A split second.
Shano vaguely sensed that the target of the punch wasn't his head, but rather the area above his shoulder.
However.
The muscle instincts forged through training, along with absolute confidence in his own tough physique, made him hesitate not at all, instantly meeting the punch with his own fiercely!
Boom!
Where the fist winds collided, the air immediately rippled with layers, producing a piercing explosion, and both were simultaneously blasted backward.
Just that, Garp only retreated five or six steps before stabilizing.
Whereas Shano plowed two long trenches into the ground, sliding over ten meters before regaining his footing.
"Hmm?"
Garp raised his head in surprise, adjusting his dog-head hat, couldn't help but scrutinize the black-haired youth before him.
"Good kid! So young, yet possessing such strength. Hey! A fellow like you could make a name for yourself on the Grand Line; how come you're still hanging out in the East Sea?"
His punch earlier was merely a scare, not exerting much force.
Yet it was by no means something ordinary people could handle.
Moreover, not only did the other party take it head-on, he also managed to push Garp back several steps.
"Because I am an East Sea person!" Shano rolled his eyes, "I'm only fourteen, why rush off to the Grand Line when I could spend a few more years with my family?"
"Fourteen?!"
Luffy nearby dropped his jaw; he always thought Uncle Shano... No, Brother Shano was at least thirty!
"Grandpa!"
The little brat stood up discontentedly, "What are you doing?! Brother Shano is my friend, not a bad guy, how can you just attack him casually?"
"This old man is your grandpa?" Shano was surprised, "Then why is he stopping me from rescuing you?"
"Shut up! Of course, this old man is training this little brat's survival abilities!"
Garp snorted, throwing a punch that buried Luffy into the ground, then turned to stare at Shano, "Didn't expect that following the ship of that little brat Yamakaji, just to take a holiday at home, I'd run into such a good seedling like you..."
"Hey, brat! This old man is called Garp, you should have heard of my name, right? How about following me to become a Navy? Having such strength at fourteen, after a few years of training, you might become a Navy Rear Admiral before turning eighteen!"
"Garp?"
Shano was stunned and shocked, "The legendary Navy Hero Garp?! The one who saved an entire island of Heavenly Celestial Dragons?!"
"Hahaha, that's me, the old..." Garp was about to laugh heartily when he heard the latter half.
The smile froze on his face instantly.
Years ago, he went to Divine Valley, believing the Heavenly Celestial Dragons were truly on a study tour, rushing in with joy for a chance to catch Roger.
Only to discover after the tough battle what those bubble-headed fat pigs were actually up to!
The battle with the Rocks Pirates, while earning him the title of Navy Hero, also became a deep-seated shadow in his heart from then on.
Since then.
He refused to be promoted to Grand Admiral for life, at least avoiding direct dispatches from the Heavenly Celestial Dragons, thus not becoming a slave unable to act freely.
Garp was silent for a while, staring at Shano's face, his eyes seemingly shadowed.
"You, brat..." the old man said, in a complex tone, "seem to know a lot, could it be... you're one of the surviving relics from that island?"
"No, don't misunderstand, I meant no mockery, I have great respect for Mr. Garp."
Shano shook his head slightly, seriously saying, "Just so you might have realized the answer to that question earlier? People like me can't stand being bound by rules; make me join the Navy? Just thinking about not being able to refuse the orders of the Heavenly Celestial Dragons makes my skin crawl, feeling unbearably uncomfortable."
"But..."
Garp reflexively wanted to argue, but scenes of twenty years ago flashed through his mind; he sighed, momentarily speechless.
"See! Becoming a Navy is so boring!"
Luffy arduously poked his head out from the dirt pit, his mud-smeared face wrinkled like a bitter melon, "Brother Shano, help convince my grandpa as well, he keeps insisting he'll train me to be the strongest Marine, even though I've said that I want to be the Pirate King!"
"Still talking about being the Pirate King! Look what that Red Hair brat has done!"
Garp was furious, slamming Iron Fist onto Luffy's head fiercely, "I can't control this brat, but I can control you! You're my grandson! Dare to become a pirate and see if I won't beat you to death!"
Bang!
"It hurts so much!!!"
Luffy shouted, clutching the big bump on his head, "I'm a Rubber-Rubber Fruit Ability User, why does it hurt when you punch me!"
Of course because of Haki.
Shano noticed sharply that at the moment of Garp's punch, a faint black aura encased his fist, disappearing in an instant, perfectly exerting strength; his control of Armament had clearly reached an extraordinary peak.
--He was truly envious.
"Want to learn?"
Garp seemed to sense his gaze and chuckled.
"If you were to join the Navy as my disciple, I'd definitely teach you personally, but… ah, forget it, not worth mentioning."
The old man picked his nose indifferently, "Anyway, I'm back in the East Sea, have been itching for a while, Luffy this little brat can't take a beating, how about accompanying me in a few moves? If you manage to satisfy me, I won't mind about you killing Mouse."
"How did you...wait, you knew me from the start?"
Realizing something wrong suddenly, Shano thought, you, this old man, weren't just acting all along!
"Nonsense, on the way back from vacation, this old man lay on the deck reading newspapers daily; would be hard not to recognize your face!"
Garp snorted.
"As for that trash Mouse's matter, I also followed Vice Admiral Yamakaji to Branch 16, where the Marines there from top to bottom insisted it was Buggy's doing; but I felt something wasn't right, so I discreetly conducted a little investigation."
"Just borrowing your face and fame persuaded them to open up to me; they secretly told me that just two days before the incident, Mouse threatened you at your hometown, intending to pocket the Fishman's bounty."
"With such info, isn't it obvious? This old man isn't stupid!"
Garp chuckled, wiping the picked nose dirt onto the bewildered Luffy's hair, "Most likely Mouse was your revenge, shifted onto Buggy instead."
"Did you tell Vice Admiral Yamakaji about this intelligence?" Shano had no intention to deny, grinned.
"What's there to say? Let him find out himself, see if those Marines oppressed by Mouse for a year will speak; tch, such trash dead, just dies, saving the Navy's face; this old man was actually planning to praise you for it."
Garp grinned broadly, laughing, "Moreover, your actions were quite clean, truly without evidence, where's the reason to arrest you? Besides, this old man came for vacation leisure, can't be bothered with so much!"
He suddenly clashed fists, eyes sparking with excitement, "Alright, Shano brat, enough talk, do you want to spar with me?"