Luffy could no longer swim.
It was a devastating fact that shattered the little boy's heart, especially after his strength had been so greatly reduced by the very power he had believed would make him invincible, his newfound rubbery body.
"Shanks lied to me!" Luffy wailed, his small frame dripping wet from head to toe after being unceremoniously fished out of the sea.
Standing beside me, Sabo shrugged and said, "Well, technically, he never actually mentioned the side effects, so... it's not really lying."
"Heh. A pirate who cannot even swim? What a complete dumbass," Ace scoffed, arms crossed, his smirk radiating absolute smugness.
"Alright, knock it off, you two," Naru sighed, rubbing her temple with an exasperated groan. "Luffy, this is exactly what happens when you go around stuffing random things into your mouth without thinking. From now on, don't even glance at the water unless it is shallow enough that you can stand in it. Understand?"
Luffy huffed loudly, crossing his arms tighter against his chest like a stubborn, petulant child. "But I like swimming…"
"Yeah, well, tough luck, kid. Now you sink faster than an anchor."
The Red Hair Pirates had already left, but life on the island went on as usual. Shanks had not intentionally withheld the information.
He simply forgot to mention it.
Two days after their departure, the children ventured out to sea, following their usual routine of catching seafood. No one had expected Luffy, who had excitedly jumped off the boat to dive into the water, to suddenly vanish beneath the surface.
Luckily, Naru possessed reflexes like a cat. The instant she noticed him sinking instead of swimming, she dove headfirst without hesitation, slicing through the water and dragging the panicking boy back to the surface with precise efficiency.
Apparently, for Devil Fruit users, the greatest enemy was not just their foes, but it was the sea itself.
It was not only Shanks who had forgotten to mention that critical detail. Naru had known about Devil Fruits from her studies, but in the chaos, she had overlooked it as well.
Dripping wet and coughing up water, Luffy slumped into the boat, shivering slightly.
Naru exhaled sharply, wringing out her sleeves with a scowl. "Alright, that is enough excitement for today. Luffy, you remain here. No more heroics, no more reckless ideas. Let the rest of us handle the fishing, and we will head back home as soon as we are done."
Her tone left no room for argument.
Luffy muttered something under his breath but ultimately slouched onto the wooden bench, defeated, arms folded in a soggy pout as he watched the others dive back into the sea, their laughter and splashing noises only deepening his misery.
"Stupid sea..." he grumbled, glaring at the water as if it had personally betrayed him.
From the corner of her eye, Naru caught the sight of his sulking and shook her head helplessly. One way or another, he would learn. The hard way, if necessary.
But, as fate would have it, losing the ability to swim proved to be the least of Luffy's problems.
Because just one week after the Red Hair Pirates set had sailed away, Garp returned.
And oh, was he furious.
The old Marine hero was furious to discover that not one, not two, but all three of his precious brats had been hopelessly corrupted by that "snot-nosed brat of Roger's" and his absurd ideas!
Although he was not always around, he had his own ways to figure out some matters. Plus, his dear granddaughter was not the type to hide things from him, as she immediately informed him of how Shanks and his crew had turned the island as if it was their own. If it had not been for Naru personally assuring the old man that she could maintain control, and for Garp's iron-clad trust in her judgment, he would have stormed the island and thrown that "snotty brat" into chains long ago.
And now, standing before his unruly grandsons, Garp's fury reached its peak.
The instant the words "I am gonna be a pirate!" burst gleefully from Luffy's mouth, it was like igniting a powder keg with a single spark.
"PIRATES?!" Garp's thunderous roar echoed across the mountains, sending flocks of birds scattering into the sky. "You dare reject my offer to become proud, honorable Marines, only to chase after a life of crime?!"
Before any of them could even blink, the old man had seized all three boys by their collars, hoisting them up like misbehaving puppies dangling helplessly in the air.
And thus, their so-called 'training' commenced.
The once peaceful mountains soon echoed with the tortured cries of children, a chorus of agony that surely carried even to the neighboring islands.
From a comfortable distance, Naru watched the chaotic scene unfold with mild interest. She yawned lazily, stretched her arms high above her head, and muttered to herself, "Yeah, not my problem," before turning on her heel and strolling toward her bed without a single backward glance.
.
.
.
The next morning, Naru took the children to Foosha Village. Today, they had a lunch date with their grandfather.
Despite the "training from hell" they had suffered the day before, and despite their usual grumbling and whining about the old man's brutal methods, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy loved Garp dearly. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Garp loved them back just as fiercely, even if he expressed it with fists instead of flowers.
Garp's home was nestled near the far edge of the village, sitting at the base of the mountain path that led upward to the forest where Dadan's house was hidden.
It was a modest wooden cabin, the kind of place that looked sturdy enough to withstand a hurricane yet cozy enough to fall asleep on the porch with a fishing rod in hand. A weathered white picket fence surrounded the yard, its paint peeling and flaking away like the cabin itself had lived through decades of well-earned mischief. Towering beside the house stood a massive oak tree, its sprawling branches casting wide shadows across the front yard, giving the place a lazy, timeless charm.
Beneath that tree, the owner of the house was currently engaged in a fierce battle, not against pirates or criminals, but against an army of fallen leaves. Garp was dressed comfortably in a faded t-shirt and a pair of loose shorts, a straw hat tilted lazily on his head to shield him from the blazing morning sun. He wielded his broom like a seasoned warrior, sweeping with exaggerated determination as if each leaf were a personal enemy.
"Gramps! We're here!" Luffy hollered, waving both arms wildly above his head as he sprinted toward him.
Garp looked up from his work, spotting the gaggle of children making their way across the dusty road toward him.
Without missing a beat, Naru turned to the boys and said, "Why don't you three go ahead and find us a good spot? Order something for everyone. Grandpa and I will catch up later. Just pick anything you want. Grandpa's paying." She added the last part with a teasing wink.
"Sweet!" Luffy cheered, instantly forgetting everything else as he and his brothers dashed toward the village.
Chuckling softly, Naru settled herself on the wooden bench beneath the oak tree, casually watching her grandfather continue sweeping.
"I have something to tell you," she said finally.
Garp straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow. "What is it?"
"I'm going to the Grand Line soon." Her voice was calm but steady as she observed his reaction, though he looked far from surprised.
"How soon?" he asked, as though she had merely said she was heading to the next island over rather than setting sail toward the most unpredictable and perilous stretch of sea known to man.
He was not surprised at all. He had long known about Naru's adventurous spirit. She had been talking about the Grand Line for years, even before she lost her baby teeth. Her young age did not worry him either. If anything, he trusted her more than he trusted most grown men who claimed to be pirates or marines.
Besides, he had already granted her the freedom to leave Dawn Island when she was just ten years old. For him to suddenly change his mind now would not only be hypocritical but downright embarrassing.
"Probably next month," Naru replied.
Garp stayed quiet for a while, gazing out toward the distant sea before finally speaking. "The Grand Line isn't a walk in the park, kid. It's full of monsters, storms, and lunatics who will kill you just for sneezing the wrong way."
He paused, his voice turning gruff, but beneath that tone, there was unmistakable pride. "But if it's you, I'm not worried. You'll survive just fine. Just like your old man. No, better than him! Bwahahahaha!" His booming laugh shook the branches overhead, sending a small shower of leaves tumbling down around them like falling confetti.
Honestly, he had no problem letting his twelve-year-old granddaughter leave home for good just to experience the most treacherous sea the world had to offer.
Naru smiled faintly, her eyes glinting with quiet excitement.
"So, you got any plan?" he asked. "Is there a specific place you'd like to go?"
"Not really." She shook her head lightly. "I just want to explore and see the world with my own eyes." Then, with a mischievous glimmer in her gaze, she added, "And don't worry, I don't plan on showing up in the news as some wanted criminal."
At that, Garp thought of his family. Both his son and grandsons were hopeless case.
One was already a wanted criminal, and the three rebellious brats now dreaming of following the same path.
"Hah! Too bad the rest of the men in this family aren't half as decent as you!" Garp barked, scowling good-naturedly. "All they ever do is give me headaches!"
He complained about them constantly and loudly, sometimes even while throwing punches at them, yet beneath all the grumbling, his affection ran deeper than the ocean itself. His worries were buried there too, though he rarely allowed them to surface.
But Naru, as always, saw straight through him.
"Don't worry, Grandpa," she said firmly, her tone steady and sure. "No matter where I go, no matter what happens, nobody in this world will ever hurt our family. I promise."
It was not an idle remark; it was a vow spoken with the fierce conviction that only someone like Naru could carry.
A strong breeze swept through, rustling the oak leaves above and scattering them across the yard, completely undoing Garp's earlier work. But instead of cursing and stomping like usual, the old man simply laughed, a deep, hearty sound filled with pride and a bittersweet joy.
"Well, whatever you do, just don't die, kid," he said, ruffling her hair with his massive hand. "And if you ever get tired of adventuring and feel like putting on a Marine uniform, just tell me. I'll save you a spot. A good one!"
Naru snorted. "Yeah, right. Not happening."
Garp threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Beh!"