"Of course!"
Ace snorted without turning his head. "Maybe he's a hundred times more powerful than you, stinky old man!"
Surprisingly, Garp didn't refute.
"If I want to kill a hundred people with only one punch, I can do it too..." he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "It's so easy, like squashing a mosquito... But judging from your description, the pirate's death isn't like the result of the Haoshoku Haki. Is he a Devil Fruit user, or... Huh, whatever he is!"
After finishing the last piece of Senbei, Garp suddenly stood up and looked towards the bandits' house.
"He's on the second floor, right? I'll go and see what that fellow is capable of. Heroic activities, justice... I suddenly like this kid."
He said before swaying into the house and bursting into a breathtaking spirit, transforming from a bad old man to a Marine hero in an instant.
Ace and Sabo gazed in amazement at Garp's back, speechless for a moment.
After a while, Sabo broke the silence. "Ace, your grandfather is amazing! Do you think he could defeat that bald man?"
Before Ace could respond, little Luffy, standing next to him, piped up. "Grandpa will definitely win!"
Ace chuckled, "What do you know, kid?"
Ace glanced at Luffy and frowned disapprovingly. "That bald sea monster is not to be underestimated. The old man is definitely not a match for that beast."
Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening roar erupted from the house as Garp bellowed, "The bald boy inside! Come out to the old man!"
The ground shook violently, causing the three kids to struggle to keep their balance. The roar echoed through the air, causing the forest to erupt in chaos as countless beasts and venomous snakes scattered in fear.
Meanwhile, Saitama, who was reading a newspaper in his room, heard the commotion and winced at the harsh sound. He held his ears and opened the door to find an old man brimming with energy and courage. The two men locked eyes for a few seconds before Saitama greeted Garp warmly.
"Hey there, sir! You seem full of spirit," Saitama remarked, hesitatingly. "But, I'm afraid I'm already subscribed to a newspaper..."
Garp was taken aback and quickly responded, waving his hand. "Oh no, no, I'm not selling newspapers!"
Saitama pondered for a moment and then spoke again. "Hmm... I'm not interested in insurance either."
"I'm not trying to sell you anything!" Garp exclaimed, waving his hand in frustration.
"But it's been said that my grandson has been taken care of by you, stinky boy! I've come here to fight for him. How about you and I go outside and settle this? I want to see if you're truly worthy of being called a monster by that idiot Ace!"
Saitama simply replied, "Not interested," and promptly closed the door in Garp's face.
Fuming with anger, Garp kicked the door and pointed at Saitama, who was calmly reading a newspaper on the floor. "You, stinky boy! You--"
Before he could finish his sentence, Saitama punched Garp into the sky with incredible speed.
"You'll have to pay for the door!!" he called out after him.
Garp's body crashed through the roof and landed on the ground in a smooth arc, where three kids rushed over to him.
Luffy poked Garp carefully and asked, "Hey, Grandpa, are you alright?"
- How could he be alright? That punch was so fast that even Garp couldn't react to it. Despite his strong body, he still felt the pain. However, as a Marine hero and a grandfather, he couldn't be humiliated in front of his grandson. -
At that moment, Garp's face was swollen.
As he lifted his head from the ground, he laughed and wiped the blood from his nose. "This minor injury is no problem at all. Ace, you're right. That guy has some serious strength. Hahaha..."
Ace shook his head in disbelief. "It's too obvious, you stinky old man..."
"But that only makes me admire him more," Garp replied, ignoring Ace's comment.
He turned to Ace, Luffy, and Sabo with a solemn expression. "That man, Saitama, has the potential to become a powerful Marine, perhaps even an Admiral. You three must strive to become the strongest Marines yourselves. Understand?"
"No way!"
The three young boys exclaimed in unison, each one declaring confidently, "I'm going to become the Pirate King!"
"Those damn brats! Take my Fist of Love!!!" Garp roared in anger as he struck each child in turn.
After hitting the children, Garp rubbed his aching chin and stormed into the house.
Garp spotted Saitama on the second floor holding a hammer and nail, attempting to fix the damaged door.
Upon noticing Garp's arrival, Saitama looked wary and quickly locked the door, asking, "What brings you here again?"
"I didn't come here to fight you this time," Garp replied as he sat down in the hallway.
He faced Saitama and said, "I want to talk to you about something important, Saitama. Ace told me that you're not from this world, and that you possess not only immense power but also a strong sense of justice. I've also heard that you've cleaned up the pirates on Garbage Hill. Is that true?"
"So?!" Saitama said nonchalantly, as he cleaned his nose with one finger.
Garp tried to maintain his composure and focused on talking to Saitama, despite his irresponsible behavior of staring at his own mucus.
"I want to discuss the possibility of you joining the Marines," Garp said firmly.
"Marines?" Saitama was surprised and turned his head to the side.
He pondered for a moment and then said, "I have considered it before, but being a Marine means obeying the orders of your superiors. As a hero, I'm driven by my own interests and I can't accept being subordinate to anyone."
"That's not a problem,"
Garp placed his hands on his chest and spoke earnestly, "You can stay with me without worrying about orders or hierarchies. You'll have the freedom to make your own decisions and act according to your own judgment. Moreover, I'll provide you with a generous salary and bonuses every month."
Saitama's attention had been drifting, but when he heard about the salary and bonuses, his eyes sparked with excitement. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed, and the deal was sealed.
Without hesitation, Saitama strode forward and sat down opposite Garp. He gripped Garp's hand firmly and said, "I'm thrilled to join the Marines. Please guide me in the future, Old Sensei!"
-Ugh!-
Garp was taken aback by Saitama's response.
He had expected it to be a difficult task to persuade someone with such immense power. In this era, numerous powerful individuals acted recklessly, causing chaos and exploiting the vulnerable. Only a select few heroes fought in the shadows to protect civilians.
To his surprise, Saitama readily agreed to join the Marines, much to Garp's amusement.
"Hey... Old Sensei, OLD SENSEI, it's not polite to shout..." Saitama protested.
Garp chuckled and looked at Saitama's bald head. "Just call me Garp," he said.
"In three days, a warship will arrive at Foosha Village to pick me up. You will come with me, and we will use our sense of justice to strike fear into the hearts of the world's villains. Hahaha!"
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Thank you!