[V3] - Extra 2: A Boy's Dream
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Garp had been feeling rather troubled lately.
Looking at his silly grandson, who was grinning foolishly and holding his head just like in the old days, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Back then, although he'd always verbally objected to Ace and Luffy wanting to become pirates, he had never truly tried to stop them from chasing their dreams.
Because, as their grandfather, Garp knew deep down… that even if Ace and Luffy became pirates, they would never do anything that crossed the ultimate line.
They were simply pursuing their own freedom.
So how could a grandfather possibly crush his own grandsons' dreams?
But now…
Times had changed!
If Luffy were to fly the pirate flag on the seas now… even considering the connections he, his father, and Sabo had, Luffy probably wouldn't be executed on the spot. But spending a few years in prison was likely unavoidable.
Though pirates were gradually dwindling these days, the efforts to capture them and maintain peace on the seas had never relaxed under the World Government.
The age of the Great Pirate Era had already passed.
Ever since the Alliance issued the "Eradicate the Pirates" decree, the era Roger once set ablaze had officially come to an end.
Especially after that final battle of the pirates… when all the pirates across the entire sea gathered and fought in rebellion for the sake of freedom.
Yet…
In the end, they were defeated. The rebellion failed completely, and the pirates were utterly wiped out.
That battle came to be known across the seas as the Pirates' [Last Stand for Freedom].
If you want the details… you can just look it up on NinjaNet. There's no need to go over it all again.
And so, now…
Even that guy Shanks had lowered the pirate flag of the Red-Haired Pirates and raised the flag of the Red-Haired Transport Company instead, going into maritime transport. Except… those guys were hopeless at business—they never delivered goods on time, their company was tiny, and they kept throwing parties all the time. They simply weren't cut out for business. In the end, they fell for a scam, lost all their working capital, and ended up saddled with massive debts, unable to find new clients!
He'd heard that they'd even reached the point of having to sell their pirate ship.
Garp sighed inwardly, looking at Luffy in front of him. "There is no future in being a pirate!"
However—
"That's my dream!"
No matter how much Garp tried to persuade him, Luffy still wore that bright, naïve smile and lowered the brim of his hat. "It's also a promise I made with Shanks and Ace!"
"Shanks has gone into transport and is pretty much bankrupt. And Ace…"
Thud!
Another punch came down.
Garp glared at Luffy, whose head now sported a noticeable lump, and grumbled, "Ace has turned out way better than you!"
Originally, it was Ace whom Garp worried about more. After all, the bloodline of the Pirate King… the bloodline of supreme evil on these seas, a bloodline the World Government believed should never have existed—once exposed, it would inevitably shake the entire ocean and cause unimaginable repercussions.
However…
That was all in the past now.
Ace's identity had long been revealed. Not too long ago, he'd even made headlines on NinjaNet, sparking immense curiosity. After countless netizens investigated his background, they ended up feeling sympathy for his story.
Seriously.
When Garp saw it all on his phone back then, his face looked as if he'd seen a ghost!
In the end, he truly understood…
The seas were no longer the seas they used to be.
And the grandson he once worried about had become a source of pride for him. Instead, it was the silly grandson right in front of him who was still daydreaming about becoming Pirate King—how could he not be worried about that?
"Who would even join you to be a pirate nowadays?"
"I've already found people!"
"There are actually idiots as dumb as you? Where did you find them?"
"I met them online!!"
"They're not scammers, are they?! You know there's a ton of fraud on the internet these days! Remember that bastard Shanks~" Garp raised an eyebrow, as if recalling something amusing, his face lighting up with a grin. "Not long ago, that guy got a message from someone claiming to be Gol D. Roger—the Pirate King himself—saying he wasn't dead yet… Ah, forget it, why am I talking about this?" He suddenly turned stern again, glaring at Luffy. "Don't you dare let yourself get scammed, you brat!"
However—
"Don't talk about my friends that way!" Hearing his grandfather call his friends scammers, Luffy instantly became upset and yelled angrily at Garp, "They're my nakama! We've already promised to meet up someday!"
And with that…
Ignoring his grandfather, who was about to raise his fist yet again, he turned and ran off, shouting loudly as he went, "I'm going to become the Pirate King! I'll definitely prove it to you!"
As his voice and determined figure faded into the distance, Garp, who'd been about to continue lecturing him, suddenly felt shaken deep down inside.
After a moment…
He sighed quietly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled into a faint smile.
Even when the seas have become what they are now… you still haven't given up on your dream?
That's truly my grandson!
And yet—
Garp sighed again, shaking his head, his voice tinged with sorrow. "But that dream… is already the wrong one now!"
…
Meanwhile.
On the other side, Luffy had arrived at the shore. Looking out over the sea in front of him… the Sea King—the strongest enemy he'd once faced in the waters of the Goa Kingdom—had already been eliminated by the Alliance not long ago.
He had been on the internet too, and he understood the current state of the seas.
However—
No one can stop a young man from pursuing his own dreams!
The corners of Luffy's mouth lifted slightly. Gazing at the vast ocean before him, he pulled out his phone after a moment and skillfully opened the app [Nin-Nin] on his screen, finding the new friends he'd made.
[I Really Have a Nine-Tails at Home] and [My Uncle is the Richest Man in the Ninja World]!
That's right.
These were the companions he'd found.
Just like him!
They too dreamed of adventuring with their friends and of finding the legendary final island, Raftel!
So.
He.
Monkey D. Luffy—still had his nakama!
Luffy quickly sent them both a message: [Five days from now, let's go on an adventure together!]
Then—
He grinned wide, showing his white teeth again. Facing the sea, he reached out his right hand, lowered the brim of his hat, and murmured with a smile, "I'm definitely going to be the Pirate King!"
Five days later.
A ship appeared off the shores of the Goa Kingdom.
With the blessings of his friends in the Goa Kingdom, Luffy stepped aboard that ship.
His grandpa didn't show up!
But he knew…
His grandpa had stopped trying to stop him.
Looking at the blond-haired boy and the black-haired boy beside him—these were his companions, the friends who would sail with him into adventure. And this ship… was bought with money they'd pooled together. It, too, was their companion!
Luffy sat at the prow of the ship, staring out at the wide sea, feeling the refreshing ocean breeze, waving his hand and calling out with a smile, "Let's go!"
And just like that…
The boys set out into the sea with their dreams.
However—
One week later.
In Wano Country—
Yuto, who was bored and dozing off, pulled out his suddenly ringing phone and yawned. "Hello? Who is it? Oh, oh, Minato? What's up? …What the heck?"
It seemed he'd just heard some shocking news. He suddenly sat up straight, the corner of his mouth twitching as he stared in silence at his phone, where the call had already ended.
"…"
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke had been coaxed by some kid named Luffy into going to sea as pirates?!
Of course, what shocked him even more was…
They hadn't even made it out of the East Blue… before they were caught.
Seriously.
"What a mess!"
Yuto sighed in exasperation and shook his head.