— — — — — — —
"What a sharp slash! What exactly is that power?"
Garp landed from mid-air, momentarily pausing his attacks as he stared at Renzo with curiosity.
He couldn't help himself—if he didn't get an answer, it would gnaw at him.
He could tell this was some sort of swordsmanship technique, but it was completely different from anything he had encountered before.
He had never heard of swordsmanship carrying such a fierce and cutting aura.
"Sword Aura."
Renzo uttered those two words before slashing again, unleashing an even more terrifying flying slash towards Garp.
"Hahaha! Now that's the spirit!"
Garp's battle instincts flared, and he threw his fist forward to meet the attack head-on.
BOOM!!!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
To him, every attack could be countered with his fists.
If one punch wasn't enough, then a few more would do the trick.
The title "Garp the Fist" wasn't just for show.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! So this is that guy's true strength? Damn it... is the gap really this huge?!"
In the distance, Ace, who was being shielded by Bogard, clenched his fists in frustration as he watched the intense battle unfold.
His teeth ground together as he swore to himself that he would train even harder in the future.
"Woow!"
Luffy, on the other hand, was cheering loudly, even shouting, "Big Bro Renzo! Cut down that old bastard Grandpa!"
Hearing that, Renzo felt a headache coming on, while Garp nearly tripped over his own feet, almost getting slashed in the process.
"That ungrateful brat!"
Garp awkwardly turned to Renzo and said, "Ahem, family disgrace! I failed to educate him properly! Don't take it to heart!"
Renzo sighed internally. "Not educating him properly? More like he grew up completely off-track! You're gonna have your hands full in the future."
At that moment, Garp roared at Luffy from a distance, "Luffy! You little punk! Just wait till I deal with you later! How dare you say something like that?!"
Letting someone else cut down your own grandfather—what kind of grandkid does that?
"Hmph! Grandpa, you're the big bad guy here! Why can't I say it?" Luffy pouted in defiance.
"Bleh!"
He even stuck his tongue out at Garp, making a silly face.
"Forget it. How about we call it a day?" Renzo sheathed his blade, Ryuga.
If he were to activate Susanoo and go all out, he might be able to hold his own against Garp for a bit, but he would still lose in the end.
He realized that his techniques were a bit too scattered—he lacked a decisive, game-changing ability.
Moreover, without Haki, he was at a major disadvantage against Garp.
"Alright! Hahaha!"
Garp burst into hearty laughter. "I haven't fully figured you out yet, but I've got a general idea! Kid, how about joining the Marines and working under me?"
"Nope!"
Renzo refused without hesitation.
Are you kidding me?
Why the hell would he want to join the Marines and be a dog for the Celestial Dragons?
Living freely was way better.
He didn't lack money, nor was he short on ways to become stronger—joining the Marines would only limit him.
Of course, he wasn't interested in flying a pirate flag either.
Sure, there were a few exceptions, like Shanks' crew and Luffy's crew, who had more of an adventurer's spirit. But the vast majority of pirates were nothing more than criminals—pillaging, killing, and committing every kind of atrocity.
Even Luffy, in the original story, made a huge mistake—breaking into Impel Down and freeing a horde of criminals. That was unquestionably an evil act.
Yes, some of the prisoners were innocent—framed by the World Government or Marines—but most of them were genuinely dangerous criminals.
No matter how you try to justify it, there was no excusing that action.
Of course, Luffy wasn't the type to think about the consequences of his actions.
Back then, he was only focused on saving Ace.
This guy never really thought too deeply about things.
Anyway, Renzo had no intention of joining the Marines.
Sure, he was interested in Marine techniques like the Six Powers—especially Life Return—but he had other ways of learning them. No need to sell himself out.
"Come on, don't reject it so quickly!"
Garp wasn't ready to give up yet. "There are plenty of benefits to joining the Marines! With your talent and strength, you could definitely become an Admiral one day!"
"Not interested."
Renzo shook his head again without hesitation. He dusted off his clothes and straightened them out.
"Man, you're no fun! Why don't you want to join? I don't see you as the type who dreams of becoming a big-shot pirate." Garp was genuinely puzzled.
A person's aura could reveal a lot about them.
And so far, he hadn't sensed any ambition for power in Renzo.
"Then tell me, what's in it for me if I join the Marines? Money? I don't need it. Power? Not interested. And most importantly... I have no desire to be a dog for the Celestial Dragons."
Renzo whispered those last words into Garp's ear before turning away without another glance, heading down the mountain.
He had already met Ace and the others. Originally, he planned to have them guide him to the Gray Terminal, but then Garp showed up.
Now, it seemed like he'd have to find it himself.
With his sensory abilities and Red Queen's scanning capabilities, it wouldn't take long anyway.
Garp watched as Renzo walked away, letting out a long sigh. There was a deep sense of regret in his heart, but he couldn't argue against what Renzo had said.
Why didn't he want to become an admiral? Wasn't it for the same reason?
Garp had always been a free spirit. If not for his sense of justice, if not for the comrades and brothers he had fought alongside, he might have long since abandoned the Navy and joined his son.
Don't think that's impossible.
Garp was a man who defied all rules.
Where do you think Monkey D. Dragon and Luffy got their rebellious nature from? It's all in the bloodline!
This entire family was full of troublemakers—every single one of them.
And Renzo? That kid had already seen through everything. Even at his young age, he understood the true nature and darkness of the Navy and the World Government.
People like him were the hardest to fool.
"Hahahaha!"
Understanding this, Garp suddenly burst into loud laughter. Then he called out to Renzo, who was already walking away. "Hey! Kid! Let's drink and spar again when you have time!"
Hearing that, Renzo smirked slightly and raised his hand in a casual wave without looking back—his way of responding.
"That kid sure is carefree!"
Bogard chuckled to himself before cracking his knuckles and turning toward Luffy and the others with a sinister grin.
"Hehehe~!"
"Luffy! What the hell did you just say earlier?!"
"Uh-oh….. I... this.."
"Ace, R-RUN!!"
"Huh? Luffy, you're the one who should be running! I didn't do anything wrong!"
BAM
"Damn it! Old man, you're crazy!"
"Luffy! Ace! You brats can't run from me! I'm gonna beat the crap out of you today!"
"Hey, hey! Why am I even involved?! It was Luffy's fault! Damn it!"
But despite saying that, Ace still ran even faster.
"What nonsense! You're Luffy's big brother! If he messes up, you share half the responsibility! Take this punch!!"
"AAAHHH!!"
"Not the face!!"
"Grandpa, I'm sorry!"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
For a while, the forest was filled with screams of pain and Garp's hearty laughter.
— — —
"Hah… That old rascal…"
Even from a distance, Renzo could hear Luffy and Ace's cries along with Garp's laughter. He shook his head helplessly.
"With a training method like that, it's no wonder Luffy and Ace don't want to join the Navy. It's only natural that they'd reject it."
He was convinced—Garp was largely responsible for why Ace and Luffy ended up as pirates.
"You're finally back! You have no idea—just now, a terrifyingly strong Marine was here! His presence alone made it hard for me to breathe. Don't tell me you actually fought against him?!"
As soon as Renzo returned to the port, Kuina ran up to him, looking worried. She scanned him carefully, as if checking for injuries.
"Yeah, I ran into him. Had no choice but to spar with him. He's ridiculously strong. One of the top powerhouses in the entire sea."
Renzo smiled and ruffled Kuina's hair.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she swatted his hand away, then asked curiously, "One of the top powerhouses? Then why would such a big shot come to the East Blue? Didn't you say this was the weakest sea?"
That didn't make sense.
"That's because this is Vice Admiral Garp's hometown."
At that moment, Makino walked over with some supplies and explained.
Then she turned to Renzo. "Everything you requested has been loaded onto your ship. That'll be 175,456 Berries."
She had also heard the commotion earlier. Even from this distance, she could feel the ground trembling and hear the deafening explosions. It was impossible to ignore.
And now, after hearing Renzo's words, she realized that the battle had been between him and Vice Admiral Garp.
This gave her a whole new perspective on Renzo's strength.
He looked like just a kid, yet he had caused such a massive disturbance and even fought against Garp.
More importantly, he didn't even look injured. That was impressive.
Makino knew Garp well—he never held back.
Though he wouldn't go overboard, he always left Luffy and Ace bruised and battered after their "training sessions."
"Thanks a lot!"
Renzo nodded in gratitude, then handed over the rest of the money to Makino before bidding her farewell.
"You're welcome! I'll get back to work then!"
After taking the money, Makino left.
"We should get going too. Can't stay here any longer."
Renzo turned to Kuina and led her onto the ship. He then signaled Red Queen to start the yacht and set sail toward the Grey Terminal.
Over the past hour, Red Queen had sent out micro-drones to scout the surrounding hundred kilometers.
The location of the Grey Terminal was already locked in.
.
.
.