Side Story: The Various Powers (3)

East Blue.

Foosha Village.

"Mr. Garp and Luffy are back!"

In a tavern at the foot of the mountain, a child excitedly pushed open the door and shouted loudly.

"It's so good that Mr. Garp is alright! Let's go greet him!"

Almost all the residents in the tavern got excited and didn't even want to drink anymore.

"Seriously, what kind of behavior is this! I told you long ago, he's a man who created countless legends, how could he die so easily!"

The village chief, who was drinking beer nearby, said this, and the weight that had been pressing on his heart for the past few days finally lifted.

No one knows how worried Garp was when news of his disappearance in Hachinosu broke.

As the village head, he simply kept reassuring the villagers that the other party would be alright.

"Hmph~ Actually, isn't the village chief the one most worried about Mr. Garp?"

Makino teased the baby in her arms, and even the infant who hadn't yet learned to crawl laughed out loud.

"I didn't!"

The village chief shouted, trying to hide the embarrassment on his face.

"I'm so sorry to have worried you all, Makino. Everything's on me today! Eat and drink without worry! Hahahaha~"

At this moment, Garp entered the tavern with the support of the villagers. After greeting them, he spoke in a bold and unrestrained manner.

"As expected of Mr. Garp!"

The crowd cheered.

Money doesn't matter, but everyone likes this kind of atmosphere.

"Garp, didn't you say Luffy was back? Where is he?"

The village chief looked around but didn't see the mischievous troublemaker he remembered.

"They've gone to Dadan. The kid's been away from home for years, he should at least go back and say hello."

"Never mind that, I have some good news for you all: Luffy and Ace are now Marines! Hahahaha~"

Garp walked to the front of the stage and sat down, placing his hands on the village chief's shoulders, his face full of undisguised joy.

On the other side, in front of a house on Mount Colubo.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Who is it? Coming to find bandits in broad daylight? Don't you have a death wish?"

After the knocking, an impatient woman's voice came from inside, followed by hurried footsteps.

The door opened, and the woman was about to utter some curses, but she just stood there, stunned.

Her eyes and mouth widened involuntarily, and she didn't even notice the cigarette she was holding falling to the ground.

"What's wrong Dadan? You don't even remember us after only a few years away? Even though Sabo has been missing for many years."

Ace lit a flame on his finger, pushed up his navy cap, and his face radiated youthful energy.

"You bunch of bastards... Get the hell out of here! The days of taking care of this brat are over!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Dadan sniffed, took out another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and then turned and went into the house.

She told them to get lost, but she slowed her pace considerably and didn't close the door.

"Let's cook! It's been so long since we ate together—I'm so hungry!"

Luffy carried the wild bear he had just hit on his shoulder into the house, and at the same time his stomach started to rumble.

"You guys joined the Navy? You came back with Garp, right? Where's he?"

After Dadan sat down, she glanced at the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed that she didn't see the figure she feared most.

"Grandpa was drinking and chatting with everyone at the tavern in Foosha Village."

"And what about you guys? What are you doing here? I'm a mountain bandit. You finally became marines, and getting involved with me isn't a good thing."

Dadan spoke, but it sounded like a dismissal.

"What does it matter? I missed you, so I came~ We grew up following you, hehe~"

Without much thought, Luffy immediately voiced his thoughts, and Sabo and Ace smiled and tacitly agreed that their brother's answer was also their answer.

"Um..."

"Seriously... my brothers are all such idiots..."

After taking a deep breath, Dadan pulled out a tissue from the side and began to sob uncontrollably, but her tears were filled with joy.

"Big sister~"

The bandits standing nearby kept handing her tissues and offering words of comfort.

"After all these years, you haven't changed a bit..."

Ace sighed.

He knew very well how gentle Dadan was with them.

"None of your business!"

She just kept crying.

"Oh right Ace! I forgot to give you this..."

Suddenly, Luffy seemed to remember something important and started rummaging through his pockets, eventually pulling out a Den Den Mushi.

"This is footage of Raftel that Buggy specifically recorded using Den Den Mushi."

He placed the Den Den Mushi in Ace's hand, his smile like that of a child waiting for praise.

"Huh? I have no interest in Raftel..."

Despite saying this, Ace still managed to project the images recorded by the Den Den Mushi onto the wall after some manipulation.

"Is this the legendary Laugh Tale...?"

The bandits watched intently, but found that the scene of gold and silver treasures scattered everywhere they had imagined did not appear.

"Wasn't the World Government already destroyed? Why bother looking at this stuff..."

As Ace watched the video of Joy Boy telling everyone some secrets, Ace lost interest.

"Wait, Ace... hurry up and play the next part!"

Seeing that he was about to turn his head, Luffy slapped the Den Den Den Mushi on the head, making it speed up the recording.

"Blue~"

The Den Den Mushi, tears streaming down its face, rewound the recording. Just as Ace was about to turn his head, the man appeared on the screen:

"Ace... I love you... I'm sorry."

"Who is this guy...?"

Ace, his voice trembling slightly.

He kept saying he hated that man, but how could he not want to see that man and know what the other man was really thinking?

"This is what Roger most wanted to say to you before he disappeared!"

Luffy with his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

"Mind your own business! My father only has Whitebeard!"

As he was laughing and joking, Ace's fist had already knocked a big bump on his head.

"But... thanks anyway, Luffy."

And... Roger.

He wouldn't forgive the other person for abandoning him and his mother just because of a few words, but he also wouldn't hate the other person anymore.

Now, I have found the meaning of life and will no longer be bound by the past.

"By the Luffy, Raftel, you've already reached Laugh Tale and become the new Pirate King, so why did you go and become a Marine?"

The short man next to Dadan was a little puzzled. He remembered that Luffy used to clamor to become the Pirate King when he was a child.

"Well... a lot has happened..."

Luffy habitually touched his hat, and upon realizing it wasn't Straw Hat, a smile crept onto his face.

"Anyway, this time, I will definitely be the one to become the Marine King!"