"Kid, you are good, but you still need practice, and I see you haven't awakened your Armament haki yet, so please give up this pointless struggle," Dragon said, still thinking of subduing me without harming me. If not, I would have been punched to the ground long ago.
"I will never..." A sudden strike to my gut took the air out of me, and I crumbled to the ground in pain. Although the man held back, it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer.
"You get distracted too easily, kid. Hasn't anyone taught you how to fight? You could have reacted if you had all your concentration on me," Dragon declared, crouching down to check on my crumpled form.
However, I knew for a fact that even though I could follow him using my Observation Haki, my body was not fast enough to react to dodge that strike. My consciousness was fading, but I used the pain and sheer will to hold on.
"Sigh, kid, why are you so stubborn? You should have just followed me quietly when I asked. Why suffer so much?" Dragon was moved by the way I was still trying to stand back up despite the overwhelming pain. He moved again, and then I felt everything around me go dark.
A few minutes later, the entire scene was cleared out by the Marines. Diamante stepped out of a nearby alley towards the location where I had fought the Marine Captain and then Dragon. He was carrying a transponder snail in his hands, seemingly connected on the other end.
"Diamante, what's the situation there? Is my little brother safe?" Doffy's voice came from the other end of the snail, carrying so much anger and frustration that Diamante could feel it.
Diamante carefully observed the battleground, and after examining it, he discerned a hidden message within the random scars left on the floor. He immediately conveyed this message to Doffy, who seemed to calm down a bit, though the anger lingered. Although he didn't blame Diamante, he felt a bit disappointed in him. Even Diamante felt ashamed of his own weakness and apologized to Doffy.
"Doffy, I'm sorry I was not able to save Ross. If I were strong enough, maybe Ross wouldn't have stopped me from intervening. I promise you, I will personally infiltrate the Marine base and get back young master Ross," Diamante conveyed through the transponder snail, awaiting Doffy's instructions.
"No, you will follow Ross's instructions. My little brother would not do something without a proper reason. If he has asked you to return to Down's Island, then do it. But you are going to wait in Logue Town until he contacts either one of us. Just monitor the Marines from a distance. Your life is also as precious as my little brother's, so don't act recklessly," Doffy said, having received the hidden message that I left for him. I had asked Diamante to return home, and I would contact them shortly to update them on my plans if possible.
In a room designated for higher-ranking officers within the Logue Town Marine Base, Dragon leisurely sifted through some documents. On a small couch beside him sat a child wrapped in bandages.
"Oi, Brat, why did you call me here? Didn't I tell you that we had to leave for the New World after stocking up? Why are you still loitering around here in Logue Town? Have you become lazy again?" bellowed the middle-aged Garp as he burst into the office, berating Dragon for delaying their departure as he had instructed them to leave for the New World earlier.
"Dragon, Brat, you better have a good reason for making us delay our departure. If not, I will be personally handling your punishment," Garp threatened. Although Dragon seemed composed, I could see the slight twitch on his face. Maybe he still feared his father's fist, but I didn't care much about it. I was more interested in how Dragon would explain the situation.
"It's the kid. He has caused quite a commotion in the town in broad daylight. He cut down more than four dozen Marines, including the Marine Captain of Loguetown." Dragon started explaining the situation slowly. The moment Garp heard that I had killed Marines, his demeanor shifted to that of a dangerous, bloodthirsty beast.
"Calm down, old man. It wasn't the kid's fault, honestly. They were trying to capture the kid. At first, I was not sure about what was happening, as I was just passing through. But after some questioning, I found the real reason."
Garp's calmness quickly returned after hearing Dragon's words, but his face turned a bit ugly as he could deduce that it must have been the Marines who tried something underhanded. Garp prided himself on being a Marine and believed in Marines representing justice. However, despite his power, he couldn't stop all the bad deeds that some Marines performed, and he felt ashamed of such actions.
Garp sighed and walked up to sit down on the chair, gesturing for Dragon to continue.
"The kid has been marked as a slave of the Celestial Dragons. He bears the mark on his back. The Marine Captain wanted to capture the kid and sell him back to the Celestial Dragons, listing the kid as someone who had escaped the clutches of the World Government," Dragon revealed, disclosing the reason that I already knew about from reading the thoughts of the Marine Captain. I realized that someone must have seen my back while I was swimming alongside the Caravel when we had reached Loguetown, and the Marine Captain wanted me captured so he could earn some brownie points.
"BAM!" Garp's fist crashed on the table with ferocity, blasting the sturdy wood table to smithereens. Dragon couldn't help but look at his father because now he had to rework all these scattered documents. After becoming his father's aide, he, along with Bogard, had been handling all the administrative work while the old man either chased pirates or relaxed.
"Are you saying Marines were involved with slavers?" I could see the anger and helplessness etched on the marine hero's face. He was someone who hated slavery, but he couldn't do much about it as the World Government itself was encouraging it despite it being declared illegal.
Dragon didn't voice out his answer but simply nodded. Garp contemplated for a long time before turning to me.
"Kid, I cannot fault you for defending yourself, but I would like to know if you were someone who escaped from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons." Garp questioned me, seeking to better understand my situation. He knew how complicated the situation was. The entire Loguetown had seen me cutting down all those Marines, so to save face, they couldn't just release me. Yet, Garp couldn't bring himself to harm a child who was just defending himself. He understood the horrors a child would face if captured.
Before I could answer, Dragon added, "And there is one more thing. The kid's talent is way too monstrous. If, by some miracle, he survives and bears a grudge against Marines, then I am sure he will be a bane for all Marines in the future." Garp raised his brows at the unexpectedly high remarks coming from his son. Dragon had never reacted so strongly before, not even towards his recent protege, the Ice Brat. Garp's curiosity about me instantly skyrocketed.
"His mastery of Observation Haki, is so strong for his age that I have not come across such talent ever," Dragon continued, praising my abilities. Suddenly, I felt a projectile flying towards my head. I simply tilted my head to dodge it. The projectile was only aimed at grazing me, and I understood that Garp was testing my reaction.
"Not bad, not bad at all. You can sense intent at such a young age. You sure are a monster, kid. So, tell me, are you still wanted by those pompous idiots in Mary Geoise? If so, it might be a little troublesome," Garp said, showing little concern about me carrying the slave's mark. It would only be a little more troublesome to deal with.
"No, I am a free man. I am no one's slave, and I don't mind cutting down everyone who tries to capture me," I declared with pride oozing out of every pore. The humiliation that happened to Mary Geoise is still vivid in my memories. Although I had submitted for Doffy's sake, that did not make the humiliation I faced any less. But the marine hero's next words made me sulk.
"Oh, such pride. Tell me, kid, aren't you still our captive now? What's the point of holding on to your pride when you do not have enough strength? Even now, you are at the Marines' mercy. If this were someone else here, I am sure you would have already been executed as a criminal or maybe even sent to Impel Down, sentenced for life," Garp said, knowing he had to change my mindset. If not, the knot in my heart against the Marines would only grow worse.
"Say what you want. I never asked you to spare my life. If you want to kill me, then go ahead. It just means that I wasn't strong enough. I will never blame others for my incompetence," I declared honestly. Deep down, I knew I couldn't just back down because I was facing an apex predator. If I stepped back today, it would only shake my resolve to help Doffy rule the world.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA, look, dragon brat, look. That's how a man should be—never backing down, no matter the odds. I have decided, kid, you will join the Marines. You will serve directly under me. I will not stop you if you want to leave, but remember this: I spared your life today. If you walk out of here without repaying me, in the future, no matter how far you grow, you will only be called a coward. A true man always pays back his debts. So, tell me, kid, do you want to grow up as a man or as a coward?" Garp declared a verdict even without asking for my consent. Even Dragon was taken aback because he didn't expect his father to accept the kid under his wing. As far as Dragon knew about Garp, he was not someone who impulsively picked someone, so he must have seen something special in the kid.
I was completely caught off guard by Garp's one sided declaration. I didn't know what madness drove him to offer me this chance, maybe he saw something in me, a great future threat if left unchecked. As per the original canon, shouldn't he be averse to taking apprentices at this time? As far as my knowledge goes, even Kazan was rejected countless times before Garp accepted him under his wing. But now the same man was offering me an opportunity to follow him even before I asked.
"Oi, what makes you think I will listen to your words? I am not your errand boy; to command me however you wish. Like I said, I didn't ask for you to spare my life," I retorted. I knew Garp was goading me to try and join the Marines by accepting his offer, but there were quite a few things that I had to consider. My pride also didn't allow me to refute the man's words. No matter what, he spared my life, and I owed him. My brain quickly started turning, wanting to see the pros and cons of this offer. My biggest weakness is currently my strength, and learning under Garp would be like the best master anyone could ask for in the world of One Piece, especially for someone as determined as me.
"Say what you want, child. I spared your life today, and that's an irrefutable truth. The final decision is up to you." Garp nonchalantly waved off my comments, not even bothering to listen to them, as he had made up his mind to take me in.
As I was contemplating my options, Garp and Dragon were waiting for my decision.
"I need some time to think, and I will need my things back," I declared. I knew this was an opportunity that I could seize to grow stronger. Although I could make this decision alone, I wanted to discuss it with Doffy first.