Chapter 3
The next twenty-seven days passed with little of particular interest occurring, hence why it was skipped story-wise. Still, Delta loved every minute of it. Waking up each morning, he would be treated to a wonderfully delicious breakfast made by Makino herself, who could not stop apologizing for her 'stupidly awfully terrifying attitude towards him', as she so elegantly put it. Afterwards, the day, though tepid when likened to the Pirate King's alternate life, was a delightful breath of fresh air for the man who had come to know living as being king of the violence in the seas.
Delta would walk around town freely with Luffy in tow due to Makino's lifting of his bans, and they would find anything and everything interesting to do, which was, unsurprisingly enough, not much. After getting their fill of whatever it was they were doing, they'd stop for a quick bite of lunch, where 'quick' usually ended up lasting up to an hour. Then they'd head towards the forest, much to Makino's dismay, who was concerned with the forest's rather large selection of dangerous animals very capable of killing Luffy. Though through a bit of coaxing and whining from the two about how Delta was very strong and could very easily look after Luffy, she begrudgingly accepted.
Afternoons spent in the large, dense forest outside Foosha were where Delta had decided to begin Luffy's training as a fighter, saying the younger the better, which Luffy had happily accepted. He'd have Luffy work on his strength and speed for the first part, forcing him to do the basic exercises he'd seen Zoro doing on the Sunny, but on a much smaller scale. Then he would teach Luffy the very basics of punching and kicking to go along with his soon-to-be great power, and after hours of very rigorous training (for Luffy), not that the boy seemed to mind, Delta would carry him to dinner, where Luffy would tell Makino all about how strong and awesome he was getting with Delta.
Overall, this had been the basic gist of his time spent in the village, but then day twenty-eight happened.
Luffy had just completed the day's training and the pair was resting in the forest when Delta noticed a strange look on Delta's face.
"Oi, Del, what's wrong?" Luffy had instigated the nickname 'Del' to call Delta about a week prior in accordance to Delta's calling Luffy 'Lu'.
"Nothing," Delta responded, which was met with a unbelieving frown. After a moment, Delta raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright you got me. I was just thinking of how Garp is coming in two days and I'm not so sure I want to meet him, well at least not yet."
"Why not?" Luffy asked.
"It's just I'm not sure how I should go about explaining why a stranger calling himself his grandson's brother, living with his grandson, and training with his grandson isn't some weird trick or something. He's very protective of us, meaning it'll be quite the conundrum and I'll most likely end up fighting him, and I'd like to avoid that mess for at least a little while longer."
"That makes sense, I guess." Luffy stood up and stretched. "But why not just tell him the future stuff? It worked pretty good with Makino."
"No." Delta stated, "We cannot ever let Garp know the truth about me. Ever. He is one of, if not the last person we would ever want to know, got that?"
Luffy's brow furrowed. "But why?"
"Because," Delta began with a sigh, "He wants you to be a marine, right?" Luffy nodded. "Well, what do you think would happen if he found out his lovable marine bound grandson became a pirate in the future?"
"No idea. What would he do?"
"First, he'd freak out, and you'd be getting 'Fists of Love' harder than you've ever imagined possible. Then after your thorough beating, he'd probably whisk you off to some military base where you'd spend the rest of your childhood training to be the marine you were never meant to be."
Luffy gasped. "H- he wouldn't r- really do that, would he?" Much to the boy's terror, Delta nodded.
"You've never seen Garp angry before. When he gets mad, the little rationality he has goes straight out the window and you're left with an extremely pissy, stubborn old man who will do everything in his power, which is a lot actually, to get what he wants."
"I promise I w-will never, never, never t- tell him Del. I swear it on my life."
"That's good. Problem is, with me around it will be much harder to keep that little secret, so I've been thinking..." Delta paused and turned away from the boy, "About leaving Foosha."
"What? No, you can't! You're so cool and I need you to get strong!" Luffy sniffled, "You can't leave!"
"You don't understand, Lu. I wouldn't be leaving forever, just the ten days Garp would be here." Luffy's features softened a bit, "You'd keep up your training on your own for those days, unless Gramps decides to train you himself, and when he leaves, I'll come back, kay?"
"Okay… but you'd better be back right away once Gramps goes, got it?" Luffy ordered sternly.
Delta chuckled, "Wouldn't have it any other way, Lu."
The next day, after getting the go ahead from Makino, Delta set out on a small dark green sailboat he'd borrowed from one of the very kind fishermen in town. Makino had given him a compass, not that he knew how to use it, but she was on the edge concerning her agreement to the trip anyway, so he decided not to bring it up. She'd also packed ten days worth of dried meat lunchboxes, though because of the Monkey family appetite, ten days worth barely fit on the boat and had to be tightly boxed up and tied down to avoid the food sliding off the side of the craft. After a short goodbye to Makino (Luffy was still sleeping) the man from the future set out to sea in the wee hours of the morning as to have a lot of time to pass Garp's ship when it was still farther out at sea.
For Delta, it was invigorating to be out at sea again. He'd missed the soft calming swaying of the boat on the open seas. He'd missed the cool ocean breeze pushing lightly against his skin. He'd missed the quiet tranquility of being isolated out on the sea. But most of all, he'd missed the overwhelming sense of pure freedom the sea brought to him. Sure the sailboat wasn't the Sunny, not by a long shot, but he was content just the same. That is, until he saw a ship in the distance.
He couldn't quite make out what type of ship it was at that moment, so he sailed towards it. As he got in closer, Delta first noticed that it was a marine ship, no doubt. The grey and aqua blue of the ship, with the big seagull emblem gave it away almost instantly. But what really caught Delta's eye was the dog's head carved out on the front, a bone between its gaping jaws, and a bright pink tongue sticking out the bottom. It was the figurehead of a ship Delta would know anywhere, and it was the ship he'd wanted to see the least. Garp's.
Delta's eyes widened. After only a moment of stunned reaction time. he began his newest and most important mission: Mission hard to port. Unfortunately, Delta definitely did not have time to complete this. Just as he began to turn, a cannonball came whizzing past, landing about ten feet behind him. A warning shot.
Delta quit his turn then and decided to sail straight into the behemoth of a ship Garp was on. Another cannonball blasted towards him, no longer meant for warning. He kicked it back at the ship, though it failed to break the hull. Another. He punched it. Another. And another punch.
A booming voice came out of the ship, most certainly the voice of Garp. "Why the hell were you just on Dawn Island?"
"I wasn't!" Delta fired back.
"Liar!" 'Drat, he knew.'
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am-" Another cannonball came rocketing towards him, which Delta promptly smashed with his fist. "Excuse me I was having a conversation!"
By now, the marine vessel was basically right on top of his dinghy sailboat, but a little to the left. If Delta's sailboat had been big or tall enough, they could've set up gangplanks and charged. Instead, two small hooked chains came out the side of the ship and grappled Delta's transportation and started to reel him up with astonishing speed. That was the moment when meeting Garp was sealed into his fate.
At the end of the reeling, Delta was shown a sight to behold. On deck were about a hundred or so marines all standing at attention on either side of him in set rows. Between the two groups stood Garp in all his glory. The white suit, the small beard, the scar around his eye, it was all there. But he looked younger than Delta remembered. Probably because of the eighteen-year age difference, but still, it was more unnerving than with Makino. He seemed more agile, more ferocious, and more dangerous. Delta was almost intimidated by his Grandpa. Almost.
"Hello," Delta grinned, waving to the crowd of white and blue clad marines.
Garp glared, "What in the hell were you doing on Dawn Island?"
"Uh… I wasn't?"
"Don't you lie to me!" Garp growled, "My navigators are smart and they could tell by your direction and stuff!"
"How?" Delta asked, genuinely curious.
"How the hell should I know?! They're the navigators and besides, you're the one who should be explaining himself!"
"Okay, well you've got me. I was in Foosha-"
"You were in Foosha?!" Garp shouted, and began speed walking up to Delta, fist at the ready.
"Oh did I say Foosha? I meant I was in New … Ra. Yes I was in New Ra. Not Foosha. New Ra. That's where I was… heh."
At that moment, it is said you could here a face palm so loud and so intense it could be heard for miles and miles around, created by over one hundred soldiers simultaneously.
Garp did not look amused with that response. Not even a little. A vein bulged out in his forehead and he made an attempt at knocking Delta's head off, which was still in the sailboat hanging over the ocean. Delta, in a moment of panic, dodged the incoming fist by backing up, which caused him to lose his balance, leading Delta to fall into the sea.
It was cold. Very cold. That was Delta's first thought as he plunged head first into the sea. The next thought was, 'I'm drowning'. And the next, more sobering thought was 'I am going to die in East Blue. What a pathetic way to go.' Then Delta blacked out.
-o0O0o-
Delta woke up sputtering. He looked around. He was back on Garp's ship, chained at the wrists and ankles to a bolted down chair on the deck. The chains were sea prism stone; that was bad. He sighed internally.
"Ughhhh…" he grumbled aloud.
"Vice Admiral Garp, the prisoner is awake." A voice stated very serious-like.
Delta didn't bother to look over; it was just one of Gramps' little marine lackeys.
"Prisoner?" Delta asked, still looking around the ship, "But I did nothing wrong, other than be on the wrong island. I don't have even a single beli down for my arrest."
The marine didn't answer. Instead, Delta heard loud footsteps coming over to him from behind. Delta turned as much as he was able to. It was Garp. When the man stood firmly in front of Delta, glare a blazing, he spoke. "You're not a prisoner, brat. I just didn't know what to call you. I was thinking maybe a detained person on my ship that I have a very bad feeling about, but that just didn't have a nice ring to it."
"And why would you have a bad feeling about me?" Delta inquired thoughtfully, "I've done nothing wrong, other than make a small lie as to where I'd come from."
"But that's exactly why I have a bad feeling about you." Garp responded, eyeing the weakened man in front of him. "Why would someone lie about where they were coming from? Especially a place as unassuming as Dawn Island, or Foosha."
"Maybe because an insane old vice admiral started throwing cannonballs at me out of nowhere solely because of the fact of where I could've been? I don't know, it sounds pretty reasonable to me." Delta answered snidely.
"Shut it brat!" Garp bellowed, then in a much lighter tone began "But that's the problem. I don't think that's why you were hiding it so adamantly. I think there's something going on that you want hidden from us, or me specifically, if it's what I'm thinking. And considering you left the day before I was supposed to arrive anyway makes me lean a little to that I might be right."
'Dang! When did Garp get so perceptive?'
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Vice Admiral Garp." Delta said, eyeing the ground while sweating profusely.
"You're lying, boy. And you're bad at it." Garp said.
"Am not!" Delta yelled.
"Are too!" Garp yelled back louder.
"Am not!" Delta yelled back even louder.
"Are too!" Garp roared even louder
"Am not!" Delta practically screamed.
"Are too, now shut it." Garp said, ending the battle of voices that was becoming deafening to the other marines. "You're lying and we both know it. Now tell me, who are you?"
Delta sighed. The power of love was just too strong, but he was not going to give out just yet.
"A wanderer."
"What kind of bullcrap answer is that?"
"The only answer you'll get, Monkey D. Garp, grandfather of Monkey D. Luffy and father of Monkey D. D- oh wait. I shouldn't add that last one, now should I?" Delta smirked. If he had to go down, it was to be as an awesome mystery person. He had never been like that in his past life and really wanted to try something new for a change.
To say Garp was at a loss for words would've been an understatement. He literally gaped. After a moment though, he seemed to catch his entirely stupid face and shut his mouth, pulling his glare back up. "Boy, you know things you really shouldn't. Now who are you?"
Delta stared directly into Garp's eyes, neither daring to break eye contact nor make a sound. It was a battle of power that Delta knew he was going to lose. He was tied to a chair with sea prism binds. He was at a loss. He couldn't say the truth. No, never. Even if Garp didn't believe him, and honestly he probably wouldn't, Garp might actually kill him. And that was another thing Delta wanted to avoid at all costs, so there was only one sensible thing left to do, at least in Delta's eyes. He had to lie. He had to make up a good lie and go with it. It was the only way.
Mustering all the raw lying power he could, he thought of a lie. It wasn't a good one, no. But it wasn't the worst one, either. Keeping the most normal, unlying face he could manage, knowing that messing up this lie meant probable death and/or a terrible life for the little Luffy, Delta spoke.
"I'm… Makino's husband."
A moment passed. Then another. Then another. You could probably cut the tension with a knife, as the saying goes, and then another moment passed. And then, then, Garp answered, "You're what?"
"I'm Makino's husband." Delta repeated with a little more confidence. "We married recently, but she wasn't sure you'd approve of me being near Luffy, who I assure you thinks I'm awesome, and…uh… here we are."
Garp studied the man for a bit. Then he said, "Bullshit."
Delta started panicking. Apparently Garp wasn't as stupid as he remembered. But he couldn't let Luffy fall into the hands of-
Garp burst out laughing, "Boy, you look hilarious! Sorry about that, but I just had to see your face! Bwahahahaha!"
Delta couldn't read the situation. Was he screwed? What had happened? "Eh… what?"
"Sorry brat, I just had to see the face of Makino's husband under stress of death. And I must say, you took it quite well. What'd you say your name was?" Garp wiped a tear from his eye, probably from laughing too hard.
"Delta."
"Well Delta, welcome to the family. You are quite the mystery, but now the whole 'knowing my family thing' makes a hell of a lot more sense. Makino sure trusts you, doesn't she?"
"We never keep secrets from each other."
"Oh, and sorry about the chains; we just didn't know who you were." Garp looked at the marines, "Men! Get me the key to these things right now! This man is not our enemy!"
A man with a very troubled look came from the crowd of marine uniforms and began undoing the shackles keeping Delta in place. As the final click of his left ankle chain fell to the floor, Delta stood up. Immediately his strength came surging back into his body and he felt like he could crush a buster call just for fun. But with none in sight, he stretched.
"So, if you don't mind me asking; what's your devil fruit? Don't see many if them around in East Blue." Garp sounded lighthearted, but there was an undertone of quiet suspicion.
"Uh…it doesn't really matter, does it?" Quick to change the topic he asked, "So where do you keep the meat in this place?"
Garp laughed, seemingly forgetting the topic of Delta's devil fruit. "Makino's sure picked a good one; got his damn priorities straight. Now come on, follow me." He walked off towards one of the doors to where Delta could only assume was the kitchen. Delta ran over to catch up with him. "Now about the name Delta…"
-o0O0o-
Delta and Garp were sitting out on the deck on beach chairs by the dog head, watching the sea in all its stillness, only moving in light waves as the ship sailed through. It was calming, peaceful, a feeling Delta'd never before experienced while within arm's reach of Garp, but for some reason he seemed deep in thought, which was always a bad sign when it came to Garp.
"Say Lucy, about Makino…" Garp had decided earlier Delta was too hard for him to say, so he decided to call Delta Lucy instead. Why Lucy, you ask? Because I thought that part of the Dressrosa arc was hilarious and it will never get old. Delta had no problems with it so why should you? Anyways…'Oh no he's figured me out. I'm screwed.' "When'd you meet her?" 'Oh good. He is still an idiot.'
"About eighteen years ago, but I only really came back into her life around a month ago," he paused, waiting for Garp to say something, but he seemed deep in thought, so Delta continued, "She didn't particularly trust me at first…" Garp grumbled in agreement, "…But that was mostly because she didn't recognize me from before. I mean; I was just a kid back then. Appearances change. And she thought I'd died."
"So what made her know it was you?"
"Well, she didn't really at first, but I told her a few things that only I would know, and she had a change of heart."
He seemed satisfied with the answer. "So only seen her a month, eh?" Garp said after a moment.
"Yep."
"The marriage must've been recent."
"It- it was. Very recent. But Luffy seemed alright with it." Delta had trouble keeping a straight face.
"Oh, how is Luffy, by the way? On the road to the marines?"
Choosing to ignore the second part, Delta answered, "Oh good. A complete and total dumbass, but good."
"Bwahahahaha! You got that right! Says he wants to be a pirate, but he'll learn. Even if I have to force it out of him." He then mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. All Delta heard was something about rice crackers and marines.
The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes, watching the sea and sky and thinking. Then Garp stood up, told Delta, or Lucy that they'd be landing in Foosha in a little over three hours.
Delta didn't nap much, but lying really tired him out, and this string of lies was no exception.
-o0O0o-
The ship docked a little outside Foosha near some craggy boulders that dropped off over the cliff. The sun was setting, making the light source more and more inconvenient. When it had all been settled, Delta was the first off the ship. Once he touched land, he broke out in a wild sprint to Foosha, which was stopped abruptly by a randomly pissed off Garp. But as Delta turned around, Garp's strange anger disappeared as quickly as it'd sprung.
"Come on, Lucy. I know you want to go see your sweet Makino, but please, come with us. This forest could be dangerous."
"Hey! I can handle myself!" Delta shouted.
"I'm sure you can," Garp started, "But stay with us please, if only to keep this old man's mind from wandering to some dark places."
"Okay." That was really the only thing Delta could say. He couldn't run. He wouldn't fight Garp. He was helpless and it sucked.
The pair walked through the forest in an uncomfortable silence for the next mile. The other marines were ordered to stay by the ship; the trip was a family thing and they were only there by order of Sengoku. The forest was quiet at night. Everything was either asleep or getting ready to do so. The only sounds were some faraway owls and bugs, along with Garp and Delta's footsteps crunching on dried leaves and twigs.
The two reached Foosha with no real incident. The town looked nice, but neither man smiled. There was a tension between them that Delta was not happy about. Garp was hiding something. In the back of Delta's mind he felt the marriage thing didn't actually convince Garp, but he chose to ignore it in place of Garp being a ninja, which he was slowly getting more and more sure about.
"We're here." Garp said.
"Great." Delta responded. "Can't wait to see Makino and Luffy. I'm sure they'll be surprised."
"Of course. You weren't supposed to be here, were you?" The question was stated more as fact, "And I wasn't supposed to be here 'till morning. I bet they'll be happy."
"Real happy."
Their conversation somehow got them to the doors of Party's Bar. The outside lights were still out, but inside, behind the shades, a light still shone, inviting the two in.
Garp went for the door. "I'll go first, if you don't mind."
"Sure."
Makino looked up from the counter she was washing. "Sorry, the bar's closed… Garp?"
Garp smiled, pulling the door open and embracing Makino in a hug. "Hey Makino, we caught your husband on his way out, sorry you thought I wouldn't like him."
"Wha-"
Delta quickly caught her mid sentence, "Hey Makino. Yep, I got caught. Haha."
Makino looked over at Delta for a split second before realizing what was happening. She was always smart that way. "Oh Delta, you silly boy." She said cutely. It annoyed Delta how good at lying she was. Rubbing it in his face like that, who did she think she was?
"Uh…yeah. Sorry." Delta said awkwardly.
Garp smiled at the two. "Look at you two lovebirds. How sweet." He was silent for a moment while Makino and Delta exchanged confused glances. Then he said with a start, "Well now that that lie is over with, let's have a chat."
"WHAT?" Makino and Delta yelled.
"You knew?!" Delta was flabbergasted. Makino was less of that. She probably knew right away. She was just yelling surprisedly to help Delta's ego. It annoyed Delta.
"Well duh. Now then, take a seat, both of you. I insist." Garp said politely. Too politely. Well any polite was too polite with Garp, but that was beside the point.
