Chapter 174: The Hero's iron fist! Kiss of Dawn
The morning in Water 7 always carried a unique moisture and freshness.
The cries of Yagara Bulls occasionally drifted in from outside the window, waking up the city that had just finished its revelry.
Inside the top-floor suite of Water 7's most luxurious hotel.
The heavy velvet curtains weren't drawn tightly, and a playful ray of sunlight slipped through the gap, landing right on the messy, large bed.
The pure white sheets were crumpled into a ball, and a pillow had fallen to the side.
An ambiguous and blushing atmosphere permeated the air, indicating the kind of intimacy that had occurred there last night.
Tatsuya slowly opened his eyes, his black pupils reflecting the morning's dim light.
His arm was a bit numb because an orange kitten was curled up in his arms.
Nami was still fast asleep.
Her whole body was tucked into Tatsuya's embrace, with one leg draped casually over his waist.
Her long orange hair was scattered across the pillow, and a few stray strands playfully clung to her fair cheek, trembling slightly with her steady breathing.
A gentle curve unconsciously formed at the corner of Tatsuya's mouth.
He reached out and gently brushed the stray hair away from her forehead, revealing her smooth, full brow.
Seemingly feeling the itch on her face, Nami's Eyelashes fluttered, and she groggily opened her eyes.
Those brown eyes still held the hazy mist of someone who had just woken up.
But upon seeing the familiar face before her, all the confusion instantly turned into full happiness.
"Mmm..."
Nami let out a lazy nasal sound, showing no intention of getting up.
Instead, like a child who refused to leave bed, she buried herself deeper into the crook of Tatsuya's neck and nuzzled him.
Then she leaned in and left a warm morning kiss on his chin.
"Good morning..."
Nami reached out a finger, her voice soft and husky:
"My Vice Captain."
Tatsuya caught her mischievous hand and lightly kissed the back of it:
"Good morning, Nami."
The morning atmosphere was too wonderful; Tatsuya didn't plan on getting up just yet.
With a roll, he pinned Nami beneath him.
He propped his hands on either side of her body, looking down at her from above.
Nami's face instantly turned red, and she gave Tatsuya's shoulder a playful push:
"You... how many times did we do it last night... haven't you had enough?"
"Not enough."
Tatsuya lowered his head:
"That was last night's portion. This is the interest for the morning."
"I hate you..."
Although she said that, Nami's body was adorably honest.
Her legs wrapped around Tatsuya's waist like vines, and her arms encircled his neck.
After a while.
The already messy large bed began to rhythmically tremble once more.
Suppressed gasps intertwined with the morning sounds of water, adding a different color to this beautiful morning.
After their intimacy.
The two finally got up to get dressed.
Standing in front of a giant floor-to-ceiling mirror.
Nami was standing on her tiptoes, carefully adjusting the collar of Tatsuya's shirt.
"Thank you."
Tatsuya lowered his head to kiss her forehead, then naturally turned around to help Nami pull up the somewhat tight zipper on her back.
"Phew... it's a bit tight," Nami took a breath.
"Is it because you've been eating too many sweets lately?" Tatsuya teased.
"Shut up! It's muscle! It's muscle!" Nami looked back and glared at him, then couldn't help but laugh herself.
This kind of wordless understanding made it seem as if they were an old married couple who had been together for years.
Once they were ready, Tatsuya took Nami's hand, fingers interlaced, and pushed open the door.
...
The restaurant on the first floor of the hotel.
This place had been booked out by the Straw Hat crew.
"Yo, finally decided to come down?"
Zoro was sitting at the table, propping his head up with one hand.
Seeing the two walking down hand-in-hand, Zoro couldn't help but yawn and roll his eyes:
"Flaunting your love first thing in the morning, aren't you afraid of blinding everyone?"
"Ara, is the swordsman-san jealous?"
Robin sat opposite him, holding an elegant glass of wine.
She smiled at Tatsuya and Nami, her eyes full of meaningful teasing:
"Fufufu... looking at Miss Nami's complexion, she must have slept very well last night? Or... did she not sleep much at all?"
"Robin-nee!!"
Nami's face instantly turned bright red like a ripe apple; she quickly let go of Tatsuya's hand and sat down, grabbing a piece of bread to hide her embarrassment: "Eat, let's just eat!"
Tatsuya, on the other hand, remained unfazed and calmly pulled out a chair to sit:
"Morning, everyone."
"Morning my foot! The meat is almost gone!"
Usopp was holding a fork, engaged in a fierce food defense battle with Chopper next to him.
"Ah!! Luffy!! That's my bacon!!"
Chopper shouted in dissatisfaction, tears almost coming out, "Don't eat it all!!"
Just as this warm and noisy breakfast time was halfway through.
Suddenly.
A huge commotion came from outside the restaurant.
"Vice Admiral-sama!! Please wait!!"
"Not there! That's a wall!"
"Vice Admiral-sama! Please use the front door! That's a load-bearing wall!!"
"Shut up! I'll go wherever I want!!"
Just as that old but energetic voice fell.
"BOOM————,!!!!"
An earth-shattering explosion instantly shattered the peace of the restaurant.
No one knocked.
Because the restaurant's half-meter-thick stone outer wall was violently smashed from the outside in an instant.
Countless stone fragments flew like cannonballs, and dust billowed in.
"An attack?!"
Zoro reacted the fastest, instantly drawing his three swords, his gaze sharp.
Sanji also immediately protected everyone, flames igniting on his leg.
The dust cleared.
An old man wearing a coat with 'Justice' on it, a strange dog-head hat, and white hair but a burly build like a bear, strode in.
He ignored the battle-ready Zoro and Sanji.
He also ignored the rubble on the ground and walked straight to the end of the dining table.
There, Luffy was still fast asleep, stuffing a piece of meat into his mouth.
The old man walked up to Luffy and stopped.
He slowly raised his massive fist and, without any fancy movements, simply smashed it down.
"BAM!!"
A dull, heavy thud.
Luffy's rubber head was smashed directly into the hard wooden floor, wood splinters flying.
"IT HURTS!!!"
The next second.
Luffy suddenly woke up and pulled his head out of the floor.
He clutched the rapidly swelling bump on his head with both hands, tears shooting out as he let out a heart-wrenching scream:
"It hurts so much!!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!"
"What's going on?!"
"Isn't Luffy a rubber man? Ordinary strikes shouldn't work on him! Why is he screaming in pain?!"
"How is this possible..." Nami was also stunned.
While screaming, Luffy looked up with teary eyes, wanting to see who had ambushed him so early in the morning.
However, when he saw the old man standing before him, picking his nose.
Luffy's angry expression instantly froze, then turned into extreme terror, his face turning pale:
"Grand... Grandpa?!!!!"
Dead silence.
Everyone was like they had been petrified, their jaws hitting the floor.
"Eh?!!"
The collective gasp almost blew the roof off:
"Grandpa?!! Luffy's grandpa is a Marine?!"
"What kind of crazy family is this!!"
The old man wearing the dog-head hat—
Monkey D. Garp, completely ignored everyone's shock.
While picking his nose, he said matter-of-factly:
"Because it's the 'Fist of Love,' it's impossible to defend against."
After saying that, Garp glared at Luffy and roared:
"You brat! You've caused such a huge mess!
"Enies Lobby has been destroyed by you! You've made me lose all my face!!"
"But... that was to save Robin!" Luffy tried to argue.
"You dare talk back!"
Garp raised his fist as if to strike, and Luffy crouched down, covering his head in fear.
After lecturing his grandson, Garp's gaze began to sweep across the restaurant.
His eyes passed over Zoro and Sanji, finally stopping on Tatsuya, who had been smiling.
That look.
At that moment, Tatsuya felt as if he were being stared at by an ancient giant beast.
That pressure, heavy as a mountain, even exceeded the feeling he had when facing Admiral Aokiji before.
"Oh?"
Garp narrowed his eyes, his mouth spreading into a meaningful grin:
"Is this the 'Crimson Lotus' Tatsuya who's been making such a stir lately?"
Garp strode up to Tatsuya, looking him up and down:
"Though you look harmless... the smell of blood on you isn't light."
"I heard..."
Garp's voice lowered, carrying a hint of scrutiny:
"You're the one who cut off that trash Spandam's head?"
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly froze to the breaking point.
Nami nervously grabbed Tatsuya's clothes.
Tatsuya took a deep breath and didn't back down.
He met Garp's gaze without being humble or pushy:
"Nice to meet you, Vice Admiral Garp."
"If I hadn't cut him down, your grandson... and all of us, might have been blown to bits by his Buster Call by now."
"I just did the 'cleanup work' that needed to be done."
Hearing this blunt answer.
Garp was stunned for a moment.
The next second.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Garp suddenly burst into a hearty laugh, laughing so hard tears almost came out.
He slapped Tatsuya's shoulder hard, nearly driving him into the ground:
"Well said!! You've got character!!"
"That trash really deserved to die! I've been annoyed with him for a long time!"
"Although that guy Sengoku is throwing a fit in his office over this and wants me to bring you back...
"But I'm feeling quite refreshed! Good job, kid!"
Everyone: "..."
What's with this old man?
Where's his stance?
Where's the dignity of a Marine?
After laughing enough, Garp waved his hand and shouted to the group of stunned Marine soldiers outside:
"Hey! You guys! Get in here and fix this wall!"
"Yes! Vice Admiral!" The soldiers ran in with long faces to act as masons.
Garp pulled over a chair and sat down, grabbing the meat from Luffy's plate and eating it as if the tense atmosphere just now had never existed.
"By the way, Luffy."
While chewing on a Rice Cracker, Garp asked casually, as if suddenly remembering something:
"When you were in Loguetown, did you see your father?"
Luffy was rubbing the bump on his head, and upon hearing this, he tilted his head in confusion:
"Father?"
"I have a father? Haven't I always just had a grandpa?"
Everyone collapsed again: "Are you some kind of monkey that popped out of a rock?!"
"Ah, right, you haven't met him."
Garp scratched his head, his tone relaxed:
"It's Monkey D. Dragon."
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army, the man called the 'World's Worst Criminal' by the World Government, Dragon."
"He's your father."
"..."
The restaurant fell into a deathly silence once again.
A second later.
"EH——!!"
Except for Luffy, who was still picking his nose, the entire Straw Hat crew was petrified, eyes popping out and jaws dropping.
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army?!!!"
"The worst criminal?!!!"
"Is Luffy's father?!!!"
"What kind of monsters is this whole family?!!!"
Garp looked at everyone's reaction and laughed heartily, not caring at all:
"Bwahahaha! It seems I said something incredible! Just pretend I didn't say it!"
"How can we pretend you didn't say it?!!!" Everyone retorted in unison.
While Tatsuya held his forehead, looking at this family of jokers, he sighed helplessly in his heart:
"Is this... the D. Clan?"
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