Chapter 170: Garp: My Son's a Revolutionary, My Grandson's a Pirate?!
When the dust finally settled,
Garp staggered out of the deep pit, clothes in tatters, even his dog-head cap reduced to scraps of cloth.
"He's not in revival state?!"
Dragon looked on in surprise at the battered but not seriously injured Garp.
His wind-element dragon claw attack, while not as powerful as a real dragon's, should have been enough to injure even Garp at full strength outside the Trial Tower.
Was it those martial artist abilities again?
"Hahahahaha! You brat, still no respect for your elders—your punches hit hard."
Garp was feeling a bit shaken.
If he hadn't burned through all of his remaining reward points in the last moment to instantly boost his Fortified Body Armor to level 10, he would've been flattened like a pancake by Dragon's spell.
Sanda training allowed a fighter to project their physical energy as armor—temporarily boosting defense and stamina and entering a state of super armor.
In this system, Armament Haki was considered a blue-tier skill.
But Fortified Body Armor was a purple-tier skill, and at the same level, it could easily crush a Haki master from the pirate world.
"If I didn't hit hard, I'd be the one on the ground."
Dragon didn't want to get dragged into a prolonged fight. The longer it went on, the more Marines would surround them.
He took a deep breath, preparing to unleash the most powerful wind-element spell he had awakened through his bloodline—
When suddenly, a four-man group casually stumbled into the street.
"Quit clinging to me, you idiot!"
"We need a cook on our ship. Come be a pirate!"
Wearing a sleek black suit and a face full of frustration, Sanji kicked Luffy off of him.
Following the Game Merchant's advice, he had entered the Island of Death to hunt corrupted monsters.
His Contract Fruit quest was already completed.
When the list of Fate Items appeared before him, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
There were all kinds of gourmet recipe scrolls.
Desserts that restored stamina. Flame Dumplings that boosted fire resistance. Blazing Ice Snapper Mountain, which increased ice-type attack power.
Rare ingredients. Magical cookware with unique abilities.
Just like the Game Merchant had said—this wasn't a chef's path any ordinary world could offer. These were elite recipes born from a higher realm.
"Sanji, your Flame Dumplings were delicious! Can I have another bite?"
"No."
Sanji looked at the bloated Straw Hats and sighed.
Earlier, when he was cornered by a swarm of red wraiths, it was this guy claiming to be the future Pirate King who came to his rescue.
He'd cooked up a newly learned dumpling dish to thank them.
Who knew that would get him roped in—Luffy wouldn't leave him alone, insisting he join their crew as their cook. While tempting… now was definitely not the time to say yes.
"I used to think cooking was just to fill empty stomachs."
Sanji struck a deliberately dramatic pose, turning his perfectly chiseled profile toward the orange-haired beauty. "But after meeting the Game Merchant and seeing the heights of true cuisine, I realized food isn't just for survival—it's also a weapon to protect the ones you love."
These dishes were classified by the system as consumables.
Even the relatively low-grade Flame Dumplings granted temporary fire immunity.
Other recipes were even stronger—some could let an ordinary person defeat pirates with bounties over ten million.
To feed someone.
To protect someone.
That was Sanji's new culinary creed.
Especially—
"Nami-swan~ I'm the head chef of the Baratie floating restaurant! Don't worry! As a chef, I swear I'll protect the woman I love!"
Sanji twisted and twirled, hearts practically bursting from his eyes.
He'd met beautiful women before, but someone like Nami—with her pure grace and independent strength—was the exact type he dreamed of marrying.
It was also why he put up with Luffy's pestering.
"Pathetic."
Zoro wasn't interested in any of it. He casually glanced around, searching for another red wraith-infested mansion.
They acted like no one else was there—completely oblivious to the stunned stares of both Marines and Revolutionaries.
"Luffy?"
"Who called me?"
Garp's voice suddenly echoed through the street.
Hearing it made the hairs on Luffy's neck stand up. He turned slowly toward the source.
When he saw the familiar figure in a Marine uniform, with that messy stubble—
Luffy's jaw dropped, his rubber powers stretching his face comically.
"Gramps…"
Nami and Zoro froze.
They turned around and saw that Luffy was clearly speaking to the gruff old Marine. Nami couldn't believe it. "Luffy… are you scared stiff by the Marines?"
"Is… is that guy your grandpa?!"
Zoro's question was oddly phrased, but it got the point across.
Across the wide street,
Captain Nezumi's eyes lit up. "The Orange Devil with an 80 million bounty—and 50 million bounty Straw Hat Luffy!"
With Marine Hero Garp here,
he could forget about taking credit for capturing Dragon. The strength Garp had shown just now made that impossible.
But the Straw Hat Pirates? They were real criminals who'd assaulted a Celestial Dragon.
And best of all, unlike Dragon, they didn't have power on that level. They were perfect targets to use as stepping stones.
He silently cursed Garp.
He'd worked so hard to cozy up to this Vice Admiral—dropping hints, even handing over hoarded reward points he'd skimmed off his subordinates.
Garp took everything… but acted like he didn't understand any of the hints about helping him transfer to Marine Headquarters.
In his eyes, Garp was the biggest, greediest vampire he'd ever met in the Navy.
Since sucking up to Garp hadn't worked,
then capturing the Straw Hat crew might earn him Lord Buggy's favor.
"Luffy, you little bastard… what are you doing here?!"
Garp's expression turned pitch-black.
He had just returned to Windmill Village, only for Makino to tell him that this brat had already set sail under the Jolly Roger and become a pirate.
Failing to raise Dragon right had already scarred his conscience.
But his own grandson—the one he'd drilled day and night to become a great Marine—had also been lured away by that red-haired bastard… now dreaming of becoming Pirate King?!
Being betrayed by his son and now his grandson—Garp often woke up in the middle of the night, sitting by the window chain-smoking two packs.
Luckily…
Luffy had just started his journey. He probably hadn't done anything too serious yet.
All he had to do now was use his fists of love to knock some sense into him, drag him to Marine HQ for training, and everything would still be salvageable.
"Vice Admiral Garp, do you know these Straw Hat Pirates?"
A curious Marine nearby asked.
Garp blinked in surprise.
Straw Hat Pirates?
Sounded like something his idiot grandson would come up with. But how did these Marines even know about that? Had he sleep-talked about Luffy wanting to be a pirate?
Seeing Garp's confused face, the Marine whispered, "Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He was just issued a 50 million Berries bounty for assaulting a Celestial Dragon."
Garp didn't register it at first.
Then, two seconds later, his eyes bulged wide.
"HA?!"
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 31st, get 25% off both your subscription and the purchase of your novel. Thank you for your support.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1