Chapter 6 Luffy Joins the Marines and Gets Punched by His Grandfather's Iron FistThis was a scene he'd always dreamed of seeing.
Unfortunately, back then, he was busy chasing Roger across the seas, and his own backyard was in turmoil—his grandson had been led astray by that damned bastard Shanks.
Now that Luffy had seen the light, Garp had gone to great lengths, even risking his reputation, to pull some strings with Sengoku. He wouldn't have dared to do something like this before.
The marines on the ship looked at Garp, who was grinning foolishly, and exchanged bewildered glances.
It's just his grandson joining the navy, isn't it natural for the descendant of a naval hero?
Little did they know, if Luffy hadn't been a transmigrator, Garp would still be dealing with a father who's a Revolutionary Army son, plus a grandson who's the orphan of the Pirate King.
Garp glanced down and saw Luffy sprawled unceremoniously on a deckchair, showing no intention of getting up to greet him.
The old man's temples bulged with veins, a furious grid of fury.
"You brat! Get up and stand at attention now that you see your grandpa! Taste my loving iron fist first!"
With a deafening roar, Garp vanished into thin air.
The next second, his burly figure had teleported like a ghost to Luffy's side.
Luffy's hair stood on end, his pupils contracting sharply.
"Holy crap! That speed is utterly unsportsmanlike!"
Although he already knew this old man was the pinnacle of power in the One Piece world, theory and experience are two completely different things.
Even though Luffy had prepared a defensive stance, even with the unparalleled swordsmanship inherited from Guo Jing, he still felt as weak as a child in front of a monster like Garp.
A loud thud, like a hammer hitting a watermelon.
A sharp pain instantly swept through Luffy's nerves, and a large, steaming bump swelled up on his head at a visible speed.
"Ouch—! That hurts like hell!"
Luffy grimaced in pain, gasping for breath.
Was this the legendary fist imbued with Haki? Even though he was a rubber man, he could feel this kind of dull, bone-deep pain.
This punch made him acutely aware that in the New World, a place teeming with monsters, Haki was absolutely essential for survival.
It also made him see the chasm-like gap between himself and top-tier fighters.
This further solidified his determination to cling to the Navy; having such a powerful backer and not using it would be pure stupidity.
Seeing Luffy wearing the mask of pain, Garp laughed so hard he almost fell over, then another punch came hurtling towards him with a whoosh.
"This isn't over yet, is it?! Take this!"
Luffy yelled, no longer taking the hits passively, drawing his longsword and delivering a powerful cleavage.
"Uh... Grandpa, would you believe me if I said my hand slipped?"
Luffy stared awkwardly at the scene before him. Garp had actually knelt down, his hands clasped together, firmly catching the blade.
The onlookers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; this was too unbelievable!
Zoro's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his grip on the hilt of his sword sweating.
That terrifying sword intent... even a legendary figure like Garp could forcibly control it?
Garp stared blankly at the longsword clutched in his hand, but quickly recovered, a smile spreading across his face.
"Heh, kid, you've got some skills. What kind of weird new technique have you developed?"
"Wait a minute, didn't you eat the Gum-Gum Fruit? How can you do something like this?"
Before he finished speaking, Garp's large hands instantly turned as black as ink, Armament Haki covering them.
With a crisp "crack," Garp twisted his hands together forcefully.
The steel longsword, imbued with the power of Li Jing's template, snapped in two as easily as a biscuit.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Luffy's eyes. Although it was just a sword made of ordinary materials, with the added internal energy, its hardness was definitely comparable to the 21 Great Grade Swords.
Yet, such a divine weapon was as brittle as paper in Garp's hands.
This old monster's strength was truly unfathomable; Luffy's understanding of his grandfather's power was once again refreshed.
Recalling the scene at Marineford, Luffy punched Garp so hard he sent him flying—that wasn't just holding back, it was practically holding back the entire Pacific Ocean!
"Ah!! My precious sword!!"
Looking at the remaining broken half of his sword, Luffy let out a heart-wrenching wail.
Garp was speechless, his lips twitching.
"Alright, alright, stop wailing and howling. Take your stuff!"
With that, Garp tossed a brand-new Marine uniform and identification onto Luffy's face like trash.
"I never expected your strength to improve so quickly. You barely passed this test."
Garp narrowed his eyes, staring seriously at his grandson.
"Now that you're wearing this uniform, you're a proper Navy Captain, even if it's just a nominal position. You absolutely cannot embarrass me."
"If you dare to cause trouble outside, I'll personally drag you back to Impel Down!"
Luffy's lips twitched. So this old man had planned to take him back to headquarters and subject him to the same hellish training as Koby in the original story.
Luckily, this time he awakened the Li Jing template, which guarantees being able to catch a blade bare-handed. If it were Goku from Dragon Ball, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to transform into a Super Saiyan before being instantly defeated by Garp.
Vegeta was right after all; never try to challenge characters from gag manga—it's pure self-torture.
Luffy grinned, pulling the uniform close to his chest, his face radiating righteous indignation.
"Grandpa, don't worry, we're law-abiding citizens, we would never do anything illegal."
"But..."
Luffy's eyes darted around, his tone suddenly shifting.
Garp raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious: "But what?"
"If there are a few corrupt Marines like Morgan, cloaking themselves in the guise of justice and colluding with pirates to prey on ordinary people, do I have the right to act first and report later?"
Luffy narrowed his eyes, asking tentatively.
Garp gave Luffy a deep look, remained silent for a moment, then uttered two words in a deep voice: "Yes!"
As long as Luffy doesn't become a pirate, with his prestige in the Marines, as long as this kid doesn't kill a Celestial Dragon, he can cover for him no matter how big the mess.
That's the source of his confidence as a living legend in the Marines.
After all, he dared to raise Roger's son, and he often called the Celestial Dragons trash, yet he could still stand shoulder to shoulder with Sengoku.
Unfortunately, Luffy in his previous life insisted on becoming a pirate, completely wasting Garp, his strongest trump card.
Otherwise, his incredible feat at God Valley alone would have been enough for Luffy to dominate the first half of the Grand Line.
Luffy immediately gave a thumbs up: "Impressive!"
"Then, as a Marine Headquarters Captain, shouldn't you also provide me with a magnificent warship?"
Garp's face instantly darkened, looking at him like he was an idiot.
"Get lost! You're a commander with no troops and no power, and you want to waste the Navy's budget? If you want a ship, earn the money and buy it yourself!"
"Tch, so stingy. Who said I have no one? Look, this is my navigator, and this is my first mate."
Luffy curled his lip, pointing disdainfully at Nami and Zoro beside him.
Garp glanced at the two casually, finding nothing special. In his eyes, their current strength was practically nonexistent.
"Naval warships are earned through military merit. If you want a good ship, go catch pirates."
Garp smiled and pointed Luffy in the right direction.
"Catch them! There's a fish-man bully with a 20 million bounty back in Nami's hometown. Killing him should bring in a lot of merit, right? The East Blue, under the Navy's jurisdiction, is ruled by these lowly fish. Your work efficiency is truly appalling."
Garp paused slightly, slightly taken aback. If Luffy was telling the truth, then the naval base responsible for that area was absolutely rotten.
Nami, behind him, trembled with excitement upon hearing this. Luffy had really brought this to Garp's attention! Cocoyasi Village was finally saved!
Garp gave Luffy a deep look and said in a low voice, "Watch your words. It's 'we.' Don't forget you're a Marine now. Here's your mission: wipe out that fish-man gang. You can mobilize any Marines in the surrounding area. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with accordingly."
A smug, mischievous smile crept across Luffy's lips. This was the sword of Damocles he needed. Letting Garp do it himself would be giving Arlong, that lazy bum, too much credit.
Besides, how could Luffy possibly let go of this momentous opportunity to gain Nami's favor?
But a flicker of disappointment and despair flashed in Nami's eyes behind her.
The perceptive Luffy keenly sensed Nami's emotional shift.
However, he didn't offer any explanation. The psychological trauma Arlong had inflicted on Nami was too deep to be resolved with a few words.
Only by completely unleashing the pent-up fear and anger within Nami could she truly transform into the confident and sunny navigator she would become in the future.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Garp sailed away on his dog-headed warship. He'd only come to deliver a package.
In the original story, he came to the East Blue to capture Luffy and rehabilitate him. Now that Luffy had submitted, this busy man naturally didn't need to linger. After all, he still needed to keep the Four Emperors in check in the New World.
"Alright, legal status sorted out. Now it's time to take care of my navigator's worries."
Luffy stretched lazily, looking relaxed.
However, Nami's face was full of hesitation. She slowly pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket.
"The village's situation isn't that urgent. Look what I found in Morgan's office!"
It was a sea chart with Buggy the Clown's signature red nose drawn on it.
"The reason I went to Shells Town was because I heard Morgan had a chart of the Grand Line."
"Now it seems Buggy stole the chart. Why don't we go and get it back? Haven't you all been saying you wanted to go to the Grand Line?"
Nami tentatively suggested.
Luffy gave Nami a meaningful look. He knew perfectly well that Nami didn't want to drag him into this mess.
Subconsciously, she believed Luffy was no match for Arlong. If the resistance failed, the entire village would be massacred.
She'd rather endure the humiliation and struggle to raise that 100 million Berries she could never reach than see the villagers implicated.
"A Grand Line chart? Do we need this to get there?"
Zoro, clutching his sword, asked, completely bewildered.
Luffy and Nami both sighed and facepalmed.
Nami was practically exasperated: "How have you survived this long, you directionally challenged person?"
"I just drift along in a small boat, and when I get hungry, I just kill a few pirates to earn money for food."
Zoro shrugged innocently.
Luffy's lips twitched. Compared to his former self, this guy was a true survival master.
"If you really want to go,"
Luffy smiled and nodded at Nami, his eyes full of affection.
Zoro shrugged indifferently beside him: "Whatever you want."
"But this shabby ship of ours is too pathetic, can't we get a decent one?"
Zoro pointed to the simple single-sail sampan given to him by the Navy, looking disgusted.
"It's all my old man's fault. He's so stingy, insisting on getting military merits in exchange. If he'd given us a Marine Headquarters ship, we could have crossed the Calm Belt straight away!"
Luffy couldn't help but complain.
"The Calm Belt?! Are you crazy?"
Nami's eyes widened in horror. "That's the lair of colossal Sea Kings! Nobody's ever made it through that hellhole alive!"
Luffy shrugged. As the weakest sea, the East Blue's residents' knowledge of the Grand Line was basically limited to legend.
Actually, for the top fighters of the New World, the Calm Belt was just a scenic spot.
The Navy had long since developed warships inlaid with Seastone, capable of crossing the Calm Belt undetected. It was just a military secret, so it was normal that Nami didn't know.
Luffy leaped onto the small boat: "Come on, you lead the way, let's get the maps."
"Huh? Oh!"
Nami snapped out of her daze and quickly followed, Zoro close behind.
"I have a feeling the journey ahead is going to be interesting."
Zoro leaned against the ship's railing, a warlike smile playing on his lips.
"Whether it's interesting or not, I don't know, but I know the days ahead will definitely be comfortable."
Luffy chuckled, casually draping his cape emblazoned with the word "Justice" over his shoulders.
"This is the real deal—the Pirate King's son's rural inspection tour! Awesome!"
Luffy's wild laughter echoed across the sea.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, the news agency's printing presses were running at full speed, and the next day, in an inconspicuous corner, appeared Luffy's Navy appointment announcement.
The scene shifts back to the small boat bobbing on the waves.
"A lot of low clouds are gathering in the southern sky. Looks like a storm is coming soon!"
Nami looked up at the sky and shouted to the two guys sweating profusely.
"Hasaki!"
Nami was speechless.
"You two idiots! Stop practicing! You'll become real jerks if you keep practicing!"
"Are you deaf?! It's going to pour! Our lousy ship doesn't even have a cabin to shelter from the rain!"
Nami roared hysterically, veins bulging on her forehead.
Luffy stopped, exasperated. "Why are you yelling so loudly? We can't conjure a ship."