Chapter 7
MONKEY D GARP
There were very few Marines who dared to dream. It was in the nature of the organization that it stifled dreams, and aspirations. The World Government had no need of dreamers. It needed dogs, loyal and dutiful dogs who would dare not question any of their orders.
Yet, the World Government was the only administrative body in the world, and despite all their faults, it maintained a status quo that allowed millions to live their life in peace. Yet it was because of this dogmatic behavior that with each passing year the number of new Pirates continued to rise, while Marine recruitment continued to decline.
It had been many years since they had gotten a new hopeful set of recruits. But they had come in the end, three younglings each with powers of their own who wished to climb up the Marine ladder, and at the boy sitting in front of him was the leader of this trio.
Three was an abysmal number though, especially when compared with the thousands upon thousands of pirates that took to the Sea every day. Hell, the new kids called the Supernovas were troublesome enough, and in comparison to those eleven the three appeared even worse.
It was why these three had to be tougher, better, stronger for one day they would stand at the helm of the Marines, and would be charged with protecting the world from all evil, pirate or otherwise.
But that time was still away, a little away, but away nonetheless.
"HAAHAHAA!" he laughed as he bit into the tenth platter of meat, and the empty plates and dishes now covered the entire table in front of him as he enjoyed the delicious meal.
"It really is quite good," and the boy had invited him quite a few times before, yet he had always denied his request, and Garp regretted his decision as he drank the special drink.
"I know," replied Bartolomeo as he rubbed his head, and he had improved in the year that he had been away. And he would have been even more angry if he had wasted all that time away, but thankfully, he had not.
The boy had always struggled with Observation Haki, and yet a year of scrubbing the floors of an entire base with a blindfold had done the trick.
"You do know that the food here is quite expensive and someone has to pay for it along with all the destruction that you have caused," he added, as Garp's mood shifted as he glared at the boy.
"I know how rich you are. You can afford to treat your teacher for a day," he said, and this behavior made him a strange fellow, for unlike the regular Marines, he did not blindly seek power, vengeance, or even justice.
No, what he sought was something different. Something greater. Something far more dangerous.
The World Government and the top Brass were underestimating the boy, but he knew better. The boy in front of him was no mindless dog. No, he was a dreamer, much like his son.
And that reminded him of the reason why he had come to meet him.
"Speaking of that," he said, putting down the food as he let his Haki roar.
"What the hell were you thinking handing Sengoku your resignation, huh?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as the boy raised a brow.
"I didn't resign. I just applied to be a part of SWORD," and he acted as if it were any different.
"THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO! YOU IDIOT!" and he smashed his fist into his head, and men thrice his age would become a mush at that, yet the boy did not even wince as he looked him into the eye.
"You must have heard about the incident with Doflamingo," he asked, and of course, he had. The idiot in front of him had attacked a slave ship, freeing that damned Warlord's merchandise.
The two had even clashed for some time, until the HQ had intervened and then punished the boy for overstepping. And this was not the first time such a thing was happening, though previously he would get away scot free by simply bringing down the related Pirate Crew.
But Doflamingo was a 'Warlord' and so attacking him was not so simple, even if Garp himself abhorred the practice, as long as the bastard was a warlord, the Marines could do nothing about his businesses, including the slave trade.
"So, you don't intend to take it back?" he asked, and the green-haired bastard shook his head.
"I won't. Even if you beat me black and blue, I will not," he said resolutely as Garp wondered why he always got stuck with the stubborn ones. Well, Kuzan was not really stubborn, but he had his own problems and baggage.
"Tch! You bastard, weren't you going to be my successor? Weren't you going to take down a Yonko and become the next Hero of the Marines?" for that was what the goal he had told him about, and the truth was that he was amongst the very few who could even make that a reality.
"Of course, I am going to be your successor," he replied resolutely, as he looked him in the eye.
"I am going to take down the Yonkos and become a Hero," and unlike the rest of the idiots who spoke without understanding the implications of their words, the boy in front of him knew exactly what he was talking about.
Though Garp often wondered if the world would let him do that at all. He punched him again, and busined himself with his food, realising that there was nothing he could say that would change his mind.
"If only you weren't so stubborn, you would have been a Vice Admiral by now," and that surprised him.
"Then we would have been of equal ra..." yet he punched him again, before he could finish that word, and this time he caught him by surprise as he winced and began to rub his head.
"Ouch!"
"Don't you dare compare me with a runt like you! You are a hundred years too young to think yourself my equal!" though that was a lie. Garp had not been in his prime for the last ten years, and with every passing year, his age caught up to him, while the younglings continued to grow.
At this rate, he just might have to up his own training.
"Speaking of that, are these two your new apprentices?" Bartolomeo asked as he pointed towards the young brats he had picked up at Shell's Town, and the two of them were watching them both with wide-open mouths.
"Yes, I am bringing them to the HQ to train them up," and it had been some time since he had trained some new recruits, so it would be fun.
"Hi, I am Captain Bartolomeo, you two can call me Big bro Barto," he said to the two kids who could only muster up.
"How are you still alive?" whispered that pink-haired boy as Bartolomeo laughed.
"Hahaha, don't worry about me, you two, I have gotten used to it by now. You two should be more worried about yourself," and the two of them looked at him, and ran away with a scream, as Barto laughed.
"They seem like good kids," and they were.
"They are, and thankfully they were not corrupted by that damned grandson of mine," he added busying himself with food once more.
"Ahh, speaking of Luffy," and he forgot that he knew his grandson, though not because of him. The bastard had snuck onto his ship, during one of his visits and had met Luffy and the crew, forcing him to explain it all to him, though not before Garp had given him the beating of a lifetime.
"What about him?" he asked.
"I met him," and he stopped eating at once as soon as those words hit his ears, before he screamed.
"WHATTTTT!"
.
.
.
And the whole story and a dozen more punches later, Garp found himself a lot angrier.
"So, that idiot grandson of mine has found himself a crew?" and he cursed that red-head for corrupting his grandson.
"Yeah, though, don't worry. I beat him up quite a lot for you," and he punched him again.
"You should have captured him, you dolt!" and he knew better than most that if he had wanted to capture Luffy, he would have done so. As strong as his grandson may be, he was no match for the green-haired menace sitting in front of him.
"Well, he is not that popular yet, you know," he replied, looking out the window.
"One day, when he becomes the King of Pirates, I will hunt him down. Until then, he is too small a fish," and Garp shook his head.
"Why the hell do I always get the strange ones?" he whispered and continued eating.
"Well, since you are here, you should head to Alabasta," he said, and since he was already heading to HQ, he could take his prisoners with him allowing him to head straight for the troubled kingdom.
"Alabasta?" he asked, and Garp nodded and put down the food.
"Yeah, the Royal family there made a request to the Marines about some trouble. The HQ decided to send Kuzan to the Kingdom," and the boy winced at the mention of the admiral.
"But you know how he is? I don't think he will reach the island in time, so you should head there in his stead and see what is going on there," and the boy rubbed his chin.
"Alabasta, huh?"
"Still sending in an Admiral for a simple rebellion, it seems excessive," and it was, but there was good reason for it.
"It is, but Sengoku is being cautious because a few weeks ago we heard a rumor that one of White Beard's Captains was seen on that island," and he did not wish to name who, hoping that it would escape his notice.
"One of Whitebeard's, huh? What is his crew doing here?" he whispered, and rubbed his chin, before his eyes narrowed as he looked, and Garp realised that the boy had made the connection.
"Was it Fire Fist Ace by any chance?" He wondered how in the hell he had made this connection, but he was right, and so all he could do was nod.
"Yes," he said, and unlike Luffy, Ace was popular and feared, just the kind of Pirate he liked to hunt.
"Sure, I will visit the place, but I have to go to Logue Town first," he added.
"After all, it's been quite some time since I have met those old pals of mine..."
0000
BARTOLOMEO
If his presence had caused the restaurant to still, Garp's presence had emptied out the place, and now as he stood on the deck of the Baratie, he watched the famous Hounder leave as Zeff and the crew all had as sigh of relief.
The Marine Hero was amongst the very few Marines that he respected, and the more he thought about it, he was perhaps the only Marine he respected. Bartolomeo liked the man who had taught him nearly all that he knew.
He had apprenticed under him for around three years, and during that time, each day had been as if it would be his last. Monkey D Garp believed in pushing one's boundaries, but it was because of his efforts that Bartolomeo was what he was.
The Vice Admiral took away his prisoners as well, leaving him free to roam the Seas.
"Alabasta, huh?" and he had gone over his little notes, so he had an idea about what was going on in that place. The only question was whether he would be able to make it to that place before Luffy.
And then there was Ace, the second division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was here in search of Blackbeard, who was still a small-time thug. Thinking of what that monster would grow to become, he wondered if he should just nip this entire thing in the bud before it had festered.
"Thanks for the food," Zeff said as he saw the massive sack filled with meals for his crew.
"Gambia will transfer you the money soon. Both for the food and the repairs," and it was going to be quite a bill, but what could he do?
"He better," Zeff threatened as Gambia passed him a note.
"You will get the money soon," and with that he formed a barrier around the food, as he readied himself to leave, before he remembered something rather important that he had missed.
"Hey, Gambia," he called out as his friend whipped his head towards him.
"Yeah."
"Were you able to contact him?" he asked, and Gambia frowned for a second before he understood 'who' he was referring to, and much to his dismay, shook his head.
"No, luck yet," and he clicked his tongue, for this person was integral to his schemes.
"Well, keep looking, we need to establish contact with him, the sooner the better..." and he was none other than Morgan, the president of World's Economy Newspaper, and one of the Emperors of the Underworld.
Apart from money, one needed fame and acceptability to become truly independent, which could only come through the media. If there was a king of Media in this world, then it was him, Morgans.
The man was essential to his plan, but he was an enigma, and even the World Government had trouble getting a hold of him.
"I will do as you say, Barto. " With a final nod, he took to the skies and flew towards his own ship with food.
And as he landed on the deck he announced, just as he revealed to them the food he had brought for them.
"Everyone, I have come bearing gifts...."
0000
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