"I don't know..."
"!!!"
The name Bullet struck the stagnant pool of Eternal Hell like a boulder.
For a powerhouse of his caliber, "I don't know..." was itself an answer.
It meant... no confidence.
No confidence in beating Hawke...
"Gulp—"
Somewhere in the darkness, someone swallowed hard.
Every pirate locked up in Eternal Hell had once been a force that made the seas tremble.
Some wielded strange Devil Fruit powers, some were peerless swordsmen...
But when it came to raw physical strength and fighting will, Bullet was indisputably number one.
He was like a beast that never stopped. During his twenty years of imprisonment he had never ceased training...
Even he had no confidence against Hawke...
That Navy Rear Admiral had, in only three days, smashed twenty years of Bullet's hard training and self-belief to pieces!
That fact sent waves of despair through all the pirates.
"Bullet."
From the deepest dark came Redfield's voice again.
"In the next duel, if you don't rely on the awakened power of a fruit, you might still have some chance..."
"..."
Bullet listened in silence.
He slowly sat down, leaned against the cold wall, and closed his eyes.
Eternal Hell fell back into darkness and silence.
This time even the whispers were gone.
Only heavy, oppressed breaths remained, full of endless hesitation.
...
Paradise — G-3 Branch.
The docks were a hive of activity.
Navy soldiers were unloading crates stamped with the Alabasta crest from a huge merchant ship and hauling them to the rear warehouse.
The crates were full of high-grade steel, rolls of military canvas, medical supplies enough to outfit tens of thousands, and boxes of brand-new weapons gleaming coldly.
At that moment, a dog-headed warship cleaved the waves and slowly pulled into berth.
"Thud—!"
A tall, brawny figure leapt from the bows onto the dock.
Garp looked around and, voice booming, asked, "Where's Zephyr?"
A lieutenant commander who was directing the unloading immediately turned and snapped to attention before Garp.
"Reporting to Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Instructor Zephyr is at the central training ground, sparring with Commander Dane!"
"The training ground, huh... good!"
Garp nodded, then cast his gaze over the G-3 Branch.
Surprise flickered across his face.
The G-3 Branch had changed so much!
The former stronghold had been expanded many times over, becoming a war fortress forged of black steel; grotesque cannon muzzles dotted the towering walls.
On the distant training grounds nearly ten thousand soldiers were training.
This place had already become a small Marineford.
"Sigh—"
Garp sighed inwardly.
That old man Sengoku was finally getting serious this time.
Behind him his aide Bogard carried the unconscious Luffy down the gangplank, helplessness written all over his face.
No choice — the stubborn grandson had run up against an unreasonable grandfather.
On the way to the G-3 Branch, Luffy had gradually come to.
When he heard from his grandfather that he was about to be forcibly inducted into the Navy to undergo the harshest training, he sprang up on the spot.
"I won't be a Marine! I'm gonna be the man who becomes King of the Pirates!"
Garp's reply was a pitch-black fist.
"You damn brat! How dare you say the word 'pirate'!"
"Wham! Wham! Wham!"
The Iron Fist of Love rained down mercilessly on Luffy.
Each blow was perfectly controlled — bone-deep pain but no lasting mortal injury.
Luffy, just waking up and not even having eaten, passed out again under that relentless pounding.
The new recruits trailing behind, including Koby, fell silent, watching the kid slung over Garp's shoulder with pity in their eyes.
Vice Admiral Garp really did mean to teach his grandson the hard way!
No mercy, every punch landing squarely.
Just as Garp was about to take the group to find Zephyr, a voice came from the sea.
"Well~ if it isn't Vice Admiral Garp?"
Everyone looked toward the sound.
"Crack—"
An ice road extended from a distance across the water to the dock, and Navy Admiral Aokiji rode a bicycle along it.
After escorting the merchant ship to G-3 he hadn't entered the branch at once; he'd patrolled the nearby waters.
He couldn't help it — resurgent justice wouldn't let him sleep through the afternoon.
Sakazuki was stationed in the New World and all...
And Borsalino, who was keeping an eye on the "Sea Bottom Dredge" operation on Egghead Island, as far as Aokiji knew...
Since the prototype machine successfully launched, Borsalino hadn't been apart from Dr. Vegapunk for a second...
He couldn't fall too far behind.
"Kuzan?"
Kuzan stopped his bicycle at the dock and the ice road melted away.
He glanced at Luffy being carried by Bogard and asked, "Garp, what's this...?"
"Hmph—"
Garp snorted and said sourly,
"My fanciful little grandson insists on going to be a pirate, so I'm throwing him to Zephyr and that Hawke kid to straighten him out."
"..."
Kuzan nodded in understanding and looked deeply at Luffy.
If this kid ever wanted to reform and join the Marines, Kuzan would keep an eye on him in future.
After all, he was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson.
"..."
At that moment unloading finished.
The dock supervisor reported in, and Kuzan waved to Garp.
"Well then, I'll be off again."
"Mm."
Garp nodded; he knew Kuzan's task.
The huge merchant ship would return to Sky Island after obtaining gold, then directly deliver it to Alabasta for conversion.
While unloading the gold in Alabasta, it would be reloaded with military supplies and funds and sent back to the G-3 Branch.
Finally, the ship would head from G-3 back to Sky Island.
A continuous loop...
"Move out!"
Garp waved and led everyone energetically into the branch.
...
Central Training Ground.
"Clang—!"
Two figures crossed paths; the metallic ring of steel and iron made a bright, pleasant sound.
Zephyr stood steady, watching Dane across from him holding a blade, admiration in his eyes.
Onigumo and five other Vice Admirals watched nearby, nodding from time to time.
Seeing Garp approach, Zephyr paused his coaching and commented,
"Dane, though you don't have the talent of those two monsters... you're steady, your basics are solid. Not bad!"
"I'll talk to that Hawke later and make sure he gets you a good fruit — if not... I'll let him taste my Black Arm!"
"Yes."
Dane sheathed his sword, saluted solemnly in thanks, and stepped aside.
Garp laughed loudly as he strode over and threw an arm around Zephyr's shoulder.
"Zephyr, I brought you a great pupil!"
"Oh?"
Garp leaned close to Zephyr's ear and lowered his voice,
"Do it for my sake..."
"For my sake, be gentle?"
"No — do it for my sake... train him to death!!!"
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (227 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)