"Ughh… my head…" Leo groaned, his eyes slowly opening as waves of pain and fragmented memories from his disastrous encounter came crashing back.
'So this is what Mother meant…'
She had said the East Blue was the safest sea and now he understood its meaning. It was safe for ordinary people… because monsters like this Old Man hunted everything dangerous on the seas.
Leo shifted slightly, realizing he was sleeping on the comfortable bed but his hands were in cuffs, his abilities completely suppressed.
"Oi, brat wake up," Garp's voice rang out. "Or do you want another Fist of Love? Whahahaha…!" A chill ran down Leo's spine.
"Damn it, old man… not that… it still hurts," he muttered, his vision still blurred as his head throbbed beneath the bandage, a large bump pulsing underneath.
"I didn't hit you that hard, stop pretending and start talking," Garp said, grinning. "Where are you from?"
Leo glared at Garp, clearly annoyed. Between answering questions and getting punched again, he decided to counter question him.
"Where's my Devil Fruit… and my treasure?" he shot back instead, Garp scratched his cheek lazily.
"Alright, let's make this fair," he said. "You answer one of mine, I answer one of yours. Simple, right?" Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"I was born and raised in East Blue. That's all you're getting."
"That's how you want to play, huh…" Garp chuckled. "Fine. Your treasure and that Devil Fruit are with me. The treasure will be returned to whoever it belongs to."
Leo's expression stiffened immediately.
"You can keep the treasure," he said quickly, "but that Devil Fruit is mine—I earned it after defeating a monster."
"Hmm… fair enough," Garp replied casually. "We didn't receive any reports about a stolen fruit anyway, so I'll return it." Leo clicked his tongue but nodded.
"…Where are you taking me?" he asked after a pause.
"I'm on vacation," Garp replied like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Heading back to my hometown for my grandson's birthday which is next week, After that, I'll take you to Marine Headquarters." Leo stared at him in disbelief.
This shameless old man had abducted him on a whim, deciding his future on his own, and now he was going off to enjoy a vacation, Leo has never felt this wronged in both his life.
"And until then, will I be chained here?"
"Don't worry," Garp said with a grin. "My grandson's there, he'll keep you company. Though these Seastone cuffs aren't coming off. Can't have you wrecking my town."
His hands weren't chained, each cuff was a massive band of metal, weighing nearly fifty kilos. Leo could still move his hands freely, but the moment he tried to use his Devil Fruit, his power was suppressed, and even his physical strength felt cut in half.
"Why are you so hell-bent on making me a Marine anyway?" Leo asked, irritation slipping into his voice. "Aren't we people with the 'D' in their name supposed to be enemies of the World Government? And from what I've heard… it's one hell of a corrupt organization."
He threw a valid argument, trying to get the old man to back off.
"Oi, brat… who's been filling your head with that nonsense, huh?" Garp snapped, his tone sharp but not entirely serious.
"Marines are the good guys. We protect people. Pirates and thieves are the ones causing trouble. And this whole 'people of D are enemies of the Marines', that's just bullshit."
But Leo didn't flinch.
"Is that so?" he shot back immediately. "Then answer me, how many people with the 'D' are actually in the Marines?" Garp paused hearing the question.
For a rare moment, he actually thought.
'Let's see… my son, Monkey D. Dragon, left the Marines and became a revolutionary… The giant Jaguar D. Saul was killed by the Marines themselves… there's me… and…
"…Huh."
"See?" Leo pressed, a grin forming despite his situation. "There's no one else other than you, isn't it, you crazy old geezer…"
Thud—!
Garp's fist came down on his head without warning.
"Shut up, brat!" he barked. "There are just too many to count and my grandson's going to join too, so that makes even more! Whahahaha!" Leo winced, barely holding back another retort.
Garp crossed his arms, as he looked at Leo more seriously.
"What are you even planning to do with that power of yours?" he asked. "You can heal people, fight pirates, protect civilians, fix ships in an instant, you could do a lot of good with it."
For a moment, the room grew quieter.
Then Leo spoke.
"Listen carefully, old man," he said, his voice resolute. "I'm going to find 'The One Piece' and become the Pirate King. I can't do that as a Marine. Saving people… doing good… I will think about that after I have fulfilled my dream."
The air in the room changed.
Garp's expression stiffened, his grin fading entirely
"Damn you, Roger…" he muttered in frustration. "Even after all these years, you're still making a mess of things. What a pain in the ass!" With that, he turned and walked out in fury as if he could see Roger laughing at him.
Moments later,
BOOM—!
A massive shockwave echoed outside as Garp punched the sky in irritation, the force scattering clouds and shortly after rain and lightning began to fall around the ship.
Inside the room, Leo lay still for a moment looking through the half open door.
'Damn… even without a Devil Fruit, that old man is terrifying…'
Gritting his teeth, he began manifesting his Armament Haki trying to get rid of the Seastone restraints, repeatedly striking the cuffs in an attempt to break them but to no avail.
***
Dawn Island - Windmill Village
"Hey, what's going on? Why's everyone rushing to the port?" one man asked, stopping another who was practically jogging past him, an angry expression evident on his face.
"You seriously didn't hear?" the other replied. "Vice Admiral Garp is back for vacation!"
"That's it?" the first man frowned. "Then why's the whole town acting like it's a festival?"
"That home wreaker thief, from yesterday's newspaper, the one with white hair and blue eyes? Garp caught him and brought him here. Everyone's heading out to see if he really looks like that… or if the paper exaggerated it."
"…No way," the first man muttered, immediately turning to follow him. "Now I have to see this myself."
It wasn't just them.
Across the world, women—young and old, single and married alike had started complaining in one way or another.
"Why don't you look even half as handsome as him?"
"You could at least try a little, you know…"
"I think I married too early…"
Their husbands, naturally, did everything they could to defend themselves, some denying the picture outright, others angrily canceling their News Coo subscriptions as if that would erase the problem.
"Look at him… he's even more handsome in bandages and cuffs," one woman whispered, clasping her hands.
"What are you talking about? There's no way a man like that could be a thief," another said confidently. "They must've framed him out of jealousy. Men are all the same."
"If only my husband looked even a fraction like him…" a young woman sighed dreamily.
""Hey girls if you are free tonight, Ughhh…." Garp didn't give him time to flirt.
On one side of the street, women couldn't take their eyes off him, while on the other, men, including the Marines behind him, watched with jealousy, grumbling curses as they followed.
"The women are all over you," Garp muttered as he walked ahead, casually munching on chips. "Want me to send them away?"
"Don't worry, old man, I don't mind sharing a little of the spotlight."
Thud—!
Garp's fist landed squarely on his head.
"Know your place brat, when I was in my prime, all the female navy officers would faint at first sight of me." Garp bragged.
"You mean due to your conqueror haki." Leo invalidated the claim earning another fist of love.
***
They soon entered the 'Party's Bar'.
"Oi, Makino! Give us the usual!" Garp called out as the Marines filed in behind him.
Makino greeted them warmly before turning her attention to Leo, bending slightly to meet his eye level.
"Hello there. What would you like?"
"You… auuugh!"
Before he could finish, another fist came crashing down on his head, instantly correcting his trajectory.
"I'll have the best rum you've…" he said quickly, coughing.
Makino giggled softly and went to prepare the order, clearly used to Garp's antics.
"Don't get ahead of yourself kid," Garp said, crossing his arms. "Respect your elders. Looks like I'll have to teach you manners along with how to be a proper Marine."
Laughter filled the bar, Marines, villagers even Makino herself amused by the chaotic relationship reminding them of Luffy.
"Ah… that hit the spot. Thanks, lady," Leo said, leaning back slightly, delighted by the drink.
"My name is Makino. Welcome to Windmill Village," she replied warmly, placing a plate of snacks in front of them.
"It's a nice village… thanks."
Makino's gaze drifted to the cuffs around his wrists before she looked toward Garp.
"Will he be staying here in the village… with Luffy?" Garp snorted, denying.
"No. This brat is already too much trouble for the entire East Blue. I came here for a vacation, but I've had a change of plans. I'll be taking both him and Luffy back to the Marine base."
Makino's eyes softened as she glanced again at Leo's restraints, understanding the situation.
"But… I don't think Luffy would want to go," she said gently. "Everyone in the village knows he wants to become a pirate."
"Pchuuu—HAHAHAHAHA!" Leo spat out his drink mid-sip, clutching his stomach as laughter burst out uncontrollably.
"What did you say ha… ha… ha…?!" he gasped. "Old man, you're terrible at convincing people!" Garp's fist twitched.
"Let's see if my fist can convince you both," he said flatly.
Leo immediately leaned away.
"Alright, alright… uncivilized violent old geezer…" he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Garp's eyes narrowed.
"Tch… damn that Luffy," Garp grumbled. "I crossed half the sea to see him, and the brat doesn't even have the courtesy to show up. I'll beat the hell out of him when I find him."
"But we didn't know you were coming to the village, Garp-san," Makino corrected gently.
"I've never seen a more unreasonable old man in my life… so where is this Luffy guy anyway? He sounds interesting." Makino answered without hesitation.
"Garp-san left him with mountain bandits when he was a kid, so he mostly lives up in the mountains."
"…Pchuuu—HAHAHAHAHA!" Leo burst out laughing, spilling his drink again, louder than before.
"Are you serious?! You dropped your grand kid with mountain bandits and expected him to become a Marine?" A vein popped on Garp's forehead.
"If you laugh one more time," he said slowly, his fist tightening with a faint crackle of lightning, "I'll hit you so hard you'll stay asleep until we reach Marine Headquarters." Leo straightened instantly.
"…I'm not laughing." Garp sighed, scratching his head.
"Tch… that ungrateful grandson of mine probably won't come even if he knows I'm here," he muttered before standing up. "Fine. I'll go meet him myself."
He turned toward the Marine soldiers.
"Stay and enjoy yourselves!" Garp laughed. "Eat, drink and buy whatever you want. We caught a thief with a pretty big stash, after all."
He looked at Leo, whose face was twisted in fury and grinned wider, clearly having the time of his life while spending his treasure.
Without waiting for a response, Leo, led by Garp, left the tavern.