Tessal froze the moment he laid eyes on Garp. The towering figure, arms crossed and face stern, radiated the kind of power that made Tessal's instincts scream at him to run. His heart hammered in his chest, his legs ready to bolt, but his hands moved faster. He yanked open his case and snatched up the first insect his fingers touched.
Garp raised a brow, puzzled at the sight of the boy clutching a tiny contraption. Beside him, little Luffy tilted his head, curiosity shining in his wide eyes.
With trembling hands, Tessal wound the beetle's gears and dropped it to the ground. The mechanical legs clicked, the shell twitched—and then it hissed. A cloud of thick smoke burst out, rolling across the yard in a choking wave.
"W-what the—?!" Garp coughed, eyes narrowing. Luffy, instead of backing away, gasped in awe, waving his hands through the smoke like it was some kind of magic trick.
Tessal turned on his heel, desperate to escape. But before he could take three steps, a massive hand shot out through the haze and clamped around the back of his shirt, lifting him clean off the ground like a kitten caught by the scruff.
"Oi," Garp rumbled, dragging the boy closer, "and just where do you think you're going, brat?"
"Put him down!" Ace's voice cut through the smoke as he stormed out of the shack. His fists clenched, fire practically blazing in his eyes. "Old man, I said let him go!"
Garp only arched an eyebrow at the defiance, while Tessal dangled helplessly in his grip. Luffy, meanwhile, was too busy crouching near the still-hissing beetle, poking it with a stick and grinning ear to ear.
"That was awesome!" Luffy exclaimed. "Do it again!"
Tessal mostly thinking to himself. " How in the world did this own man find me through the smoke? Also who is he and how does ace know him? Who the heck is the kid in the straw hat? To many questions not enough answers." Those his thoughts at the end of it.
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