Nika Garp, the Man Who Inherited Roger's Straw Hat?

"Waaah! Luffy! What did you make this old man eat!? What is this!?"

Garp had merely taken the food his little grandson handed him without even looking, but only after swallowing it did he realize something was wrong.

Seeing his limp, floppy arm, Garp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Huh!?"

Luffy was equally shocked, unable to understand why Chicken had suddenly turned into a monster.

"Boss! That looks like the Devil Fruit we stole!"

Over on the Red-Haired Pirates' side, Lucky Roux, his round belly wobbling, swiftly found the small box that had been flung aside. He picked it up and showed everyone that it was completely empty.

Seeing this, Shanks went numb. He looked at Garp, then at Luffy, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but he could not say a word.

Zephyr raised a hand to cover his eyes, unwilling to look at Garp's condition.

Originally, he had thought they could simply let nature take its course. If Luffy ate the Nika Fruit disguised as the Gum-Gum Fruit, that would have been fine.

But... why had that old bastard Garp eaten it instead!?

What kind of situation was this?

The Warrior of Liberation, Joy Boy's successor—Monkey D... Garp!?

After his initial confusion, Garp looked down at his hand again and gave it a hard swing. His limp, dangling arm immediately snapped back.

"Ah, it changed back."

Garp grinned. Good, it would not interfere with him eating rice crackers and donuts.

Just as he was about to lower his head and take another bite of grilled meat, Garp suddenly noticed everyone staring at him.

"Hey, hey, why are you all looking at this old man? Do I have flowers on my face or something?"

Rubbing his face, Garp found it unusually soft and springy. Not bad.

"Hey, Garp."

Recovering from his shock, Zephyr silently walked over and sat beside Garp.

"You don't know what you ate?"

"What?"

"A Devil Fruit, you bastard! You're a Devil Fruit user now, just like Sengoku and Tsuru!"

Zephyr's tone was agitated, though he still forcibly kept it under control.

Thinking about it seriously, perhaps it was not so bad for Garp to have eaten the Nika Fruit?

Though Garp was an unruly fellow, he did possess a simple sense of justice deep down, and his own strength was formidable. Combined with the Nika Fruit, it was a perfect match.

It was just...

The more Zephyr looked at Garp's indifferent expression, the angrier he became. Did this old man even know he had stolen his grandson's power!?

"A Devil Fruit?"

Garp was startled.

"Then that's pretty good! I've always wanted to experience what it feels like to be a Devil Fruit user. Sengoku and Tsuru's powers are both pretty good, so mine should be great too!"

Hearing that familiar hearty laughter, Zephyr could not help clenching his fists.

"A Devil Fruit?"

Hearing an unfamiliar term, Luffy could not help looking at Zephyr, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Zephyr was already annoyed by Garp, that stubborn old blockhead who refused to listen to reason. Seeing Luffy looking at him so eagerly, he was about to explain.

But someone beat him to it.

"I know, I know!"

Uta skipped over and shoved Luffy aside with one shoulder.

"I'm a Devil Fruit user too! The Paramecia-type Uta Uta no Mi! Anyone who hears my singing can find happiness!"

Zephyr found Uta's confident expression rather amusing.

Luffy would become remarkable in the future, nearly affecting the entire world, but Uta would be even more remarkable—she would nearly wipe out the entire world.

"So, Luffy, I'm stronger than you, you know~"

Uta provocatively teased her loser little brother.

"Damn it!" Luffy was still as easily fired up as ever. "I'll find an amazing Devil Fruit someday too, and become a Devil Fruit user even stronger than you, Uta!"

"Impossible."

"It's definitely possible!"

"It's impossible!"

Children really did change moods quickly. Just moments ago, they had been angry over Higuma, and now they were bickering again.

Zephyr let the two children play around, but the owner of the fruit had already come looking for them.

"Mr. Garp, Mr. Zephyr, that Devil Fruit was our spoils of war..."

Shanks's resentful voice drifted over as he approached like a ghost, making both Zephyr and Garp feel a chill run down their spines.

"Hey, hey, kid, don't look like you're about to die! It's just one Devil Fruit. At worst, this old man will get you another one later."

Garp playfully pulled his mouth open and found that it could stretch tremendously like putty. He could stuff all the grilled meat inside, and his eyes immediately lit up.

This Devil Fruit power was amazing!

"Get me another one..." Thinking of all those years of restraint, Shanks looked like he wanted to cry. "I only wanted this one!"

After being dejected for a while, Shanks was not a weak man. He quickly pulled himself together.

After thinking carefully, Shanks looked at Garp with bright eyes and took off the straw hat on his head.

"Mr. Garp, does this straw hat look familiar to you?"

"Huh?" Garp narrowed his eyes as a familiar feeling came over him. "That's Roger's straw hat!"

"Yes." Shanks nodded, then solemnly held the straw hat out to him.

"Then, Mr. Garp, would you like to inherit this straw hat and meet me at the summit someday?"

Zephyr turned to look at Shanks. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze became even stranger. What was going on today? Why were there absurd things like this everywhere?

Garp's mouth twitched, and he slammed his plate onto the table with a smack.

"You little bastard, do you want a taste of this old man's fists!?"

"Hahaha, then forget it."

Shanks retreated awkwardly. He was only good at fooling children; old men were not so easy to fool!

Closing his eyes, Shanks pondered for a moment. He exchanged a glance with his advisor, Beckman, then looked at Garp, who was happily eating, and Zephyr, who wore the same thoughtful expression. Finally, he spoke.

"Can we talk privately? Mr. Zephyr, Mr. Garp, I have something to explain, and I would also like to ask you a few questions."

Only then did Garp stop eating his meat. He looked at Zephyr, and after seeing Zephyr nod, he nodded as well.

"Sure."

"Thank you. Don't worry, I'll come alone."

"Boss!"

The Red-Haired Pirates gathered around him in concern, but Shanks reassured each of them.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything stupid."

Shanks smiled confidently.

Zephyr glanced at him. "Just now..."

"Cough, cough, except for just now."

Shanks waved a hand, excluding that incident.

Soon, after having Beckman and the others, along with Makino, watch over Luffy and Uta, Zephyr and Garp stood opposite Red-Haired Shanks on the back mountain of Foosha Village, once they had confirmed there was no one nearby.

"Kid, what do you want to say?" Zephyr took the initiative. He had already formed some ideas.

Shanks smiled, his gaze turning nostalgic before he spoke. "Since Mr. Zephyr already knows, I won't hide it anymore."

"That's right. I'm a Celestial Dragon, a member of the Figarland Family. Garling, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, is my father, and Shamrock, the current commander of the Holy Knights, is my brother.

"A few years ago, I temporarily returned to Mary Geoise. There, I saw the true face of the Celestial Dragons and felt deep shame over my identity as one!"

Shanks spoke calmly, while Garp was already dumbfounded. What? Hadn't this kid grown up on Roger's ship? A Celestial Dragon!?

Zephyr nodded. He already knew this information, which was why he had been willing to speak with Shanks.

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I mean is, during the years I returned to Mary Geoise, I was actually searching for information. Once I found it, I left."

"And that information... was the Devil Fruit Mr. Garp ate."

"On the surface, it is the Paramecia-type Gum-Gum Fruit. In reality, it is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Mythical Zoan, Nika Form."

Shanks spoke each word clearly, leaving Garp dumbfounded once more, with even a snot bubble forming at his nose.

What the hell was that?

"Mm." Zephyr nodded. "I knew that too."

"What!?"

Shanks looked over in disbelief. How did he know that too?