandson's expression. The headline was no accident, news of a skirmish between pirates and the Navy, painted in the usual black-and-white strokes. Heroes and villains. Justice and evil.
Luffy stumbled over a word, then looked up. "Gramps... the Navy beat 'em, right? So they're the good guys?"
For a heartbeat, Garp almost spoke. The question sat heavy on his tongue: 'And what if the Navy was wrong, brat?'
But instead, he only grinned, eyes shadowed with thought. "You tell me. You're the one readin' it."
Luffy scrunched up his nose, clearly wrestling with it, before eventually grinning wide and tearing back into his meat as if the problem had solved itself.
The villagers laughed, the moment passing, but Garp didn't stop watching. His laughter was loud, his grin wide, but behind it, the Hero of the Marines was testing more than just letters.
'This ain't the right place to speak about it. This kinda stuff is better had in private. Maybe someday soon...'
.....
"Gramps, why are we here? I wanna eat more." Luffy complained. He had been enjoying his meal while Garp was catching up with his old friends. It was until the Vice Admiral suddenly dragged him to a forest clearing.
"We're gonna spar, brat! I wanna see how far you've come. Some old Marine buddies of mine said they've been showing you some drills." Garp cracked his knuckles. Luffy hated this part of Garp's training. It was obvious that his grandfather was going to win in the end.
"Yeah. They said it's what they went through when they were Marines. It was tough, but it got pretty easy after that. " Luffy grinned at the elder who laughed.
"Of course it was easy! That training routine was for Marines in the Easy Blue, the most peaceful out of the Four Blues. You should see the routine for the other three Blues, nevermind the ones for the Grand Line." Luffy tilted his head. The Four Blues, the Grand Line? He'd never heard of those places before.
Garp noticed the confusion and cleared his throat. "I'll tell you about them later, brat! C'mon! Focus up, let's fight!" Garp leaped towards his grandson who widened his eyes in shock.
'Gramps is really fast!' Luffy thought, as he barely dodged a swing from Garp. Even though Luffy's speed has increased a ton, Garp was still way out of his league.
"C'mon brat! Fight back! Ya can't expect to dodge forever!" Garp barked while throwing out punches and kicks towards his grandson. Luffy gritted his teeth as he leaped forward and swung at his grandfather's head.
"Hah! Too easy!" Garp laughed, dodging it with a slight tilt of his head. He countered with a punch of his own. Luffy raised his right arm just in time and took the punch.
"Waaa!!" Luffy yelled as he flew away, tumbling on the grass. Garp stood there, grinning and crossing his arms at him. Luffy's hands curled into fists as he stools up again, determination unwavering.
"I'm fine! I'm not giving up anytime soon!"
"Bwahahahahaha!!! Ya brat! I don't expect you to do that in the first place!" The two yelled as they charged towards each other.
The clearing shook with every clash. Luffy darted in with wide, clumsy swings, his fists moving faster than they ever had before. Garp swatted them aside like buzzing flies, his booming laughter echoing through the trees.
"Good! You're faster than before, brat! But speed without timing is just wasted effort!"
"I'll show you timing!" Luffy shouted back, stomping down so hard the dirt cracked under his heel. He sprang forward, arm cocked back, then suddenly feinted, ducking low and aiming for Garp's legs.
The Vice Admiral blinked in surprise. "Oh?"
His shin barely shifted as Luffy's punch connected, but the intent behind it made his grin widen. 'He's learnin' tricks, eh?'
"Better! But you're still thinkin' too much like a brawler. Use your head, brat! Use everything you got!" Garp barked, his fist shooting down like a cannonball.
Luffy's eyes went wide, he barely managed to cross his arms before the blow sent him skidding back, dirt and grass exploding in his wake. He landed hard on his back, panting, arms stinging.
Still, he got up. His knees wobbled, but his eyes burned. "I'm not losin'! Not to you, gramps!"
"Bwahahaha! That's the spirit!" Garp charged again, the ground quaking under his steps.
This time, Luffy didn't dodge. He roared, rushing in with everything he had. Their fists collided, tiny against massive, but for just a heartbeat, the air popped with the shockwave of the impact.
The sound echoed through the forest. Birds scattered from the treetops.
Garp raised his brows, his grin sharp. 'That... that was real spirit.'
Of course, Luffy's knees buckled right after, and he collapsed face first into the dirt, groaning.
"Oi, brat!" Garp crouched, poking his side with a thick finger. "You dead?"
Luffy rolled over, dirt smeared across his face, and grinned, teeth shining. "Shishishi... not even close."
Garp threw his head back and laughed so loud the trees seemed to shake again.
"Good! That's what I wanted to see. The day you stay down, that's the day I stop callin' you my grandson!"
Luffy, despite the aches all over his body, burst into laughter with him.
The fight continued. The forest clearing rang with the sound of fists striking air, earth cracking under each impact. Luffy darted in again, twisting at the last second to feint toward Garp's left side.
"Hah! Sneaky brat!" Garp laughed, parrying the blow and sending Luffy tumbling with a backhanded shove.
Luffy spat dirt, scrambling back up. His fists trembled, but his grin was stubborn. He charged again, this time weaving left and right like a blur.
'He's learnin'... he knows he's small, so he's usin' it. Quick thinker. That's good.' Garp thought, pride flickering in his eyes before hardening again. He met Luffy's rush with another booming swing.
"Listen, brat!" Garp barked between strikes. "Out there in the world, there ain't nobody gonna go easy on you! Not pirates, not Marines, not even the sea itself!"
Luffy's eyes widened as he ducked under a kick that split a tree trunk behind him. "Then what do I do, Gramps?!" he shouted, twisting back with a wild swing.
"Ya stand up! Every damn time you get knocked down, you get back up stronger! That's the only way you'll survive!" Garp's fist hammered into Luffy's guard, sending him skidding backward.
Panting, dirt-smeared, Luffy steadied himself. His mind was buzzing, not just from the fight but from something else.
"Gramps!" he shouted as he leapt aside from another strike. "Back at the bar.... the newspaper! You looked like you had somethin' to say!"
"What about it?!" Garp bellowed, swinging another kick.
"You looked... you looked like you were holdin' back!" Luffy grunted, ducking so close that the wind of the strike ruffled his hair. He countered with a punch at Garp's knee, teeth grit.
For a split second, Garp's grin faltered. The old man caught Luffy's fist in his palm with ease, but his gaze sharpened.
"Tch. Sharp brat. You noticed, huh?" Garp muttered, almost to himself. He tossed Luffy aside almost too easily, not cruelly, but firmly enough to remind him of the gap between them.
"Some truths ain't for kids yet," he said, crossing his arms, voice heavy. "But if you keep pushin', keep growin', one day, you'll see for yourself whether the stories in those newspapers are worth believin'."
Luffy blinked, chest heaving, mind swirling with more questions than answers. But before he could ask, Garp stomped the ground and barked:
"Now stop talkin' and fight, brat! Show me that spirit!"
Luffy clenched his fists tighter, determination blazing brighter than before. "Fine! I'll make you say it, Gramps!"
He charged again. Garp cocked back a fist, his knuckles cracking like cannon fire. Luffy's eyes sharpened, he didn't move. Not until the last instant, when he sprang sideways with a wild leap.
"Hm?" Garp's brow arched as his grandson vanished from sight.
"Ho? Playin' hide and seek now, are we?!" he roared with a booming laugh, scanning the clearing. Of course, he knew exactly where the brat was, but curiosity kept him still. 'Let's see what kind of trick you've cooked up.'
"Take this, Gramps!"
Garp turned just as Luffy burst out of the bushes, veins bulging as he hoisted a giant log overhead, the very one Garp had kicked down earlier. With a yell, the boy swung it down with all the force his little body could muster.
The log slammed into Garp's side and exploded into splinters. Dust swirled, wood rained down.
Panting, Luffy landed hard on the dirt, peering through the haze. "Did I get him...?"
From within the settling debris, Garp's laugh rolled like thunder. He brushed dirt from his uniform, not a scratch on him.
"Heh! Good one, brat. But I'm not a Vice Admiral for nothing."
Before Luffy could react, Garp's massive frame blurred and vanished, gone in the blink of an eye.
"What?! Where'd Gramps go?!" Luffy whipped his head left, then right, panic rising.
A shadow loomed. Laughter boomed behind him.
"He's right behind me... isn't he..." Luffy muttered, face paling.
"Correct!"
A massive hand clamped the back of his shirt and, with casual ease, Garp hurled him forward. Luffy pinwheeled through the air, tumbling across the grass in a heap.
"Waaaahhh!!" he yelped as dirt streaked his face and shirt.
Still groaning, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, glaring back at his grandfather with fire in his eyes.
"What the hell was that, Gramps?! I didn't know you could teleport!" Luffy barked, eyes sparkling with outrage and wonder. "You gotta teach me that!"
Garp only grinned, folding his arms. "Hah? Teach you Soru? Don't make me laugh. You can't even pull off a third of the first step. You lack the speed, brat! Come back when you're fast enough to keep up with your old man!"
Luffy puffed his cheeks, arms crossed. "Tch! Soru, huh? So that's the name. Fine then, Gramps! I'll prove you wrong! And when I do, you'll have to tell me everything about it!"
"Hah! Let's see you try, brat!" Garp's booming laugh rattled the trees, though pride gleamed behind his grin. He stepped closer, his tone dropping into something more measured. "That was one heck of a fight. You've improved, good. But you're still raw. There's tons more you could work on."
He gave his grandson quick-fire corrections, stance, weight distribution, breathing. Finally, he jabbed a thick finger at Luffy's chest and declared with unshakable pride, "With polish, you'd make a fine Marine!"
But instead of puffing up with pride, Luffy only scratched his head, lips twisting. For once, the boy didn't laugh or boast.
"Marine...? I dunno, Gramps. I don't know if I wanna be one..."
The clearing went quiet. Garp's grin faltered. "Hah? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean..." Luffy furrowed his brows, struggling to form the thought gnawing at him. "Marines chase pirates, right? But in the paper, some Marines do bad stuff too. You always say they're justice, but... I don't get it. Why should I be one if I don't know for sure?"
Garp's jaw clenched. His voice rumbled low, a storm brewing. "Oi, brat. Don't you go runnin' your mouth like you know the world already."
"But I see it, Gramps!" Luffy shouted back, stomping his foot. "You can't just say Marines are good and pirates are bad, 'cause the paper doesn't look like that! So maybe I don't wanna be a Marine!"
The words struck deeper than any punch. Garp's brow twitched, a vein bulging at his temple.
"Stop talking like a pirate, damn it!!" he barked, the clearing trembling with his voice. Birds scattered from the trees.
Luffy didn't flinch. He stared up at his grandfather, fists trembling, not with fear, but with that same iron stubbornness Garp himself carried.
"You listen here, brat!" Garp's chest heaved as he jabbed a finger like a cannonball straight at Luffy's heart. "The Marines are the shield of the people! The ones who stand against monsters, raiders, and killers who'd burn villages and slaughter innocents for a bag of gold! Marines fight and bleed so the common folk can live another day in peace! That's justice! That's duty!"
"But-"
"No buts!" Garp thundered, eyes blazing. "Without duty, without order, the seas would drown the world in chaos! Justice isn't about what feels good, it's about what must be done! Even if you don't like it. Even if it breaks your damn bones. That's what strength is for!"
Luffy's jaw trembled, but he refused to bow his head. "But if justice is so strong, Gramps... why does the paper say some Marines hurt people too? Why do they show pictures of villages burned, and say it's 'for justice'? That doesn't sound right!"
The words cut sharper than steel. For a moment, Garp froze, his breath caught. He remembered Dragon, those same burning questions in his son's eyes, decades ago. But this wasn't Dragon. Dragon had already chosen rebellion. This was Luffy: small, young, not even seven, and already daring to question what was supposed to be absolute.
"Damn it, brat!" Garp's fists clenched, his teeth grinding. "You're six years old! Don't talk like you've seen the world! You don't know the hell out there, the monsters, the cruelty. When you see it, maybe then you'll understand why the Marines have to stand firm!"
"But I will see it!" Luffy shouted back, his tiny frame trembling with raw conviction. "That's why I wanna decide for myself! I don't wanna just take your word, Gramps! I wanna see the world with my own eyes, then I'll know what's right!"
The forest fell silent. Garp's fury boiled on the surface, but deep inside, something colder twisted in his gut. 'So much like Dragon but also not... Dragon wanted to tear it all down. This brat just wants to understand...'
For the first time, Vice Admiral Garp, the Hero of the Marines, didn't know what to say to a six-year-old boy.
Garp snorted, rolling his shoulders a couple times. "Ceh! Let's talk about this another time. I'm hungry."
Luffy, still catching his breath, nodded in agreement. Without another word, they started back toward Makino's bar, the clash between them fading into the background but still lingering in the air.
"Words are powerful, brat," Garp muttered, hands folded behind his head as he walked. "But ya gotta have the strength to back 'em up... Otherwise, all the words coming out is just crap."
Luffy didn't reply. For once, he stayed quiet, eyes fixed on the ground. A rare stillness settled over him. Garp noticed it but said nothing more, letting his grandson contemplate.
When they pushed open the bar's doors, Makino immediately sensed the shift. Luffy's silence, the weight in Garp's expression. It wasn't hard to guess for the bar owner.
'Garp-san must've tried again... telling him to become a Marine,' she thought, pouring drinks with a faint shake of her head.
It wasn't wrong, not really. Garp's intentions were clear. But as Makino's eyes lingered on Luffy, she knew. That path, no matter how noble, would never be his.
.....
It was late at night. After a short study session with Makino, who cleverly used coins and cuts of meat to make addition and subtraction interesting, Luffy was left alone in his room while she went back downstairs to tend the bar for a few more hours.
"Today's stash is about five thousand Beli, I think..." Luffy mumbled, closing the small wooden box where he kept his earnings. Today's total came from helping Gyoru in the morning and the fishermen in the afternoon.
"Whatcha doing, kid?"
Luffy turned his head to see Garp at the doorway, dressed down in a short-sleeved shirt and loose pants. Under one arm he carried a rolled-up mattress, under the other a giant pillow.
"Oh hey gramps. Just counting the money I earned." Luffy grinned.
"Hah. Not bad." Garp stepped inside, then paused, his eyes falling on a box in the corner. Inside it was a messy stack of bounty posters, some yellowed and worn, others still crisp.
"You sure got a lot of those," Garp remarked, lowering the mattress onto the floor beside Luffy's bed.
Luffy shrugged. "It's like baseball cards. Nothing different about it."
"True..." Garp muttered as he dropped down with a grunt, "...except baseball players don't kill innocents just because they feel like it."
Luffy went quiet at that. He couldn't really argue. The people on those posters weren't exactly heroes.
"I'm tired," Garp said after a moment, lying flat and folding his arms behind his head. "You should sleep too."
"Yeah..." Luffy yawned, climbing under his blanket. The two of them stared at the wooden ceiling above, silence filling the room.
After a while, Luffy spoke.
"Hey, gramps... why do you want me to be a Marine so bad? Far as I remember, you've been telling me that since before I even knew how to talk."
Garp exhaled through his nose, a low rumble that almost sounded like a growl. His eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling.
"Why, huh...?" He scratched his chest absentmindedly. "Because it's the right damn thing to do, that's why. A Marine protects people. Keeps order. Makes sure the seas ain't crawling with scum who'd slit your throat for a coin purse."
Luffy tilted his head toward him. "But you don't trust the Marines either, do you? You complain about them a lot."
That made Garp snort. "Don't twist my words, brat. Doesn't matter if the brass are idiots. The idea of justice... that's what matters. The world needs men who'll stand up for it. Strong men." His voice grew heavier, quieter.
"And you... you're gonna be strong. Strong enough to shake the seas one day. I can see it in you already."
For a moment, Luffy thought he heard something else behind those words, a crack in Garp's usual wall of iron. Something closer to fear.
"But why me?" Luffy asked.
Garp turned his head just enough to glare at him with one eye. "Because you're my grandson, that's why! You think I'll just sit around and watch you turn into some good-for-nothing outlaw?!" He barked the words, but the heat faded almost instantly.
With a grunt, he rolled onto his side, facing away. "Tch. That's all you're gettin' outta me tonight. Go to sleep."
Luffy stared at him, frowning, a dozen questions buzzing in his head. But he didn't push. He just laid back, the night air thick with things left unsaid.
He was lost, plain and simple. His grandfather wanted him to be a Marine, but deep down, Luffy already knew it wasn't for him. He didn't have a neat reason he could explain, no fancy words or clear logic. It just... didn't feel right. His gut told him so, and Luffy trusted his gut more than anything.
"Hmmm... what do I wanna be...?" he mumbled sleepily, his brow furrowing as if the answer might float into his head if he thought hard enough.
But his thoughts slipped away, and within seconds he was out cold, his snores filling the room. Garp was already asleep too, his own thunderous snoring rumbling like a wild beast, more tiger than man.
Between them, the little room seemed almost to shake.
And yet, neither knew it then... that soon, very soon, the boy's question would be answered. His dream was waiting, just beyond the horizon.
To be continued.....