...…
Seeing Dadan agree—with a face of "ecstatic joy" (though inwardly shedding tears)—to take care of Luffy, Garp let out a satisfied booming laugh.
Just as Luffy was excitedly bouncing around due to the new environment, suddenly—"Ptoo!"—a glob of spit landed squarely on his face.
Little Luffy froze for a moment, then a surge of anger rose in his heart. He furiously turned toward the direction the spit had come from.
Not far away, perched on a large rock, sat a slightly older boy.
He held a crude water pipe in his hand, his face bearing a coldness that didn't match his age, his eyes wild and untamed, coldly looking down at him.
It was the young Ace.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?! That's so rude! You just spat on me!"
Luffy put his hands on his hips and loudly protested to Ace.
At this time, little Ace was far from the gentle and reliable older brother he would become later.
His eyes were full of wariness, distance, and even a faint, hard-to-detect hostility. Toward this sudden "intruder" named Luffy, he was filled with enmity.
He merely gave Luffy a cold glance, offering no response, as if Luffy were nothing more than thin air.
"Oh~ So he's here?"
Hearing the commotion, Garp also turned his gaze toward Ace on the rock. He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also introducing him to Ace.
"Hey! Ace! This kid is Luffy. He's three years younger than you. From now on, he's your little brother! You two have to get along well!"
Seeing Luffy still glaring angrily at Ace, Garp stepped forward, skillfully swung his fist, and gave Luffy a not-too-light knock on the head with a "thunk."
"Get along well with your big brother! Got it?!"
"It hurts!!"
Luffy clutched his instantly swollen head, tears of grievance welling up in the corners of his eyes.
No matter how strong he became, Grandpa's iron fist filled with "love" would forever be a pain he could never resist.
"Hey, Mr. Garp…"
Dadan watched the chaotic scene and tried to struggle one more time, hoping to make Garp take back his decision.
"Hm? Is there a problem!?" Garp immediately turned his head, once again wearing that "kind and friendly" yet heavily threatening smile, staring intently at Dadan.
Dadan felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. The words on the tip of her tongue were forcibly swallowed back. Like a punctured balloon, she instantly deflated.
In the end, she could only resign herself, lower her head, and dare not raise any further objections.
She knew that in the face of Garp's "reasoning," she had no room to choose.
At that moment, little Ace leaped lightly down from the rock and landed gracefully. His face was full of displeasure. Without even glancing at Garp, he headed straight toward the wooden house.
Luffy stubbornly tried to block him, demanding an apology for the spit: "Hey! You still haven't apologized to me!"
But Ace acted as if he hadn't heard at all—not even bothering to give Luffy a look. He treated him like a transparent obstacle and expressionlessly walked right around him.
That utter rejection from a thousand miles away left even little Luffy feeling stifled.
After tossing the "hot potato" that was Luffy to Dadan, Garp left Mt. Corvo with great satisfaction and returned to Marine Headquarters to carry out his duties.
Noon, at Dadan Family's "dining room."
In reality, it was just the large wooden table inside the wooden house, now packed with people.
It turned out that on this mountain, it wasn't just Dadan and her two close underlings—there were quite a few bandit comrades who followed her as well.
When a large platter of steaming, fragrant roasted meat was brought to the table, everyone's eyes lit up, eagerly preparing to fight for it.
"Meat! It's meat!"
The moment Luffy saw the meat, his eyes turned into stars, drool pouring from his mouth as he howled and tried to lunge forward.
However, he was too young and too small. Amid this pack of wolf-like, experienced adult bandits, he had zero chance of competing.
Like a pitiful little monkey, he was shoved back and forth in the crowd, unable to even touch the edge of the meat. He could only watch helplessly as the tempting roast meat on the platter vanished at a visible speed.
"Hey! You jerks! Leave me one piece! Just one!"
Luffy jumped in frustration but was powerless. In the end, he could only hold a bowl of plain white rice, crouching dejectedly in the corner.
While shoveling rice into his mouth, he grumbled angrily under his breath: "I hate bandits the most…"
"Hey! What are you muttering over there, you little brat?! Believe me or not, I'll butcher you!!"
Dadan's ears were sharp. Hearing Luffy's complaint, she immediately slammed a gleaming little knife into the wooden floor right in front of him with a "bang."
She leaned forward, deliberately putting on a ferocious expression to give this new little troublemaker an intimidating welcome and establish her authority as the "head of the household."
Luffy lifted his eyelids, glanced at the still-trembling knife in front of him, then at Dadan's deliberately fierce face. Unexpectedly…
Luffy didn't cry from fright. He simply continued silently eating his rice and, in a small but clear voice, repeated: "…I hate bandits the most."
This stubbornness actually surprised Dadan a little.
A nearby bandit who couldn't stand watching muttered to Luffy that the rule here was survival of the fittest. If he wanted meat, he had to earn it with his own strength.
And today's meat had all been hunted and brought back by Ace alone deep in the forest.
The implication was clear: Luffy hadn't contributed, so he naturally had no right to complain.
Seeing how Luffy's mouth watered uncontrollably at the sight of meat, Dadan's eyes gleamed as an idea struck her.
She cleared her throat and began seriously—or rather, threateningly—lecturing Luffy: "Listen up, brat! Starting today, you're the lowest servant here! Number 9527!
From now on, serving tea and water, washing and folding clothes, cleaning the outhouse… all the miscellaneous chores belong to you! Got it?! Only by doing that do you qualify to eat here!"
Dadan had thought this speech would scare Luffy, or at least make him burst into tears.
However, Luffy's reaction once again exceeded her expectations.
Little Luffy set down his rice bowl. His small face turned completely serious. He nodded firmly, his eyes clear and resolute, and answered loudly: "I understand!"
"Hah?!"
Now it was Dadan and the surrounding bandits' turn to be collectively dumbfounded.
What was wrong with this kid? Hearing he'd be a lowly servant doing chores, not only was he not afraid—he looked like he was saying "leave it to me"!
This completely defied common sense!
Looking at Dadan and the other bandits' shocked expressions—like they'd seen a ghost—Luffy explained in a casual tone, as if discussing today's weather:
"Because ever since I was little, Grandpa has been throwing me into all kinds of wilderness survival situations. Even if I'm outside alone, I can still survive just fine!"
He started counting on his fingers, listing Garp's "great achievements": "Like throwing me straight into a fast-flowing river full of crocodiles to train my swimming,
or tossing me into a bottomless, pitch-black valley and making me climb out myself,
and several times leaving me alone in a forest where ferocious beasts come out at night, saying it's to temper my courage…"
With every incident Luffy mentioned, the corners of Dadan's and the bandits' mouths twitched. Their gazes toward Luffy slowly shifted from initial ferocity to indescribable sympathy—and perhaps even a hint of admiration?
What kind of grandfather does that to his own grandson?!
It was a miracle this kid was still alive!
Even Ace, who had been sitting silently in the corner gnawing on his own portion of meat, slowed his chewing upon hearing Luffy's "tearful history"…
For the first time, his cold gaze carried a trace of scrutiny as it turned toward this noisy newcomer.
Yet as Luffy spoke, far from showing sadness or fear, he seemed to be encouraged by his own words!
He puffed out his little chest, his eyes blazing even brighter: "But! No matter what Grandpa does to me, it will never change my dream!"
He clenched his small fist, raised it toward the sky, and with all his strength shouted the vow destined to echo across the seas: "I'm definitely going to become a pirate one day—and then become the Pirate King!!!"
When the words "Pirate King" exploded from Luffy's mouth like thunder, Ace—who had been silent the whole time—suddenly stiffened!
The piece of meat in his hand fell to the ground unnoticed. He jerked his head up. The eyes that had only been cold before were instantly flooded with an extremely complex emotion.
His brows furrowed tightly, his pupils contracted sharply. Inside them surged shock, anger, and a bone-deep, almost venomous icy chill!
It was as if the title "Pirate King" had touched the most sensitive, most painful, most forbidden zone in his heart—one he refused to let anyone mention.
Watching little Luffy on the light curtain count on his fingers as he recounted being thrown into abysses, fast rivers, and abandoned in beast-filled forests by his grandfather, the atmosphere inside God Valley became somewhat strange.
"Worororororo!!!"
Kaido slapped his nearby kanabo hard, making the ground tremble slightly. "Garp! You're this ruthless even to your own grandson?!
Throwing him into a river with crocodiles? Are you training Marines or manufacturing human weapons?!
No wonder the kid could eat the rubber fruit later—ordinary children would've been killed by you long ago!"
His laughter was full of schadenfreude and a bizarre sense of having found a "kindred spirit."
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~ Garp! I never expected someone who looks so straightforward and honest like you would have such ruthless methods for raising grandsons! But it seems the results are pretty good—this little guy's got incredible resilience. He's good material!
Though Luffy is still very weak right now, his foundation is solid. She could still see that much."
"Hey, hey, hey! Garp!"
Roger crossed his arms, his face full of teasing amusement.
"You're way too reckless! That's your own grandson! Listen to this—abysses, raging currents, beast-filled forests… You really are a 'demon grandfather,' huh? Hahaha!"
Roger's teasing made Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and the others behind him unable to hold back their laughter. They all looked at Garp with eyes that said, "You're really something."
Even on the Marines' side, Sengoku and Tsuru couldn't help but give the young Garp strange looks.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead helplessly: "Garp… While strict training is good, isn't this… a bit too 'hardcore'?
Is this really how you treat your grandson?"
Sengoku couldn't imagine that his seemingly honest and straightforward old friend would be so "wild" when it came to raising the next generation.
Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach and sympathy: "Garp, a child's childhood is still very important.
The way you've done this… No wonder Luffy turned out so rebellious later. Both Ace and Luffy became pirates—I'm afraid your educational methods bear a great deal of responsibility."
Facing teasing, mockery, and questioning from all directions, the young Garp's face flushed red and pale in turns.
He stubbornly stuck out his neck, trying to defend his "education of love": "What do you all know! Unpolished jade can't become a vessel!
Everything I did was for their own good! To become strong Marines, they must undergo the harshest trials! What… what's wrong with that?!"
However, his defense appeared utterly feeble in the face of Luffy's "tearful accusations" of fact.
...