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Dock One, Temporary Residence of the Straw Hat Pirates
Ezio sat across from Luffy, watching the rubber captain shove food in his mouth. The Assassin Mentor watched in fascination. Not at Luffy's eating capacity or his lack of table manners, but the fact that he was eating while sound asleep. His arms were flying across the dishes with rapid speed and accuracy. Despite being asleep, the pirate captain's arms and mouth moved on their own accord, and not once did they miss or drop any food.
Ezio watched with keen interest. He wasn't wearing his Assassin robes, but a simple long-sleeved shirt and simple pants. He didn't have his Hidden Blades strapped to his wrists as his clothes and weapons were still in the wardrobe. There was really no point in putting his Assassin gear back on since he was still wasn't up to moving around and would likely be needing more rest.
Ezio would have been happy to go shirtless, particularly for Nami and Robin, however, Sanji had forced him to put a shirt on when he caught Nami staring at Ezio's impressive and toned physique.
"Truly, how does he do it?" Ezio wondered. "Where does it all go?"
"Luffy ate the Gomu-Gomu Fruit. He's got rubber organs, they can stretch and expand like the rest of his body. It means he can eat way more than the rest of us," Sanji explained as he served up another dish and brought it over to the table.
Luffy swiped it off the plate and shoved it in his mouth the moment the plate had touched the table.
"Has he always been able to do this?" Ezio asked.
"Be a glutton, yes. Sleep eating, no. That is a recent development," Sanji explained. "He started doing it just after our adventures in Alabasta. After his battle with Crocodile, he slept for three days straight. When he woke up, he realized he'd missed fifteen meals. After he left, he vowed never to miss that many meals again, and this is the result."
"Well, I respect a man who stays true to his convictions," Ezio commented. "Though... I do wonder..."
The next plate Sanji brought over, Ezio pulled towards himself, and Luffy's hand followed the plate. Ezio kept the plate out of reach, and Luffy's hand kept trying to grab the food; no matter where Ezio moved the food, Luffy followed.
"Interesting... very interesting," Ezio said and put the plate down. The food vanished the moment he did.
"Oi, don't tease him," Sanji warned.
Ezio gave Sanji a light smile before continuing to watch Luffy. After several more dishes, the door to the temporary shelter opened, and Kokoro and Chimney walked in.
"Good afternoon," Kokoro announced.
"We're here!" Chimney cheered as she ran inside.
"Ciao bellas," Ezio greeted.
"Hey, where's Straw Hat's boy?" Chimney asked, noticing that Connor wasn't there.
"He went out with Robin and Chopper to check on the Franky Family and the Giants. They'll be back soon," Sanji answered.
"Aww... I wanted to play in the pool with him," Chimney whined.
"Well, I am glad to see everyone is up and about. Straw Hat seems so lively," Kokoro said.
"Take a closer look," Sanji said and pointed at Luffy's face, and the rubber captain was fast asleep. "He's sleep eating."
"Oh my, I didn't think that was possible," Kokoro said.
"We lost all our money and possessions in Aqua Laguna," Sanji explained. "Our stuff was in the inn, in the backstreets."
"Ah, so that's what all the commotion was about outside," Kokoro realized.
"Commotion? Has the crowd of reporters finally moved on?" Ezio asked curiously, taking a quick glance at the side windows that faced the outer wall of Dock One. The curtains were closed to block any onlookers and keep the light out while everyone was sleeping.
There had been an ever-growing crowd of reporters and citizens outside Dock One, all of them shouting and demanding to see the pirates. Iceberg claimed they'd been there ever since word got around that the Straw Hats had returned, and they'd been camped out there all day, shouting and demanding to see Iceberg's saviours, as well as demand interviews, photos. Some females were shouting how they would gladly fill the role Kelifa left vacant. Thankfully, the crowd only remained during the day and well into the night. Iceberg set some of the workers as guards to prevent the crowd from breaking in after one or two reporters had been caught trying to sneak in at night.
The Straw Hats hadn't really noticed it while they were recovering, but now it was annoying. If anyone wanted to leave or enter Dock One, they had to go through the staff entrance around the back that was only known to the Galley-la workers.
"Nah-uh, they're still there," Chimney claimed.
"It'll just get worse. Puffing Tom started coming in today," Kokoro stated. "The first train arrived an hour ago, bringing everyone who left for Aqua Laguna back."
"At least we are all awake now," Sanji sighed as he served up some more food for Luffy and began to whip something up for Ezio, Kokoro, and Chimney.
As he was cooking, a few of the Galley-la workers came in, carrying large bags, several belongings, and four orange trees. Nami jumped out of her chair and ran over to them, wrapping her arms around the trees. The men explained that when the Straw Hats were accused of trying to kill Iceberg, their belongings were confiscated from the inn where they were staying. Now that the crew had been cleared of the false charges, they could have everything back.
Nami was very relieved and immediately began going through the crew's belongings to make sure nothing was missing. She counted the 100 million berries three times to make sure it was all there. As she was doing so, Robin, Chopper, and Connor returned.
"We're back," Chopper announced.
Sanji immediately swooned over Robin and took her bag that she was carrying from her.
"I went and checked on the Franky Family's wounds. They're healing up nicely," Chopper reported, doing a mock salute. "And I didn't let Robin out of my sight."
"And I didn't let any strange men near her," Connor added, also doing a salute.
"Excellent work. I knew I could depend on both of you," Sanji said with pride, saluting the two back.
"I told you I'm not going anywhere," Robin said with a smile.
"ROBIN, CHOPPER, CONNOR! LOOK, ALL OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS SURVIVED! WE CAN CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY!" Nami cheered excitedly.
"Really? Hooray!" Chopper cheered.
"Are the books that Robin bought for me here?" Connor asked, running over to start searching the pile. Robin watched as Connor and Chopper started going through the pile with Nami, and she chuckled. However, she stopped the second she felt Ezio's eyes on her and stared back at him. He gave her a small smile.
"Did you need something?" Robin asked in a stoic voice.
"No, just admiring your beautiful smile," Ezio complimented. Suddenly, a wet sponge was thrown in his face.
"DON'T FLIRT WITH ROBIN-SWAN!" Sanji yelled angrily.
"Ah, Ezio," Chopper said, putting down what he was holding and walking over to him. "How are you feeling? Has your fever come back?"
"I am well, and no, it hasn't," Ezio answered. He then looked at Robin again. "Though I am all the better for being in your company," he added with a flirtatious tone.
"BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!" Sanji screamed.
"Are you saying it is wrong to praise such a beautiful woman and shower them with compliments?" Ezio asked.
"Well... no... but... Robin-chan is beautiful," Sanji agreed.
"That she is, as is Nami," Ezio agreed. "They must both be treated like the goddesses they are, and we as men must show them that we are worthy of their affection, no?"
"Yes, absolutely," Sanji agreed.
"Then I shall continue to do so," Ezio said, then turned to face Nami. "Now that I am feeling better, how about we take a nice private Yagara ride down the canals?"
"HEY, WAIT A SECOND! DON'T FLIRT WITH NAMI-SWAN EITHER!" Sanji demanded. "I'LL GUT YOU!"
Ezio laughed, and Nami sighed. Chopper watched Ezio and Sanji, he had been worried about Ezio, the Assassin mentor, who had been gravely ill for the last 5 days. Ever since they escaped, Ezio had been struck with a very high and uncontrollable fever that had left the doctor at a loss for words on what to do. So much so that there were a few times Chopper thought Ezio would not make it. He'd been very worried when Sanji told Chopper that Ezio had woken up briefly and taken his own medicine. However, when Chopper had checked on Ezio immediately after learning this, the tiny doctor discovered Ezio's fever was not going up but wasn't going down either.
Believing that the medicine Ezio had drunk would help, he followed the instructions that Sanji had been given and continued to give Ezio one vial of the strange medicine each subsequent day. That had not meant Ezio was out of danger, far from it, as the Assassin fever still continued to increase little by little. On top of that, the assassin still remained unconscious and in a fever-induced sleep for 2 more days, leaving Chopper and the Straw Hats to keep an eye on him and provide round-the-clock care and observation to ensure Ezio did not succumb to it as a constant high fever brought on more medical problems like severe dehydration.
Even though the crew themselves were tired and exhausted, they still took turns keeping an eye on Ezio. Robin, however, didn't get close to the man and preferred to observe him from afar or with her powers. Looking after Ezio at night was left to Connor since he was up anyway. Chopper would watch Ezio until Connor woke up from his nightmares (which was now far earlier than normal), and the boy would keep an eye on Ezio with very instructions on what to do and orders to wake Chopper if Ezio got worse," the crew had been given these instructions. On the third day, Ezio's fever had finally broken, and the assassin opened his eyes for the first time in days. However, while Ezio was not delirious, he was still very weak. Chopper had managed to get him into a bath and get some soup into him before the assassin returned to his slumber once more. This time without the fever, Chopper woke him up for 15-20 minutes every 2 hours to get Ezio to eat and drink something.
During that time, Ezio had confessed that the medicine itself didn't actually help with the fever, it just stopped it from getting too high too fast. It worried all the Straw Hats greatly since they had all recovered and only Ezio and Luffy were left bedridden. That was until late afternoon on the fourth day when Ezio started to regain his strength. Though he had made comments about getting dizzy easily and being low on energy, additionally, he needed someone to support him when moving around.
All in all, Ezio had spent the last 5 and a half days in bed. Chopper had tried to press Ezio for answers on what had caused his condition. However, Ezio had been evading the question by claiming he wasn't feeling well or needed to lie down every time Chopper asked.
"Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on him," Sanji assured as he brought over some scrambled eggs on dry toast for Ezio, Chimney, and Kokoro. Chopper eyed Ezio as he eagerly dug into his eggs on toast in concern. He hadn't told the crew that Ezio had almost died a few times during the last couple of days, and if Chopper hadn't been paying as close attention to him as he was, the assassin would not be here.
"Anything interesting going on in town?" Nami asked.
"Yeah, Paulie is leading the Galley-La workers to start repairing the city, and the Giants are helping them," Connor answered. "Also, the Franky family is rebuilding their house."
"Why would they need to rebuild?" Robin asked. "Surely it was reinforced against the tidal wave."
"The boys destroyed it when they stole our money," Nami answered sheepishly.
Suddenly, the door burst open again, and Franky stood there in a pose with the Square Sisters. "Hey, all, is everyone feeling SUPER today!" Franky shouted.
However, the response he got was silence as the whole room stared at him.
"Franky, what are you doing here?" Connor asked.
"Huh, not everyone is here," Franky commented when he noticed Zoro wasn't there. "Ah well, I can tell you guys, and you can pass the message along."
Franky sat down and crossed his legs.
"So there is an island out there that is always at war," he started.
Sanji opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but Ezio beat him to it.
"Which one?" Ezio asked.
"Huh?"
"The island that is at war, which one is it?" Ezio clarified.
"It doesn't matter, just shut it and listen to the story," Franky snapped. Ezio shrugged in response and took another bite of his toast.
"As I was saying, there is an island out there constantly at war. If anyone tried to live on it, they would be bombarded by constant massive amounts of cannon fire and shells from the warring sides. In the center of this island, there is a massive tree that has stood firm. No matter how much the cannons hit it or how hot the island burned around it, the tree remained standing," Franky continued. "And the people of that island took shelter under it for safety. They built their own community under this tree that protects them from the war that still rages on to this day."
"That's a nice story," Robin commented.
"Wow…there's a tree like that out in the world," Chopper said in awe.
"There is. It's called Adam," Franky claimed. "And the wood that can be cut and harvested from this tree is called Miracle Wood because it has the strength and durability as the tree itself."
"Okay, but why are you telling us this?" Sanji asked.
"Because occasionally wood from that same tree gets sold on the black market," Franky said. "It costs millions and millions of berries for a single piece of lumber. I've always wanted to get my hands on such wood but never had the funds…that is until a certain group of pirates came to Water 7 with 300 million berries."
"YOU BASTARD! YOU SPENT OUR MONEY ON WOOD!" Sanji shouted in anger.
"I did. With the whole 200 mil you guys had, I bought every last piece of Treasure Wood on the black market," Franky said. "All so I could do what I've always dreamed of."
"What is that?" Connor asked.
"I know this may seem strange, but I used to be a shipwright," Franky admitted. "Iceberg and I were apprentices to the man who constructed the sea train. If you don't believe me, you can ask Kokoro. She also helped build the train."
"Really, Grandma?" Chimney asked, impressed.
"Of course. Why do you think I know how to drive the damn thing?" Kokoro stated and took a swig from her bottle.
"Anyway, I long swore off building ships, but before I did, I drew up blueprints for a dream ship. A ship I have always wanted to build out of the best materials on the planet. I decided a long time ago that nothing less than Adam's wood would do. Now that I have it, there is nothing stopping me from building this ship," Franky continued. "However, a ship is only a ship if it sails."
"Franky…are you saying what I think you're saying?" Sanji asked.
"Yeah, I'm going to build this ship, and I want your crew to sail it," Frankly said seriously.
"But won't the ship be yours if you build it?" Connor asked.
"Sure, and that means I can give it to whoever I want. Besides, it was your crew's money that paid for the materials, so as far as I'm concerned, it's your ship too. Besides, if there are people I like taking care of it, then I'll be content with that," Franky said.
"This is… THIS IS AMAZING!" Nami squealed in delight. "WE GET A NEW SHIP!"
"Whoa, FRANKY YOU'RE REALLY A GOOD GUY!" Chopper cheered.
"ON TO THE NEXT ISLAND!" Sanji shouted with joy.
"This is good news," Robin nodded.
Connor stared at Franky, unsure how to react. "So soon?" he asked.
"Excuse me, but how long will it take to build?" Ezio asked.
"I'll need to go over my old blueprints to check a few things, and I want to ask everyone if they have any requests that they want added to the design first," Franky answered. "I've told Iceberg my plan, and he's dedicating 85% of the Galley-la to help. Once we start building… I'd say 3 maybe 4 days tops."
"That's good news, the log only takes 7 days to set so you can set out as soon as your new ship is ready," Kokoro claimed.
"Will this entire ship be made from Treasure wood?" Ezio asked.
"Yeah, it will be. I have more than enough for this ship. I've got a few extra projects in mind, and even after that, I'm sure I'll have leftovers too," Franky claimed.
Ezio leaned back in his chair. "A ship made out of Treasure wood. Your crew is very lucky indeed," he mused.
"Why is that?" Connor asked.
"Because there has only been one other ship fully constructed of Treasure wood. The Oro Jackson," Ezio claimed. "Franky is giving you a mighty gift."
The room went silent as it finally sunk in just how amazing of a ship that Franky was not only going to build but also gift to the Straw Hat Pirates.
"That's right, I'm giving you a ship that can conquer any sea. Just like the one Gold Roger had," Franky smiled. He then reached a hand back, and Kiwi handed him a notebook and a quill.
"Now while I've got you here, how about you tell me any requests you have," Franky said.
"Requests? For what?" Connor asked.
"Requests for the design of the new ship," Franky clarified. "Anything you want to be added or changed, now's the time to speak up," Franky clarified "I'll need to know before I start building,"
"I want a fridge with a lock," Sanji immediately declared.
"A fridge with a lock?" Franky asked, confused.
"Luffy has a habit of eating all our food when we're at sea," Sanji claimed, "also I wouldn't mind if the kitchen was on the larger size."
"Ah, easy Sanji-bro," Franky said and wrote that down. "Anyone else?"
"I wouldn't mind a place to draw my maps in peace," Nami claimed. "The Merry didn't exactly have a private room for something like that. Also, a place where we can secure our treasure."
"A private study and a treasure room for Nami-sis," Franky repeated and he jotted it down. "Got it."
"A reading room," Robin said simply.
Franky nodded. His blueprints already accounted for that, so maybe he could expand on it a bit. "I'll make the most SUPER reading room you've ever seen, Robin-sis."
"I want my own office to treat patients and injuries," Chopper said.
"There's an infirmary already in the ship's blueprints. I could add a separate area for medical research," Franky informed.
"That would be great, I want that," Chopper squealed. Franky nodded and then looked at Connor.
"How about you, little-bro, got any requests?"
"Well…no…no, I'm fine," Connor said nervously and held one of his books close to his chest.
"Hm, you sure?"
"Yes," the boy responded, looking away.
"Connor, if there is something you want on the ship, you can have it," Robin said gently. "I'm sure no one will mind."
"It's nothing, really," Connor claimed.
Franky frowned. He wasn't convinced. It looked like Connor wanted to make a request of his own but was holding it back. He looked at Robin for answers, but the archaeologist just shrugged. Ezio watched the exchange with interest.
"Well, if you think of something, let me know sooner rather than later," Franky said. "That way I can add it into the design. I'll need Luffy-bro's and Zoro-bro's requests too, but I can get that later, so if you think of anything, tell me then."
Connor nodded, and Franky had a sneaking suspicion that the boy wouldn't do so at all. Ezio replayed the conversation in his head. The Straw Hats would be leaving once the ship was built, that gave him a few more days. He'd need to call home and arrange for someone to come get him. He just hoped he hadn't worried his friends and family too much in his absence.
He wondered if he would be able to borrow a snail phone. Surly the Galley-la had a few and would let him use one of them to arrange for transport home. As he was thinking about this he suddenly sensed something approach, his head snapped to face the side wall and he suddenly stood up.
"Get away from the wall," Ezio warned.
Everyone looked at him confused, and then suddenly, the side wall was smashed open, and the room was filled with dust. Everyone except Luffy got on guard as not even the smashing through the wall had woken the Rubber Captain.
"Is this the residence of the Straw Hat pirates?" a shadowy imposing figure asked in the dust. "I have some men who want to meet Straw Hat Luffy."
When the dust cleared, standing there was a tall, imposing Marine wearing a Vice-Admiral's coat and a dog's hat that obscured his face. Behind the Vice-Admiral was a large amount of Marines that stood blocking the hole. With the amount outside, it was likely that the building was surrounded. Ezio's eyes narrowed; he knew who this was and his eyes darted to the wardrobe. His weapons and robe were inside, but he doubted he'd be able to get to them without provoking the Marines.
The Admiral's eyes trailed over everyone in the room, assessing them as they did, and they passed over Ezio before landing on Luffy. The Vice Admiral grinned.
"Ah, there he is," he said, and before any of the Straw hats could react, the Vice Admiral rushed past him. Ezio tensed up. Judging by everyone's reaction, none of the occupants other than him saw that the Vice Admiral had moved before he'd passed them and had closed in on Luffy.
Sanji and Franky whirled around in shock as the Vice Admiral reeled back his fist. Ezio looked at the table for anything he could use as a weapon, but the only thing close was the empty plates as there was no cutlery on the table.
"WAKE UP, LUFFY!" the Vice Admiral shouted and unleashed his punch directly onto the straw hat captain's head.
The blow was dealt with such force that the table slid, and all the dishes were broken, leaving a huge gaping hole in the floor. Ezio instinctively jumped back. However, without a lack of something to support him, Ezio fell onto one knee and started panting heavily.
"Cazzo," Ezio swore. Under normal circumstances, he would not be so heavily winded from such a movement. This was further proof that he was still not fully recovered from his fever.
"Luffy!" Chopper cried out.
"This is bad," Nami hissed.
"Ow…Ow…That hurt," Luffy complained. The rubber captain was now wide awake and wriggling on the ground in pain and crying from it.
"Huh, hurt? That was a punch. You're made of rubber. How did that hurt you?" Sanji demanded.
The Marine admiral smiled. "Of course, it hurt him. There is no defence against my fist of love," the Vice Admiral said. "I hear you and Ace have been acting recklessly again, Luffy."
Luffy stopped wriggling around and looked up at the Vice Admiral. Fear and dread filled his face.
"G…G…GRANDPA!" Luffy cried out in horror.
"GRANDPA!" Sanji, Nami, Franky, Ezio, Connor, and Chopper cried out in shock. Robin just blinked a few times.
Outside, there were surprised murmurs amongst the Marines. "Garp has a grandson?" "Did you know?" "If I had a pirate for a grandson, then I would hide it too," "Wait, if Straw Hat is Garp's grandson, then does that mean he has a son or daughter out there…." "Now there is a scary thought."
"Garp? As in the Garp?" Nami asked in shock after hearing the Marines. "The hero of the Marines and the one who arrested Gol D. Roger?"
Sanji looked at Luffy. "Oi Luffy, is this really your grandfather?"
"He is. Don't try to fight him. He'll kill you with ease. Neither me nor Ace have ever beaten him," Luffy claimed. "He nearly killed me and Ace tons of times in the past."
All the Straw Hats couldn't believe what Luffy had just said. Luffy had proven time and time again that he was a force to be reckoned with and Ace was even stronger than that. But now learning that Garp, their grandfather, was stronger than both of them combined.
"Now Luffy, when I threw you into that bottomless pit, left you alone in a jungle filled with carnivorous predators, tied you to some balloons and let you go into the air, along with all my other personally reasonable training methods, I did this to turn you into a strong Marine," Garp declared. "And then as soon as I turn my back, you get corrupted by that Red Haired pirate."
"I think I understand what gives Luffy his endless will to live," Sanji commented.
"Still, I have to say, at least one good thing came out of your meeting with Shanks," Garp mused. "You got a devil fruit which meant I could up the intensity of yours and Ace's training since your body was able to handle it."
"THAT ALL HAPPENED BEFORE HE ATE HIS DEVIL FRUIT!" the Straw Hats yelled.
Luffy jumped up.
"Shut up! Shanks saved my life, and I told you I always wanted to be a Pirate," Luffy shot back. "Not some dumb stuffy marine in a coat that doesn't even look cool."
Garp leaned forward and grabbed Luffy by the front of his shirt. He pulled back a fist ready to punch Luffy again. "IS THAT HOW YOU SPEAK TO YOUR GRANDPA!"
"Agghhh…I'm sorry…" Luffy cried out and started wiggling in Garp's grasp, trying to get away but couldn't.
"Oh no, the Marines have caught Luffy," Chopper panicked.
"This is bad. If we try to stop him, those soldiers will jump on us," Sanji said.
"Then what do we do?" Connor asked, worried.
Suddenly, both Luffy and Garp fell asleep, shocking the occupants in the room. None of them knew how to react to this, even Ezio was unsure what he should do. However, he was very interested in learning more about Garp's family and how he had hidden his relationship with both Ace and Luffy from the world for so long.
Suddenly, Garp woke up.
"Oh, I fell asleep," Garp suddenly realized. He looked at Luffy, whom he was still holding and was still asleep. Anger overcame Garp's face. "Wake up, Luffy, what have I told you about falling asleep while I'm scolding you!"
Garp started to punch Luffy over and over again. Chopper, Nami, Sanji, and Connor sighed. They could now definitely see the displeasure. Franky was still unsure what to do, and Ezio watched cautiously. Once Garp was satisfied, and Luffy had many, many bumps on his head, Garp let him go.
"Now let that be a lesson, don't sleep while I scold you," Garp huffed. He then marched and looked up.
"So, you're Luffy's crew, eh?" Garp said as he walked over to get a good look at everyone. They flinched when Garp leaned in to talk to them, only asking one or two questions about what their role was on the ship. When Garp got to Connor, he mentioned the boy needing the same special training as Ace and Luffy had.
When he got to Nami, he leaned directly into Nami's face. "What do you do for my grandson?"
"I'm…I'm the navigator," Nami answered. Garp nodded and then turned his attention to Robin.
"And Nico Robin…hmmm…" Garp looked at Robin with narrow and appraising eyes.
"Luffy, which one of these is going to be my granddaughter?" Garp asked, turning back to face Luffy.
"NEITHER!" Sanji shouted violently.
"What are you talking about, grandpa?" Luffy asked. "Nami and Robin aren't related to you."
"I know, but which one of them is going to give me great-grandkids?"
"Huh? How can Robin and Nami give you great-grandkids?" Luffy asked innocently.
"YOU CANNOT BE THAT DENSE!" Sanji shouted in anger.
"Luffy, do you know where babies come from?" Chopper asked, who was applying ice to Luffy's bumps and treating the injuries from Garp.
"Sure, the mountains. That's where Ace came from," Luffy smiled.
"The mountains?" Nami asked confused.
"Luffy, why do you think babies come from mountains?" Ezio asked.
"I didn't have Ace in my life until I went to the mountains, and when I asked grandpa about it, he said the mountains gave him grandchildren," Luffy explained.
The whole room stopped and stared at him with deadpan looks. Luffy looked around confused. Connor also wasn't sure why they were looking at him like that either.
"Babies come from mountains," Connor stated in confusion. "That's not what I was told."
Robin knelt down so she was level with his eyes. "What were you told about where babies come from?" she asked.
"The spirits bring them and leave them in their parents' bed as a gift," Connor answered.
"Spirits?"
"My…people's gods,"
"And who told you this?"
"Um…my…mother,"
"Ah, yes. Well, unfortunately, that is not quite what happens," Robin said.
"Then do babies really come from mountains?" Connor asked.
Robin smiled and patted Connor on the head. "Don't worry about it," she said and left it at that, leaving Connor confused.
"By the way, Luffy, I didn't actually come to catch you. There are some people with me who want to speak to you," Garp said.
"Who?" Luffy asked.
"Don't worry about it," she said and left it at that, leaving Connor confused.
"By the way Luffy, I didn't actually come to catch you. There are some people with me who want to speak to you," Garp said.
"Who?" Luffy asked.
He didn't get his answer as there was suddenly the sound of fighting going outside.
"Hmm…what's going on out there?" Garp asked.
A marine lieutenant with a brown hat stepped up. "Pirate hunter Zoro has started attacking our men in the rear. He seems tough."
"He's part of Luffy's crew, right? Sergeant, Major, go see if you can stop him," Garp grinned.
"Yes, sir," a blond and pink-haired marine responded, and they ran to the back. The blond pulled out spinning kukri knives and charged at Zoro, though the swordsman easily blocked it.
Luffy ran out of the hole. "Oi Zoro, stop! We're not fighting these guys," Luffy tried. However, he was silenced when the pink-haired marine rushed up and kicked him under the chin. Luffy managed to avoid it and tried to punch the marine, but he vanished, using the same speed technique as CP9. Seeing this made Luffy mad. Fortunately, he had a lot of recent experience fighting CP9 and was able to grab the pink-haired marine, flip him onto the ground, and pin him there at the same time Zoro blew the blond-haired marine's kukris away and placed his swords at their throat.
"Wait Luffy, it's me," the marine said with a smile. Luffy got a good look at the marine, trying to recognize them. They definitely looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. "It's me, Koby," Koby said, "from Shell Town."
"Koby?" Luffy asked, he took a good look at the man. After a moment, he recognized him. "Oh, Koby!"
"Koby?" Zoro asked, looking over. He withdrew his blades and wandered over as Luffy helped him up. "As in the one who wanted to join the Marines?"
"Yep, it's good to see you and Zoro again," Koby smiled.
"Looks like you really did join the Marines," Zoro commented.
"That's right, I was able to get in after I punched Luffy that day," Koby claimed. "Garp's been giving me special training at Marine HQ," Koby laughed nervously. "I caught his eye not long after you left, and it's made me tone up quite a bit."
"And you're still alive?!" Luffy asked in shock.
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Luffy put his hands on Koby's shoulders and started to shake him violently. "Gramps's training is the absolute worst! I have a devil fruit, and I nearly died. Get away from him while you still can," Luffy said while shaking Koby.
"LUFFY, YOU BETTER NOT BE SPEAKING ILL OF YOUR GRANDFATHER OUT THERE!" Garp shouted from inside the residence.
"WHAAAAA!" cried Luffy. He let go of Koby and hid behind Zoro. The swordsman was very confused, and he peeked into the residence through the hole and saw the Marine Vice Admiral.
"I feel like I missed something," Zoro commented.
Koby laughed at this and looked at Zoro. "Luffy's grandfather is Vice Admiral Garp. I expressed interest in wanting to meet you again after the Alabaster incident, and he said he would see what we could do. Garp learned you guys were headed to Water 7 a few days ago, so we came out here to check on Luffy."
"Okay, then why is Luffy acting like this?" Zoro asked and glanced back at Luffy.
"Garps's training is hard, but it honestly hasn't been that bad," Koby assured. "Besides, I'm better off for it."
Hearing this, Luffy calmed down and came out from hiding behind Zoro.
"I wanted to ask Luffy something: are we still friends?" Koby asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Zoro asked.
"I mean, I'm a Marine now, and you're a wanted pirate. It's my job to capture you, and I wasn't sure, if we were,"
"Yeah, we're friends," Luffy assured. "But you need to be a lot faster and tougher if you want to catch the next Pirate King."
"Oh, don't worry. I definitely will be," Koby declared determinedly.
"Hey, you want to meet my crew? They're funny, and I bet Connor would love to see you again," Luffy said as he patted Koby on the back and gestured to the residence. "Stay for lunch. We'll have a party, and I bet Connor would love to see you."
"Oh, Connor's here too?" Koby asked as he followed Luffy and Zoro to the residence.
"Oh yeah, kid's doing much better now," Zoro commented. "I'm teaching him swordsmanship."
"That's amazing, Zoro. I bet he'll grow up to be as good as you someday," Koby complimented.
"HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" the blond-haired Marine shouted. "DON'T I GET TO COME TO LUNCH AS WELL!"
"Who are you?" they both asked flatly.
"IT'S ME! ME! DON'T YOU RECOGNISE ME!"
"Hi Me, I'm Luffy," Luffy smiled, "you have a weird name."
Zoro bonked him on the head, "that's not his name, you idiot."
"IT'S ME HELEMPO, I'M THE ONE WHO LOCKED ZORO UP AND ORDERED HIS EXECUTION!" Helmeppo claimed.
"Oh…then no, you don't get to come to lunch," Luffy announced, "Zoro, don't let him near mine or Koby's food."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Zoro smirked and looked at Helmeppo, "you hear that? No food for you."
"What?"
"Try not eating for three weeks, and then we'll invite you to the table," Zoro said.
"Koby," Helmeppo whined.
"Sorry, Helmeppo, but you can't outrun your past," Koby commented.
Once they were inside, Luffy introduced his crew to Koby. The marine was happy to meet Luffy's friends, and much to the surprise of many of the Straw Hats, he was even familiar with Connor, commenting on how much better and healthier the boy looked. Connor also seemed somewhat comfortable around Koby. Nami made a comment about how the marine knew Connor, and Koby told them he'd been with Luffy when the rubber captain found the boy the first time and how he'd arranged for medical care and helped Luffy take care of him while they were in Shell Town.
Koby admitted that Connor was very quiet back then, and he'd worried when Luffy had taken the weak and near-starved boy with him, but he was glad Connor was doing okay now. Hearing this immediately made the rest of the crew like Koby, with Chopper praising Koby for his early care.
Ezio and Franky were both confused about what Coby was talking about. Luffy said he'd fill them in later, and the subject was dropped. Luffy demanded Sanji make Koby some meat while Koby was eating and getting to know Luffy's crew.
Garp stepped out and faced his men. "Alright, so we're not catching these pirates today. Coby's got business with them, so while he takes care of that, you lot fix this hole," Garp ordered and gestured to the hole he made.
"WHAT? WHY DO WE HAVE TO FIX IT!" The Marines shot back.
"Because it will let in a draft," Garp claimed, like it was obvious.
"Sir, if that is the case, you should help too," a Marine pointed out.
"Eh, why do I have to fix it?"
"YOU BROKE IT!" the Marines shouted back.
"Fine," Garp whined.
Fortunately, since there was no shortage of materials and tools, the Marines got to work. The Straw Hats kept a wary eye on the Marines as they came in and out, but they never bothered them. One or two Marines approached the crew to ask about some of their more outrageous feats to confirm whether or not it was true, as they didn't believe them.
"Is it true you invaded the G5 base from the sky?"
"Nah, we didn't invade, we just landed there," Luffy claimed.
"What about the rumour that you took down the pirate rookie Bellamy in one punch?"
"Oh yeah, that's true."
While Luffy had been outside with Coby, Chopper had helped Ezio to a chair. So far, the Marines hadn't even looked in his direction, apart from when Garp asked him what he did for Luffy on his ship. Ezio responded that he didn't hold any position on the ship and when Garp asked him why he needed support and assistance to a chair, Ezio claimed that the escape from Enies Lobby had taken a heavy toll on him.
None of this was a lie; he really had no position on Luffy's ship, and the escape from Enies Lobby was what caused his weakened state. Garp didn't comment further, and Ezio was perfectly content to let Garp come to his own conclusion that he was one of Luffy's crew. The Straw Hats didn't correct the vice admiral either since Ezio hadn't lied, nor had Garp openly stated his conclusion. However, if the Marines opened the wardrobe, they would find his robes and likely figure out his identity. Ezio was in no condition to fight, and he doubted Luffy's relationship with Garp would help him.
"So Luffy, is Garp really your grandfather?" Zoro asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know much about what he does. He never talked about his work when he visited me and Ace when we were younger," Luffy answered. "He was always out at sea."
That made sense; Garp was a vice admiral after all.
"Oh, by the way, Luffy. I heard you met your dad in Logue Town," Garp commented. "Apparently, he saw you off."
"Huh? Dad? I have a dad?" Luffy asked, confused.
"Of course you do, the Marine Captain who was there reported his presence. I think his name was Smoker," Garp said.
"Smoky's my dad!" Luffy panicked.
"Eh? Of course, he's not," Garp claimed. "Your father's the Revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon."
Suddenly, the whole room stopped, and several Marines dropped the tools and supplies they were holding. A look of sheer horror, panic, surprise, and a mix of several other emotions filled everyone's faces. Even Ezio was left at a loss for words. Dragon had a son, and no one knew about it.
"LUFFY IS THAT DRAGON'S SON!" Coby shouted.
"BUT IF HE'S GARP'S GRANDSON…THAT MEANS GARP IS DRAGON'S FATHER!" another Marine shouted in realization.
Luffy was confused about why everyone was reacting like this. He looked at his crew.
"Why is everyone reacting like this?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy, how do you not know who Dragon is?" Sanji demanded.
"That's right, your father is completely outrageous," Nami agreed. "Even more so than you."
"Well…this is an interesting development. It is impressive that Garp hid this so long from the government," Ezio said with approval. Though in his mind, he was calculating what to do with this information.
Luffy turned to look at Robin. "Oi Robin, who's Dragon?" Luffy asked. Out of all of Luffy's crew, Robin had been the most knowledgeable of events and people in the Grand Line with her underworld connections.
"Well, he's technically a pirate, but at the same time, he's not," Robin answered.
"I don't get it," Luffy responded.
"Hmm… let's see… how do I explain… most pirates in the world would not actively try to disrupt governments. They may plunder a kingdom or islands, but that is as far as they will take it. While it is true some pirates try to take over kingdoms and islands, they tend to stick to the island that they conquered," Robin explained. "Dragon, on the other hand, doesn't stop at a single island. He starts and supports civil wars all over the place, causes havoc, makes people rise up against their elected leader, and sometimes sweeps in and conquers the kingdoms he started the wars in for resources," Ezio added.
"That's right, he is actively encouraging people to overthrow monarchies and even the world government. Countless countries have fallen due to his ideals and influence. Some by his own hand, and others have been wiped out by wars that started by following his ideals. If a country suddenly starts a civil war or stops their tribute, the government automatically assumes Dragon is involved and sends Cipher Pol Agents to investigate. Even if they find a connection, he's never been caught. Because of all this, the world government is naturally more upset and angry at Dragon than any other group in the world. Dragon has been confirmed to be the puppet master behind countless incidents in the last four decades and has been labelled the most wanted man in the world," Robin finished.
"The world government and other organizations have been trying to hunt him down for nearly 40 years. But none have succeeded, he always eludes them, and despite their best efforts, no one ever knew where he came from," Ezio said seriously, and he looked at Garp. "Until now."
Luffy now understood how serious the situation was. His father was the most wanted man in the world, and Garp had kept it hidden. Likely, he had helped cover up Dragon's birth, existence, and erase any trace of where the man had come from and any kind of family. Luffy stared at his grandfather; no wonder he pushed Luffy and Ace to be Marines when they were younger. Had they joined and gone far in the Marines, the government wouldn't be able to touch them if they reached a high enough rank as they would be considered too valuable an asset. But since Ace and Luffy were now both well-known and notorious pirates…if word got out, then they would be prime targets for anyone who wanted to catch Dragon.
"Ah. I probably shouldn't have said all that. Everyone forget what you heard, okay?" Garp said casually.
Once again, everyone reacted in shock to Garp's proclamation, and the Vice Admiral laughed at everyone's reactions.
"Why'd you keep this a secret?" Luffy asked.
Garp let out a long sigh. "I didn't want you to get involved in his mess. Given what Ace went through when I told him of his true parentage. I wanted you and Ace to have a normal lives," he answered "why do you think I pushed you two join the Marines,"
Luffy didn't know what else to say. He never thought he had a father, and now he found out he had the most wanted man in the world as a father and Garp had kept it hidden for almost two decades. It was a lot to take in.
Meanwhile, the Marines were still in shock, trying to process what they had just learned. Dragon had a son, and Garp was his father. It was a bombshell that would shake the world if it ever got out.
"Hold on, Ace isn't your brother?" Sanji asked in surprise.
"He is," Luffy snapped back.
"Ace is not related to Luffy by blood. I adopted Ace into my family at request of his father before he died, this was before Luffy was born," Garp clarified "so Ace is both Luffy's brother and my grandson too,"
"That makes sense, I thought it was odd Ace and Luffy had different family names," Nami mused "But then…who is Aces real parents?"
"Eh just an old rival of mine, no one important," Garp shrugged.
"What are you talking about Gramps, Ace's dad was Gold Rodger," Luffy supplied innocently "how is he not important?"
Suddenly the sound of loud crashing and tolls hitting the ground was heard. Luffy and Garp looked around and all the marines had fainted with their jaws wide open, likely due to the information overload of Garp's Family relations. Luffy looked at them confused and then looked at his own crew, they had equally shocked expressions and were passed out too. Only Robin and Ezio were still standing. Both were staring at Luffy and Garp with shocked expressions on their faces.
"Huh, what's with them?" Garp asked.
"Don't know, marines are weird," Luffy responded.
Robin chuckled at the response and Ezio let out a sigh "This family…" he muttered.