East Blue. Goa Kingdom. Foosha Village.
A thunderous roar shook the tavern.
"YOU BRATS—ACE! LUFFY! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
"You think you can just decide to become pirates?! You're going to become MARINES!"
Eleven-year-old Ace glared straight back at the old man.
"Don't decide things for us, you old fossil!"
"Yeah! Hahahaha!" Eight-year-old Luffy laughed without a care in the world, straw hat wobbling. "Ace, Sabo, and I already promised! We're gonna be pirates! I'm gonna be the man who becomes Pirate King!"
"BAKA YAROU!" Garp exploded.
"You're still spouting that nonsense?! You're becoming Marines! I'll train you into the strongest soldiers in the Navy!"
"I don't want to!" Luffy shouted. "I already promised Shanks!"
Garp's eyes practically caught fire.
If Red-Hair appeared in front of him right now, Garp looked like he might actually punch him through a wall.
"Damn Shanks… damn Roger Pirates…"
Ace crossed his arms, smug as ever. "Hmph. Luffy, you may be my little brother, but the one becoming Pirate King is me."
"NANI?! It's me!" Luffy lunged forward. "Ace, you can't steal it!"
"Heh. Stupid little brother."
The two started roughhousing immediately.
"Bastard Ace—I'm the man who'll become Pirate King!"
Neither of them noticed—
Garp's eyes were turning redder and redder.
"Mr. Garp…" Makino, the tavern owner, saw his anger reaching the edge and tried to warn them.
In the corner, a group of bandits trembled like leaves.
"We're done for… those two kids are going to get us killed…"
Their boss, Dadan—a massive woman—was already sweating.
"Boss, I told you we shouldn't have taken them in!" said one smaller bandit with a gentler demeanor.
"What good is saying that now?!" snapped a bigger, bearded man with a pompadour-like crest. "When Garp dumped them on us, you didn't object!"
"Enough!" Dadan shouted, fed up. "Both of you—Magura, Dogura—shut it!"
Then she swallowed hard.
"…Just prepare my funeral."
Because she saw it—
Garp's fist tightening.
Cracking.
Popping.
"Cough—cough."
Ace and Luffy froze mid-grapple.
They felt it: a monstrous pressure rolling toward them.
Slowly, they turned around.
Garp stood there with bloodshot eyes, fist clenched so hard it sounded like bone grinding.
"You still dare to talk that trash in front of me?!"
"Today I'm going to beat you two awake!"
Ace and Luffy went stiff, instantly remembering years of being pummeled since childhood.
"Gulp…"
They swallowed, backing away, preparing to run—
Garp punched Ace so hard he went flying.
Luffy stood there blinking—
And got kicked into the air a heartbeat later.
"You little punks! I'll beat it into your skulls today!"
"Don't, Grandpa—AAAAH!"
"Old man! Don't hit Luffy!"
"NANI?! I'm your beloved grandpa! What do you mean 'old man'?!" Garp roared.
BOOM!
A crater formed in the ground as Ace grabbed Luffy and dragged him back.
Both boys stared at the crater, swallowing again.
Luffy clutched the bump on his head. "Is Grandpa trying to kill us?!"
"Ace, we fight back," Ace said grimly, pulling out his metal pipe.
"Okay!" Luffy did the same.
Garp stepped out of the dust with a grin.
"Oh? You're resisting your grandpa's loving education?"
Makino looked like she might cry. "Ace! Luffy!"
The village chief, leaning on his cane, snorted. "Hmph. Garp should've come back to discipline them sooner. Pirates this, pirates that—what nonsense!"
Ace surged forward. "Stop talking, Luffy. I'll go first!"
"Bring it on!" Garp widened his stance, smiling.
"YAAH!" Ace jumped, raised the pipe high, and slammed it down.
"Child's play," Garp said, and caught it with one finger.
Ace wasn't shocked. Of course he can. He's been beating me up my whole life.
Ace's mouth curled.
He was only pinning Garp for a moment.
From the side—
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
Luffy's arm stretched and rocketed toward Garp.
Garp didn't even bother to dodge.
Luffy's fist scraped past Garp's cheek.
"Agh! Luffy, you missed!" Ace shouted.
"My turn." Garp casually tossed Ace aside and punched Luffy on the top of the head.
"AAAH!"
Luffy screamed, clutching his head.
One bump hadn't even gone down yet—and now there was another.
Garp laughed with hands on his hips. "Hahahaha! You're still way too weak!"
"Don't get cocky, old man!" Ace roared and swung again.
"You dare disrespect your grandpa?!" Garp flashed in front of Ace and raised a fist the size of a cooking pot.
"NANI—?!"
Ace tried to dodge—too late.
BAM!
Ace took it right on the head.
"AAAH!"
Just like Luffy: old bump, new bump, matching set.
Garp laughed loudly. "Hahahaha!"
"You two are still too weak! Hahahaha—!"
Then Garp's eyes slid sideways.
Dadan and her crew had been inching away, trying to escape.
The moment his gaze hit them, they snapped stiff like statues.
"DADAN!"
"Y-Yes!" Dadan scrambled over, saluting like her life depended on it. "Mr. Garp!"
BAM!
She got punched too and collapsed.
Now the three bumps—Ace, Luffy, Dadan—formed a perfect little circle of misery.
"Hmph!" Garp huffed. "What kind of 'training' have you been giving them?! They're supposed to become Marines!"
Dadan clutched her head, teary-eyed. "Mr. Garp, I'm a bandit… how am I supposed to train Marines?!"
"That's your excuse!" Garp snapped, unreasonable as always.
Ace stood up, rubbing his head. "Don't bother arguing with this old man, Dadan. You know how he is."
"NANI?! Ace, are you insulting your beloved grandpa?!"
Garp raised his fist again.
Luffy, who had just regained consciousness, saw that fist lift—
His head tilted.
And he immediately fainted again.
Makino hurried in front of them. "Mr. Garp, please stop! Ace and Luffy are still small—what if you hurt them?!"
"Hmph! Move, Makino. I'm teaching those brats a lesson. I'm not going to break them!"
The village chief sighed. "Garp, that's enough."
Garp snorted, nostrils flaring.
"…Fine. You got lucky."
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