Chapter 144: Reunion in Water 7 – Garp's Sudden Visit & Old Bonds
When Sol woke up, he was already back in the rented house in Water 7. As he got up and pushed open the door to get a glass of water, Sanji's scolding voice rang out, telling Luffy not to steal food.
"Sol, you're awake! Come over, dinner's almost ready," Nami waved, motioning for him to sit beside her.
Sol pulled out a chair and sat down. He clinked glasses with Zoro, who was drinking, and downed it in one go. Only then did he fully wake up. "So we're already back in the house in Water 7. How long has it been?"
"Only half a day. It's just dinner time now. Let's relax properly today—the rest can wait until tomorrow," Nami said as she refilled Sol's glass.
At that moment, Vivi brought out a dish, and Sanji followed with the final plate of grilled meat. Everyone immediately started eating. After a big feast, Sol asked what had happened afterward.
Nami told him that because he had already transferred Merry's soul, they had moved all the things from the ship back. The remaining wreckage was burned by Luffy as a final send-off. She then pointed at the piled-up supplies, treasure, and the two orange trees.
After eating and resting a bit, everyone washed up and went to bed early. Having gone through so much, they were mentally exhausted. They said goodnight to each other and fell asleep the moment they hit their beds.
The next day at noon, Franky came knocking. He told Sol and the others that construction on the new ship had already begun and should be finished in about five days. They should just relax on the island during this time.
The moment Franky finished speaking, the wall beside them suddenly exploded! A tall man wearing a dog-head hat burst in, his voice booming like a bell:
"You're the Straw Hat crew, right?! Where are those brats Luffy and Sol?!"
Zoro and Sanji immediately moved in front, on high alert, but the man moved like a ghost, instantly circling behind them and throwing a punch straight at Sol!
"When—?!" Zoro and Sanji whipped their heads around in shock, only to see Sol's fist colliding directly with the intruder's—
BANG!!
In the next instant, every window in the room shattered. Sol was sent flying hard!
"Sol!!" Luffy shouted in panic as he watched his companion disappear through the broken wall. The Marine immediately turned and punched Luffy on the head as well:
"What are you standing around for?! Why aren't you attacking?!"
"Owww!!" A huge lump instantly swelled on Luffy's head, making him scream in pain. Sanji shouted in disbelief: "How is that possible?! He didn't even use Haki just now! How can your rubber body feel pain?!"
"A fist of love is unbreakable." The Marine lifted off his dog-head hat—revealing none other than the Navy Hero, Vice Admiral Garp!
"That voice… is it 'Chicken Sauce'?!" Luffy looked up, his eyes nearly popping out. He frantically shouted to Zoro and the others: "Don't fight him! You can't beat him! I almost died by his hand so many times when I was a kid!"
Garp frowned and corrected him: "Hey, saying it like that damages my reputation, you brat!"
"You old geezer—are you talking about the time you threw Luffy off a thousand-meter cliff, dumped him in a beast-filled forest at night to survive, or tied him to a hot-air balloon and let him fly away?" Sol's voice came from the distance. Soon after, he walked back through the broken hole, dusting himself off. "So that's where Luffy's cockroach-like vitality comes from…" Sanji and the others suddenly looked enlightened.
"You brat, are you deliberately trying to ruin my image? Is this how you treat your master after so many years?" Garp cursed angrily.
"Hmph, who told you to secretly use Haki at the end?" Sol shot back irritably.
"Ahahaha… you noticed." Garp scratched his cheek guiltily, then turned to continue scolding Luffy: "I worked so hard to raise you to become the strongest Marine, and what do you do? Run off and become a pirate! Did that red-haired guy brainwash you, you brat?!"
Luffy rarely shouted back: "Shanks is my savior! Don't talk about him like that! Besides, 'the strongest Marine'—wasn't that what you said when you took Sol away back then?!"
"How dare you talk back!" Garp grabbed Luffy by the collar, ready to lecture him. Luffy instantly wilted and apologized repeatedly, but the next second, grandfather and grandson both fell asleep on the spot, snoring loudly.
Nami leaned close to Sol and whispered in amazement: "I never expected that your master in the Navy was the Hero Garp… and Luffy is his grandson too. It's surprising, but also a little enviable."
Sol smiled and pinched Nami's cheek: "What's there to envy? He's just a grumpy old man. I got beaten by him plenty of times back then."
At that moment, Garp woke up first. Seeing Luffy still snoring away, he didn't say a word and delivered two solid "Bam bam" punches, instantly raising two new "buildings" on his grandson's head.
After finishing disciplining his grandson, Garp turned and glared at Sol with annoyance: "And you, you brat! Back then you only punched one Celestial Dragon. Did you really not trust me to handle it? You actually ran away in the middle of the night! I had placed all my hopes of ending the Great Pirate Era on you!"
These words once again left the surrounding Marines dumbfounded—Vice Admiral Garp's pirate grandson and disciple, assaulting a Celestial Dragon… were these things they were really allowed to hear?
Seeing Sol's "in one ear, out the other" attitude, Garp didn't say anything more. He just sighed, patted Sol on the shoulder, and turned to leave: "You lot, come help patch up the wall."
"Huh? But didn't you smash the wall yourself, Vice Admiral Garp?" one Marine couldn't help whispering.
Garp laughed sheepishly: "I just thought it would look cooler to make an entrance like that! Wahahaha!"
"Then you should help too, Vice Admiral!" another Marine said seriously.
Sol and Luffy followed them outside. Seeing Garp, who had been shamed into actually helping repair the wall, Sol even pointed out another hole inside the house and reminded him: "You should fix the inside wall too."
While they were busy working, Sol suddenly noticed a pink-haired young Marine among the group: "Hey, you… aren't you Coby?"
Coby hadn't expected Sol to still recognize him. He immediately stopped what he was doing and stood at attention to salute. Luffy also stared at him for a long time before finally connecting this upright Marine with the short, timid Coby from back then.
"Long time no see, Coby! What are you doing here?" Luffy asked curiously.
While the two were catching up, Sol walked over to the silent Bogard nearby and asked in a low voice: "Is that Garp's new disciple?"
Bogard adjusted the brim of his hat and replied softly: "No. He and another kid named Helmeppo are just regular soldiers on the ship. Vice Admiral Garp hasn't taken any more disciples… You should understand the reason. Until he finds a seedling better than you, he probably won't have the heart to do so again."
"Heh, a closed-door disciple? I'm flattered!" Sol's lips curved into a smile.
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