"Boss, four juices, please."
"Right away, guests!"
"Brat, you and these girls all have decent auras. Interested in joining the Marines? If you enlist, I can guaranty you at least Commodores rank.
If your strength and merit keep up, even an admiral rank isn't impossible," Garp suddenly offered.
"Vice Admiral Garp, thank you for the invitation, but we have a dream—to roam the world freely. We'll have to decline your offer," Leno replied politely.
"Sugoi! Roam the world! I'm gonna roam the world too—and then become the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted, eyes shining.
Bonk! "Idiot! Grandpa's gonna make you a Marine!" Garp's fist of love landed.
"Argh, that hurts! Stupid grandpa! I don't wanna be a Marine—I'm going to sea to be the Pirate King!"
Nami and Kuina traded odd looks. A Marine Vice Admiral for a grandpa, a pirate wannabe for a grandson…
Nojiko sighed again. "The sea really is vast."
Leno's shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh. Garp's face darkened, and—bonk bonk—two more punches.
"Aaagh!" Another pair of bumps mushroomed atop Luffy's head as he squatted and cursed.
"Hahahaha…" Leno finally burst out laughing. The girls covered their mouths, giggling—the grandpa–grandson duo was too much.
Garp turned and glared at Leno. "Kid, what's so funny? Why not join the Marines, a force for justice that protects the people and maintains peace on the high seas?!"
Leno's smile thinned. "'Justice'… in the Marines? Vice Admiral, maybe look into the East Blue 16th Branch before you decide.
Bribery, collusion with pirates, harming civilians—that's the 'justice' I've seen."
Garp's face tightened. "If it's as you say, we won't tolerate it. I admit there are parasites in the ranks, but Marine justice is not in question."
"Heh, old man, we don't kill, we don't torch towns, we don't plunder. We're just ordinary adventurers. We just want to travel free and fulfill our dreams. We won't be getting involved in anything else." Leno lifted both hands in a Kizaru-style surrender pose.
"Having a dream is good. I respect that. But life's messy—people are often forced to do things they don't want or do want but shouldn't. What if stronger pirates force you to join them? What if I try to force you into the Marines?" Garp's eyes burned as he stared at Leno and his crew.
Nami and the others tensed; Kuina's hand slid to her hilt, eyes serious. A Vice Admiral wouldn't really strong-arm people into enlisting… right?
"I believe we have the ability to decide what we want to do and what we don't want to do," Leno said calmly. Hearing Leno's words, the girls relaxed a little.
"Hahahaha! Pretty confident, huh? Then let's test it, brat—see if you've got the strength to choose your own path!" Garp stood, laughing. "Come with me."
He was helpless, really—such good seedlings. He didn't want them becoming future headaches for the Marines.
Leno smiled, rose, and followed him out. Luffy and the girls hurried after.
Along the way Luffy hollered, "Grandpa's super strong! That guy is going to get sent flying by Grandpa!"
Bonk! "Shut it, you brat!" Nami popped another lump on his head. (T/N: why am I imagining Luffy as a kid while he is 15yo and she should be 16yo!)
"Ow!"
Before long they reached the back hills, near the giant trash mountain; the stench wafted faintly on the wind.
Boom. Their fists met as Garp grinned. "Come, brat—let this old man see if your bite matches your bark!"
"Coming, old man." Leno didn't waste words. He drew Wind Rift, Armament Haki coating the blade—whoosh—and sent a massive Flying Slash.
"Oh? A Grandmaster Swordsman? So young—interesting!" Garp's eyes showed undisguised shock. He didn't dare to be careless. He coated his fists with Haki and punched the slash.
"Clang!" The sound of metal colliding rang out. "BOOM!" A terrifying shockwave rushed out in all directions. The others, standing in the distance, couldn't even open their eyes because of the wind. Luffy was sent flying. If Kuina hadn't been quick enough, he would have crashed into a tree behind him.
"We need to fall back—farther. We can't tank their aftershocks," Kuina said. They retreated again and again.
Another thundercrack. Garp shattered the slash with a punch and blitzed in.
"Fist Impact!" His Haki-wreathed fist hammered down. Leno dipped and met it with a heavy cleave.
BOOM BOOM BOOM! Impacts shattered ground, snapped trees, and sent ripples scouring the entire hillside.
"Sugee! Grandpa and that guy are so strong!" Luffy gaped, thrilled.
The girls protected him, bracing against the air-blades and pressure, stunned by the scale.
"Hahahaha! Not bad, brat!" Garp laughed. "Fist Barrage!"
Dang-dang-dang! rang without pause. Leno parried and grinned. "You flatter me, old man."
The scattered shockwaves and slashes ravaged everything around them. The ground that had just been shaken up was immediately scattered by the shockwaves, and the trees that were cut in half were crushed by the slashes before they could even fall. The group kept retreating, desperately getting away from the area.
Staring at the devastation caused by aftershocks alone, their hearts pounded. 'And those two are in the center of it…' They looked to the duel.
They watched the two figures fighting at a rapid pace. Sparks flew, and booming sounds rang out. The ground trembled violently, causing their hearts to tremble as well.
"To cross blades like that, Vice Admiral Garp's physique must be beyond imagining," Kuina breathed, shaken by the might of a peak body.
"What kind of monster is he?!" Nami clutched her head, shrieking—she'd never seen a fight like this.
"Don't worry. Leno will be fine. He's very strong!" Nojiko said, trying to comfort her. But the fingers gripping the hilt of her sword were a little white, revealing the turmoil in her heart.
"Shut up! My grandpa's the strongest—he'll beat that guy for sure!" Luffy protested.
"Hmm?!" Nami swung a glare at him.
"Sorry! I said the wrong thing!" Luffy yelped, hands up.