Garp burst through the door of Makino's Tavern, his booming laughter echoing through the room. "Luffy! Grandpa's back! And I brought you a new friend!"
Five-year-old Luffy lay listlessly on the counter, a glass of juice in front of him. He glanced at Garp without a trace of excitement or anticipation. Hearing Garp's voice, Luffy merely raised his head briefly, then lowered it again, muttering, "Oh... it's Grandpa."
Garp's lips twitched. He delivered a sharp knuckle to Luffy's head, roaring, "You little brat! What's with the 'Oh, Grandpa'?! I'm the grandpa you haven't seen in ages! Aren't you supposed to run over and hug my leg and fawn all over me?! What kind of attitude is that?!"
Luffy rubbed his throbbing head, his face crumpled in indignation. "Grandpa always hits me on the head," he whined. "It hurts!" He pouted and turned his face away, clearly resentful of Garp's behavior.
"Besides, Grandpa's never home," he continued, his voice muffled. "He just leaves me here all alone. I don't even want a grandpa like that!"
Garp sighed dramatically, feigning exasperation. "Oh, Luffy... Grandpa took half a year off just to keep you company, worried you'd be lonely at home. I even brought you a playmate, but it seems you don't like your old man anymore!" He adopted a heartbroken expression, squeezing out a few crocodile tears for added effect.
Five-year-old Luffy, still too young for full-blown rebellion, rushed to comfort his grandfather. "Don't be sad, Grandpa... Luffy misses you too!"
Garp secretly pumped his fist, pleased with his manipulation. After clearing his throat, he pulled a thoroughly miserable-looking Orochimaru from his coat.
"Luffy, look! This is the playmate Grandpa got you. Could be your older brother, your younger brother, maybe even your older or younger sister—doesn't matter. His name is Orochimaru... hmm, Monkey D. Orochimaru. Sounds good! You'll figure it out later." Garp stared thoughtfully at the snake, saying no more. As a Marine hero who had once rivaled Roger, he possessed keen instincts. Though he didn't know exactly what had happened, now that Orochimaru was family, there was no need to dwell on it.
When Luffy saw Orochimaru and heard the words "younger brother," his eyes lit up. 'So, I'm going to have a younger brother now!' He hadn't even considered how a snake could be a younger brother. He grabbed a chunk of meat and shoved it into Orochimaru's mouth.
"Eat up, little bro!"
Orochimaru choked, his eyes rolling back. 'This family is insane... Stop acting like you know what's best for me! Wait... who's the younger brother here?! Who wants a random older brother and grandfather?! And why are they cutting up my food and feeding it to me?! Even in my past life, when I could spit out swords, I never ate like this!'
Orochimaru's internal monologue spiraled, then stalled in bleak contemplation. 'I'm doomed... My cool image is gone forever. Am I going to have to be a comedic character now? It's all the fault of those 10% of Earthlings who are weird! Yes! That's it! I, Orochimaru, will remain cool and independent!'
The little snake tilted its head, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, but Luffy grabbed him and started squishing him. Orochimaru thought, 'Just end me already!'
Exhausted from playing, Luffy hugged Orochimaru and fell asleep. The snake lay limp and dazed, its eyes vacant. Garp tucked them both under the blanket, his gaze lingering on the motionless serpent.
"I don't know what kind of past you've had, but you're my grandson now. Don't dwell on it. I won't pry. Children should act like children. Running away won't solve anything." With that, Garp turned and left.
Orochimaru fell silent, his thoughts swirling: 'How am I supposed to explain that I don't have a tragic past? (Actually, it was pretty awful.) Turning into a snake isn't about escaping reality—I just haven't mastered the Devil Fruit yet.' (Though, let's be honest, I am running away.)
"Ugh... people who talk to themselves like that... they're just like certain others—too annoying to truly hate," Orochimaru's adolescent voice rasped from the snake's mouth, a hint of unconscious delight echoing in the room.
'Now that I'm here... a fresh start might not be so bad.' Orochimaru pondered how to explain his origins, then remembered the System panel and opened it to review his character background:
Character: Orochimaru (Kozuki Orochimaru)
Background: Member of the Kozuki Clan from Wano Country; posthumous child of Lady Toki and Kozuki Oden.
Lady Toki passed away when he was one year old, leaving behind a diary containing his identity information. Raised by retainers, he struggled to survive until the age of five. Due to a conspiracy, he was stuffed into a barrel and thrown into the sea, drifting from Wano Country to Windmill Village.
The Wano Country of this world... the Kozuki Clan... disgusting names. So I'm supposed to be from Wano now? What a tragic, loathsome past, belonging to such a detested lineage.
But what does any of this matter to me? It's just a convenient excuse to eliminate those I despise.
To be continued...