"You'll be living with me for the time being. No complaints, right, Goku?"
Garp pushed his bedding to the left side of the bed and spread out a new set on the right.
Although he was a Marine Hero, his living quarters were just a single room since he had always lived alone.
As for why he didn't ask Sengoku to arrange a double room, he claimed he had lived there for so many years that moving would be too much trouble.
Besides, his bed was huge, and Goku was just a kid; they could easily share the space.
Furthermore, once Goku officially joined the Marines in a year, he would move into the recruit dorms, making a double room pointless.
Goku naturally had no complaints about his living situation. To him, even sleeping in the wilderness was fine, so he nodded obediently. "Living with you? I don't mind at all, Grandpa Garp."
After tidying the bedding, Garp flopped onto the bed.
"Take a good nap. I'll take you to train once we wake up."
"Okay!"
Goku kicked off his shoes, hopped onto the bed, and lay down quickly.
Watching Garp fall asleep instantly beside him, he blinked and turned to stare at the slightly yellowed ceiling, his mind wandering.
'Master Roshi, Krillin... where did you go?'
As he thought, drowsiness washed over him. His eyelids grew heavy, and he soon drifted off.
...
As the sun passed its zenith and began its descent, the sleep bubble on Garp's nose suddenly popped, waking him up.
After checking the clock on the wall, he turned to see Goku still fast asleep and immediately delivered an Iron Fist of Love.
*Thwack!!*
"Why are you still sleeping! Goku! Wake up already!!!"
...
A few seconds later, Goku put on his shoes while rubbing the large bump on his head, muttering grumpily, "Grandpa Garp, you could have just said something! Why did you have to hit me?"
Garp just burst into laughter. "Bwahaha! This is my love for you, Goku! Next time you don't wake up, I'll let you taste this fist of love again!"
Goku gritted his teeth in frustration but could do nothing about it.
After all, his experience from earlier that morning had taught him a harsh lesson: he really couldn't beat this old man right now.
The two soon left the house, with Garp leading the way toward an increasingly remote area.
Looking at the desolate surroundings, Goku couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Garp, where are we going?"
Garp replied nonchalantly, "You'll find out in a bit."
...
At the edge of an abandoned pier, several decommissioned Marine warships were docked.
These moss-covered vessels had fallen into ruin; their masts were toppled or broken, and their once-proud flags hung in tattered shreds.
This place, usually devoid of people, welcomed two visitors today.
"What is this place, Grandpa Garp?"
Goku looked around curiously, noting the many warships and piles of scrap wood, his confusion growing.
"This is a scrapped pier. All these warships you see have been decommissioned," Garp explained.
"Then why are we here?"
Goku grew even more puzzled.
He thought they were going to train, so why come to a place like this?
Garp didn't answer but kept walking until they reached several specific warships. He stopped and pointed to the one in the middle, which had a massive dent in its bow.
"See that?"
Goku looked at it, not understanding, and nodded blankly.
Garp moved his finger, pointing to an intact warship on the right. "Your task is to punch this one. Once you can dent the bow as much as that other ship, you'll be ready to learn Armament Haki."
To master Armament Haki, one had to constantly temper their body.
For Garp, the fists needed the most tempering, and punching the incredibly hard hull of a ship was the best way to do it.
Long ago, he had spent day after day, year after year, punching these hulls, which eventually earned him the title of Garp "The Fist."
Even now, he still came here occasionally to punch them to ensure his fists remained in peak condition.
Hearing this, Goku looked left and right before quickly moving in front of the intact warship and throwing a punch.
*Bang!!*
Feeling the sheer hardness of the hull, he turned back to Garp. "Grandpa Garp, it's really hard."
Garp crossed his arms and grinned. "Of course! If it weren't hard, it wouldn't be worth training on!"
Goku nodded, then pointed to the two ships on the left that had massive, ten-meter-deep dents in them.
"Grandpa Garp, did you do those too? You're amazing!"
Just as Garp was about to answer, he seemed to sense something and glanced behind him.
Then he looked back at Goku and said, "No, I did the one in the middle. As for the one on the left..."
He trailed off intentionally, as if waiting for someone.
Right then, a cool voice came from behind them, finishing his sentence. "I'm the one who did the one on the left."
*Step.*
*Step.*
The sound of footsteps drew nearer.
Goku looked past Garp, curious to see who it was. An exceptionally tall man in a white suit was walking down the small path they had just taken.
"I didn't expect you to come here, Kuzan," Garp said without turning his head.
Kuzan—also known as Aokiji, one of the Three Admirals—walked lazily to Garp's side. He let out a yawn and said listlessly:
"Well, when you get older, you tend to get nostalgic."
Kuzan looked at the warship where he had left his own mark, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
It was here that he had truly gotten to know Garp, back when they hammered away at the hulls together to hone their fists.
Those carefree days without too many worries felt like they were twenty years in the past.
Garp snorted. "Tch! You call yourself old? Then what does that make me?"
Kuzan was only in his forties, in the prime of his life, while Garp was already over seventy. Even he hadn't complained about being old.
"Oh boy..."
Kuzan shook his head, sounding self-deprecating. "I can't compare to you, old man. I wouldn't dare dream of having this much energy when I reach your age."
Garp glanced at him but didn't speak again.
By now, Goku was very curious about this newcomer. Once their conversation paused, he asked Garp, "Grandpa Garp, who is he?"
Garp curled his lip, showing no interest in introducing Kuzan. "Just a lazy, aimless fellow. Don't worry about him; just focus on your training."
Goku suppressed his curiosity and nodded, preparing to begin his training journey.
--