"Good job!!!"
Garp's voice exploded beside his ear, shaking his head until it buzzed. "Damn it, you scared me half to death! The moment I heard that you were targeted by that cursed beast, I rushed back! Thought I was coming back just to collect your corpse! Hahaha! But what happened? You little brat, you were hiding something like this from me? Even tricked me, your own grandfather!"
He rubbed his bristly, stubbled chin roughly against little Luffy's soaked black hair, movements crude, filled with the overwhelming joy of regaining what was almost lost, and disbelief at this "unexpected surprise."
"Tell me!"
Garp suddenly pulled Katsuo (Luffy) an arm's length away. His huge eyes, still shining with shock and excitement like searchlights, locked tightly on him. "What was that pitch-black light just now? That thing! Did you secretly become the disciple of some hermit swordsman? Or did you awaken some terrifying power?"
His voice was urgent, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure. "Without a Devil Fruit, you can release slashes from nothing, cutting through the air! Even from a distance I felt it! That was the taste of a slash so domineering it defies reason, absurdly strong. Tell me! Was it kenjutsu (swordsmanship)? Did you awaken a sword talent? I knew it! No way someone from the Monkey family could be a fool! Wahahahaha!! A genius of the sword! Absolutely a genius of the sword!"
The booming roar echoed in the salty sea breeze, leaving the ears of everyone nearby ringing.
Katsuo (Luffy) was dizzy from Garp's shaking and shouting. His dirt- and blood-stained clothes looked even more pitiful in Garp's powerful embrace.
His small face carried a mix of exhaustion, confusion, and blankness as he recovered from the shock.
But he could clearly feel Garp's unhidden, mountain-heavy concern, mixed with the joy of "finding a treasure." A strange warmth seeped into his still-clouded heart, mixed with the coldness of seawater.
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know where to begin.
Zanpakutō (Zangetsu)? Shinigami? These things were far too unreal. In the end, he only awkwardly raised his trembling right hand and clenched it slightly. In his palm lingered the sensation of Zangetsu's will to tear apart everything in its path.
Just then, the sound of footsteps rustling across the sand approached.
It was Shanks.
His signature black cape fluttered lightly in the sea breeze. Beneath the red hair was a face unusually calm. He walked forward silently, bent down, and picked up his bright red straw hat from the blood-soaked sand.
His fingers brushed off the clinging blood and sand.
He did not look at Garp, who was still embracing his grandson in joy, but instead cast his gaze toward the crimson wreckage at the pier, toward the blood-dyed sea where the beast's corpse floated. He seemed determined to engrave the shocking scene that had just unfolded into memory.
Finally, his deep eyes, calm as the sea after a storm, slowly shifted back to Katsuo (Luffy) in Garp's arms.
What was contained in that gaze was too complex.
It was no longer the look one gave a mischievous child, but a form of scrutiny, evaluation, even… a trace of understanding, and a strange release? Under that calm gaze, Katsuo's soul tensed involuntarily.
Shanks said nothing.
No congratulations for Garp's joy. No questions about the strange power. Not even thanks for saving his hat.
He only gave the faintest, nearly imperceptible nod in Katsuo's direction. A tiny movement, yet one that carried a thousand unspoken words.
Then he lifted his hand, placed the cleaned straw hat firmly on his red hair, and spoke.
"Let's go."
His voice was deep and calm, without emotion. His final glance at Garp carried a silent clash and warning only top-tier powerhouses could understand.
Without hesitation, he turned and strode toward Ben Beckman, Yasopp, and the other crewmates who had gathered at a safe distance.
The members of the Red-Hair Pirates no longer bore their earlier cheer and ease. Every pair of eyes still held shock and gravity.
They looked once more at the hellish scene near the pier and at the child in Garp's arms. Then they turned silently, surrounding their captain, and walked with steady, solemn steps toward their ship, moored farther away at the cape.
They did not look back. Their black capes billowed in the wind, leaving behind silent figures that withdrew from the bloody shore.
No words. No farewell. Their departure was like the sea's swift retreat after a storm, carrying with it the solemnity of witnessing fate's trajectory shift.
This time, history's river, in that bloody afternoon at Foosha Village, was split into a new current by a blade named Zangetsu.
Garp held the still-dazed little Luffy, watching the Red-Hair Pirates depart. He looked down at his bloodstained yet brimming-with-potential grandson. His earlier laughter settled, his brows furrowed into a deep crease, and in the depths of his eyes flashed both gravity and a hard-to-hide… excitement.
"Tch. Roger's son hidden away, and that bastard Shanks playing games again?"
He muttered softly, too low for others to hear. Then he grinned, rubbing Katsuo's wet hair with his massive hand, his voice booming.
"Forget it! Brat! Clean yourself up! Tomorrow you're coming back to Marineford with me! With your strength, you won't waste away in Foosha Village playing in the dirt! I'll train you into the Navy's strongest fist! No—its strongest blade! Forget about being some Pirate King! Show me a 'Marine King' instead! Wahahahaha!!"
His wild laughter roared in the sea breeze once more, filled with undeniable resolve, anchoring Katsuo's future to the Navy's warships. The edge of Zangetsu was destined to cut the decayed heavens under the Navy's flag.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Thanks for your support!]