Aludo had been watching Garp like a hawk. The moment he spotted him approaching, he jumped up so fast his chopsticks sent fried rice flying everywhere, pelting Loya.
"Ga— I mean, Vice Admiral Garp!" Aludo stammered.
Loya, brushing rice off his face, stood up with all the enthusiasm of a sloth and gave a half-hearted salute. "Hey there, Lieutenant General Garp."
It was clear where their priorities lay - Loya's was his stomach, while Aludo's was his hero-worship.
Loya felt a mix of disdain and obligation as he followed Aludo's lead. Sure, they were in the cafeteria where saluting wasn't strictly necessary, but this was Monkey D. Garp we're talking about - the Navy's golden boy. Disrespect him, and you'd have every bootlicker in a 5-mile radius gunning for you within 24 hours. Those brown-nosing lieutenants like Mole would be first in line.
Garp's eyes narrowed as he took in Loya's couldn't-care-less attitude. "Kuzan's influence, no doubt," he thought. "Kid's got his laid-back vibe down pat."
Garp let out a booming laugh. "Now that's what I like to see - a healthy appetite! Good on ya, kid!" He gave Aludo an awkward pat on the belly before changing tack. "You're Aludo, right? Zephyr's been singing your praises. Last time—"
And just like that, Garp was out cold, snoring away with a snot bubble inflating and deflating with each breath.
Aludo and Loya stood there, jaws on the floor. Loya's mind was racing. "What in the world? He really just fell asleep mid-sentence! How does someone even do that?"
Pop!
The snot bubble burst, and Garp carried on as if nothing had happened. "—last time, Zephyr said you'd be graduating in no time if you kept it up. Not many rookies can use Armament Haki before they graduate. You've got talent, kid! But now, seems like he can't sign off on your graduation just yet. Ha!"
Despite Garp's attempt at humor, Aludo looked like he'd seen a ghost. He stomped so hard his wooden sandals cracked. Loya noticed his rice bowl rattling from the impact.
Aludo snapped to attention again, barking, "Yes, sir! I understand, sir!"
Understand what exactly? Loya thought, glancing at Garp. Their eyes met, sharing a moment of mutual bafflement.
"This kid's a real piece of work," Garp mused, waving for Aludo to sit down. Then he turned his attention to Loya, his gaze sharp enough to cut steel.
"So, you must be Loya," Garp said, not waiting for confirmation. "Zephyr claims you're the cream of the crop among the new recruits. Gotta say, you don't look like much!"
He punctuated his statement by digging in his nose and flicking away whatever he found.
Loya, unruffled, observed Garp like he was some rare and potentially dangerous animal. He couldn't quite figure out why Garp was trash-talking him, but given the man's reputation for... eccentricity, Loya kept his cool.
In the D family, Garp's branch was definitely the weird cousin no one talked about. Nothing he did should come as a shock.
Still, ignoring him would be asking for trouble. Loya mulled it over for a second before replying, "Well, I'm still just a rookie, you know? insert bracket smile"
"Bracket smile?" Garp spluttered, nearly doing himself an injury as his finger jammed up his nose. His eyes watered, but he decided to let Loya's smart-aleck comment slide. Time to cut to the chase.
"Alright, wise guy. Let me ask you something - how'd you like to be this old man's apprentice?"
"Wait, what?" Aludo's head snapped up so fast you'd think he'd been shocked.
"Huh?" Loya stood there, mouth agape, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.
"Say what now?" The entire cafeteria erupted in a chorus of disbelief.
Garp, looking annoyed, dug a finger in his ear. "What's the big deal? Is it that weird for me to take on an apprentice?"
The way he said it, like it was the most normal thing in the world, almost made Loya feel silly for being surprised.
But come on—
The crowd started buzzing. Sure, taking on apprentices wasn't unusual, but—
This was Vice Admiral Garp! Him taking an apprentice was about as likely as Sengoku starting a dance crew!
Even when Kuzan was under his command, Garp never once mentioned wanting him as a disciple. So what gives now?
Loya's head was spinning. Why on earth would Garp suddenly want him as an apprentice?
And why did this whole situation feel weirdly familiar?
In the grand scheme of things, the whole master-apprentice deal wasn't really a "thing" out on the high seas. Everyone, good or bad, was chasing after their own brand of freedom. Taking on an apprentice? That was like voluntarily putting on sea-stone handcuffs.
Sure, you had exceptions like Mihawk training Zoro for a couple years, or Rayleigh showing Luffy the ropes. But were they really master and apprentice?
No way.
The unwritten rule of the sea was simple: "I'll teach you, but don't go calling me 'master'."
Heck, even Kuzan only agreed to teach Loya because the kid basically wore him down. He never once went around introducing Loya as his disciple.
Zephyr's habit of collecting apprentices like they were going out of style? That was the exception, not the rule.
History books called him the "General Who Didn't Kill." Imagine someone way more chill than Garp's "Evil Ghost" nickname would suggest. After losing his family, he became even softer, treating all the new recruits like his own kids when he became their instructor.
But Garp? Man, what's your deal?
Plus, Loya couldn't exactly give Garp a gold star for his parenting skills.
His son? Leader of the Revolutionary Army. His grandsons? Both pirates. One became Whitebeard's second division commander—before kicking the bucket. The other? Destined to be the next Pirate King!
And now you want me as your apprentice? What's the endgame here? Sending more talent to the pirates or planning to overthrow the World Government?
Loya didn't hesitate: "Sorry, Vice Admiral Garp, but I'll have to pass on being your disciple."
"What?!"
Aludo, practically bursting with excitement, lifted Loya off the ground. Loya was about to deck him when he noticed Aludo was already in tears. "I'm so jealous... No, wait! You just turned down Vice Admiral Garp! Do you have any idea who he is?"
Loya wiggled free, stood on a stool to straighten himself out, and was about to speak when Garp's incredulous voice cut in.
"You refused?! Kid, you better explain yourself, or you're in for a world of hurt!"
Garp had only wanted to mess with Zephyr. Everyone knew Zephyr had pretty much claimed Loya as his disciple. Garp figured he'd swoop in and watch Zephyr blow a gasket.
The two old warhorses had been pushing each other's buttons for decades.
Garp even had a whole plan ready to go. But Loya rejecting him? That wasn't part of the script!
Now Garp was the one caught off guard. Usually, he was the one throwing everyone else for a loop, with Sengoku left to clean up the mess. When did the tables turn?
Damn it!
Garp suddenly had a lightbulb moment. "Loya, you probably don't know who I am! After all, you used to be just a regular Joe. Let me enlighten you, I'm Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp of Navy Headquarters..."
Before Garp could finish his spiel, Loya cut him off with a look that could curdle milk: "The hero who caught Gol D. Roger, the infamous Iron Fist, and the Navy's 'Evil Ghost.' Even when I was just a nobody, your name was everywhere."
While Garp stood there, mouth hanging open, Loya shook his head. "Look, it's a two-way street. The teacher picks the student, and the student picks the teacher. So, Vice Admiral Garp, what exactly do you know?"
"What do I know?" Garp thought, confused. Then he burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You worried I can't teach you anything, kid? No way! I know tons of stuff: Rokushiki, Armament Haki, you name it..."
Garp was grinning like he'd just won the lottery, oblivious to Loya's unimpressed look. Loya cut him off again: "Okay, but what about Instructor Zephyr? What does he know?"
"Well, of course he... uh..."
Garp suddenly found himself at a loss, realizing he knew exactly what Zephyr was capable of.
But Garp wasn't about to throw in the towel. He shot back, "Even if Zephyr can teach, I'm still stronger! When you're picking a mentor, you go for the toughest one, right?"
Loya just shook his head. "Let me break it down for you: a student picks a teacher to get stronger. But a teacher's strength doesn't automatically make them a good instructor."
"Sure, like you said, a stronger teacher probably knows how to become stronger... But here's the kicker: does their method work for every student? Not necessarily."
He paused, letting that sink in for Garp, then continued, "So, picking a teacher isn't about who can bench press the most. It's about who can actually teach. Otherwise, why not just go straight to Whitebeard, the world's strongest man? The teacher I'm after doesn't need to be a powerhouse, just someone who can help me level up. And in my book, Zephyr's the best for that job."
"Strength-wise, he's an ex-Vice Admiral, not far behind you. Teaching-wise? The current three admirals and vice admirals like Mole and Volcano were all his students. His teaching chops are solid gold. So, thanks but no thanks on becoming your disciple."
Garp suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for Kuzan's frustration from a month ago—this kid was too damn clever for his own good!
Not exactly a fair fight, was it?
It seemed like all Garp's years of experience meant squat when it came to handling one smart-mouthed recruit.
Aludo's mind drifted back to when he first met Loya. This whole scene felt like déjà vu... and just as confusing!
To cap it all off, Loya leaned in close to Garp's ear and whispered the final blow: "Oh, and Vice Admiral Garp? Your only son's leading the Revolutionary Army. Hope you'll forgive me for not singing praises about your teaching skills."
Pop!
Garp felt like something inside him just shattered beyond repair.
The whole "Garp wants an apprentice" circus ended with the old man taking a serious hit to his ego. He was so rattled, he didn't even bother asking how Loya knew about his family's dirty laundry. Instead, he just shuffled off, looking like someone had stolen his favorite donut.
As he walked away, you could hear him muttering to himself.
"Why..." "Why..."
Truth is, Loya had played Garp like a fiddle, using an argument that'd fall apart if you poked at it too hard.
I mean, if apprenticing under Whitebeard was really an option, Loya would've been on that faster than Luffy on a meat platter!
We're talking about Whitebeard here! The world's strongest man! The guy who could go toe-to-toe with Akainu even when he was knocking on death's door!
Who in their right mind would pick Zephyr over Whitebeard if they had the choice?
Lucky for Loya, the Monkey family isn't exactly known for their smarts. Unless it's about family or friends, their IQ tends to take a nosedive.
With Garp out of the picture, Loya could finally get back to his grub. But he couldn't help noticing how the other navy folks were eyeing him differently now. Before, he was just some smart-aleck rookie. Now? They were looking at him like he was a ticking time bomb.
Because, let's face it, what he said made sense. And it left them all tongue-tied!
The great Vice Admiral Garp, outfoxed by a recruit in a war of words. Now that's something you don't see every day!