Like a Man
"Huh? Luffy? Have you been fighting!" The bandage under the boy's eye had been removed, revealing the pink scar tissue underneath from the blade of a knife. Garp raised his fist and brought it down on the rubber boy, who used to just hit the ground and stay there but now bounced back up like a ball. Luffy's eyes were surprisingly hard, and if Garp hadn't known better he might not have caught the glint of fear still behind them.
"Why'd that hurt? I'm made of rubber!" Luffy pouted, rubbing the swelling lump on his head under his newly acquired straw hat, which Garp only then noticed and recognized. Down came the fist.
"What the hell are you doing with that hat! Take it off this instant!" Veins popped out on his neck and forehead as he roared.
Surprisingly, Luffy stood his ground. Garp was taken aback by the boy's sudden determination. "No! Shanks gave me this hat." Luffy tugged at the brim of his hat, pulling it closer to his head. Inside, Garp boiled. Business had kept him away from the village for far too long and it seemed he had gotten back too late. Shanks, a remnant thorn in Garp's side of the good old days, had been stirring up trouble while he had his back turned. "I'm going to be a pirate!" Luffy's smile covered up nearly his whole face.
"NO YOU AREN'T! YOU'RE GOING TO BE A STRONG MARINE!" The boy didn't know what he was talking about, Garp forced himself to remember. As much as he wanted to pulverize the boy, he had to remember that Luffy was young and didn't understand these things. Shanks wasn't much better than a child himself; he'd have to make sure Luffy grew out of this romantic idealism of being a criminal. So he hit his grandson again. Luffy bounced back up and now had a sizable tower of bumps which he rubbed gingerly.
"Ow…" Came a soft murmur out from under the infamous hat.
Garp crossed his arms and took a sturdy stance. "Now listen up Luffy! Marines are even better than pirates! You'll be a strong marine and be a hero of the people! I want you to forget all that silly nonsense that Red-Hair put into your head and get back to your training."
"It's not nonsense! Don't talk bad about Shanks!" What Luffy did next caught Garp off guard. The boy, only a quarter the size of the veteran at best, through his arm far back and then snapped it forward. Garp easily stepped to the side, dodging the poorly-executed punch, which hit a tree and recoiled back to its origin, hitting Luffy square in the chin. "Oof!" The boy fell to the ground and looked up at the towering shadow of his grandfather. Garp's shoulders heaved, and Luffy let out a small gasp. Garp cleared his throat to suppress his laughter. A second later he was serious again.
"Answer me, and that's an order: how did you cut your face?"
Luffy stayed on the ground and rolled his eyes, finally seeming to give in. With determination and a child-like quality of manhood, he answered: "I did it! I cut myself!"
Garp took a step back in shock. "Wh-what! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO SUCH A STUPID THING, LUFFY!" He raised his fist again.
Luffy showed no signs of retreat. Instead, he continued, "Because I wanted to look tough like a man!"
Garp froze, fist in mid-air. He blinked down at the boy, who looked in all serious. This was serious business to the child. He lowered his fist and unconsciously touched the side of his face under his eye. The boy audibly sighed in relief as the old man relaxed, but looked up curiously. The old man was smiling down on him.
"Is that so! Bwahahaha! Well, it does look mighty tough! But not on you of course, you little squirt. That's why you need to keep training! Come with me!" He reached down and plucked the boy up without a hint of effort. "And get rid of that hat!" He added offhandedly as he marched off with boy under his arm.
"No! And I told you! I'm not going to be a marine! Wahhh…" The boy whimpered as he was dragged off towards the mountains.
