Mo Xingchen rolled his Byakugan and ignored Garp's self-indulgent rambling. Looking at Bogard, who was covered in cold sweat, he said:
"Forget that idiot old man. Starting tomorrow morning, you'll teach Ace and Luffy reading, writing, and basic life skills."
"Yes!"
"Relax, there's no need to worry too much! I bought some children's books suitable for their age. They're in that pile over there. Just teach them from those when the time comes."
As Garp spoke, he realized that neither of them was paying attention to him. Instead, they had cast him aside and started discussing things among themselves. He immediately gritted his teeth and roared:
"You two brats, are you even listening to me?! Don't ignore me, damn it!"
After roaring, he raised his fist, ready to give them both a blow. Mo Xingchen said disdainfully:
"Listen to you? Ace is already seven! He doesn't even recognize Beli. He wouldn't know he has to pay when buying something!"
Garp's descending fist stopped instantly. He scratched his head awkwardly, looked away, and explained guiltily,
"Yoha... hahaha... Isn't that the kind of thing you naturally learn when you grow up?"
After hearing Garp's words, Bogard swiftly turned around and took a step back, standing beside Mo Xingchen as they both looked at their commander with disdain. Clearly, when it came to raising children, Bogard firmly chose to follow Mo Xingchen's lead!
Mo Xingchen glanced toward Ace and Luffy and saw the two brats dragging their feet and slacking off. Raising a hand, he flung several streaks of Sword Qi in their direction.
"Run faster!"
The Sword Qi sliced past their bodies. The sharp, dangerous aura that threatened to cut them in half at any moment deeply stimulated the pain receptors in their brains, and Ace and Luffy screamed as they began sprinting wildly.
Garp sulkily ate donuts off to the side like an overgrown child. Bogard studied several children's books, figuring out how he should teach them starting tomorrow. Mo Xingchen leaned against a boulder and drank juice, leisurely supervising Ace and Luffy while occasionally sending a few streaks of Sword Qi their way.
And so, Ace and Luffy attended academic lessons with Bogard in the mornings, trained alongside the soldiers under Mo Xingchen's supervision in the afternoons, and listened to Garp recount his glorious exploits at night.
However, Mo Xingchen generally forced them to train until they reached their physical limits in the afternoon, so they fell asleep especially quickly at night. Garp had clearly become nothing more than a tool for telling bedtime stories.
Five days later, Mo Xingchen gave Ace and Luffy a day off. Work and rest had to be balanced, after all. So he took the two little ones into town to shop and let them relax.
By evening, the three of them returned to the tavern carrying armfuls of bags. They came to the bar, each ordered a glass of iced juice from Makino, and waited leisurely.
Garp came over at that moment. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that both Ace and Luffy had large bumps on their foreheads, so he asked:
"Did you two get into a fight?"
"No."
"Then what happened to you?"
Ace pointed at Mo Xingchen and bluntly said,
"Uncle hit us because I didn't have money."
Garp froze for a second. He saw several Beli notes clutched in Ace's small hand pointing at Mo Xingchen.
Then he looked at the bags full of children's toys, clothes, and other things. With the Monkey family's remarkable intellect, he immediately figured it out.
"Duang! Duang!"
Garp gave Ace and Luffy a punch each on the head and burst into laughter.
With tears held back beneath the bump on his head, Ace stubbornly extended his other little hand and looked at Garp.
"Give me money!"
Garp's expression suddenly turned sinister, like the ultimate villain in a movie. As he intimidated the boy, he also explained a lesson about life,
"Those without strength have no right to demand anything from others!"
Ace, encountering a "dine and dash" for the first time, stood there stunned for a long while. He nearly awakened his Conqueror's Haki ahead of schedule!
Then his outstretched little hand clenched tightly into a fist. He glared at Garp with an adorably fierce expression and declared resolutely:
"Stupid old man! When I beat you, I won't give you any money either!"
"Me too!"
"Yohahahahaha! I'll be waiting for that, you two!"
Filled with immense grievance, Ace grabbed Luffy's hand and headed out the door, not even taking a sip of his juice. Garp did not chase after them. Instead, he came over and sat beside Mo Xingchen.
Makino returned from the kitchen carrying three glasses of juice. Looking at the empty stools, she asked in confusion,
"Where are Ace and Luffy?"
"They got bullied into running away by some unreliable grandpa."
Mo Xingchen spread his hands and said playfully.
"Yohahahahaha! By the way, last time you said you'd already reached Admiral level. Do you know the advanced applications of Haki?"
"Mm, I roughly know the direction, but I haven't completely figured out exactly how to do it."
"You know me. I definitely can't explain it clearly. Let's have a fight, and you can comprehend it yourself."
"Mm, not today. I plan to leave for Shimotsuki Village shortly and visit an old acquaintance. We'll fight after I return."
"Shimotsuki Village? The name Shimotsuki sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?"
Garp tilted his head, stroking the beard on his chin as he racked his brains to remember.
"A swordsman family from Wano Country. Their ancestor was the dragon-slaying swordsman, Shimotsuki Ryoma. The current head of the Shimotsuki family is also a highly promising Great Swordsman. My Chun Jun was forged by his father."
"Oh, so it was that Shimotsuki. No wonder it sounded so familiar."
When Bogard, standing nearby, heard the words Great Swordsman, his eyes changed. It could not be helped. Mo Xingchen's swordsmanship was far too advanced for him to reach, and upon hearing of an unfamiliar Great Swordsman, he naturally wanted to see him for himself.
And he was even a descendant of Shimotsuki Ryoma. Shimotsuki Ryoma! Which swordsman on the seas had not grown up hearing his legends?
"Um... Vice Admiral Mo, may I come with you? I'd like to see another Great Swordsman."
"You can."
Mo Xingchen agreed as he looked at the eager Bogard, then turned to Makino and said,
"Little Pudding, then I'll have to trouble you with teaching Ace and Luffy their academic lessons in the mornings for the next two days."
"Okay, don't worry, big brother."
"Bogard, notify the soldiers and prepare to set sail. We don't need too many people, just enough to operate the warship."
"Yes!"
With that, Bogard excitedly ran out of the tavern to organize the men.
Since everyone had been staying near the harbor these past few days, no soldiers had been specifically assigned to guard the warship. It was also Garp's way of giving everyone a break. But they still had to complete their daily physical training before they could move about freely.
"Yohahahahaha! Then for the next two days, those two brats can properly savor Grandpa's 'Fist of Love'!"
Laughing loudly, Garp got up and headed out to find Ace and Luffy. Seeing this, Mo Xingchen could only silently say to them in his heart:
Sorry! Your uncle can't control your grandpa. You two had better pray for yourselves!
Before you continue