One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 54: Garp's Little Scheme

In a flash.

Shane had already vaguely sensed that this punch was not aimed at his head, but at the space above his shoulder.

However, the muscular instincts forged through tempering, as well as his absolute trust in his own tough physique, made him meet the punch head-on without a moment's hesitation!

BOOM!

Where their fists met, the air instantly rippled, and a piercing sonic boom erupted. The two were almost simultaneously blasted backward by the shockwave.

However, Garp only retreated five or six steps before coming to a steady stop.

Shane, on the other hand, plowed two long furrows in the ground, sliding back more than ten meters before he managed to stabilize himself.

"Hm?"

Garp looked up in surprise, pushed back his dog-head hat, and couldn't help but size up the black-haired young man before him.

"Good kid! To have such strength at such a young age! Hey! A guy like you could make a name for himself even on the Grand Line. Why are you still hanging around in the East Blue?!"

That punch of his just now was, of course, just to scare him; he hadn't used much strength. But it was definitely not something an ordinary person could take. What's more, not only had the other party taken it head-on, but he had also managed to knock him back several steps.

"Because I'm from the East Blue!" Shane rolled his eyes. "I'm only fourteen. Why would I rush off to the Grand Line so early instead of spending a few more years with my family?"

"Fourteen?!"

Luffy's jaw dropped. He had always thought Uncle... no, Big Bro Shane, was at least thirty!

"Grandpa!" the little brat stood up, dissatisfied. "What are you doing?! Big Bro Shane is my friend, he's not a bad guy! How could you just attack him like that?!"

"This old man is your grandpa?" Shane was surprised. "Then why was he stopping me from saving you?"

"Shut up! Of course, I was training this brat's survival skills!" Garp snorted, and with a casual punch, hammered Luffy back into the ground. He turned to stare at Shane. "I didn't expect to run into such a promising seedling just by following that kid Momonga's ship to take a vacation back home..."

"Hey, kid! This old man's name is Garp. You should have heard of me, right? Do you want to join the Marines with me? With your strength at fourteen, after a few years of proper training, you could probably become a Rear Admiral before you turn eighteen!"

"Garp?"

Shane was stunned, his face a mask of shock. "The legendary Hero of the Marines, Garp?! The Garp who saved a whole island of Celestial Dragons?!"

"Hahaha, that's right, this old..." Garp had just started to laugh when he heard the second half of the sentence.

The smile instantly froze on his face.

Back then, when he was sent to God Valley by Fleet Admiral Kong, he had thought the Celestial Dragons were really on a study trip. For the chance to catch Roger, he had rushed over in high spirits. It was only after the bitter battle was over that he discovered what kind of disgusting things that group of bubble-headed fat pigs were up to!

Although the battle with the Rocks Pirates had forged his reputation as the Hero of the Marines, it had also become a dark shadow buried deep in his heart ever since. It was also from that point on that he refused the promotion to Admiral for the rest of his life, so that he at least wouldn't have to take direct orders from the Celestial Dragons and become a slave with no freedom of action.

Garp was silent for a long time, staring at Shane's face, his eyes seemingly covered by a layer of shadow.

"You kid..." the old man's tone was complicated, "you seem to know a lot. Could it be... you're a survivor from that island?"

"No, and don't misunderstand. I don't mean to mock you. I still have a lot of respect for you, Mr. Garp," Shane said, shaking his head slightly and speaking seriously. "It's just that, now you probably understand the answer to your earlier question, right? A person like me can't stand being constrained by rules and regulations. Me, become a Marine? The thought of being unable to refuse an order from the Celestial Dragons really makes my whole body itch. It's unbearable."

"But..."

Garp subconsciously wanted to argue, but the scenes from over twenty years ago flashed through his mind. He sighed, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"Exactly! Why be a Marine? It's so boring!" Luffy struggled to poke his head out of the dirt pit, his mud-covered face wrinkled like a bitter melon. "Big Bro Shane, you should help me persuade my grandpa! He's only been back for a few days, and he's already clamoring about training me to be the strongest Marine. I've already told him, I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"

"Still going on about being the Pirate King! Look what that brat Shanks has done!" Garp roared, slamming an iron fist on Luffy's head. "I may not be able to control that kid, but I can control you! You're my own grandson! If you dare to become a pirate, see if I don't beat you to death!"

THUD!

"That hurts!!!"

Luffy clutched the three-layered bump on his head and shouted, "I'm a rubber-man! Why does your fist hurt me?!"

Of course, it's because of Haki.

Shane's sharp eyes noticed that the moment Garp threw the punch, a faint black aura had coated his fist, but it vanished in an instant. The force was perfectly controlled. Clearly, his mastery of Armament Haki had reached the pinnacle.

—He was extremely envious.

"Want to learn?"

Garp seemed to notice his gaze and grinned. "If you really joined the Marines and became my disciple, I would definitely teach you personally, but...唉 (āi), forget it. Let's not talk about it."

The old man picked his nose and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, I've been back in the East Blue on this trip, and my hands have been itching for a long time. This brat Luffy can't take a beating. How about you have a few rounds with me? If you can give me a good workout, I won't hold the matter of you killing Nezumi against you."

"How did you know... Wait, so you knew who I was from the start?"

Shane suddenly realized something was wrong. Damn it, this old geezer! So I wasn't the only one acting from the beginning!

"Nonsense! On my way back for vacation, I was lying on the deck reading the newspaper every day. It was hard not to see your face!" Garp scoffed. "As for that scumbag Nezumi, I also went to Branch 16 with Momonga. The Marines there, from top to bottom, all insisted that Buggy did it. I felt something was off, and since I had nothing better to do, I did a little private investigation."

"Using my face and reputation, I managed to get those Marines to open up to me. They secretly told me that just two days before the incident, Nezumi had taken them to your hometown to threaten you, and he also wanted to pocket the bounty for those fish-men."

"With that information, isn't it obvious?! I'm not an idiot!" Garp grunted, wiping the booger he had picked on the bewildered Luffy's hair. "Most likely, Nezumi was killed by you in retaliation, and then you framed Buggy for it."

"Did you tell Vice Admiral Momonga this?" Shane asked with a grin, not intending to deny it.

"What's there to tell? If he has the ability, he can find out for himself. Let's see if those Marines, who were oppressed by Nezumi for a year, will tell him the truth. Tsk, a scumbag like that is better off dead. He's a disgrace to the Marines. I actually wanted to praise you for it," Garp also grinned broadly. "Besides, you did a clean job, and there's no real evidence, so what reason is there to arrest you? And I'm on vacation. I can't be bothered with so much!"

He suddenly cracked his knuckles, his eyes shining with excitement. "Alright, Shane, kid, enough nonsense. Are you willing to have a few rounds with me or not?"