Chapter 2: A Troll in the Making, and Garp's Forced Recruitment
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. It was now Sea Calendar 1500.
On the coast of Dawn Island in the East Blue, the tide lapped gently at the shore, and the sea breeze carried the faint taste of salt.
A ten-year-old boy in simple cloth clothes, with a sharp face that looked too mature for his age, was squatting on the highest reef. He was chewing on a foxtail weed, elbows on his knees, his dark eyes staring out at the calm sea as if pondering the meaning of life.
...Or rather, questioning his very existence.
"Hmm... It's been two years since Roger's execution. The Great Pirate Era has officially begun..."
He mumbled to himself, the weed hanging from his lip, his expression complicated.
"The seas are in chaos right now, but here in the East Blue, the 'Weakest Sea'... it's still pretty peaceful."
"Luffy isn't born yet, and Ace was just born not too long ago... Man, I got here way too early."
He sighed, his thoughts drifting out over the glittering waves.
He hadn't just been messing around for the last five years. Even without a "System," cheats, or an easy-mode stat screen, he had relied on his reincarnator's grit and his inhuman physique to forge himself into half a monster.
[Warp-Warp Fruit (Enhanced Version)]: At first, he could only 'blink' three or five meters, and it left him dizzy. Now? He could instantly teleport over a hundred meters, blink several times in a row, and still drop and do three hundred push-ups without breaking a sweat.
[Giant's Physique]: He had been sent flying twenty meters by a charging, rabid boar. He just got back up, chased it for three blocks, and then picked it up one-handed to toss in a soup pot. His mom almost called the Marines, thinking her son was possessed by a demon.
[Signs of Haki Awakening]: His Observation Haki could, on occasion, perfectly predict the flight path of his mom's slipper as it flew out of the kitchen. His Armament Haki, meanwhile, was already stable enough to cover both his arms!
"Sigh..."
Roy sighed again, lazily rolling over to lie on his back on the reef. "At the end of the day... I'm missing a systematic teacher!"
"Trying to figure this all out by myself is like trying to shave in the dark. It's all based on 'feel'."
He scratched his hair in frustration, muttering, "That good-for-nothing Goddess! She didn't even leave me a cheat menu! She could have at least given me a copy of *'Haki Training: From Newbie to God-Tier'
or something!"
As he complained, another thought from that day popped into his head. "Didn't that dumb Goddess say I'd meet Garp when I was ten? It's been ten years! Where is he?!"
He grumbled, "Logically, meeting Garp is my ticket into the Marine's upper ranks. But Luffy isn't even born yet... did the timeline really have to be this early?!"
Just then, the sea's surface began to churn. A massive Sea King burst from the waves, opening its colossal mouth to lunge straight at Roy!
"ROOOOAAAAAR!!!"
"Hey, watch out—!"
The screams of nearby villagers rose up. "Roy, run for it!!"
Roy didn't even bother to lift his head. "So noisy. I'm trying to have an existential crisis here!"
The next second, a blue flash sparked.
Roy warped, appearing instantly in front of the Sea King's face, a savage grin on his. "Go take a bath, you overgrown fish!"
"SLAP!!!"
With a sound like a cannon shot, the Sea King's face instantly deformed. Its massive body was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing into the ocean and sending up a wave over ten meters high.
"Hiss—"
The villagers' jaws just about hit the floor. "Is... is he even human?!"
Roy shook his hand, calmly warping back to the shore. "Sea Kings in the East Blue... is this all they've got?"
He stuck the foxtail weed back in his mouth and started walking toward the village, ready to grumble some more, when a massive shadow suddenly fell over him.
Roy frowned slightly and slowly looked up—
Only to see a man wearing a dog-head hat, a giant, goofy grin plastered on his face, looking down at him. The man's eyes were sparkling with interest.
Garp laughed, his voice booming, "Brat! You're pretty strong!"
Roy's pupils shrank. "...A Marine?!"
Garp casually scratched his head, and in the next instant, snatched Roy up by the scruff of his neck. "One-shotting a Sea King, teleporting, and that monstrous strength... Bwahahaha! I've found a real treasure!"
Roy kicked his arms and legs wildly, screaming, "Wait! I didn't agree to this—"
Garp ignored him completely, slung him over one shoulder, and started walking. "Let's go, let's go! You're coming with me to Marineford!"
Roy's screams echoed in the sea breeze. "This is kidnapping! Put me down!!!"
On the shore, Villager A waved a handkerchief, wiping away a tear. "Roy! Remember to fix the village roads when you become an Admiral!"
Villager B, clutching a chicken, grinned from ear to ear. "I'll let your parents know you've enlisted!"
Garp strolled toward the port, followed by a stone-faced, well-dressed adjutant in sunglasses: Bogard.
Bogard pressed his forehead, sighing in exasperation. "Vice Admiral, sir... could you please stop 'finding treasure' and just kidnapping people?"
Garp roared with laughter. "Bwahahaha! You don't wait for good recruits to hand you a résumé, Bogard! You grab 'em! It saves time!"
Bogard could only shake his head. "Yes, sir... I'll go inform the boy's family."
Led by a villager, Bogard arrived at Roy's house.
He knocked politely. Roy's father, Rook, opened the door, a confused look on his face. "Huh? A Marine? Can I help you with something?"
Bogard gave a slight smile, his voice calm. "Good day. I am Bogard, from Marine Headquarters."
"A moment ago, your son, Roy, displayed incredible strength on the shore. He was scouted by Vice Admiral Garp and is being taken to Marineford for training."
Rook stared blankly for a second, then his eyes lit up. He nearly jumped for joy. "Really? Scouted by the Vice Admiral Garp? Bwahahaha! That's wonderful! Wonderful!"
Roy's mother ran out from inside, her hands clasped. "Thank you, Mr. Marine! That boy is an absolute terror. Please, teach him all the discipline he needs!"
Rook slapped his thigh. "Train that brat as hard as you want! We're begging you!"
Bogard managed a forced smile and nodded. "We certainly will..."
Turning to watch Garp carrying the struggling Roy toward the warship, he sighed. "Well... he certainly found a treasure this time."
Roy was carried onto the warship like a scruffy kitten. He kicked and fought the whole way, but it was useless. Garp held him steady with just one hand.
Only when he saw Bogard returning from the shore did Roy yell out as if grabbing a lifeline. "Hey! Mr. Marine! Help me!"
Bogard walked over calmly, glanced at Roy on Garp's shoulder, and said flatly, "I've already spoken to your parents. They are very supportive."
Roy instantly went quiet, his eyes blinking. "...Really?"
Bogard nodded. "Yes. Your father said, 'Good, he's a menace to the village anyway.'"
Roy's mouth twitched. "...Is that really my dad?"
Bogard continued, "Your mother was crying. She gave me a basket of oranges and said, 'Please ask Mr. Garp not to beat him to death.'"
Roy covered his face. "...Is that really my mom?"
Garp boomed with laughter. "Bwahahaha! Don't worry, brat! I know how to pull my punches!"
Garp unceremoniously dropped Roy onto the deck, then sat cross-legged and pulled out a bag of rice crackers, crunching on them loudly. He stared at Roy with a sharp glint in his eye. "Alright, spill it. What's the deal with that warping and your crazy strength?"
Roy's mind raced. "If I tell him the truth, I'll be locked up and dissected for sure!"
He blinked, putting on an innocent face. "Oh, that? When I was five, I was playing in the mountains and found a weird fruit. It tasted disgusting, but after I ate it, I found I could just fwoosh all over the place! It's super fun!"
Garp raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I've never heard of a fruit like that."
Bogard pushed up his sunglasses, adding, "It is likely the rare Paramecia-type Warp-Warp Fruit. There are some scattered records of it in the Marineford library."
Roy played dumb, grinning. "Anyway, I figured out lots of uses all by myself! For example—"
Before he finished his sentence, he fwooshed and appeared right behind Garp, swinging his fist.
"Sucker punch!"
Garp didn't even turn around. His hand shot back and caught Roy's fist perfectly.
Garp grinned. "That's a cheap shot, kid!"
Roy's eyes bulged. "Holy crap?!"
The next second, Garp swung his arm, and Roy was thrown like a ragdoll, flying across the deck and smashing into the wood with a CRACK!
Roy saw stars. "Wait... I wasn't ready—"
Garp laughed, but his eyes suddenly turned deadly serious. "Ready? You think a pirate is going to give you time to 'get ready'?!"
His fist darkened with thick Armament Haki as he rocketed toward Roy's face!
Roy's warp instinct kicked in. He fwooshed to the top of the mast, but just as he took a breath, a murderous aura flared up right behind him—
Garp's voice was low and full of laughter. "My Observation Haki isn't just for show, brat!"
"THUD!"
A Haki-infused fist slammed into Roy's back, smashing him through the deck and into the cabins below!
Roy's screams echoed across the whole ship:
"Agh! Not the face! Not the face!"
"I'm sorry! I'll never sucker punch again!"
"Mr. Bogard, help meeeee!"
Bogard, holding a cup of tea, took a calm sip. "You'll get used to it."
The Marine soldiers on deck whispered to each other:
"That scream... looks like the Vice Admiral found himself a new punching bag."
"The last one who screamed like that was a young Kuzan..."
Half an hour later.
Roy, black and blue, lay sprawled on the deck, his entire body feeling like it had been disassembled.
Garp clapped the dust off his hands, laughing. "Not bad! Your battle sense is like a headless chicken, but your durability isn't bad!"
Roy gave a pained grin. "Uh... thanks?"
Garp's smile vanished, his eyes suddenly sharp as a blade. "From today on, I'm training you personally!"
Roy trembled, trying to push himself up. "Can I refuse...?"
Garp cracked his knuckles, smiling like a predator. "What do you think?"