Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, near the window, Garp retracted his gaze and laughed at Sengoku.
"How about it, Sengoku? Did you see? This is the kid I told you about. Not a bad performance, right? Hahahaha!"
Sengoku watched Goku below, who was causing quite a stir, and stroked his braided beard, deep in thought.
After a moment, he looked away and spoke flatly to Garp. "Based on what you've said, this child is indeed special. It wouldn't be impossible to break protocol and let him join the Marines."
"Exactly! Hahahaha!" Garp roared with laughter.
"But!"
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and dropped the dreaded "but."
"But this little guy is truly too young. Letting him join the Marines now wouldn't be good for him. Besides, you said his family hasn't been found yet; we still don't know his background or origins."
"If he joins the Marines so haphazardly, there might be hidden risks down the line."
While talented individuals popped up in the sea from time to time, someone with Goku's level of potential was extremely rare.
A person with such talent likely had a background that was anything but simple.
Garp didn't argue. Instead, he grinned, baring his teeth. "So, what do you suggest?"
He knew his old friend must have already thought of a solution.
Sure enough, Sengoku spoke slowly. "We'll keep him as a reservist and observe him for a year. If there are no issues during this year, he can officially join the Marines after that."
A one-year buffer would allow Goku's character to mature and give him time to understand and identify with the Marines.
Moreover, it gave the Marines enough time to vet Goku's history thoroughly, ensuring no hidden dangers remained.
Hearing this, Garp grabbed a handful of rice crackers and stuffed them into his mouth, nodding. "Hahaha! Fine! We'll do exactly as you say!"
He knew this was Sengoku's bottom line and that this arrangement was all benefit and no harm for Goku, so he didn't object.
"Mhm. For now, let him stay by your side. You must teach him well."
Sengoku returned to his seat and took a sip of tea.
"Of course! Do you even need to tell me? Hahahaha!"
Garp laughed. He noticed Sengoku glance sideways at him and then at the door, immediately realizing he was being kicked out.
Without a hint of embarrassment, he walked toward the door with an air of composure. As he passed the cabinet where the tea leaves were kept, he casually tucked the entire jar into his shirt and strolled out.
"I'm heading out then, Sengoku!"
Sengoku gestured for him to get lost and didn't look at him again, focusing intently on a document.
After finishing the file, he looked up. His eyes happened to sweep across the cabinet, only to realize the tea leaves had vanished into thin air.
Consequently, on that day, half the people in the Marine Headquarters heard the Fleet Admiral's roar:
"Garp!! You bastard!! Give me back my tea!!"
...
After getting his fill of satisfaction at the training grounds, Lansa pulled Goku away while the Marine soldiers stood there, dumbstruck.
Once they reached a secluded area, he ruffled Goku's head repeatedly until the boy began to get annoyed. Lansa threw his head back and laughed. "Ahahaha! Goku, you're amazing! Did you see the looks on their faces? It was hilarious!"
Goku tried to fix his messy hair and frowned at him. "You're a strange person. What's so funny about that?"
Lansa stopped laughing and put on a sage-like air. "Ah, it seems you don't understand yet. When you're a few years older, you'll realize how much fun this kind of thing is—how satisfying it feels."
"That makes no sense at all."
Goku couldn't follow his logic and simply mumbled with a frown.
Lansa dropped the subject and began to actually show Goku around the permitted areas.
Shortly after, Garp found them. He waved Lansa off and led Goku to an empty training ground.
While Goku was still a bit puzzled, Garp spoke with feigned seriousness. "Goku, do you like training and becoming stronger?"
Goku blinked and nodded. "Mhm!"
Garp asked again, "Then have you ever thought about why you train?"
Goku scratched his cheek. After a moment of thought, he answered, "I didn't think about it before, but later I figured it out. I want to train so I can surpass myself!"
Before joining the Turtle School, he wanted to train to get stronger and defeat powerful opponents.
But after joining the Turtle School, thanks to Master Roshi's guidance, he realized the true reason he wanted to train: to surpass his own limits!
It was this very shift in mindset that allowed him to constantly defeat powerful enemies and break through his boundaries in the original story, reaching a peak of martial arts unimaginable to ordinary people.
Garp was stunned for a moment by the answer.
'Has this little guy already developed such a mature philosophy at such a young age?'
He felt more and more that Goku was a diamond in the rough. He burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Well said! We should indeed train to surpass ourselves!"
"However, besides surpassing yourself, shouldn't we use the strength we gain to uphold justice and strike down wicked criminals?"
He looked at Goku expectantly.
To his surprise, Goku asked blankly, "Criminals? What are criminals?"
Garp's smile froze. He explained, "They are bad people who do bad things. Like that group of pirates you took down on the island."
Enlightenment dawned on Goku as he nodded. "Oh, so you mean bad guys. Well, obviously! If someone does bad things, I'll stop them!"
Hearing this, Garp nodded with satisfaction, not pushing the topic further.
After all, Goku was still young. Having this basic concept was good enough; he could teach him the rest slowly over time.
Thinking of this, he changed the subject. "So, Goku, what do you think of your current strength?"
At this question, Goku's eyes lit up. He rubbed his head and grinned. "Hehe, I feel like I'm pretty strong right now."
After the tests he'd gone through recently, he found that his strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation compared to before, which made him quite happy.
"Oh? Pretty strong, are you?" Garp asked with a smirk.
"Hehe, yeah, definitely!" Goku nodded happily.
In the next second, Garp suddenly appeared beside Goku and delivered a punch straight to his noggin.
BAM!!!
Goku instantly faceplanted into the ground.
Simultaneously, a massive lump swelled up on his head.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!!"
Goku jumped up, clutching the bump on his head, tears welling up from the pain.
He glared at Garp angrily. "What was that for, Grandpa Garp!?"
Garp picked his nose and grinned, showing all his teeth. "Didn't you say you were strong? I was just testing to see if you were actually strong."
Goku immediately processed the challenge. He clenched his fists, arched his eyebrows, and filled with fighting spirit. "So you want to have a fight with me? Then let's go!"
—