Garp successively pulled out his treasured stash doughnuts of every flavor, senbei, biscuits, and all sorts of snacks.
And every time he tried to eat, Guts's hand darted out like lightning. Inevitably, it turned into a fight over food.
To the surrounding Marines, it looked unreal.
Their hands moved so fast they blurred, afterimages colliding in midair.
The soldiers couldn't even follow what was happening.
Ten doughnuts sat on the plate.
By the end, Guts had snatched eight. Garp, the so-called Hero of the Marines, had only managed to hold onto two.
At first, Garp hadn't taken it seriously. But when he saw this kid matching him perfectly, his playful grin changed...he wanted to test him.
He pushed his speed higher and faster.
But no matter how fast he went, Guts kept up. Effortlessly.
This speed… this is already me at full strength! Garp thought incredulously, watching the last piece vanish from his grasp.
"Wahahahaha! Old man, looks like you really are slowing down after all."
Guts tossed the final doughnut into his mouth, chewing happily, his laughter booming across the deck.
"Humph!"
Garp's face twitched. Grumbling, he grabbed a plate of senbei, poured the entire pile straight into his mouth, and bit down with loud crunch-crunch-crunch noises, sulking like a kid denied candy.
"Hey, old man," Guts said suddenly, feigning casual curiosity.
"I heard the pirate who took down Axe-Hand Morgan was called Monkey D. Luffy. Same family name as yours, huh?"
Of course, Guts already knew. He just wanted to poke the bear.
"Oh, that's my grandson," Garp replied offhandedly.
"NANI!!??"
The deck exploded in disbelief.
"Vice Admiral Garp… has a grandson!?"
"And his grandson is a pirate!?"
"Oh my god, how can something like that even be allowed!?"
The Marines clutched their heads, their worldviews shattering on the spot.
It was only then that Garp blinked, his expression snapping into belated realization. "Ah—oops. Probably shouldn't have said that out loud."
The soldiers collapsed even further, utterly broken.
Guts, meanwhile, just stared at him blankly. "…Seriously, old man."
A few seconds passed in silence before Guts leaned back with a grin. "So tell me, don't you want to see your grandson?"
Garp paused, scratching the back of his head. "The East Blue isn't exactly small. That kid could be drifting anywhere. How would I even find him?"
But Guts's grin only widened. "I heard back in Shells Town they were heading to Orange Town. You sure you don't want to pay him a visit?"
Guts scratched his chin, sifting through half-faded memories of the One Piece story.
After Morgan, the next opponent should be… Buggy, right?
It had already been half a month. Maybe he was late.
But then again, Luffy and Zoro had no sense of direction on the sea. They could've been drifting in circles for days. The chances of catching up were still pretty high.
As for why he was doing this?
Nothing special. Just for fun.
And also… to test something.
He couldn't help but grin. Luffy, that silly brat, running into his grandfather right after setting out for adventure? I've gotta see that with my own eyes.
"Orange Town, huh?"
Garp stroked his beard, then suddenly bellowed with childlike willfulness: "Oi! Change course! We're going to Orange Town!"
The Marines didn't even blink. They'd long since gotten used to Garp's whims.
In less than three days, the warship cut through the waves and reached Orange Town.
Compared to Luffy's pitiful little rowboat, the Navy's ship was lightning fast.
And since Guts hadn't heard any news about "Clown Buggy" being captured, nine times out of ten they were right on time.
Rumble—!
The moment the warship docked, the deafening boom of cannons shook the port.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Garp raised his brows, irritation flickering across his face. "The hell? Someone's firing cannons in town?"
"It's Buggy the Clown," Guts said casually, a smile tugging at his lips. "He's occupied the place and causing trouble."
Bogard frowned, narrowing his sharp eyes. "How do you know that?"
"The breath of life here told me."
Guts grinned, unconcerned with how insane that might sound. He was in the pirate world now.
He had no intention of hiding or explaining away every little thing.
The Marines stared blankly, confused by his words.
But Garp's eyes went wide, pupils dilating like copper bells.
The breath of life… could it be…!?
For a moment, Roger's shadow crossed his mind.
Garp's jaw clenched. Impossible…!
"C'mon, old man," Guts said, already strolling off the dock. "Your grandson's in there too. The creatures here told me."
Garp froze. The mention of Roger and now his grandson tangled in his chest, leaving him conflicted.
Finally, he huffed, shoving down the feeling, and stomped after Guts toward the town.
The Marines fell in line behind them.
Inside Orange Town Square
Buggy's men had just launched another round of Buggy Balls, but Luffy's rubber body sprang forward, bouncing the shells back with a Gum-Gum Balloon.
Buggy and his acrobat Kabaji panicked, throwing their hands up as makeshift shields to block the deadly blast.
"Damn it! Using your own crew as a shield—!?"
Nami's eyes widened in disgust. She was about Hanabi's age, but even she could see these pirates had no shame.
Just as the two sides were about to clash—
"HEY!!! You stinky brat! You actually went and became a pirate after I told you not to!!"
That booming roar thundered across the square.
Instantly, Luffy froze mid-pose. His body went stiff, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, goosebumps popping up one after another.
He turned his head robotically toward the voice.
Bang!!!
A familiar fist slammed down on his skull.
"OWWWW!!!"
Luffy rolled across the ground, clutching the growing lump on his head as tears welled in his eyes. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!! Grandpa!!"
The Marines who had followed Garp into the square straightened, while Zoro's jaw dropped.
"G-Grandpa…!? Luffy's… grandpa!?"
Across the square, Buggy and Kabaji's faces drained of color.
Marine Hero… Garp the Fist.
What was he doing here of all places!?
The two exchanged a terrified glance—then immediately spun on their heels to bolt.
"Hello~"
A casual voice drifted behind them.
Crack!
Before they even registered it, Buggy and Kabaji were launched sideways, crashing into the ground right next to the rolling, groaning Luffy.
Their noses were bent, teeth knocked out, and blood sprayed across the square.
"NANI!?"
Zoro felt sweat bead down his back. His hand twitched toward his swords, but even then—he hadn't seen a thing.
What the hell was that!? When did that guy even move!?
Nami was even more shaken. Her wide eyes darted to the tall stranger now dusting off his hands.
He just appeared out of nowhere… and then Buggy and that freak were flying before I even blinked…!
[Special Achievement Unlocked: Story Plot Disruption]
[Template Character: Issei Hyoudou — Completion Rate: 61%]
Guts glanced at the invisible prompt and grinned.
As expected. Perfect.
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