CHAPTER 51 — Test of Courage
📅 22 July, S.C. 1510 — Afternoon
👦 Ren — Age 7
📍 Cliffside Clearing → Foosha Shore
---
The villagers eventually settled after Garp's loud arrival.
Ren thought the chaos was finally over.
He was wrong.
"Oi! Scientist brat!"
Ren flinched so hard he dropped his notebook.
Zemo growled.
Garp stood at the entrance of the clearing, arms crossed, a serious look replacing his usual wild grin.
"You.
Come with me."
Ren swallowed.
"…Did I do something wrong?"
Garp snorted.
"Not yet."
That wasn't reassuring.
Zemo followed Ren protectively, hackles raised.
Garp led them toward the cliffside—
the same place Ren practiced sword swings every morning.
---
PART 1 — GARPUAL INSPECTION
Garp stopped and pointed at the wooden sword Ren carried.
"You practice with that thing, right?"
Ren nodded nervously.
"Yes. Every morning."
Garp grunted.
"Show me."
"…Show you what?"
"Everything."
Ren hesitated, but Garp's stare left no room for refusal.
Ren exhaled slowly.
Then stood in his basic stance—
feet stable
knees slightly bent
shoulders relaxed
wrist aligned.
He inhaled.
Exhaled.
And swung—
Swish—
Clean.
Solid.
Balanced.
Then again.
Swish—
Swish—
Swish—
Garp's face didn't show humor or mockery this time.
He watched silently.
Zemo sat beside him like an assistant examiner.
When Ren stopped, sweat forming on his brow, Garp finally spoke.
"…Your form is terrible."
Ren deflated.
Zemo barked in protest.
"But—" Garp continued, stroking his chin,
"—your foundation isn't."
Ren froze.
"That foot placement? Natural.
The breathing? Instinctive.
The alignment? Not bad for a brat."
Ren blinked.
"…Really?"
Garp nodded once.
"You've got guts.
But guts are nothing if the mind collapses under pressure."
Ren tilted his head.
"…Pressure?"
Garp grinned—not the cheerful grin.
A frightening one.
"Exactly."
---
PART 2 — THE COURAGE TEST
Garp suddenly reached behind him.
Ren tensed.
Zemo stepped forward, growling.
Garp ignored the growls and pulled out—
A small, harmless-looking pebble.
Ren blinked.
"A… rock?"
Garp tossed it in the air.
"I'm going to throw this at your forehead."
Ren choked.
Zemo snarled.
Makino, who had been watching from a distance, yelled:
"GARP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Garp raised a hand dismissively.
"This rock won't hurt him.
It's light.
Barely any force.
Just a test."
Ren's palms grew sweaty.
"…What kind of test?"
Garp smirked.
"To see if you flinch."
Ren stiffened.
His heart pounded.
Garp tossed the pebble again.
"Ready?"
Ren whispered:
"…No."
"Too bad."
Garp flicked the pebble—
Fast.
Accurate.
Straight at Ren's forehead.
Zemo leaped forward to block it—
But Ren stopped him mid-lunge.
"Zemo, wait—!"
Ren stood still.
The pebble struck his forehead.
Tonk.
A harmless sound.
Ren didn't move.
Didn't close his eyes.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't step back.
He only breathed.
"…I didn't die."
Makino gasped.
Zemo stared at Ren like he'd gone insane.
Garp burst into a proud grin.
"Good."
Ren rubbed his forehead.
"Ow… but… why?"
Garp pointed a thick finger at Ren's chest.
"Because courage isn't about strength, brat.
It's about standing firm when your body screams to run."
Ren blinked.
"That's… different from fighting."
Garp nodded.
"Exactly."
---
PART 3 — THE REAL TEST
Garp tossed the pebble aside.
"Now the real test."
Ren's stomach twisted.
"What real test?!"
Garp stepped closer.
His presence felt like a boulder pressing down.
"Look me in the eyes."
Ren did.
He regretted it instantly.
Garp's gaze wasn't merely intense—
it was the gaze of a man who had stood atop battlefields,
laughed at death,
and punched monsters bigger than houses.
Ren's breath caught.
His legs wanted to shake.
His body wanted to flee.
But he—
Didn't.
He stood firm.
Zemo growled protectively from behind.
Garp's terrifying aura vanished as quickly as it came.
He smiled.
"…You passed."
Ren fell to his knees, gasping.
"What… was that?!"
Garp patted his head—
gently, surprisingly.
"A test of spirit.
Most adults would faint.
But you stood firm."
Ren couldn't feel his legs.
Makino hurried over.
"Garp, he's seven!"
Garp shrugged.
"Then he's seven with more guts than half the Marines I trained."
Zemo barked proudly and nuzzled Ren.
---
PART 4 — THE HIDDEN EVALUATION
As Ren regained his breath, Garp crouched in front of him.
"You've got a strong will.
A sharp mind.
And a dangerous curiosity."
Ren blinked.
Dangerous?
Garp tapped his forehead gently.
"You're not meant to be a fighter.
But you will fight.
Not with fists…
but with decisions."
Ren's eyes widened.
Garp's voice lowered, serious:
"Strength like yours — mind strength — can shake the world.
But only if your heart survives."
Zemo stepped between them as if understanding the gravity.
Garp smirked.
"That wolf's got good instincts.
Keep him close."
Ren nodded silently.
---
PART 5 — DEPARTURE
Garp stood up suddenly.
"Alright! I'm hungry! MAKINOOOOO! FEED ME!"
He dashed toward the bar.
Makino screamed after him:
"DON'T RUN INSIDE—!"
CRASH.
Ren sighed.
"…Should we help her?"
Zemo licked his face.
Ren laughed despite himself.
"Yeah… let's go."
---
END OF CHAPTER 51