And now everyone, it's time for Luffy to head out in a different sense!
Chapter 4: Confrontations and Choices! Luffy, the Revolutionary Pirate!
While Grey Terminal was slowly rebuilt following the fire, with coincidentally no investigation by the Marines or Goa law enforcement into the massive arson, the brothers of Ace, Sabo and Luffy continued to pal around and have adventures. Any crooked pirates, wannabe bandit or general asshole soon found that they weren't welcome anywhere in Foosha Village or Mount Columbo.
They amassed millions of beris in treasure which mostly went to either improving the Dadan Family's hideout, allowing them to actually fix up and improve the place, or to help rebuild the slums. Now that they had the money to buy some proper building materials, the massive dump could at least look like a proper town where people could have roofs over their heads and a mess hall to safely eat at.
Luffy also began to read over the Six Powers and trained himself in earnest. In a matter of day he had a grasp on the techniques thanks to his Shiva fruit making all the movements feel so natural. Within a month of meeting his father, Luffy had them added to his fighting style. His brothers were amazed, especially when the boy offered to teach them the skills along with Haki.
"Dad said I can't let anyone else have the book, not that I can't teach them! And Grandpa never said I couldn't teach anyone Haki, either!"
Soon the three went from notorious to the most wanted troublemakers on all of Dawn Island. The nobles of Goa began to seriously regret their plan for the terminal, as they earned the ire of its new protectors. Several of them found their mansions robbed, all of their priceless antiques now sitting in the pawn shops of Edge Town while their food and clothes were handed out to the needy.
About the only thing that didn't change were Garp's visits. To his credit, the man did give all of them a hug seeing that they were safe. The boys were impressed until the Vice-Admiral chuckled.
"The scumbags who did this oughta be nervous! They've got a future Admiral on their hands to worry about!"
Luffy's last hope that his grandfather would turn around died within five minutes. Remembering Dragon's words, he could only wonder. Did he know about the whole operation and was playing dumb? Or was he just so preoccupied with his own duties that he didn't bother to look into it? He wasn't the one who rescued Saint Jalmack but he had to have heard about it? And the slaves kept prisoner on that yacht?
In either case, Luffy's training under the Hero of the Marines continued and intensified. Every time the boy succeeded, the regiment got harder. Climbed out of a gorge? Now he had to do it with his feet encased in cement. Fought off a pack of wild tigers? Now he had to do it without dropping an egg held in one hand. Developed his Haki to the point where he could dodge swinging logs blindfolded? Now he had to do it with his legs tied together.
But from that visit on, and every one after, Luffy no longer complained. No more whining about how he didn't want to be a Marine, no more declarations about wanting to be a pirate. Garp took it as an encouraging sign that his protégé was developing the discipline all who wore the uniform were to display.
This continued for years, up until Ace and Sabo turned seventeen right after each other. Each brother built himself a raft and set off on their true dream, to become a pirate. Sabo tipped his signature top hat goodbye as he bade his brothers farewell, followed by Ace swearing that he and Luffy would meet each other again someday out on the open sea.
By the time he was fourteen, Luffy had grown from the little boy who wanted to be like Shanks into a young man standing just over five feet tall and well-toned from all of his constant training. He wore a button-up red vest, a pair of denim blue jean shorts, and basic straw sandals over his feet. His loose black hair hung from underneath the same straw hat he got from Shanks all those years ago.
Still carefree and fun-loving outside of a fight, he was casually enjoying a hunk of roasted boar outside the Dadan Family's hideout when he felt a very familiar aura enter his range of Observation Haki. His appetite soured as he stood up and crossed his arms just as Garp came upon the clearing.
"Well, Luffy, you've really grown in all this time!" he admired, "Got your things packed yet?"
"For what?"
"For the Academy! I know I said it a hundred times! Come on, let's get going!"
"I'm not going."
Garp's smile slid off his face. "What?"
"I'm not going to become a Marine."
Luffy stood completely still even as all of Garp's good cheer was instantly replaced with indignant anger. "Not this whole song and dance again! The time for fun and games is over, Luffy! You're gonna do big things once you graduate!"
"Yeah? Like help innocent people?"
"Yes, exactly like that!"
"Then where were they that night?"
"H-Huh? Where was who?"
Luffy's hands curled into fists as his tone grew darker. "The night Grey Terminal was set on fire. There wasn't a single Marine here, or the day after to investigate."
Garp just sighed. "Look, Luffy, I realize that you and your brothers almost got hurt but-"
"I didn't say anything about that. I asked you where the Marines were. There's a base not far from Goa, why didn't anyone call for a rescue ship or a squadron of doctors?"
"Luffy, it's not the simple-"
"BULLSHIT!" he screamed, lashing out and slamming his fist into Garp's gut. The Vice-Admiral coughed up a load of bile in surprise before stumbling back only for Luffy to grab him by the shoulders. "They didn't come because it was all for one of them! Dozens of people got burnt alive all because those rich assholes wanted to impress a World Noble!"
"L-Luffy, calm down! It-It's not that simple, there was-"
Luffy's forehead turned black before he slammed Garp with a headbutt to shut him up. As the old man fell to his knees, he noticed his grandson was now holding his trishula. "Simple?! What's the problem?! I thought the Marines were supposed to help people in trouble, not sit aside and let them suffer!"
"Put that thing away before you get hurt, Luffy. I understand you're angry at those people but violence won't solve-!"
Garp had to roll aside to avoid a stab to the chest, then had to jump aside as Luffy let loose an astra missile that blew apart several trees behind him.
"Don't you lecture me about violence, you asshole! Your solution to everything is a punch in the face! You think I liked being beat over the head my whole life?! Huh?!"
"Lu-Luffy, take it easy! The Academy isn't going to like-"
"I'M NEVER GOING TO BE A MARINE!" he shouted loud enough that everyone on Goa could hear him, "I'D RATHER DIE THAN WORK FOR THE WORLD NOBLES!"
"So, if you're not going be a Marine, then what are you gonna do?!"
For the first time since Garp arrived, Luffy smiled a confident grin. "I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
"DAMMIT, LUFFY! The whole point of training you was to get you to do something important with your life! You can't just go around doing whatever you want!"
Luffy dropped his weapon. His face had all the warmth of the tundra. "You think so?"
"Yes!"
"So I can't just break things, or attack people whenever I want?"
"Exactly!"
"And if I wanted something from a store, I have to pay for it!"
"Of course you do!"
"And if I, say, decided I wanted to enslave someone? It'd be pretty disgusting for me to decide to chain up another human being and then tote them around as my pet, with a collar rigged to explode if they ever try to escape, OR I JUST FEEL LIKE BLOWING THEM UP BECAUSE THEY DISOBEYED, RIGHT?! THAT'S WRONG, RIGHT?!"
Garp's face paled. It wasn't enough for anger to be rippling off the boy like a wave, he finally realized what Luffy was talking about. "L-Luffy… If I could…"
"Don't you fucking dare say you can't do anything about the World Nobles. You won't become an Admiral, so you don't have to work directly for them? Good for you. Last time I checked, Akainu is a murderous psychopath, Aokiji is too lazy to do anything about it and Kizaru will just do whatever he feels like."
"How do you know about those three?"
"Dad told me."
"WHAT?!" Garp's fist crashed into the ground, "That bastard… What did he tell you?!"
"He saved me that night. He's the whole reason I'm still here."
The fury died in an instant. "W-What? He… He came here…?"
"Yep. The second he heard I was in danger, he rushed over here and helped me get free so I could rescue Ace and Sabo. He told me how sorry he was that he couldn't raise me, that he wanted me to make my own choices."
Luffy slowly stepped forward, making Garp wary of the trident still in the teen's grasp. "Ever since then, we've been talking every couple of weeks. He's had some of his guys looking out for me ever since I was born. You can call him whatever you want, but he's a way better parent than you."
"You know how busy I am, Luffy. Every trip here is time taken away from-"
"From actually doing your job? Funny, I never asked you to come. I have NEVER said I wanted to be a Marine. And now I know the real reason you're so hellbent on me being like you: I'm just a do-over for Dragon."
"WHAT?! Luffy, that's not true at all!"
"Oh yeah? Then how come you keep ignoring me whenever I say I want to be a pirate? Why do you keep dragging me off to beat training into me?"
"Because being a pirate is wrong, dammit! They're criminals, they're-!"
"Like Dadan?"
Garp's argument died in his throat. "Huh?"
"Dadan is a bandit. A bandit who has an active bounty on her head and has had one since I was born. And you, the Marine, said it was either raise me and Ace or you would haul her in. That's called blackmail, you fucking hypocrite."
Garp bristled at the words but couldn't say anything. He knew full well that Sengoku would have a cow if he heard that he coerced a criminal into being the caretaker of his wards. "L-Luffy… Please, I only wanted…"
"What's best for me? Don't go there, Garp. We both know that's not true. You want what's best for you, what's easiest for you. Because I'm pretty sure the Marines have to have some sort of daycare, especially for their hero. Or are you the only one who has any children while on duty? Or hell, why not just look for someone in Foosha to raise me? Why immediately default to a criminal, unless it was someone you could force into falling in line?"
Garp's head bowed down. He had already met Tsuru's granddaughter, who was turning out to be a fine officer in her late teens. He knew there were plenty of people he trained who had younglings on the way, or were fighting to get back to in one piece.
"Luffy… Alright, forget about the Academy. How about we just work something out? We can… Sit down and talk things over and…"
The young man burst into laughter, making the Marine pause. When Luffy finally got his breath back, minutes later, he noticed that Garp was back to looking enraged.
"Wait, you're serious. You want to talk things over?"
"That's what I just said, you little-!"
"Fourteen years. You. Had fourteen YEARS to talk things over with me. At ANY point. And you want to do this NOW?!"
"Well, yeah…" Anything else he had to say was cut off when his eyes crossed to notice the axe-blade now resting an inch away from the bridge of his nose.
"My whole life has been nothing but you forcing me to train, forcing me to be a Marine, and forcing me to shut my mouth or else you'd smack me into next week. And the only reason you want to talk now is because you can't use your fists to get your way."
Garp's face broke into a cold sweat. Luffy's voice was like ice water on his skin, chilling him to the bone. And the look of loathing on his face… His eyes burned with the same intensity he had when facing off against Roger.
"Luffy, please, you don't want to go down that road. If you're a pirate, then everyone will be after you. Not just Marines, other pirates will try to end you if you come onto their territory. Bounty hunters will try to collect on your head. Is that what you want?"
"So I'd be safe with the Navy? Like Portgas D. Rouge?"
"WHA?! What are you talking about?!"
"Ace told us who his father was, scared that we'd turn on him since being Roger's son meant the government would hunt him down. It took me and Sabo a whole ten minutes to calm him down, swear that his brothers would never abandon him…" Luffy had to swallow a sob, just the memory of seeing Ace of all people break down still hurt.
"When I mentioned it to Dragon, he told me that the Navy spent almost a year hunting down his mother, killing women and unborn babies to wipe out the Pirate King's bloodline."
"I never did that, I never signed off on it! I met Rouge, I swore to protect Ace! That's why he's here, and now he has you, and Sabo and Dadan! I did him a favor!"
"And I'll always be grateful for that. And it's also why I can't join, no matter how much you want me to. They would kill Ace just for who his father is… So, what does that make me?"
Garp's jaw dropped. "No… No, Luffy, I had it all worked out with Sengoku… He knows-!"
"What happens when Sengoku leaves? They appoint one of the Admirals, and that doesn't include you. Because you don't want to serve the Nobles, but it's totally fine for them to, right?"
The old man couldn't help but wince. Sengoku might have considered him the choice candidate, but it had been the rule since the Navy's foundation that only one of the Admirals could be promoted to Fleet Admiral… And all three of those didn't bode well for having the Revolutionary's son as part of their ranks.
"Luffy… Please… I'm only doing this because I love you. Don't make me have to hunt you down…"
"Love me? You love me?"
"Of course I do! No matter what Dragon says, I-!"
WHAM!
Garp had to blink several times before he realized it. Luffy's fist, still black with Armament Haki and trembling in latent fear, rested at his side while Garp's cheek slowly turned red.
"You… You hit me…"
"No, I love you." Another Haki-filled fist smashed into Garp's stomach. While the pain didn't amount to much, the shock of seeing Luffy attack him made him freeze up and sputter.
"Luffy! What are you-!"
POW!
"Stop that!"
BAM!
"You little-!"
OOMPH!
"Dammit, you brat!" Garp snatched Luffy's arms and gripped him with all his might, making him cry out as his bones creaked. Unfortunately for the Vice-Admiral, he forgot that Luffy could summon an extra pair. He had to leap back before a pair of golden missiles could hit him, then had to leap aside before Luffy's axe could cut him down.
"The hell do you think you're doing?!"
"This is my Axe of Love! I'm only trying to hurt you because I LOVE you! What's the big deal?!"
Garp was about to balk at what an idiot his grandson sounded like… Only to realize his grandson's hands were trembling. "L-Luffy… I… Why didn't you-?"
"Say anything, and get another punch to the face over it? Why do you think, jackass?! I had nightmares of you, why do you think I tried running away when I was younger?!"
"But… But you stopped, you got focused and disciplined and-!"
"Because I waited! I waited for about five years to see if you'd notice how I gave up, how I just stopped caring about you! The only thing I looked forward to was Haki lessons, that's it! Because I figured I ought to just shut up and do as I'm told, like the good little Marine you want me to be, right?!"
"I… Luffy, I'm-"
"Don't try apologizing. You had years to figure it out, but you actually got happy when I clammed up. Because then I was finally the little pet project you want because all that ever matters is what YOU want and YOU think is right! You don't have to serve the World Nobles, you get to be the Hero of the Marines that everyone loves, with a perfect, silent grandson who'll be your successor so you can finally retire with your billion-beri pension because you fucked up so badly with Dragon that you want me to be your replacement!"
The old Marine could only try and fail to come up with a response, but he could never lie to save his life. He was planning on cashing out his pension, he had even picked out a little condo on the East Blue to buy for his retirement. He was looking forward to having the great grandkids over whenever Luffy eventually met the right woman…
"Luffy… What do you want? What will it take for you to feel better?" he asked honestly, even keeping his hands raised to show he wasn't planning anything else. The young man stepped forward, his weapon disappearing into golden light before staring Garp dead in the eye.
"Say I can be a pirate."
Garp just stared in shock for several seconds as Luffy stood, unblinking. "Say I can be a pirate. Actually listen to what I want for a change, and then maybe I'll listen to you."
"That's what you want? To be a criminal? To… Ransack islands and torment innocent people?"
"No, I want to be a pirate like Shanks. To have a crew full of friends, go on adventures to faraway islands, and beat the ever-loving shit out of any douchebag that stands in my way. Pirate, Marine, it doesn't matter. I want to be free. That's what being a pirate is to me… And the fact that I had to spell it out just proves you don't know me at all."
Luffy walked right past him only to for Garp's hand to grab onto his shoulder.
"Luffy, please, don't make me have to hurt you! Do you have any idea how painful it would be to have to haul in my only family to Impel Down?!"
"You think I don't know that?! Dad taught me all about that, too. About Enies Lobby, and the rigged trials, and the huge tributes allied kingdoms have to pay you while you still run a slave market under their nose?! And he told me about the Four Emperors and how they fight off pirates too! How come in all the years you tried making me a Marine, your only answer was to pound me into the ground instead of telling me any of this stuff?!"
Luffy then disappeared like a flash, only to reappear a few feet away. Before Garp could wonder where the hell his grandson learned one of the Six Powers, Luffy let out one final thought.
"And I don't have to 'make' you hurt me, you've been giving me Fists of Love for as long as I can remember! All this time you've been harassing me, you could actually be out there helping people or maybe you could've finally apologized to your own son! You want to say sorry, take off that uniform right now!"
Garp looked down at his lapel, at all the medals adorning his spotless white top. All the decades he had spent fighting the good fight, personally tailing the Pirate King, training hundreds of young men and women to be the best they could be… And all it cost him was his relationship with his son AND his grandson.
By the time he looked up, Luffy was gone. He had made up his mind and now Garp had to slink back to his ship, ignoring several confused crewmates about where his grandson was. He ordered them to sail back to Marineford and to only bother him if it was a life-or-death situation.
When he returned to his private quarters, he found a note someone had shoved under the door.
"I told you so."
Garp didn't care how Dragon got that on board his private ship, nor did he think to inspect his crewmen. He just sat at his desk and began drowning his sorrows from his private liquor cabinet, wondering where it all went wrong.
Luffy stood on a small fishing boat he rowed out past the coast of Dawn Island, appreciating the gentle sea breeze and the bracing salty air. Now at fifteen, he hadn't spoken to his grandfather since that fateful day he stood his ground. Now he could train and help out around Foosha Village on his own time.
He now stood six foot four, a layer of muscle coating his body underneath his usual red vest and blue denim shorts. All of his training had made him the single strongest person on Dawn Island. Any pirates or bandits who tried to set up shop quickly found themselves sent running by the man, making him the unofficial protector of his home island.
That thought always made him smile. He may not have a ship, crew, or a bounty, but already had territory to his name.
Now, though, he needed to focus. He could sense the enraged aura racing up underneath his little skiff. Just before the whole thing was swallowed whole, he leapt hundreds of feet in the air. A humungous brown sea serpent, dubbed the Lord of the Coast by the villagers, tried to eat him alive.
"There you are… Let's see just far I've come…" He cracked his knuckles before summoning his second set arms and readying four Armament Haki-filled punches that would slam down on the creature's back. The baby Sea King was so busy scanning the water for where its prey went, it never bothered to look up.
The Shiva-man collided with the sea monster with the force of a meteorite, sending a shockwave across hundreds of feet of ocean. The Lord of the Coast roared in pain before submerging again, Luffy leaping off once again to avoid falling under the waves.
This time he summoned two trishulas as the monster leapt out of the blue to gobble him up. He avoided the killer bite with a Moonwalk to the side before stabbing both tridents into its rugged brown scales, lines of red now gushing as his weapons trailed down its mile-long body.
The entire island heard the serpent's cry, loud enough to make even Luffy's eardrums rattle as he pulled him free and then used a series of Moonwalks to land safely back on shore. He could see a huge swath of the ocean turn red from the gallons of blood now leaking from the fearsome predator.
Luffy now stood on the sand, all four arms crossed as the creature bellowed in sheer hatred as it rushed right at him. This was now personal for it, this troublesome prey had wounded it and put it in actual danger. It didn't care about potentially being beached, it just wanted Luffy dead.
"Perfect…" Luffy closed his eyes and let his energy flow, a light golden aura surrounding his body as he held each of his four hands out. At the end of each grew an astra ball that started as small as a kiwi before rapidly growing to the size of his head. He brought his palms together and the golden energy spheres merged into two, then into one radiant orb the size of his muscled torso.
With a defiant yell, Luffy threw his hands forward and the massive power ball raced forward just as the Lord of the Coast opened its mouth to devour him. The attack illuminated its mouth before the beast suddenly paled before a section of its serpentine form was blown apart from the inside out with a blast equal to megatons of dynamite.
Luffy then turned to the oncoming crowd of people from Foosha Village and all gawked in amazement. The Sea King that had been sinking fishing boats and trading ships left and right for years on end was finally dead! Plus, they now had unagi meat for years!
While he was showered with praise and wonder, the young pirate-to-be simply bowed his head and said it was nothing. Once the crowd broke up, Luffy found his way to the one house near the edge of the village and knocked exactly nine times, then pausing for eight seconds and knocking thrice more.
The door opened to reveal the Revolutionary Army agent stationed here this week, who welcomed him in but noted his call with Dragon wasn't due for another three days.
"Trust me, this is pretty important," he assured before he sat down in front of the Transponder Snail and triple-checked that the signal was secure before dialing.
"Luffy? What's got you calling so early?"
He just chuckled. Amazing how they had only met in person and yet Dragon actually knew him so well. "Hey, Dad. You know that giant eel that's been bothering the locals? I took care of it."
"Well, that's very nice to hear, but what does that have to do with me?"
"That thing was the strongest thing around here, and I beat it with barely a sweat. If I'm gonna do what I want to do, I need to be even stronger. And I don't think I can do that here…"
Dragon held his breath, not wanting to push his son into anything. He could only hope that Luffy meant what he hoped…
"…So, I want to get out there, and join the Revolutionary Army."
"Oh, but what will your dear grandfather say, Luffy?"
"Fuck him. He knows the mayor's number, but he hasn't called or sent a letter once said I shut him up. Too busy running being a 'hero.' He wants to see me so badly, he can come find me."
"Hahahaha! That's my boy! Now then, if you're sure, Karasu can be there tomorrow. But Luffy, if you do this, what about your dream? What happened to being King of the Pirates?"
"Oh, I'm going to do that, too! But who says I can't help you along the way? Pirates go around fighting other ones for territory or causing trouble for the government. I'll just happen to fight asshole crews and corrupt Marines, and heaven help any slave trader."
"I see… Hiding your involvement with our cause through public piracy is a bold choice. You'd need some impressive power to pull a stunt like that off."
"And that's what I plan to get. I'll be strong enough that no one can hold me down, and the best way is through training and experience."
"I'll expect you to give it your all, and there won't be any special treatment from me."
"I'd be insulted if you did."
"Haha, right answer! Alright then, I'll brief the commanders and tell Karasu where to rendezvous with you. See you soon, son."
"Thanks, Dad! I'll make you proud!" Luffy hung up and spent the rest of the day going around town, taking special care to wish Makino and the mayor well. He then headed up to the new Dadan Family hideout, where his announcement was met with Dadan herself insisting her tears were just being relieved at having no more brats to run around after.
And yet he was given a full feast where he didn't have to lift a finger for once…
That morning, Luffy arrived with all his belongings in a duffel bag and soon was surrounded by a flock of black crows made of soot. When he could see again, it was a field of white, arid sand and huge rock formations as far as the eye can see.
"Are you ready for this?" Karasu said behind him. Luffy turned to the almost nine-foot tall man and grinned a smile that showed he was his father's son.
"Bring it on!"
And thus Dragon's good deed has been paid forward! Watch out, world, here comes an OP Luffy with an even bigger drive to put asshats in their place! Next time is Luffy's stint as a Revolutionary!
Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review with any questions or comments.