"You two brats don't know anything. That is this old man's love for them."
"Yes, yes. You are absolutely right. Everything you say is correct."
Kuina and Zoro nodded frantically. Anyone could see how much sincerity their words held.
Garp: ....
"Hmph. This old man won't stoop to your level, you two brats."
Garp snorted, then immediately asked the two of them.
"Were you both brought back by that kid Kyle?"
"Yes."
The two of them nodded.
"Mmm..."
Garp kept stuffing rice crackers into his mouth, pondering for a moment.
Based on his understanding of Kyle, the people he brought back might not be particularly strong for now, but their potential definitely wouldn't be low.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have caught Kyle's eye.
After another moment of silence, Garp simply looked at the two of them and shouted loudly.
"Since you've come here, from now on, I am your grandpa."
"Huh?!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Zoro and the other widened their eyes in shock, instinctively glancing at each other, able to see the utter bewilderment in each other's eyes.
"Huh what? What? You don't want to be my grandson and granddaughter?"
Garp glared at the two of them.
Kuina and Zoro were speechless at this moment.
What? Who likes being someone's grandchild? Is that even something a person says?
They were extremely indignant inside, but the ferocious image of Garp from just moments ago was still deeply etched in their minds, making them too afraid to argue back.
After a long silence, Kuina cautiously spoke up.
"Um, I already have a grandfather."
"Having a grandfather doesn't mean you can't have one more? Who said a person can only have one grandfather?"
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. This old man says he's your grandpa, so he's your grandpa. From now on, if you get bullied outside, just use your grandpa's name."
Kuina, Zoro: ....
What else could they possibly say?
And so, the two of them joyfully gained a grandfather, and Garp joyfully gained a grandson and a granddaughter.
While Garp was busy acquiring grandchildren, on the other side, Kyle slowly pushed his body up with his hands. Waves of pain still assaulted him from time to time, making Kyle couldn't help but glance at Zephyr, who was still trading verbal barbs with Sengoku next to him.
This old guy really didn't hold back at all.
However, these injuries weren't a big deal for him. With his physique, resting for a few days would be enough for him to recover almost completely.
Although he paid a small price, this fight was very meaningful for him.
First, he had fought to his heart's content. That was important.
Second, he had figured out roughly what level his full power was at now.
According to Zephyr's words, he definitely had the level of an elite vice admiral.
Although there's still a huge gap between elite vice admiral and admiral, how old was he?
A six-year-old elite vice admiral. You tell me, aren't you scared?
The final gain was...
Kyle once again turned his gaze towards Zephyr, his eyes darkening slightly.
Initially, he thought even if Zephyr's strength had declined, he should still possess admiral-level combat power. But after one battle, Kyle felt Zephyr's strength likely didn't reach the admiral level anymore.
Unless Zephyr was holding back during their fight, but Kyle felt that possibility wasn't very high.
The way the other looked just now didn't seem like he had any strength to spare.
Kyle was a bit confused. Compared to his grandpa, Garp, Zephyr was the youngest. Garp was four years older than him, Sengoku was five years older, but Zephyr's strength had declined the fastest among the three.
According to the original storyline's timeline, Zephyr would have his arm severed by Edward Weevil five years later, and of his entire ship of naval students, only Ain and Binz would survive.
Edward Weevil, who claimed to be Whitebeard's son, was recruited as a Warlord of the Sea by the navy one year after the Summit War, which also became the trigger for Zephyr leaving the navy.
Later, after the Warlord system was abolished, he was defeated and captured by Admiral Ryokugyu while protecting Whitebeard's hometown.
This shows Edward Weevil definitely did not have admiral-level combat power.
And by that time, nine years had passed since Edward Weevil severed Zephyr's arm. It's impossible his strength hadn't improved at all in those nine years, right?
So, based on this calculation, one can see how severely Zephyr's strength had declined.
In contrast, the seventy-eight-year-old Garp could still wreak havoc on Hachinosu Island. If it weren't for the 'Deserter King', the best support in naval history, the outcome of that battle might still be unknown.
Kyle had no solution for the decline in Zephyr's strength.
But what he could guarantee was that the experiences from the original storyline would absolutely not happen to Zephyr again.
Shaking his head to dispel these distracting thoughts, Kyle slowly stood up. Looking at the two people still arguing in front of him, a trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
Two people adding up to over 120 years old, still arguing like children.
He glanced again at the other side, where Garp was introducing his new grandson and granddaughter to his old grandsons. An inexplicable smile once again touched the corner of his mouth.
This kind of life... seems pretty great.
...
——
Time flies like an arrow, the days and months pass like a shuttle.
Time passes as fleetingly as a white colt glimpsed through a crack. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
Naval Headquarters, Marineford, back mountain, the same familiar training ground.
Five figures were constantly moving and interweaving, accompanied from time to time by dull thuds, the clang of metal, and childish shouts.
Among the five interweaving figures, one figure stood firm and motionless.
The five were continuously attacking this person, but their attacks were easily blocked by the figure in the middle, who didn't even move half a step.
These five were naturally Luffy and the others, and the figure in the middle was naturally Kyle.
A year had passed. The appearances of Luffy and the others hadn't changed much, but Kyle's appearance had changed a lot compared to a year ago.
Perhaps because of that physique-enhancing pill he took initially, Kyle's body grew very rapidly over this past year.
A year ago, he was only a little taller than Luffy, and not as tall as Ace. But now, he was more than a head taller than Ace and the others. He looked completely unlike a seven-year-old child, more like a twelve or thirteen-year-old.
Thud.
A dull sound rang out. Kyle spread his palm and caught Luffy's incoming fist.
He spoke in a calm voice.
"Luffy, how many times have I told you? When facing an opponent far stronger than you, don't always extend your arm so much, especially when you have teammates."
Before the words faded, Kyle grabbed Luffy's hand, gave a fierce tug, and swung him, sweeping him towards the others around.
Ace and the others immediately changed their expressions, but they all reacted instantly. Some jumped up, some crouched down.
Although not very graceful, they all managed to dodge Luffy's body being used as a weapon.
"Huh?"
A look of surprise appeared on Kyle's face.
"Not bad, you guys. Your reaction speed has improved a lot."
But then Kyle revealed a 'scheming' smile.
"However, can you dodge it once, twice, a third time?"
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Kyle fiercely swung Luffy again, the sweeping body swinging back once more...
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