First Cry, Then Make a Scene, Then Threaten Suicide

"Grandpa!" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, and even the Navy fleet that followed Garp were all stunned and dumbfounded at the same time.

Luffy was blasted to the ground by this "Fist of Love," rolling around on the ground clutching his head and letting out a shrill scream, "Aaaaah... it hurts... it hurts so much!"

"What are you talking about? That was a punch, it shouldn't have any effect on rubber..." Sanji asked in surprise, recovering from his shock.

"The fist of love... there's no way to defend against it..." Garp took off his dog-head hat and laughed loudly, "Luffy, it seems you still need to go to the Navy for even more brutal training."

"I don't want to be a Marine! I've found the best crew in the world, and I'm going to challenge for the title of Pirate Kings!" Luffy roared.

"The best..." Nami and the others were all shaken, but then they were speechless. "Couldn't you have restrained yourself a little? Saying you want to become the Pirate Kings in front of the Marines, is this how you court death?"

"Luffy, is this how you talk to your grandpa?!" Garp roared in anger, grabbing Luffy in his hand.

"Ahhh... I was wrong!" Luffy, who hadn't shown any fear even when facing a life-or-death crisis, was now screaming in terror.

"It's over... We don't even have the courage to resist in front of his grandfather." Sanji and the others looked troubled. Not to mention that this marine was stronger than they thought, the fact that he was their captain's grandfather made it impossible for them to interfere. After all, it was only natural for a grandfather to discipline his grandson, and how could they, as outsiders, possibly have a say?

"Hmph, a rookie pirate with no bounty of even 1 Beli." After beating Luffy, Garp disdainfully threw him to the ground and turned to look at Zoro and the others with a scrutinizing gaze.

As if being stared at by a prehistoric beast, Zoro and the others felt their blood almost freeze.

"If you want to attack them, you'll have to ask me, the captain, first!" Luffy spread his arms to block the crowd.

"Luffy, you..." Nami and the others were even more moved. They never expected that Luffy, who was so cowardly in front of his grandfather, would actually stand against his grandfather for their safety.

"Hmph, I have very important things to do, so I don't have time to catch a few rookie pirates like you without any bounties." Garp picked his nose and said arrogantly, "Besides, you guys seem to have done some pretty good things. At least, according to these villagers, it was you guys who rescued them from a vicious pirate crew."

"Hehe, not at all!" Luffy and the others were beaming with pride, as if they had been praised to the heavens.

"But the Navy will handle the task of eliminating pirates. Do you need to meddle in this?" Garp once again put on a serious face and lectured him.

"Tch." Luffy picked his nose dismissively, mimicking Garp's gesture. "The Marines who govern this area are just the Arlong Pirate Crew's protector. You can't expect them to rescue the villagers."

"Huh, really?" Garp looked completely bewildered. He turned to look at the villagers' expressions and then Ohm, "No wonder these villagers looked so scared when they saw the Marines. So there's a traitor in our Marines?"

Garp's expression quickly turned awkward. For someone as righteous as him, the Navy becoming an accomplice of the pirates, and even having to rely on another group of pirates to rescue the villagers, was an utter disgrace.

It was especially awkward when it happened while he was lecturing Luffy, and he couldn't help but feel a burning hatred for that unfamiliar Captain Nezumi.

"Ahem, don't worry, I will definitely investigate thoroughly when I get back, find out the corrupt elements in the Navy, and give you justice." Garp was increasingly embarrassed and annoyed, feeling that he had no face to stay any longer. He then waved his hand and said, "I have important matters to attend to, so I won't waste any more time with you."

"Vice Admiral Garp, we've spotted Golden Lion's trail. His Floating Island is located in the Northwest Sea Area not far away," the Vice Captain, wearing a hat and dressed like a traitor, whispered as he approached.

Perhaps because of his status as Garp's grandson, the Vice Captain didn't lower his voice too much, and the people around him could clearly hear the information he was conveying.

"Golden Lion!" Usopp, Zoro, Sanji, and Nami all looked utterly horrified, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Golden Lion, that name sounds familiar. I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before," Luffy thought seriously.

"You don't even know Golden Lion? He was a big shot who was once on par with the Pirate Kings. Twenty years ago, he was even closer to becoming the Pirate Kings than Roger!" Sanji was speechless. How could someone who wanted to become the Pirate Kings not know such things?

"Wait a minute, someone capable of capturing Golden Lion is no nobody. And considering Vice Admiral Garp was mentioned earlier, could he be the same Vice Admiral Garp who's known as Marine Hero?" Zoro said, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, haven't I told you guys before?" Luffy replied with a matter-of-fact expression.

"Phew!" Everyone held their breath, thinking that if it weren't for your grandfather being here today, he would have beaten you so badly that even your own mother wouldn't recognize you.

"Oh, right, Shanks mentioned this name to me before," Luffy, whose reaction time was rather slow, said as if Luffy from a dream. "So he's someone who's on par with the Pirate Kings?"

Everyone looked on with a mournful expression. Having a captain with such a long reaction arc felt like being on a pirate ship.

"The Pirate Kings!" Luffy swallowed hard.

"I heard he's also a Great Sword Master!" Zoro's eyes gleamed.

"Those fresh ingredients must have come from his island," Sanji, taking a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"A big shot who's on par with the Pirate Kings, his island must be overflowing with treasure." Nami's eyes immediately turned into the symbol of Beli.

"Hey, hey, don't mess around! That's the legendary ruthless guy who destroyed half of the Marine Headquarters! People will die!" Usopp saw through their thoughts immediately and his legs trembled with fear.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with those looks you're giving me?" Garp also had a bad feeling.

"Grandpa, take us with you!" Luffy instantly turned into a sycophant, giving Garp goosebumps.

"Stop, don't even think about it. I'm not taking you there." Garp said with practiced ease, "Not to mention what it would look like to have a few pirates on a warship, the aftershocks of the battle alone would be enough to kill you ten thousand times over."

"Yes, yes, Vice Admiral Garp is right." Usopp nodded repeatedly.

"A pirate without a bounty isn't a pirate." Luffy is willing to abandon all his principles in order to witness the history of the Pirate Kings.

Garp pondered.

"Unless you kill us here, nothing can stop our advance." Zoro's eyes burned with fighting spirit.

Garp remained silent.

"Grandpa Garp, your Navy owes our Cocoyasi Village so much, surely you wouldn't refuse such a small request?" Nami threatened.

Garp, what does this have to do with me?

"Fine, fine, I give up." Garp looked annoyed, with nowhere to vent his frustration. "Hmph, Captain Nezumi, huh? I'll kill you when I get back."