"You're amazing, Goku!"
"How did you do it?! Can you teach me? I've wanted to learn the Six Powers for so long, but I never could!"
"Me too, me too! Teach me, Goku! I can give you plenty of delicious food!"
Seeing Goku surrounded by a wall of Marines, Garp had a wide grin on his face.
He grabbed a handful of rice crackers and stuffed them into his mouth. 'This time, I've really dug up an incredible talent, bwahaha!' he thought.
He never imagined that simply going to that island to satisfy a craving would lead him to such a rare find.
Now, he wanted to see what kind of excuse Sengoku would come up with to say he was slacking off or only knew how to eat!
*Hmph, if you're so capable, why don't you find a prodigy like Goku yourself?*
"Huh? What? What's going on?"
At that moment, Lansa, who had been knocked unconscious by the Iron Fist earlier, woke up groggily due to the noise. He looked at the Marines frantically praising and crowding around Goku, his face a picture of total confusion.
*How did I fall asleep just now?*
*And what's happening now? Why are they surrounding the little guy?*
"What are you standing around for? Go break them up! How long have they been Marines? Acting so unseemly... they're making us look bad!"
Garp smacked him on the back of the head, ordering him to disperse the Marines crowding Goku.
"Huh? Oh! Right away!"
Still dazed, Lansa scrambled to his feet like a puppet. He hurried forward, giving the enthusiastic Marines a piece of his mind and ordering them back to their posts.
Rescued from the crowd, Goku wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Lansa with a sigh of relief.
"Whew, thanks a lot. I thought I was going to get squashed, haha."
Experiencing such intense enthusiasm for the first time, Goku felt a lingering sense of dread.
"So what just happened? Why were they all over you?"
Lansa asked curiously.
"I don't know. After I learned a few moves, they just swarmed me and asked me to teach them," Goku replied honestly.
"What did you learn? Soru?"
"Yeah, and two others. I think they were called Moonwalk and... and something Kick."
"Tempest Kick?"
"That's it! That's the name!"
...
After a brief exchange, Goku went off to take a nap, while Lansa stood frozen, staring blankly into the distance.
A moment later, just like a certain someone else, bitter tears began to fall.
*Waaaah! What have I been doing with my life all these years?*
*Am I really just a complete and utter loser?! Waaaah!*
...
...
One week later.
"Whoa!! That's a huge mountain!!"
Leaning against the bow railing, Goku gazed at the "red peaks" in the distance that seemed to touch the sky, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Bwahaha! That's no mountain, that's the Red Line!"
The towering, burly Garp stood beside him, laughing heartily. The contrast between him and the pint-sized Goku made them look like a grandfather and grandson.
"The Red Line? So it's not a mountain after all." Goku nodded, though he didn't quite grasp the concept.
"Of course not. There isn't a mountain in the world that could grow this high or this magnificent."
Garp absentmindedly ruffled the boy's hair, then pointed toward a cluster of white buildings ahead, his voice booming like a bell.
"That over there is Marine Headquarters, Marineford. It's the strongest fortress in the world and the place pirates fear most!"
Determined to recruit Goku, Garp had spent the entire journey looking for every opportunity to promote the Marines.
Unfortunately, Goku hadn't shown much interest, only clamoring to find Master Roshi and Krillin.
"Marine... ford?"
Goku mumbled the tongue-twister of a name, his curious gaze scanning the sacred place Old Man Garp spoke of.
To him, the Marines seemed like good people.
There was the time Lansa stood his ground, and then gave his own money to the fruit vendor as compensation after defeating the pirates.
Old Man Garp let him eat lots of tasty food and offered to help him find Master Roshi and Krillin.
Bogard had "kindly" taught him three useful techniques, one of which he particularly liked.
Over the past week, the other Marines had also shown him nothing but kindness and care, making him feel quite welcome.
Considering all this, he felt that the Marines were good people, so joining them might not be such a bad idea.
However, he still wanted to find Master Roshi and Krillin first, then enter the World Martial Arts Tournament Master Roshi mentioned, and finally find his grandfather's memento, the Four-Star Ball.
After all that, if nothing else came up, he might consider joining.
A few minutes later, as Marineford came into clearer view, Goku stared in awe at the majestic building in the center.
"What a huge castle!"
Garp glanced at him, not bothering to correct his terminology. "Take a good look, Goku. This is where you'll be living from now on."
Once the warship docked at a pier and the gangplank was lowered, Garp stepped off first and beckoned to Goku. "Come with me, Goku."
Lansa added from beside him, "Let's go, Goku. We've arrived."
Goku nodded and walked down with Lansa, following behind Garp.
Behind them, the Marine soldiers disembarked in a grand, disciplined procession.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral Garp is back!"
As Garp led the group through the headquarters, many Marines they passed exclaimed in surprise, looking with admiration at the hero who remained as vigorous and imposing as ever despite his age.
"Old Man Garp is really popular."
Goku's mouth hung open slightly as he looked left and right.
"Of course he is! Vice Admiral Garp is a hero of the Marines. He's been with us for decades and has achieved countless legendary feats. Everyone in the Navy respects him!" Lansa explained with reverence.
Seizing the opportunity, he continued, "The old man has spent his whole life on the battlefield. He rarely recruits people personally, let alone someone as young as you."
"It shows how much he values you and how much he wants you to join the Marines."
"Besides, the old man is getting on in years, and his health isn't what it used to be. He'll probably retire in a few years. With your talent, Goku, if you join and train under him, you'll surely become an outstanding Marine in no time."
"When that time comes, you might even inherit the title of the next Marine Hero!"
"I think that's exactly what the old man has in mind."
"Goku, don't let his kindness go to waste."
He spoke with such passion that tears started to well in his eyes, as if he could already see Garp retiring and Goku taking up the mantle as the next hero.
Just then, a youthful voice drifted from a distance. "Hey, what's that you've got in your hand?"
Lansa found the voice familiar and instinctively looked around.
A split second later, he looked down, only to find that Goku, who was supposed to be right beside him, had vanished!
In an instant, the tears in his eyes froze.
*Wait, so I was just talking to myself all that time?!*
At that moment, Garp stopped up ahead. Without turning around, he said, "Lansa, take the little guy for a tour. I need to go talk to Sengoku. I'll find you when I'm done."
Lansa reflexively stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Just as he was about to leave the formation, he heard Garp's voice drift back ominously. "The next time I hear you say my health is failing, I'll show you just how hard my fist still is."
Lansa: "..."
*I was framed! Old man!*
*I only said that because I wanted Goku to join the Marines!*
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