"So, you're saying…"
A few minutes later, after listening to Nao explain his purpose, Hina blinked in surprise.
"Brother Nao, the reason you came here… was specifically to find Vice Admiral Garp's grandson?"
"Yeah."
Nao's gaze drifted lazily along both sides of the street as he replied casually,
"The old man's worried about his grandson, but he's too busy to come himself. Since I happen to be in the East Blue…"
He shrugged. "So I'm handling it for him."
By now they had entered the village. Many children along the roadside looked curiously at the Marines — a rare sight in such a quiet place.
"How strange," Smoker muttered around his cigar, puzzled. "If Vice Admiral Garp wants his grandson to become a Marine, but also worries he might become a pirate… why not just keep him at Headquarters and train him there?"
"I've heard Grandma Chisio mention that kid — apparently he's incredibly mischievous."
Having calmed down, Hina had already stepped out of Nao's arms and regained her usual cool, dignified demeanor before her subordinates.
"Probably Mr. Garp's afraid that if the boy grew up at Headquarters, he'd rely on his family background, get spoiled by the other rich brats, and turn Marineford upside down."
Then, as if realizing something, she turned sharply toward Nao.
"Brother Nao, I wasn't talking about Nami—"
"It's fine."
Nao's eye twitched slightly.
"That kid's a handful, no denying it. She's getting older too — when I get back to Headquarters, I'll have to discipline her properly."
He paused for a moment, then added,
"What you said might be part of it. But honestly, the real reason probably has more to do with that boy's background… or rather, his father."
"His father?"
Both Hina and Smoker froze. Smoker scratched his head, confused.
"Wait, isn't his father just Vice Admiral Garp's son? What could possibly be wrong with— huh?"
Then realization struck him.
Hold on… Mr. Garp's son should also be a Marine, right?
But he'd been stationed at Headquarters for years, and had never once heard mention of such a person.
Hina too was lost in thought, rubbing her chin. This mystery had bothered her for years.
Nine years ago, when she first came to Headquarters with Grandma Chisio, curiosity had made her ask about it — but Chisio had just smiled, patted her head, and told her that little girls shouldn't ask too many questions.
"The problem's actually pretty big," Nao said slowly.
"That man's name is Monkey D. Dragon."
"Monkey D. Dragon?"
Smoker blinked, still not getting it.
"Well, of course Mr. Garp's son's surname would be Monkey, but White Dragon-sir, what's so strange about that name—"
Wait.
Dragon?
His eyes widened in disbelief, and the cigar he'd picked up earlier fell from his mouth with a soft plop.
That Dragon?
You mean his full name is actually Monkey D. Dragon?!
The man the World Government considers the greatest threat to their existence—was actually Mr. Garp's son?!!
He stood gaping in stunned silence, and Hina was equally shocked, covering her mouth with her hand.
If the two of them were losing their composure like this, the Marine soldiers following behind were even worse. After collectively freezing and turning to stone for two seconds, they all cried out in unison.
"Eh?! Eh?! EHHHH?!"
"So now you understand," Nao said cheerfully,
"why Vice Admiral Garp goes through so much trouble every year to take leave and travel all the way back here, instead of bringing his grandson to Headquarters."
"Marineford's crawling with people and politics. With the father off doing big, dangerous things, if higher-ups ever found out who the boy really was, they might pull some underhanded trick — kidnap him, use him as a hostage, that kind of thing."
"Oh, right."
Seeing that everyone was still frozen in disbelief, Nao casually dug a finger in his ear and added nonchalantly,
"Anyway, keep this to yourselves. Forget I said anything. You didn't hear it, and I never said it."
"You make it sound easy, but… this—this kind of bombshell isn't something you can just 'forget' after half a day!"
Smoker gave a wry smile. Still, he knew how serious the matter was, and quickly nodded solemnly to Nao.
Windmill Village wasn't very large.
After about ten minutes of walking, the group followed Nao to the northern edge of the village, where they finally stopped in front of a simple two-story house with a small garden.
"This is Vice Admiral Garp's home?"
Hina wandered curiously around the garden, reminded of her own childhood on Gull Island in the West Blue, growing up with Granda Chisio after she'd retired there.
Unfortunately, most of the plants in the garden were wilted, overgrown with weeds — clearly neglected for quite some time.
"Anyone home?"
She knocked on the door and waited patiently for a while, but no one answered. Turning around, she looked to Nao for guidance.
"Let's go in and talk."
Nao didn't bother explaining further and simply pushed the door open.
"Eh? Wait—Brother Nao, isn't that… not really okay?"
Hina blinked, but seeing that Nao was already strolling leisurely around the living room with his hands behind his back, she sighed helplessly and motioned for Smoker and the others to follow.
What's the big deal, really?
Sensing the unease among the Marines behind him, Nao smirked faintly.
Garp spent half his life at Headquarters eating and drinking with his old man, barging into his place ten times a day as if it were his own home.
So really—Garp's house might as well be his house too. Nothing wrong with that.
"Not bad," he remarked after making a quick round through the living room and kitchen. "Looks like the villagers are taking good care of the kid."
The dining table and refrigerator were piled high with all kinds of food — gifts clearly brought by kind-hearted villagers.
There was even a large pot of steaming beef and potato stew.
"The milk hasn't expired either. This childhood treatment is already leagues better than that other 'Child of Destiny'."
He clicked his tongue in amusement.
Smoker hesitated, then said, "Sir, it seems Luffy's not home. We can't just wait around here forever. Why don't I have the men spread out and search the village? It's not that big — we'll find him quickly."
The Marines' eyes lit up with excitement. They nodded eagerly, looking at Nao expectantly.
—To be able to do something for Lord White Dragon is an honor that countless Marines dream of. When they get to Loguetown, they'll have bragging rights to their colleagues for at least three years.
"No need for all that trouble."
Nao smiled. "The sun's almost down. If he's not home by now… I think I know where the brat went."
As he spoke, a surge of powerful Observation Haki spread out from him, enveloping the entire island.
Sure enough—
With just a brief sweep, Nao located the presence he was looking for — deep in the deserted forest to the north.
"Let's go."
He casually grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go. Then, as the Marines stared in disbelief, he shut the fridge door with a click and grinned.
"It's just about dinner time — the perfect moment to meet this little rascal."
…
To the south of Windmill Village stretched wide plains and fields, with rivers winding gently through them — fertile land perfect for growing wheat and tulips.
To the north, however, lay a vast, untouched primeval forest, home to many dangerous beasts. The villagers rarely entered the woods, and the beasts, in turn, seldom came down the mountain to disturb the people.
For years, both sides had coexisted peacefully.
But…
In recent years, that long-standing peace seemed to have been quietly broken — by one particular troublemaker.
"Ow ow ow ow—waaah! It really hurts!!"
Under a towering pine tree, a little monkey-like boy — Luffy — clutched his head, which was swelling and smoking from a fresh bump, crying out in pain.
He was only seven years old, cute and lively, wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt clearly bought for him by Garp. On his chest was a red Marine anchor logo, and below it, in bold black letters—
"ANCHOR."
In front of him squatted two massive gorillas, each as big as a small hill. One was pounding its fists angrily, glaring at him, while the other scowled and pointed toward the distant Windmill Village.
"Why are you kicking me out now?! The survival training lasts three days — it's not over until the sun sets tomorrow! I'm supposed to stay in the forest another whole day! I'm not leaving! And fine, I won't go to your place for bananas anymore!"
…Was the problem really just about stealing bananas?
Every time this brat came for his "survival training," the entire forest would be thrown into chaos — even the fiercest beasts ended up in tears!
In just the last two days, countless little monkeys, squirrels, and rabbits that lived under the gorillas' protection had come crying to complain about him.
The two giant gorillas grew even angrier. The male beat its chest furiously and roared at the little Luffy below — but even so, it didn't dare actually strike him.
Because…
Though they ruled this forest and could have easily swatted this boy into paste with a single slap, the old man who had first brought him here had been absolutely terrifying. Worse, that old man had forced them into a deal.
Otherwise, there was no way they would've tolerated this little devil wreaking havoc in their forest for so long.
"Fine, I'll go already!"
Rubbing his sore butt and limping toward the forest's edge, Luffy grumbled under his breath, "Hmph, stingy jerks! I just took a little of your bananas this morning, did you really have to get so mad…"
A little?
You little demon—while we were gone, you cleaned out our entire stash!
The male gorilla's eyes flared with rage. Watching Luffy's retreating back, it almost lunged to give him a good kick, but the female beside it quickly grabbed its arm with a "just let it go" look on her face.
…
Under the setting sun, the shadows in the clearing stretched long and thin.
"Oh no… looks like I'm still in the middle of the forest. If I walk home, it'll probably be morning by the time I get there…"
Luffy kicked at the pebbles along the path, rubbing his growling stomach. "But I'm sooo hungry… there's no way I can last that long…"
Ever since last year, when Garp had first kicked him into this forest to begin his hellish training, Luffy's wilderness survival skills had improved by leaps and bounds — but so had his notorious reputation among the forest's creatures.
The large, powerful beasts that Luffy couldn't beat simply ignored him, while the smaller ones he could beat treated him like a natural disaster—bolting away the moment he came near, as if they'd just heard thunder crash. He couldn't catch a single one.
The edible berries nearby had also been completely picked clean by him, and the new ones hadn't even grown back yet.
Now what was he supposed to do?
Luffy frowned, scratching his head. He glanced sneakily toward the distance—those two giant apes clearly didn't trust him. Even though he'd already walked several hundred meters away, they were still standing there, watching him like hawks.
He was doomed.
So much for sneaking back to their nest to see if there was any food left—that plan was dead.
With a long face, Luffy trudged on, trying not to think about food… but his stomach refused to cooperate, growling louder and louder with every step.
Just then—
A rich, meaty aroma wafted through the air from somewhere nearby, curling into his nose and teasing his senses.
"Smells so good!"
Luffy's eyes went wide, his arms drooping at his sides as his legs began moving on their own, following the scent like a sleepwalker.
After wandering for nearly a hundred meters, he finally spotted it—lying on a giant rock, glistening under the sunset light—a perfectly golden fried chicken drumstick.
His eyes sparkled, his mouth watering so much it dripped onto the ground.
"Whoa—!! It's fried chicken!!"
He dove forward without hesitation, snatched up the drumstick, and chomped down with no mercy. With one bite and a pull, the bone came clean out—every bit of meat gone in seconds.
"Mmm…" Luffy licked his fingers with satisfaction, staring down at the bare bone. "It was delicious… but there's way too little! Not even enough to fill the gap between my teeth!"
Maybe…
He eyed the bone in his hand, hesitating. He was so hungry… and the bone did look kind of soft… maybe he could—
Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from above.
"Hahahaha! Incredible! Just like Mr. White Dragon said it would be!"
"We didn't even have to go in looking for him—just put a piece of meat out here, and he took the bait!"
"He smelled it from this far away—this kid's nose is better than a bloodhound's! Hahaha!"
…
"Who's there?!"
Luffy's head shot up, eyes wide. All around him, on a dozen surrounding trees, people were perched among the branches, laughing their heads off.
His face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. He waved the chicken bone threateningly.
"Hey! What's so funny?! Who are you people, hiding up there—huh?"
The boy froze, suddenly noticing the uniforms they were wearing…
"Recognized us, huh?"
Hina was the first to jump down from a tree. Seeing his confused little face, she couldn't resist reaching out and pinching his cheek.
"Don't be so defensive, kiddo. We're just like your grandpa—we're Marines."
"Marines?"
Luffy's suspicion faded a little, though he still took a step back. "You know my grandpa?"
"That's right," said Nao (White Dragon), landing lightly beside them with a warm smile. "In fact, your grandpa sent me here to find you… but this isn't the best place to talk. Why don't you come back to the village with us first?"
"Oh, okay."
Nao's smile was bright and gentle, full of warmth. Without thinking, Luffy nodded obediently.
But after taking just two steps, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened, and he jumped several meters back, his face full of alarm.
"Wait a minute! I'm not going with you!"
Smoker and the others blinked in confusion.
"Hmph! I know what you're trying to do!"
Luffy brandished the chicken bone like a sword, glaring defiantly. "You're Grandpa's subordinates, right?! He sent you to drag me away and make me join the Marines!"
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King, not a Marine! No way! I'm not going back with you no matter what!"
...
Author's Note (PS):
It seems some readers are confused about the story timeline or have been misled by other fan works. Though I've explained it before, let's clarify again:
Windmill Village is Garp's hometown, and Luffy grew up there. Later, when Shanks came and lived in the village for over a year, Garp, worried that his grandson would be influenced by pirates, took the eight-year-old Luffy away from Windmill Village and left him with bandit Dadan (who was also caring for Ace). That's how the story of the ASL brothers began.
These are two separate settings—Dadan doesn't live in Windmill Village. Please take note.
PS: I've started a new One Piece fanfic—check it out if you're interested!