Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
The Post Enies Lobby chapters do not have openings, instead we'll be doing some color spreads instead!
Color spread: Gian posing in front of his personal Jolly Roger, a smiling skull face with the blades of Atom Splitter in place of the crossbones while surrounded by blue fire. Beside him, the imposing figure of his Full Transformation with its own Jolly Roger is shown: a flaming skull in the shape of Godzilla's with a mushroom cloud going off behind it.
The morning came with sunlight streaming into the windows. The smell of freshly cooked breakfast wafted through the air, a bright new day for a new beginnings. After everything that's happened over the past few days, the Straw Hats have a lot to look forward to.
One in particular, however, still looked back at the past. Or at least, of what happened the night before.
"Oi… are you going to eat your scrambled eggs and sausages or not?" Sanji muttered with a shake of his head. Gian barely acknowledged him however, his mind was currently on something more pleasant than food.
He could still feel it all, the gentle laughter of the woman he's come to love, the flower scented aroma that always seemed to be in her presence, the meaningful touch and the feeling of her lips. The whole time had been a wonder, and even his occasional nightmares and strange dreams have ceased for that night.
"Last night was amazing…"
He and Robin ended up spending more time together than originally, just talking and enjoying each other's company. In fact, he quite forgot when the two decided to return to their respective beds, just knowing it was around the crack of dawn. Despite that, there was simply no room for exhaustion anymore.
To be completely honest a bit of him is still surprised she accepted so readily. He had wanted to give her some time and space to deal with all the trauma she's been through, and popping the question at a much more suitable time. It was when he saw her under the moonlight did he decided that he perhaps would not get a much better chance. In the end he was overjoyed when it all worked out.
"Hm?" Gian looked over at the cook with one eye, as if he only just noticed him, a relaxed smile still playing over his lips. Robin had left earlier in the day, deciding to go help Chopper out with tending to the wounded. Zoro had also gone into town, claiming he could use some fresh air. It was just him, Sanji, Nami and a still sleeping Luffy back at the room.
"Oh, right. Thanks for the breakfast."
"Geez, it's like you're a lost puppy who found some kind soul to take you in." Sanji sighed "You're acting like this is your first experience with another woman before."
"Hey, it's been a wild couple of days. I'm gonna savor this for as long as possible." He mumbled absentmindedly. "And as a matter of fact, yeah it's been some time since I've dated anyone else, not to mention she's different."
"Yeah, well your food's gone cold." The cook reminded him.
"Oh, well then I'll just heat it up again." Gian shrugged as he held his left hand up and pressed a swirling ball of blue fire to the food. He didn't account for how much temperature was needed however and ended up making the dish blackened and burnt.
"Oops."
"Seriously, what does Robin-chan see in you?" Sanji developed a tick mark before shaking his head and getting him another plate.
"I guess my meta relevancy and overall accountability just made her fall for my charms." Gian gave an offhanded answer.
"I have no idea what anything you just said meant." Sanji grumbled, before sighing and giving him a more serious look "You're really serious about this?" Gian gave him a look.
"It had been serious for some time now, what happened that night was just the spark that finally ignited everything."
"Well, you are fairly passionate. If your intentions are pure and Robin-chan is happy with everything then I will give you two my full support." Sanji declared. Gian nodded as he began to lift his fork, only for Sanji to slam a foot down on the table beside him, getting his attention.
"I will make this very clear, however. You are to treat Robin-chan with all the respect and love a lady deserve and more! If I ever find out that you treated her badly for whatever foolish reason, I will break every single bone in your body! And then after you've regenerated all the damage I will do it all over again, understand?"
"Well, ain't that rather specific…" Gian muttered but his eyes were equally serious "But I don't think you'll get the chance to do that because if, by the off chance, that I ever dare to do that I've already pledged to throw myself off the nearest cliff head first to atone for the crimes I've committed.
"Good, glad we're on the same page." Sanji smirked "Now hurry up and eat, or Luffy will take it from you."
"Right, thanks for reminding me." Gian chuckled and scooted away a bit. The whole time the two conversed, their captain had been subconsciously shoveling handfuls of meat into his mouth. Even though Luffy is still slumbering, the reaching of his arms over a multitude of dishes would make anyone else think otherwise. Food came first for the rubber boy, no exceptions whatsoever.
"Ngagaga! I'm coming in!" the morning was interrupted by a jovial Kokoro with Chimney and Gonbe following her. A loud ribbit showed that even Yokozuna the frog had accompanied them, being far too big to fit inside the room and instead remained by the window. She and a few others have routinely come to check up on the pirates, making sure they're all settled in "Looks like everyone's finally feeling energetic again!"
"I wish, most of my body is still sore as hell." Gian laughed "I don't think I've ever been put through a meat grinder like this before." His body has, more or less, regenerated the life-threatening injuries he's sustained against Gylzar, though his entire body felt like it was on fire. Chopper had been very adamant he'd be resting during their remaining days in the city
"Tell me about it, it's a bit exhausting even to cook!" Sanji agreed.
"Well, at least the Straw Hat kid is doing fine, if his appetite is anything to go by." Kokoro noted.
"That, is what happens when Luffy misses his meals." Sanji explained "it's been 2 days, he hasn't woken to eat anything so he's mastered the art of eating while sleeping to make up for lost mouthfuls."
"Yup, and my food isn't included on the menu…" Gian grumbled as he had to force his dish away from the grasping hands of his captain, nearly getting constricted in the process.
"Huh, such a talented boy." Kokoro sweat dropped "Anyways, it's nearly been a week since you got here. Your Log Pose should reset sometimes in the next 2 days so be mindful of that!"
A groan alerted the group to a desk near them. Nami, slumped over and rather forlorn, only sighed.
"Even if the Log Pose resets, all of our stuff got washed away by Aqua Laguna…" the navigator moaned "We don't even have the 100 million beri needed to buy a new ship; even Bell-Mere-san's trees didn't survive…!"
"Ngagaga, so that what those things are!" Kokoro laughed "The night of the incident, a bunch of people went to go confiscate your belongings. When the truth came out later I had them all stored up! I actually brought them here today with me!" Sure enough, a group of people came into the room to deposit loads of suitcases and luggage, including the same-
"MY TREES!" Nami cheered happily as she hugged the orange trees left by her stepmother.
"Looks like I no longer have to spend any more money on clothes in town." Gian chuckled; his previous shirt he's worn to Enies Lobby has long been shredded to tatters, curtesy of a cyborg assassin's blades. It was a good thing too; he's a bit attached to the shirts he owned.
About half an hour later the door opened again, and in marched Chopper with a big grin on his face. Gian's face lit up as he saw Robin follow close behind, the archaeologist also giving him a smile when she saw him.
"We're back! I was able to treat all of the Franky Family's injuries and I didn't take my eyes off Robin for a moment!" the deer reported.
"Excellent work." Gian grinned. Robin chuckled at that.
"I already told you, I'm not going to go anywhere!" Gian smiled as he pulled her closer to him.
"Well, now I can extra certain."
"If it calms your heart." Robin gave an eye smile.
A loud trumpet suddenly sounded as an elephant forced his head into the window, waving at them with its trunk. The crew could hear thumping as something landed on the ground before the door opened in a cloud of pink smoke.
"Good day Straw Hat Crew! I'm glad to see at least some people are present for my arrival!" Franky announced his presence as he posed by the door.
"It would've worked better if you'd just give us a heads up!" Sanji sighed.
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't be surprised by my pyrotechnics!" Franky waved him off.
"How's the new ride treating you?" Gian asked. Franky grinned before pointing a thumb at the elephant.
"Honestly, seeing as we got off on the wrong foot, I expected worse. He's been rather helpful, I'll admit, if I knew about him earlier I would've snagged him off Spanda years ago!" Funkfreed simply gave a resonating trumpet; formerly owned by the director of CP9, it was an unexpected occurrence that now landed him in the employment of the Franky Family.
Flashback:
"…Would anyone like to explain why Spanda's elephant sword just busted out of the storage room?!"
The bewildered statement wasn't off, as Zoro, Gian, Chopper and Franky could only blink as the grey pachyderm swung his trunk around, alarmed bellows sounding across the field as multiple Galley-La employees tried to restrain him. It's been a day since Enies Lobby, but despite their wounds and exhaustion Zoro and Gian could hardly stay cooped up in the room. It took a bit of convincing but Chopper finally relented in letting them take a walk on the condition they bring him in case something happens. They didn't get far as just a few steps out the door they could hear the cries of a distressed elephant stomping around outside.
"I forgot that was a thing…" Gian mumbled "I was too focused on other things back then."
"I remember, bastard nearly cut my face!" Zoro scowled; the memory of trying to suppress the unwilling blade back on the Battle on the Bridge was still vivid in his mind "I was forced to use him when the marines attacked, I guess when we all jumped on Merry I just forgot about him and assumed I left him behind."
"Well what are we going to do about him?" Franky asked "He's making a mess!"
"First things first, try to restrain him." Gian winced "We can't just let him run wild."
It took a bit, the thrashing elephant was in no mood to calm down and made the job rather difficult for all parties involved, but Paulie eventually managed to bind the elephant's legs with rope, causing him to fall over with a thud. Despite being a sword, Funkfreed's eyes were fearful as he gazed as the group around them, particularly the blue haired cyborg he had a confrontation with back at Enies Lobby.
"Ok, that's handled at last." the carpenter grumbled "Now what?"
"We can always just throw him in the ocean." Franky suggested. At that suggestion Funkfreed instantly trumpeted in fear.
"You're evil!" Chopper snapped.
"What? He used to belong to a creep!" Franky defended himself "He's probably thinking of cutting us all to pieces right now!"
"He's also something you apparently beat up rather easily." Gian reminded him "If he tries anything it's not like you can't just do it again."
"Anyway, being a sword that has a Zoan Fruit transplanted into him, it probably means he's part elephant as well. Chopper you mind speaking to him to see if we can get anything out of him?"
"I don't know if it applies in this case, but I'll give it a shot." The reindeer nodded before stepping up to the bound elephant, who merely snorted back.
"He says some moss-headed swordsman kidnapped him and took him from Enies Lobby when he landed on a ship." Chopper translated "He remembers seawater hitting him and knocking him out, and when he awoken he was locked up in dark room."
"That seems to add up." Gian nodded.
"Well if 'Pirate Hunter' took him maybe you guys should take him along. He's clearly familiar with it." Paulie suggested.
"Zoro did say one of his swords broke while we were fighting on the bridge…" Chopper pondered.
"Count me out." Zoro shot that idea down "The whole time on the bridge just trying to control that thing was a mess! And not to mention his fighting style doesn't fit Santoryu at all. I never thought I'd say this, but I guess there are some swords out there that I'd rather not touch."
"Hmm, I would like to have some sort of animal companion, but I'm not exactly good with swords and neither is everyone else that isn't Zoro." Gian hummed "Besides, there's a lot to take in about a Devil-Fruit infused weapon that's just too complicated, not to mention he used to belong to the World Government and I'm not sure how that'll translate into a pirate crew."
He then turned to Paulie "Why don't you guys take him in? You all do a lot of physical work and elephants have been used as beasts of burden in some places, he could be of help if you train him."
"Dude, you've been to Dock 1." Paulie shook his head "it's very crowded even on a slow day, not to mention the slightest noise can set him off and I don't want to have to wrangle a spooked elephant again."
"Then where else can he go?"
"Franky was the one that interacted him the most, why don't the Franky Family take him?" Zoro suggested.
"Oi! Don't throw me under the bus like that!" the cyborg protested "We aren't exactly friendly with each other!"
"His beef is with you, not your guys." Gian corrected "He doubles as a sword so Zambai or someone else could carry him with them, and he can help you haul scrap."
"But he belongs to Spanda! We're basically all criminals to them, there's no way he'd agree to this!"
"Actually, I was talking with him after that." Chopper pointed up "He said his former master is a massive idiot and the only reason he stuck with him was because his sword body was in his possession. Being a sword he doesn't really have any real allegiances, provided his master is competent enough in swordsmanship, but he doesn't like sea travel all that much because he gets seasick." Funkfreed trumpeted from the ground, seemingly affirming that fact.
"Well, that seems to be the nail in the coffin for us then, I guess it just wasn't meant to be." Gian sighed "But come to think of it, how does a sword get seasick?" Chopper only shrugged at that.
"So there you go, with the right person he could be useful." Zoro noted.
"And it's no secret that the Franky Family's delinquency is far overshadowed by the fact that they protect Water 7 from danger." Paulie interjected "He's a sword, he loves action, and he'll get a lot out of that."
"…Well, we always would appreciate some help…" Franky grumbled "Fine, but you all owe me big time!" he then stepped up to the elephant, who eyed him curiously.
"Listen, I know you and I didn't exactly have the best first impressions, but it seems like you think that you don't really have a place where you belong. I normally don't say this to other people, but there was a time in my life where that has also been the case, and it took someone very important to me to make me realize the opposite. So I guess I do have a job opening for you, you can stay with my family and act as one of us. We usually just dismantle ships for scrap but more often than not we also get into fights. If you're actually competent at either you'd fit in just fine. So, what do you say?"
Funkfreed was silent for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating the idea. The he let out a snort and appeared to nod."
"He said he's fine with whatever arrangements, just don't handle him poorly like his former master and that green-haired dumbass then he'd gladly follow anyone." Chopper translated.
"WHAT?! THAT'S IT I'M-!"
"So I think that settles it!" Gian remarked as he had to hold the irate Zoro back from jumping at the sword elephant "Congrats on being the owner of an interesting weapon, or I guess technically everybody in the Franky Family owns him!"
"Then I'll take him to the guys and let them figure out how to break him in." Franky stated "But one more thing," And the cyborg yanked the elephant down by the trunk and glared into his face "if you even think about double-crossing us I'll do worse than what I did to you back at the bridge!"
Funkfreed simply whimpered; despite being a sword, he more than knows when he's met his match.
Flashback End:
"We actually stopped a group of thieves later that day, I have to say the big guy's rather formidable when given the opportunity." Funkfreed trumpeted proudly as he remembered that event before lumbering off. Franky then looked back before becoming more serious.
"But now, I actually have a rather big announcement to make, it involves all of you so listen close." The crew began to be more intent as the cyborg sat down.
"Once upon a time, there was an island that suffered a tremendous war that was seemingly unending, But despite that-"
"…You gathered us here to tell us a story?" Gian grimaced "Why does this concern us?"
"I'm not at that part yet! Just shut up and listen!" Franky snapped before continuing "As I was saying, even though the war raged on furiously one massive tree stood above it all, enduring waves of cannons and bullets and fire. Even as the war dragged on, that tree stood tall and strong-"
"Oh, this is a story about perseverance." Sanji noted "Why do we care about this?"
"Can I please finish?! I was going to say that people later used the wood of that tree to rebuild entire civilizations. They called it "Treasure Tree Adam", the wood from that tree became structures of incredible strength and quality. Every so often some of the Adam Wood will appear on the black market, they normally cost around 200 million beri and for once I actually have that much money-"
"YOU SPENT ALL OF OUR MONEY ON A BUNCH OF WOOD?!" Nami shouted.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Franky roared "…Anyways, I did manage to buy the Adam Wood but I was at a loss on what to do with it. A very important person to me once taught me how to build ships, but after his death I no longer had the heart to do so. Somehow, after all that happened, something overcame me to start again, to begin thinking up new plans on making my former dream a reality."
"And that dream, is to build a ship that could sail through any sea! And I'll do it now with the Adam Wood." And what came after was what finally shocked the Straw Hats.
"When I'm done with the construction of that ship, will you guys sail on that ship? Will you sail it all the way to the end of the Grand Line?"
"D-Did I hear you correctly?" Gian murmered "You're giving us a ship?"
"Yup, and I'll put my best work into it too!" Franky grinned "It works that I kinda like you guys as well; I don't build ships for just anybody ya know? If it's a group that I can trust sailing the ship I made, then I'm as content as they come. Besides, I did take your money after all so see this as a sort of compensation."
"That's incredible! Franky, I don't know what to say…!" Nami broke out into a big smile.
"'Straw Hat' wants to be King of the Pirates doesn't he? Well I'll let you in on a secret: in the history of the world, only one other ship was constructed from Adam Wood. That ship is the Oro Jackson, sailed upon by none other than Gold Roger himself! My mentor Tom built it with his own hands, and even on the day of his death he would proudly proclaim it as his proudest work." Franky sighed as he remembered that unfortunate day "I always wondered why he'd been so proud of a ship that led to his end, but as I began to plan it out, I think I know now."
"It's as I always believed, you and Tom-san aren't so different." Kokoro smiled.
"Franky… Of course we'll take it!" Gian grinned "This is the best gift anyone could possibly give us at this time!"
"Oi, Luffy! Wake up! We're getting a new ship!" Sanji happily announced, but it would not be that that woke his captain up.
*BOOM!
Gian cried out in alarm as he leapt to shield his crew as the walls of the house exploded into debris. Dust covered the room as they gathered themselves, completely caught off guard.
"What just happened?!" Sanji barked as he looked around. Too much dust made it very hard to see clearly, and the shock had yet to subside.
"Are we under attack? Did the World Government track us all the way here?!" Chopper whimpered.
"Is this the crew of Monkey D. Luffy?" A booming voice startled them all "there are some people with me looking for him!"
"Who's there?!" Gian snarled "Show yourself!"
The voice did not respond, but as the smoke clear a massive shape could be seen striding towards them. It revealed itself as a man, tall and muscular. The man's barrel-chested frame towered over almost everyone. His face obscured by a dog mask, but that was not the main draw point.
"Marine uniform… They really did follow us here!" Nami shouted in horror.
"Hey! Who do you think you are just busting into Galley-La's new headquarters like this?!" Franky growled.
But the man promptly ignored all of them, instead he seemed to be focused on one person. A toothy grin adorned his face as his obscured eyes targeted the Straw Hats captain. The whole time, Luffy was still deep in slumber, seemingly unaware of the events that have happened.
Then the man leapt at him, faster than the eye could track. He was on Luffy in an instant, before he raised a fist into the air.
"Shit, how did he get past us?!"
"Hey Luffy…"
And to everyone's shock, a swift punch was all it took to instantly rouse the captain.
"…WAKE UP!"
"AAHHHHHHH! IT HURTS!"
"LUFFY!" the crew cried as they saw their captain writhe around in pain while clutching his head.
"What was that for?!" Sanji snarled at newcomer.
"How… how did you get hurt by that?!" Gian stammered "Aren't you made of rubber?"
It was then the attacker simply grinned before removing his dog mask as he blew on his fist. The face underneath was that of an elderly man, though his fierce gaze and confident smile would make you think otherwise. Pockmarked with scars and wear, it's clear that his now grey hair and beard were earned by many years of toil and battle.
"There isn't a force out there that could withstand a Fist of Love." The old man simply said "I heard you and your crew have been up to a lot of trouble lately, haven't you Luffy?"
"What the hell?!" Luffy shouted "What are you doing here Grandpa?!"
And everyone had to blink at that, before inevitably:
"…GRANDPA?!"
Indeed, the massive mountain of a man who stood before them was none other than Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp. A legendary figure among the Marines, he observed the group of pirates before him. The crew was tense; despite his visible age, Garp showed no sign of weakness, rather the atmosphere he extruded showed one of immense power. Naturally, everyone had many questions.
"L-Luffy… why is your grandfather a Marine?!" Nami asked.
"None of you knew this?!" Franky snapped "None of you bothered asking about his family?!"
"We never thought of it as important before." Sanji stammered, still in shock over the revelation.
Gian's eyes suddenly widened "H-Hold on for one second, I know who you are! I've seen your face in the newspaper! You're not just some Marine… you're Garp 'The Fist'! You're a Vice-Admiral!"
"EHHHHHH?!" everyone's heads snapped rapidly between the old man and their captain. Luffy's face was now a mix of pain and shock, while Garp's face was sporting a rather confident grin.
"G-Garp? You mean the Hero of the Marines?!" Nami realized.
"You're related to someone that famous?!" Chopper chattered.
"Guys, stay back!" Luffy warned "Don't try to fight Grandpa, he'll kill you! He's nearly killed me many times!"
"Oh come off it," Garp snorted "I know there was once a time when I threw you off a cliff, and I've tied you to balloons sending you into the sky, and that I've thrown you into the jungle at the dead of night, but it was all so that you'll grow up to become a strong man!"
"…That's is not normal in any fashion whatsoever." Gian grimaced.
"I guess we found the reason on why Luffy manages to survive anything that's thrown at him thus far…" Sanji deadpanned.
"Later I gave him and Ace to a friend to look after, but then look what happened! You go out and do all sorts of reckless things! You were supposed to become a Marine!"
"I always said I wanted to be a pirate!" Luffy shot back.
"Lies! You were just manipulated by that scoundrel 'Red Hair'! His bad influence turned you this way!"
"Shanks saved me! I won't let you insult him!"
"DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR GRANDFATHER!"
"Why is my savior somehow involved in all this?" Gian groaned again as grandfather and grandson continued to bicker.
"THAT'S IT I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Garp shouted as he lifted the boy by the collar of his shirt and raised his fist again.
"AAAAHHH NOOO I'M SORRY!"
"He's unable to resist!" Chopper cried out.
"Actually…" Robin pointed. And just as soon as the whole thing started, it abruptly ended as both family members promptly-
"THEY FELL ASLEEEP?!"
"Oh… sorry, must've dozed off." Garp snapped open his eyes with a start, before they landed on Luffy.
"WAKE UP! DON'T FALL ASLEEP WHILE I'M SCOLDING YOU!"
"AHHHH!"
It was just a multitude of punches after that in which their captain bore in agony, to which everyone else watched with a mix of concern and discomfort, overall just feeling bad for the captain.
"...Ok this family is weird." Franky sighed.
"I don't know if I can call this love or something else…" Kokoro noted.
"They're not even paying attention to us." Sanji muttered.
"Listen here, do you even know what type of person 'Red Hair' Shanks is?" Garp questioned while Luffy whimpered and rubbed his bumps tenderly. That question was enough to gain his attention.
"Shanks? What about Shanks? Did something happen to him?" Luffy asked.
"Happen? As if anything big could happen to him." Garp snorted "I'll have you know that 'Red Hair' is a pirate that is not only notorious, but one of the 4 strongest pirates the world has ever seen today. He, alongside 3 others, make up the Yonko, the 4 Emperors that rule the seas of the New World. We Marines, along with the 7 Shichibukai, exist to balance the delicate balance of power of those 4. If any of those powers should be destabilized, then it could be disastrous for the World."
"I had not expected our captain to have a connection to 'Red Hair' Shanks." Robin noted.
"Luffy inherited his Straw Hat from him, or at least that's what he's told us." Sanji filled her in "He apparently also was the one that found Gian during a low point of his life."
"I remember when Luffy and I both discovered that the same person had once saved us at different times." Gian shrugged "I guess Shanks-san never told him what his title was."
"Anyways, I have some people here that have been waiting to meet you." Garp explained before looking over the crew "And is 'Beast Warrior' Gian here as well?"
"Wait, Me?" Gian pointed at himself "Who would want something with me?"
"So you're the supposed Kaiju-Zoan user that's gotten Sengoku and the Five Elders all shaken up, you don't look all that monstrous to me…" the old vice-admiral grunted.
"…Is that supposed a good thing?"
"Who knows? Anyway you're gonna want to be here was well. Those two claim they know you as well."
Gian frowned; the only people in the Marines that actively knows who he is all have separate duties that take their time away from him despite their threats "I wonder who they could be?"
Before Garp could answer, they could here commotion from outside. The Vice-Admiral's entourage of soldiers were scrambling in concern, and above that the clashing of metal could be heard.
"Heh, looks like one of yours got into a bit of a scrap, Luffy." Garp grinned before walking out. Everyone else exited the large hole that was made in the wall to see none other than Zoro dueling against a blond newcomer.
"Heh, not bad! You've actually got some skill!" Zoro challenged. The other person, seemingly another marine soldier based on the uniform, only smiled silently before charging again, twirling a massive pair of kukuri knives as he attacked. His eyes hidden by single-banded sunglasses, he easily flipped over Zoro's strike, but was not fast enough to react when the green haired swordsman whirled around and smacked him on the back of the head with the hilt of one of his remaining blades, sending the marine stumbling.
"Oi, Zoro! Don't get too violent!" Luffy warned, but as he took a step another person jumped into the fray, racing straight at the Straw Hat captain. Before Luffy could react, his head was already thrown backwards by a swift kick.
"Luffy!" Gian shouted in concern, the attacker was fast, and he could just make out a goggled head full of pink hair. In reality the kick served little except making the rubber boy more irritated, however, and Luffy was immediately ready to strike back. The assailant instantly Sorued behind the captain to attack again, but it's clear that compared to CP9 he's rather new to the technique, and only resulted in Luffy stopping him by grabbing him by the neck the moment he reappeared. With a heave over the shoulder, Luffy slammed him down with a fist raised, just as Zoro crossed his twin blades around the neck of his opponent, daring him to move. The surrounding Marines all surrounded them, and Gian moved into position, holding out Atom Splitter and challenging them to make the first move.
"It's incredible! I've been training for many weeks now, yet the same amount of time it's like you've grown much more than I did Luffy-san! I didn't stand a chance!"
"Huh? Who are you? How do you know my named?" Luffy blinked and took a step back. The pink haired boy grinned at him before getting up and dusting himself off.
"It's hasn't been that long, has it? It's me, Coby!"
Luffy was rather confused by that "Hmm? There is boy named Coby that I met once, but he was a short chubby kid who was a crybaby, he doesn't look anything like you."
"Yup, I'm that crybaby from back then!" indeed, the same kid that accompanied them for the first leg of their adventure, the same kid that once was a slave of a pirate crew, is now a full-fledged confident Marine trainee. Where he once was short, Coby was now a strapping young man with a lot to look forward to.
"EHHHH?!" Luffy cried out.
"Hold on for a second, you're serious!" Gian gawked once he realized who it was "What the hell happened to you kid? What kind of diet have you been on?!" his memories of Coby were the same as Luffy's, but the person standing before them was the last person they expected he'd become.
"Haha, it's good to see you too Gian-san!"
"Real shit, you got hot!" Gian laughed.
"I thought you were still serving in that small town, but you actually made it into the Grand Line!" Zoro says.
"A lot of things happened since that day, I mostly did a lot of chores but one day Garp-Chujo came along and took me under his wing. Ever since we've been training under him to become Marine officers, and when we heard you guys were here we just had to come and see you!" Coby said.
"Wow, it's good to see how much you've improved! I never expected you to have grown this fast!" Luffy smiled.
"Improving? That's probably the biggest understatement of the year! This is more like the glow up of the century!" Gian laughed, still a bit of disbelief in his voice.
"Gian's got a point, what do they feed you in the Marines?" Zoro agreed.
"Well, Garp-Chujo's got some rather…interesting ways to train us, but I guess the results speak for themselves! I'm now a Master Chief Petty Officer!"
"Honestly we have so much to catch up on!" Luffy began to lead the boy inside.
"Hey, Wait!" suddenly the blond marine Zoro faced called out "You guys forgot about me!" the three pirates turned back.
"Uhhh… Hey, You?" Gian called out awkwardly "How's your day been?"
"Come on! Don't give me that response! It's me, Helmeppo!"
"Who is this guy?" Zoro tilted his head.
"You have to remember me, right? I was the spoiled son of that disgraceful Marine captain, Morgan! I almost had Zoro-san executed!" it seems, alongside many things, the same spoiled kid that caused a few problems for the three of them at Shell Town had also joined the Marines, and he too had changed quite a bit. He's considerably mellowed out since their last encounter, and is generally a much more pleasant person to be around nowadays.
"Nope, doesn't ring a bell." Luffy simply shrugged.
"Ohhhhh right…! Helmeppo!" Gian nodded rather unconvincingly "Yeah…! I hope you've been good after… whatever is it that we did together!"
"Ohhhh, that Helmeppo!" the other two also drawled "He's gotta be him!"
"YOU GUYS STILL DON'T REMEMBER ME, DO YOU?!" Helmeppo wept, Coby simply laughed sheepishly at his friend's luck.
Later, the rest of the Marines were fixing up the damages they've done. With their callous Vice-Admiral's actions, this isn't exactly the first time they had to do so. Garp himself hammered a few nails into wood as he watched the group of pirates interacting with his two students.
"So Luffy, I heard you met your dad a while ago."
"Hm?" Luffy tilted his head "My dad? I never met my dad, I didn't even know I had a dad."
"How did you think you were born then?" Gian scoffed, Luffy only shrugged at that.
"Huh, I guess he never introduced himself back at Loguetown." Garp shrugged.
"Loguetown? Luffy's dad was there?" Nami asked.
"I remember you and me nearly getting captured by Smoker, but I don't remember seeing anyone else I haven't seen before." Gian was confused as well.
"What's my dad like?" Luffy asked, and once again Garp turned serious.
"Your father is a man who is infamous throughout the world. His name is Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary."
And for the second time that day, there was a wave of silence.
"WHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA-?!"
Needless to say, everyone couldn't believe what they've just heard.
"L-Luffy-san's dad… is the leader of the Revolutionary Army?!" Coby choked out.
"T-Then that means Dragon is Garp-Chujo's son?!" Helmeppo cried out.
"Luffy… I'm going to be clear right now…" Gian took a deep breath:
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN YOUR CRAZY FAMILY?!"
"I've never even known his name until now." Luffy shrugged; of everyone present at the scene he was the least effected by that news.
"How?! How have you never heard about your dad before?!" Sanji snapped.
"Your father is the most wanted man in the world!" Nami stated.
"Robin, you know about people, tell him what kind of person his old man is!" Gian requested.
"The Revolutionary Army is a powerful military force scattered around the world." The archeologist explained "Whereas most forces would avoid the World Government as much as they can, the Revolutionary Army actively tries to overthrow it and they've spread the seeds of rebellion to many countries already. Dragon serves as its leader, and although he is currently the most wanted man in the world, few have actually seen his face or know much about him."
"You hear that? Your dad's going up against the World itself!" Gian emphasized.
"Wow, I never knew he had such a high positon." Luffy replied.
Garp blinked at the reactions all around "Oh, I don't think I was supposed to share that information. In that case would everyone please just forget everything I said?"
"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO AFTER THAT?!" was the unified response.
Eventually, after overcoming that shocking news, Garp managed to finish the repairs. By then everyone had more or less accepted the news that the Hero of the Marines has a son who's leading the organization seeking to topple the World Government, or the fact that his grandson is now an up and rising pirate who recently attacked a government facility.
"Alright, I think I'll be taking my leave now, since you're my grandson, I won't be arresting you here. I'll make sure to include that in the report."
"Or you could just say that they got away, what you're saying doesn't blow over well at all!" his subordinates sighed.
"Regardless, I came with those two to begin with" Garp pointed at Coby and Helmeppo "You guys have fun catching up."
"Alright, see ya around." Luffy responded, before a fist promptly planted itself into his face.
"THAT WAS WAY TOO QUICK, AT LEAST TRY TO BE UPSET THAT I'M LEAVING!" Garp yelled out.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?! ALL YOU'VE EVER DONE IS HIT ME!"
"STILL, I WANT MY GRANDSON TO MISS ME WHEN I LEAVE!"
And the two continued their argument for a little while longer, leaving the crowd to sweatdrop once again.
"Ok, forget everything I said earlier, these two are clearly related." Sanji gumbled.
"Whatever, this family is clearly insane." Gian sighed "It's better to just not think about it."
In the end, the sight of those two were not something they could easily forget.
Later that day:
"You seemed troubled, Sogeking." Oimo asked "Is something of the matter?"
During the whole events at Galley-La, Usopp had also been present. Or at least, he hid by the window and watched everything happen. There were a lot of revelations, many of which greatly shocked him. Who knew Luffy had so many secrets?
But the morning had also brought about many complicated feelings for him, feelings that made him question the choices he made days before. Despite all he tells himself, he admits now that the soured relationship between him and his former crew were more due to his own feelings of inadequacy compared to them. Yet seeing the crew together, bonded by their collectiveness, have made him realize he missed that, and he wants to go back. But going back would not be so easy, he knows he's screwed up for real this time. Having no face to see them, Usopp instead hit out in the scrapyard alongside the two former gatekeepers of Enies Lobby. Though there was a bit of initial shock, the citizens of Water 7 soon realize that the two giants are to be trusted, them playing a big part in repairing the city after the storms.
"It's nothing, I'm just having a few thoughts." He mumbled back a weak reply.
"Speaking of which, where is the rest of your comrades?" Kashi questioned "We all know the stories of the crew that stormed Enies Lobby, surely you'd want to see them?"
"I-I do…" Usopp gave a depressed sigh "But we aren't exactly on speaking terms right now… I made a mistake, and I don't think I have the right to face them." The fact is, he'd spent a good chunk of the morning rehearsing a good enough speech that'll hopefully allow his former friends to take him back, but he really felt like something is missing.
"That does not seem true, you all seemed very in sync with one another during your time back at the tower."
"Well, we were once closer, but for reasons best left unsaid I had a falling out with the captain of that crew." Usopp sighed "Even with all that happened, I still displayed shameful actions."
The two giants pondered for a bit, before sitting down near the sniper.
"Sogeking, within a crew conflicting ideals are common as fish in the sea. People argue day and night, sometimes taking things too far, take it from us." Oimo assured him.
"During our time sailing under Master Dorry and Master Brogy, we witnessed them quarrel many, many times. We've even quarreled often between ourselves!" Kashi agreed.
"It's like you said, even now they're upholding Elbaf's tradition back on that island. But even though words are spat and fists land, a true bond of comrades lasts eternal!" Oimo grinned.
"R-Really? The things I said that night were really hurtful…" Usopp mumbled.
"Of course! If that 'Straw Hat' kid is anything to go by, then he's full of heart and has a warrior's honor! Why, I'd say that at this moment they're thinking about you right now!"
Unbeknownst to the giants and Usopp, back at the house the sniper indeed happens to be a point of conversation. After the madness that is Luffy's Grandad, the crew took the rest of the day to relax while their captain and the two marine boys went to catch up. Coby and Helmeppo had left about an hour ago, but not before the former bid one last farewell, vowing to Luffy that he'll become a Marine Admiral one day. The captain only agreed and looks forward to the day they may challenge each other.
The good news was now brought out to those who missed it, now that Franky and Kokoro had departed as well. Both Luffy and Zoro were ecstatic to find out that the cyborg is building them a new ship; finally they can continue their adventure to new destinations! The crew spent a while visualizing what their potential new home will be like, but now their thoughts drifted to another.
"Really? You heard Usopp say he wants to come back?" Luffy gasped.
"Yeah, while you and those two Marines were talking I went out for a walk and I heard him rehearsing a few lines." Sanji replied "Caught on enough to tell what he's thinking."
"Then let's go get him now!" Luffy said "We have to tell him about the new ship too!"
"Usopp's coming back!" Chopper cheered.
"Now hold on!" the voice was authoritative, and enough to bring Luffy and Chopper to a halt "Why should we welcome him back that easily? Especially after all that's happened?"
"Zoro! What are you saying?" Nami chided. The swordsman only glanced at her, his face stone "That's way too harsh!"
"He challenged our captain, and then he lost. He made his choice then." Zoro replied "If he wants to come back then he can do so, but only after he's apologized."
"Come on! Usopp's our friend too!" Nami said again "We've been through so much already!"
"That doesn't change the fact that he disrespected Luffy that night. It doesn't matter who was right or wrong now, that has passed. What does matter is that we deal with the results of those actions, and we've already come to terms with ours, it's time for him to deal with his."
"But I'm sure Usopp-!"
"Have you forgotten that Usopp chose to leave on his own accord?" Zoro stated "Let me remind you that Luffy is still our captain, yet Usopp put his own emotions above that logic. If he can leave that easily, if a crew has people that can't respect their captain's decisions, then it will not last."
The swordsman then turned to Luffy, their eyes locked. Luffy's smile had dropped once more, but he said nothing.
"I'll make this very clear, what you do and how you run things doesn't matter with me. But if you're willing to be disrespected like this and still call yourself a captain, then it will be me who's leaving this crew next!"
"That's going a bit far isn't it?" Chopper yelped "We'll be fractured again!"
"If that's the case, then we're better off apart. I'm not changing my mind, I'm not letting him back on the ship if he has no intention of learning from his mistake."
"Zoro, I know Usopp is partially at fault for this, but can't we talk it out with him after he's come back? We could at least-" Nami tried to coax.
"IS LEAVING A CREW SO SIMPLE OF A DECISION?!"
Zoro's commanding tone was enough to drop all arguments from anyone else who still had them. The swordsman was planted firmly by the doorway, his sword stretched out and blocking any attempts to leave. His glare hard, this decision did not come easy, but it needed to be done.
"Geez, it's possible to discuss this without raising our voices, you know?" Gian sighed as he stood up from where he sat. Nami and Chopper looked at him with pleading eyes, while Zoro's gaze was more expecting. As another figure of authority on this ship, he too had to set an example.
"For starters, I think it goes without saying that we all want him back here. It's like Nami said, we've been through too much already." Nami and Chopper then flinched slightly when Gian suddenly slammed Atom Splitter's hilt down on the wooden floor, though no one else seemed phased.
"That being said, Zoro hit the nail on the head with this one. If we let him back like nothing's happen, how would anything change? How do we know he won't just get up and leave us again?"
"G-Gian! Don't say that! We can at least trust-!" Nami stammered, but the First Mate held up a hand.
"I want to tell you all a little example, this being about Usopp's father." Through all this, Luffy still didn't say anything, still deep in thought.
"As some of you may know, Usopp's dad is man named Yasopp, he's a part of the crew of 'Red Hair' Shanks of the Yonko. When I was still taking refuge on their ship, there have been many times where Yasopp-san and Shanks-san would not see eye to eye, be it their clashing personalities or a particular decision that did not sit well with the other. Sometimes arguments result, that's all natural."
"But despite this, even with all the disagreement in the world, Yasopp-san never once challenged his captain to a fight, and not once did he ever threaten to leave the crew. In the end, his respect and trust of his captain spoke more than petty conflict, and if a person cannot even have that, then they have no place in a pirate crew."
Gian sat down once again, letting his words sink in "So it's as Zoro said, if Usopp thinks he can just disrespect our captain due to his emotions running high, then he needs to realize whose flag he sails under. He needs to realize that while we're lucky to have him, there's rules of law around here. If he decides to return to us with an apology ready, then we'll accept him with open arms. But if it's any excuse, then not only will we leave him here I will personally not allow him to even come near the ship."
Nami and Chopper gulped at that, clearly still wanting to protest, but not able to find the words to match that. This isn't the easy going Gian and Zoro who looked over the crew's shenanigans and sometimes joined in as well; these were figures of authority and seniority, looking out for the greater good of the crew no matter what they might have to say.
"Sorry Nami-san, but they're right." It was now Sanji's turn to speak from his position "We have to realize that it isn't all fun and games out here, and this isn't just a place where you can come and go when you feel like it. If what Usopp did gets overlooked, it could lead to a lot more problems down the line."
The cook sighed before lighting another cigarette "That being said, we're still going to be here for a few days. That should be more than enough time for him to think about his actions, let's hope Usopp makes the right choice then."
Nami didn't have any argument against that, neither did Chopper. They both realized, however harsh it may be, that Usopp has to recognize his own mistakes. Across from them Robin observed silently, with everything that's happened she feels she doesn't have much to add, nor is it her place to say much in this situation. A part of her wondered, had everything not happened, would things have gone differently when they've arrived at Water 7?
"Guys," Luffy finally broke his silence "You don't have to worry about a thing. I know what I have to do." He finally allowed himself to smile.
And everyone was fine with that.
A/N: I did say I won't take as long to update, didn't I? This chapter is a bit simple, and not much has happened in regards to a lot of things, we're sticking closer to canon for this chapter and the next, due it being more of a downtime chapter. The next chapter will be wrapping up the Enies Lobby arc though, then it will be a bonus chapter to tie in a few things before we move onto Thriller Bark.
Now the one thing I will address here is Funkfreed. I know a lot of you wanted him to either join the crew as Gian's pet or secondary weapon, and I will admit I've played with the idea a little bit. But the more I tried to think about it as a possibility, the more I realized I have no idea how to put them together. I have enough to try and put focus onto Gian alone, I don't know if I'm at the level where I can write them both together. So in the end I did get him away from Spandam, and he'll be living in Water 7 with the Franky Family from now on. So I apologize if anyone would get disappointed, but that's ultimately what I decided to do. Because of the above reason, any concept of Gian potentially having a pet might as well be shelved as well, though I will say there will be a lot of animals that he gets close to as the story goes on.
G: I feel thrown for a curve.
Why have 1 animal friend when you can meet multiple?
G: Does that really make it better?
In the end, Thanks for everything! We'll see you next chapter!
Responses to reviews:
To MAJORMATT1234:
G: At least you're honest.
Thank you! I'll try to think up a lot of things for them to do together!
To Darkmaster100000:
Unfortunately, I won't be writing lemons for this story. I don't really have a whole lot of experience in writing romantic moments in the first place, let alone anything more explicit. That being said, there will be moments where more intimacy happened, you'll just have to use your imaginations on what potentially occurred!
G: On the other hand if any writer out there wants to try their hand at writing smut of any of the characters in this story, me included, I'm down to see it.
Go to Horny Jail. *bonk*
To Mr Dove:
There will be female Kaiju-Zoan users, but as for whether or not they'll be hitting on Gian is something else altogether.
G: I'm not a piece of meat bruh, my eyes are up here.
To Khaos05:
You are very welcome friend.
G: Yes you are.
To Cyrusgripe:
Gian has heard of the place, but he thought it's only a myth.
G: Spoilers much?
To Raidentensho:
I'm glad I got a bit of positive reception on how I wrote the pairing, I'll try to add more soon!
To KaijuEmperor:
G: And you'll be noticed every time!
Glad you liked it!
To DR5996:
We have a lot of future plans, that's for sure!
To Mqya:
Here's another update for ya!
Hope you stay safe as well!
To shit a brick:
Glad this story is able to give you something to look forward to, if it can do that, I'll gladly be here.
To tamagat:
G: I mean… I did in 4 of them…
You will never be absolved.
G: I don't think that word means what you think it does.
To Patrica Louise A. Pena:
Anguirus will have a pretty big role later in the story, I'll say that much.
To The Storm Master 567:
Yeah I always wanted to reference some of the fillers, so that's how I kind of put them in there since we're moving across the main story a lot.
G: and I love her too.
To Canadian Magus:
He's here!
G: Weird guy.
You don't know the whole story.
To Romancer:
Some people will know, that's for sure!
G: Big News!
We're not there yet.
To PIZZASAURUS REX:
We didn't see everyone here, but they'll be more or less in the fold after a bit!
To That Guy:
Gian and Franky is on par with each other in terms of strength when he's not transformed.
G: We both swole.
To Supermechaforce8:
I feel like at this point I will have to reference all the suggestions you've made somehow despite what I posted.
G: It would be fun to incorporate them somehow.
To SolanaLeonhart:
Yeah, after this, the story will be focused more on Kaiju-Zoan users at least for Gian. Keep in mind for the chapter after the next, it's something Kaiju-Zoan related.
To Story Artist:
New Bounties will be there next chapter, try to look forward to that!
To Kaiju Avenger:
Let's just say, when we get to the New World, they'll be seeing a lot about Kaiju.
To RulersofEarth4vr:
Gian does not have the Will of D., this was established early on and with how many OCs that all happen to have D. in their initials do you really want to see another one?
G: This isn't a diss it's just what we've been seeing.
And yes, there will be some movies in this story, in fact Strong World is coming up soon!
To biowolf864:
G: Kiki, do you love me, are-
No
To Music Master:
G: OST means original soundtrack!
And definitely Moana's soundtrack is easily one of the best in recent Disney movies.
To classicUSmonster:
Oh yeah, Thriller Bark will be a lot of fun. You just wait and see.
To The Question:
As a matter of fact, some of the lore in this story is actually partially inspired by Godzilla Neo!
And there will be a form change relatively soon in the story.
To ideamaster117:
Not all the Supernovas will have Kaiju-Zoan users, but they may have heard of them. That being said, Kid will definitely have one, and you can start making theories about Law.
To cl9763:
Ace's tattoo was always ASCE.
G: And the last time I knew of that lab was 8 years ago as of this chapter, there must've been a typo
To Gian smash Robin:
G: Wow, right on the nose with that name aren't ya?
I mean, right now it's safe to say Luffy is still way stronger than Zoro. Considering the people he's faced are all higher tier than Zoro's opponents so far it's safe to say there's still a difference.
But here's the thing, with Kaiju-Zoans added to this story, power level can't be judged by what they are in canon as much. Some of the characters have actually defeated Kaiju-Zoan users here, and it'll be shown later after the timeskip, Straw Hats included.
To nicorobinlove35:
G: Ahhh I see you're a man of culture as well.
They could be a girl or something…
And that's all for now, we'll see you next time!
G: Leave a review so Redd will come back to our Island!
That sonovabitch scammed me I need to drag him to the docks.