Chapter 171: Three Generations—A Loving Father, a Dutiful Son, and a Worthy Grandson
Garp could hardly believe his ears.
Luffy hadn't even been out at sea for two months—how could he already be wanted by the Marines? And for assaulting a Celestial Dragon, of all things?
But after confirming the details repeatedly with his subordinates and learning the full story,
Garp's face darkened, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "Luffy, you hit a Celestial Dragon?"
Even though he personally thought the Celestial Dragons were trash, Garp would never go as far as physically attacking one.
"That's right!"
Luffy, seeing that Garp hadn't exploded right away, casually rolled his shoulder and beamed. "Pretty impressive, huh, Grandpa?"
"You're as hopeless as ever!"
Having heard the truth, Garp could no longer hold back his rage. He launched himself into the air, fist raised high, charging at Luffy with full intent to smash him into the ground.
How was he supposed to become a Marine now with a bounty on his head?
He'd tossed his grandson off cliffs, thrown him into forests full of beasts, even tied him to balloons and let him float into the sky—all to toughen him up so he could become a great Marine unafraid of danger.
Tough love, born from deep care.
But today, that love would be delivered with a fist—this brat clearly never understood his grandfather's intentions.
Bam!
A faster figure intervened.
Right before Garp's fist could land, Dragon leapt forward and blocked the blow.
After a few seconds of tension, Garp's punch was deflected. Dragon sighed. "Old man, I've told you so many times—your training methods are wrong."
Garp, clearly agitated at the criticism, snapped, "You're only the leader of the Revolutionary Army because I trained you! Without my fists of love, you think you'd have gotten this far?!"
"Vice Admiral Garp, please don't say such things!"
Bogard, his adjutant, groaned and tugged his cap down over his face, quickly stepping forward to stop Garp from saying more.
Everything on the Island of Death was being live-streamed.
Was he really going to claim that the Marine hero had raised the leader of the Revolutionary Army?
Garp pouted and waved him off. "Relax, Bogard. I'm just talking about how strong Dragon is—not that I taught him to overthrow the Celestial Dragons. I mean, sure, they're trash, but even trash has its place in the world…"
"Please, stop talking…"
Bogard's headache worsened. The more Garp explained, the worse it sounded.
Nearby,
Marines who didn't know the full story stood in utter shock, frozen in place, as if they'd just heard the punchline to some cruel cosmic joke.
"The pirate who hit a Celestial Dragon… is Vice Admiral Garp's grandson?!"
"No way… The hero of the Navy—who cornered the Pirate King himself—is the father of a Revolutionary and the grandfather of a pirate?!"
Smoker bit clean through the stalk of grass in his mouth. Bitter juice filled his mouth, snapping him back to reality.
But the clearer his head got, the more absurd it all felt.
"Hahahahahahaha! What a scoop! The Navy's full of dirty laundry!"
From the shadows of a nearby rooftop, World News President Morgans let out a shrill laugh. A Bird-Bird Fruit user in beast form, he rapidly snapped photos with his camera.
Then, paying a steep fee, he transmitted the images and information via Den Den Mushi.
Soon, the whole world would know that the Marine hero had a Revolutionary for a son and a pirate for a grandson.
"Morgans! Stop it right now—are you trying to provoke the World Government?!"
One Marine who understood the consequences of the leak turned to Morgans with a stern face.
But the giant albatross-man wasn't fazed in the least. "Heheheh, I'm no pirate, and I'm no Revolutionary either—I just report the news. Or does the World Government no longer have the guts to face the truth?"
This was news—huge news!
Across the vast seas, some chased treasure, others trained in swordsmanship, and some dreamt of conquering the world.
Morgans had his own conviction: to capture the most explosive, eye-catching stories and shake the world to its core. He wouldn't miss a single chance, even if it meant standing against the World Government.
"Besides, even if I don't report it, you think all those live-feed Den Den Mushi are just for decoration?"
He pointed to the sky, where countless visual Den Den Mushi hovered outside the Trial Tower.
Through their "eyes," the whole scene was being transmitted across the Four Seas and the Grand Line.
"What a shock… Luffy's father is a wanted criminal…"
In Windmill Village, now that it was confirmed Luffy had entered the Trial Tower in the East Blue, the villagers had gathered in the tavern.
A worn-out visual Den Den Mushi hung on the wall. The image was a little blurry, but still clear enough to watch.
These Den Den Mushi shared a common feed.
Most of them belonged to the World News agency. Changing the viewpoint cost a fee.
So the villagers took turns paying, following Luffy's adventure in real time.
"Poor Mr. Garp…"
Makino covered her mouth in astonishment. The always-spirited old Marine who visited their village regularly—his son was the leader of the Revolutionary Army?
She was a kind soul.
While everyone else was shocked by the scandal, she alone thought about how painful it must be for Garp to see his son on the opposite side of the world.
All across the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and the New World,
ambitious men took note of the name Monkey D. Luffy—a rookie pirate with no proper ship, just newly embarked on his voyage.
"This is bad…"
Aboard a pirate ship with a ferocious dragon's head prow,
Shanks scratched at his red hair in frustration, watching as Luffy was exposed before the world. He sighed. "The Gum-Gum Fruit has been revealed too early. The Five Elders might catch on."
The truth was, the Gum-Gum Fruit was actually the Zoan-type Mythical Model: Nika Fruit.
A legendary Devil Fruit with a will of its own, said to possess miraculous powers to liberate the oppressed.
The World Government had spent centuries trying to locate and reclaim it, fearing its potential to upend their control.
Benn Beckman, pipe in mouth, sat by the fire grilling skewers. He spoke calmly, "Captain, you've been awfully tense lately. That's not like you."
Normally, their captain laughed in the face of any storm.
Freedom was the creed of the Red-Haired Pirates. Shanks had always been the freest man on the sea.
"You're right."
Exhaling slowly, Shanks suddenly laughed. "Since I already bet my arm on the new age, there's no point in hesitating. This kind of anxiety… it's not like me."
The moment Luffy ate the fruit, Shanks knew—it was destiny. The Nika Fruit had chosen its next bearer.
Most of his unease came from the sudden appearance of the Game Merchant.
This man, who stirred up storms with a wave of his hand—what was his true goal?
Well.
They were already in the East Blue, soon to arrive at the Trial Tower. He would go ask in person.
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