Afternoon in-game.
The sunlight was warm, gentle—the kind that didn't bite.
Fresh from a power nap, Garp shuffled onto the deck and spotted the pink-haired girl at the prow, mirroring Bogard's stance as he ran her through basic body-training drills.
[Guys, I joined the Marines under the Freedom Faction because even in uniform, I'm still me.]
[My heart points to freedom. That won't change.]
[Even as a Marine, I act free.]
As the chat scrolled, Net-Addict Girl focused on breath, stance, torque.
Garp took off the dog-head cap and ambled over, grinning.
"So you're Net-Addict Girl, huh? What a strange name."
She turned, smirking. "Yo—our 'Hero of the Marines,' right? Chest all healed?"
Her eyes flicked to his spotless white suit—no blood, no tear, not even a wrinkle.
"Uwahahaha! Of course," he boomed. "Old man's Iron Fist Garp! A little nap and—poof—no injury at all!"
He puffed up, preening. "Well? Wanna learn?"
She pursed her lips, didn't argue. She did want to learn. And inside, she marveled again at how absurd this world's bodies were.
Even a weakling like Coby had eaten Arlong's club twice and walked it off. This sea bred monsters—top to bottom.
Garp's eyes softened; he liked this kid. He glanced at Bogard.
"After we're back at Headquarters, you won't need to shadow me anymore," he said, half-joking, half-solemn. "I'll recommend you to Sengoku for Vice Admiral."
Bogard, stoic as ever, understood—it wasn't spur of the moment; Garp had been thinking this for a long time.
"Don't copy this old man," Garp added, waving him off. "If you've got the strength, chase your justice."
Net-Addict Girl cocked an eyebrow. Marines' "justice" felt far away to the chat—but Garp's tone had weight.
She cut in. "Old man, you haven't won yet. Already acting like my master?"
"These," she raised her fists, "haven't agreed."
"Hey! You brat!" Garp's fists clenched; his grin widened. He scanned the flat sea, the clear sky. "Yahahaha—come on then!"
Officers cleared space. Coby and Helmeppo stood at the very edge—Helmeppo trembling in excitement, Coby sinking under the same old weight: distance. That girl could challenge a Hero. He could barely speak to one.
"Watch closely, old man!" Net-Addict Girl stepped in—white knuckles snapping forward. The fist cracked the air.
Garp dug a pinky in his nose, laughed. "I'll hold back to your level. If you so much as knock me—"
Her fist slammed his palm. The shockwave raked the deck.
She felt like she'd punched a meat wall.
She set her stance again.
"IRON FIST!"
This time she went all in.
Boom!
Garp switched hands—the exact hand that had just picked his nose. He barely cared—until the force tore through palm, arm, and spine.
"What—!"
His eyes popped wide. He rocketed backward, smashing an outline into the cabin wall. The dog-head battleship groaned.
"Vice Admiral Garp was knocked down!"
"Gross," Net-Addict Girl muttered, finding a towel. "Who blocks punches with the nose hand?"
Chat absolutely lost it.
[HAHAHAHA]
[He did use the booger hand 💀]
['Hero' getting disdained might be my new kink]
Garp climbed up, stunned, staring at the pink-haired menace.
"You little—sneaking in while the old man wasn't ready—"
"No sneaking! You lost. A deal's a deal—make me an Admiral."
"Why're you so hung up on that rank?" Garp grumbled, rolling his neck. Then he squinted. "Eh? Did I… doze off? You got me while I was sleepy! Doesn't count!"
"You shameless fossil!" she gasped. "You're the Hero of the Marines!"
He barked a laugh. "Hero? I never called myself that!"
And then, with the energy of a man thirty years younger, he lunged.
This time he used… a little more. The outcome flipped. Minutes later, Net-Addict Girl sported a cartoon bouquet of bumps.
"Wahahaha! Told ya—you can't beat the old man," Garp crowed.
"You crusty—" she hissed, jaw clenched.
"Anyway—you're my disciple now. Train well. As for that Admiral dream," his tone softened, "I'll help you get there. Today's match? Call it one for you, one for me."
She sighed, plan achieved, and let Bogard hustle her to the infirmary.
"His fist hurts… different," she muttered as the salve stung. "Like there was something extra."
Bogard said nothing. He'd seen it: a thin coat of Armament Haki on Garp's knuckles. Those without Haki couldn't see it—and telling her now would only send her storming after the old man. Better this way.
He knew why Garp played dirty—it had been years since he'd found someone who fit his fist as an heir. Kuzan had grown into an Admiral, but the Ice-Ice power swallowed his training path.
His son and two grandsons? One joined the Revolutionaries, one sailed under Whitebeard, one put on a straw hat. Garp laughed loud, but there were knots inside him no one could untie.
A worthy disciple felt like a gift.
"Rest. We train again tomorrow," Bogard said, stepping out. He found Garp at the prow, chomping senbei and grinning like a kid.
"Her background?" Garp asked quietly, eyes on the glittering sea.
Bogard reported, measured and crisp: "Born on Fist Mountain Island. Orphan. Set sail chasing freedom—not a pirate. Stopped at Shimotsuki Village for swordsmanship; Kōshirō said she has no blade talent. Moved on to Shells Town. We arrived; you saw the rest."
Garp's smile widened. "I came to the East Blue on a whim to escort Morgan. Pure coincidence.
Fist Mountain… heh. I trained there long ago. Maybe she saw and learned.
Everything lines up."
He chuckled at the horizon—eyes suddenly wet. Dragon. Ace. Luffy. All walking different roads.
"Vice Admiral…" Bogard turned away to give him the dignity of not being seen.
By dusk, Net-Addict Girl was back on deck, head healed, hunger for growth burning again. Bogard had just set her form when the cape swished back in.
"How's the Love Punch feel?" Garp teased.
"Meh."
Bonk.
"Old—man!" she howled through a throbbing crown.
"You want that Admiral seat?" Garp said, voice soft beneath the bluster. "Your teacher will show you himself." He peered at her. "You copied that fist on Fist Mountain, right?"
"Did not! Who'd steal your stuff!"
He laughed even harder. "Iron Fist isn't trained like that. Back at HQ, I'll have you… train on battleships."
"On… battleships?" she blinked.
Garp's grin went rakish. "Core of our lineage."
Chat perked up instantly.
"Where are we going, anyway?" she asked between reps, casual—and got a bomb in reply.
"Headquarters, of course," Garp said. "The Marine HQ."
She froze. Chat detonated.
[HE'S TAKING HER STRAIGHT TO HQ?!]
[That's the main base. Admirals. Sengoku. Hall-of-Famers in every corridor.]
[How many special rewards is she about to chain?]
[@White-RobedOldThief report in]
[LOL one tiny detour and he missed a whole timeline of opportunities]
In the hospital at Loguetown, White-Robed stared at the flood of @'s, then at the ceiling.
"What? Garp's taking Net-Addict directly to HQ?"
"My brain's… cooked."
Hook: As the dog-head battleship angled toward the Grand Line, a notification pinged across all four streamer HUDs—
[World Event Preview]: "Marine HQ — The Strongest Fortress" will unlock limited-entry tours for select players. Conditions: ???.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0