BANG!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed a report down in front of Garp, the impact loud enough to jolt the dozing Vice Admiral awake.
With a furious roar, Sengoku bellowed:
"GARP!!! Take a look at what your grandson's done now!"
"Huh?"
Garp blinked groggily, clearly still half-asleep. Sengoku swore that if he hadn't said "your grandson," Garp would've just rolled over and gone back to sleep.
"What's going on now, Sengoku? Something serious?"
Garp yawned and reluctantly sat up, eyeing the furious admiral in front of him.
Sengoku slapped the table again before collapsing into his chair. He jabbed a finger at the report.
"Read it yourself. Just look at the mess your grandson's made this time!"
"Tsk... Can't you just read it for me?" Garp grumbled. But the mention of Luffy piqued his interest, and with a resigned sigh, he stood up and picked up the document.
He began reading aloud:
"Yesterday, Warlord of the Sea Monkey D. Luffy led his pirate crew in a direct flight over the Red Line, requesting passage to the East Blue. Permission was granted by Commander-in-Chief Kong."
"Hm? That brat... Why's he going back to the East Blue?" Garp muttered, eyes narrowing as he reread the report more carefully.
And then, he fell asleep again.
"GAAAAARP!!!"
Sengoku's roar echoed through nearly half of Marineford.
But no one batted an eye, this kind of yelling was a daily occurrence. In fact, if there wasn't any yelling, people would think something was wrong.
Watching Garp stir awake again, Sengoku clutched his chest, barely suppressing the pain of sheer frustration.
"Aren't you going to do something about your grandson?! He's brazen enough to fly over the Red Line now!"
But Garp just laughed heartily, completely unfazed.
"Impressive! That's my grandson alright, Hahaha!"
"You!" Sengoku pointed a trembling finger at him, furious.
"Garp! You of all people should know! The Red Line isn't something you can just fly over! And don't forget, Luffy once collaborated with Moria! Do you even realize the World Government is watching him like a hawk now?!"
"Hahaha, don't worry about it, Sengoku. Luffy can take care of himself."
Garp said nonchalantly, picking his nose.
"I give up on your whole family..." Sengoku huffed and turned to leave. "I've got more important things to deal with, like deploying reinforcements to the Army. You're on your own. Good luck!"
He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him, leaving Garp alone.
Garp was still grinning.
"Finally! I can sneak some of Sengoku's rice crackers!"
But once Sengoku was gone, his smile faded. Garp picked up the report again. His expression changed, turning distant, thoughtful, and heavy in a way few had ever seen from him.
"Luffy... don't get too reckless."
There was something neither Sengoku nor Tsuru knew.
Luffy was still only 15 years old.
And when he became a Warlord?
He had just turned 14.
Garp had never told anyone.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Loguetown – Inside the Marine Base Conference Room.
Luffy sat calmly across the table, flanked by Robin and Brook.
Opposite them sat a silver-haired man in a long coat emblazoned with the kanji for "Justice" on the back, a pair of wind goggles hanging around his neck.
It was Smoker, Marine HQ Captain, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Plume-Plume Fruit. He was the highest-ranking officer in Loguetown.
"This town's security sure has gone downhill. You seem like a pretty incompetent Marine,"
Luffy said lazily, toying with a ceramic teacup on the table.
"Tch." Smoker scoffed, drawing his Seastone-tipped jitte and pointing it at Luffy.
"Even if you're a Warlord, you can't just waltz into a Marine base uninvited. Arresting you right now wouldn't be against protocol!"
"Oh?" Luffy sat up slowly, eyes narrowing. A wave of pressure began radiating from his body.
"Captain... Are you sure you want to test me here?"
BOOM!
A burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Luffy.
The pressure was so intense it shattered the heavy wooden conference table with a deafening crack. Splinters flew in every direction.
Smoker, who'd just been brimming with bravado, collapsed to the floor. His mind blurred. Consciousness flickered.
"Captain! Captain!" Just outside, Tashigi, holding a tray of tea, was about to knock on the door when she peeked in and saw Smoker on the ground. She rushed in, kneeling beside him.
"You scumbag pirates! What did you do to Captain Smoker?!"
The young Tashigi still believed in justice and talent, the naïve dream of a sword-wielding Marine prodigy.
With a sharp cry, she drew her sword, Shigure, and charged straight at Luffy.
Luffy didn't move. He didn't even blink.
"Cuatro Fleur."
With a quiet command, four arms instantly sprouted from Tashigi's shoulders and elbows, Robin's power at work.
Two arms grabbed her biceps.
Two more twisted her wrists, rotating Shigure 180 degrees, its tip now pointing at her own throat.
"Ah!" Tashigi stared in horror, mouth open, frozen with fear.
"D-Don't hurt her..." Smoker stirred slightly, his fingers twitching, barely managing to croak out a plea.
Luffy waved at Robin, and the extra arms disappeared at once.
Tashigi collapsed to her knees, dazed, gasping for breath.
The three pirates turned and walked out.
As they passed Smoker's crumpled figure, Luffy glanced down and said coldly:
"Don't think your little tricks go unnoticed. The one who leaked my destination to the government... was you, wasn't it?"
"You're not qualified to test me."
Huff... Huff...
Smoker said nothing. Even breathing was hard now.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
As soon as they stepped out of the Marine base, Luffy felt dozens of eyes watching them from the shadows.
He clicked his tongue and smirked. Without a care, the trio walked calmly down the deserted street toward the port.
Then, as they passed the execution platform, where Gol D. Roger had once been put to death, they stopped.
Pirates stepped out from the shadows surrounding the square. Dozens, then hundreds, armed with blades and rifles. The entire square was filled with a dark, threatening mass.
"So you're the Warlord, Monkey D. Luffy!"
A man in a worn brown captain's coat stepped forward, pointing his long blade at Luffy.
"I am."
BOOM!!!
A sound like thunder rolled across the square, striking every pirate like a hammer to the skull.
"So boring." Luffy stepped forward, unbothered.
At his current level of mental fortitude, a full-force blast of his Conqueror's Haki was something these low-level pirates, none of whom had bounties above 30 million, couldn't possibly withstand.
Thud.
The captain who had just spoken collapsed, blood pouring from every orifice. His brain had shut down. Instant death.
With every step Luffy took, more pirates fell lifeless to the ground.
By the time the trio exited the square, the ground was soaked in blood, littered with corpses.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Captain!!! Captain!!!"
A Marine burst into Smoker's office, panicked.
"Captain!! Hah... They're... all dead!" He gasped for breath, face pale.
Luffy hadn't even used his full Haki against Smoker.
He'd actually gone easy on him, Luffy still respected Smoker as a decent Marine.
But even that slight pressure had nearly knocked Smoker out cold.
"...What?" Smoker, still nursing his aching head, barely heard the words.
The Marine stared at him in disbelief, stammering:
"Over 500 pirates... all dead... every single one of them…"
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