'Where am I?' A man questioned as he found himself in an unfamiliar environment, with him feeling the cold drops of rain pouring down on his body, yet he didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.
However, at that moment, he felt as if his mind had expanded greatly, with him having a vast plethora of memories awakened in his mind.
He saw himself being abandoned at birth, unable to find anyone, and raising himself while having the assistance of the people who lived on his home island.
He saw the island he lived on being attacked by pirates, with him nearly dying when attempting to save one of the women on the island from death, though the woman ultimately gave up her life for his, making him feel the first major loss in his life.
He saw himself join the peacekeeping force in his world at 15, with him hoping to protect and stop all the evil in his world from continuing, even if he had to sacrifice his life to ensure that no one would have to face the same horrors that he did.
He found three friends who agreed with him wholeheartedly in his goals, with them attending the training camp together for five years and training until their bodies broke, with them wishing to sacrifice every part of themselves to ensure that the world they held dear would be safe.
He saw himself finally embarking on the sea under one of the Admirals, with him stopping many pirates and saving islands all across the world.
He felt himself grow angry at the system, with him getting orders from above that made him unable to help as many people as he could, with that being the moment that he realized what truly caused the darkness and despair of the world he lived in.
He grew depressed at realizing all that he did was pointless, as nothing could ever solve the root cause of the evil in his world, yet a woman was able to bring him out of his dark place as he fell in love with her.
He felt the happiness of her getting pregnant and giving him his first child, yet also the heartbreak at losing her life in the process, making him wish to protect his newborn son at all costs.
He returned to his duties, and with his son under his protection on his ship, he began to make a name for himself, climbing up to the rank of Vice-Admiral due to his actions, and even gaining an epithet for himself due to his monstrous strength.
He saw himself nearly fail to protect his son, with it only being thanks to his right hand that his son was still alive during a battle with a famous pirate, yet he proceeded to break through his limits and in the life of said pirate after a battle that lasted nearly a week.
He saw the pride as his son joined the Marines as well, with him not being able to focus much on it due to him facing the most terrifying pirate in the world, with he and another man being the only thing stopping him from possessing an ancient power that could destroy the world.
He saw himself heralded as a Hero after the battle, with him using his title to protect the area of the sea he came from as well as chasing after the man he viewed as his greatest rival, with his strength letting him chase such a dangerous group of people by himself.
He felt both heartbreak and understanding as his son left the Marines, with him both being sad that his son had left, yet also understanding that his son's heart towards the injustices in the world was greater than his own, making him no longer able to stand by while such evils were committed.
He saw his rival achieve the title of 'Pirate King', with him then turning himself in soon after, but not without burdening him to take care of his child.
He saw his rival make the world far more dangerous with his dying words, yet he also understood that it was the only way possible that someone could possibly rise to the level of defeating the goliath that was their corrupt World Government.
He saw himself gain his grandchildren, with him wishing for them to join the Marines like him, yet also not wishing for them to be in danger like his son had been, making him leave them with a woman that was akin to a sister to him, while he visited and watched them grow up.
He felt sorrow as he felt himself fail each of his grandchildren, one after another, with the first dying due to the actions of a Celestial Dragon, the second due to him protecting his other Grandson in a war of vast proportions that was caused by a feature that was not any choice of his own, and the last due to him being nearly killed by someone who was supposed to been his ally.
He felt relieved at knowing that his youngest grandchild had lived, and surprised at knowing the adopted grandchild he gained years ago had survived and joined his son in his Revolutionary Army.
He trained a new generation of Marines, with him betting on the future rather than the present upon seeing his student lose in his bid to become the Fleet Admiral to a man who had killed his grandson and believed more in his twisted form of Justice rather than protecting the innocent.
He felt proud of all that the new generation had accomplished, both his student and his grandson, as he sacrificed his life to his former student so that his new one could live, and he held no regrets at his life.
Suddenly, the man gasped heavily, with him finally being done looking at his memories as he looked at his hands in absolute shock.
'Why the hell do I have the memories of Garp? Am I Garp? Or am I me? I mean I still feel like me?' The man questioned himself in his mind as he stood.
However, at that moment he noticed that inside of his body, there was something strange, as with his skill in manipulating his own body, he could tell that there was some new form of system there.
Using his Observation Haki, he began focusing on himself internally, and he was stunned at what he found.
'This... This is a pathway? After looking through my memories as Garp, I don't remember this being present. Did the person who sent me here in Garp's body change the structure of it?' He questioned himself.
He then was broken out of his thoughts as with his enhanced senses, he heard an explosion sound from a distance, with him then realizing that there was a sack alongside a book, with him using his Haki to ensure it was nothing dangerous.
However, he was shocked even further, as he realized that the items in the bag were things that he had seem a plentitude of in Garp's world;
Devil Fruits
As he picked up the book and looked at it, he saw that it detailed each of the Devil Fruits, with it being an Encyclopedia.
'So there's 10 fruits in the bag? I'll figure out which ones they are when I get settled down, but for now, I need to learn where I am. And that explosion could be my best bet at gaining that knowledge.' The man thought as he utilized a skill that he now knew, Soru, and going to the location.
It didn't take long for him to arrive, with him being shocked by what he saw.
Bodies lay on the ground everywhere, with them all being either deceased or on their way there based on what Garp saw through his Haki.
However, the thing that shocked him was the sight before him, as he saw three individuals battling against a single man, yet he recognized the people before him.
'The Sannin and Hanzo? So this is the Shinobi World? But who could have sent me here? And does that system mean that my body has been changed to be capable of using Haki?' He thought to himself.
However, he decided not to intervene in the battle, as he knew that even if he did, he likely wouldn't be trusted by either party due to the nature of the people in this world.
But, just as his Haki had sensed the other party, the man known as the Demi-God sensed his arrival, though he didn't attack him due to him not knowing the intentions of the other party.
~
The battle lasted for another 3 hours, with the man known as Hanzo ultimately emerging victorious, though he spared the lives of the three Shinobi due to him finding their strength enough to satisfy them, with him giving them the title of the Sannin.
As he left, the three Shinobi finally let down their guard, with them all being exhausted and nearly out of their Chakra.
Seeing this, the man hesitated as he was unsure of what his next course of action should be.
'Should I introduce myself to them? I doubt the Leaf Village would allow me to join them, especially with how untrusting they could be. I would rather remain on my own, yet it wouldn't hurt to meet the Sannin, especially since I doubt any of them could do much harm to me in their current state.' The man said, finally deciding to reveal himself.
He decided to appear in a manner that was deserving of his namesake, with his cloak (That was surprisingly waterproof alongside his clothes) swaying behind him.
Just as he appeared before the three, they all jumped into combat-ready positions, prepared to take action against the unknown threat that appeared.
However, they were stunned when they looked at the monster up close, as he was definitely the largest individual that they had ever seen.
The man, if he could even be called that, man the ground beneath him crack as he stood, making all the Sannin feel that they were in the presence of a monster.
'Who is this monster? There is no way that we can defeat him in our current state.' Jiraiya thought, with him preparing to sacrifice himself to save the three.
"Well-" The monster began, with them all preparing to fight to their deaths, refusing to give up even in the face of such a being.
"-aren't you brats tired? There is a cave near here if you three need to rest. I watched the battle, and Hanzo did a number on you."ย
All three Sannin were stumped as they couldn't believe the figure was offering them help.
"Who are you?" Orochimaru asked, his guard still not let down as he was ready to use himself as a distraction for Tsunade and Jiraiya to escape.
The man seemed to freeze at that question as he closed his eyes, though a moment later, he opened them again, with him showing a large grin as he looked at the three.
"My name is Monkey D. Garp, A Hero."
~
Inside of a cave, the Sannin sat a bit of a distance away from the man called Garp, with them trying to discuss what they would do.
They had seen the man easily catch a Wild Boar on their way to the cave, with him easily being able to capture it and proceeding to cook it for the group to eat.
"What do you guys think about him?" Jiraiya asked first.
"He is... strange. I'm not sure what he wants. And he doesn't even give off a level of threat, which is extremely surprising." Orochimaru said.
"You two aren't able to sense that man's Chakra. If his strength was based solely off that, then I'd say he was more akin to a walking Tailed Beast than a human." Tsunade said, stunning the both.
"Bwhahahaha!!" Garp suddenly laughed.
"Are you three done?" Garp asked as he glanced at the three from the side of his eye.
All three seemed to go into their combat position, but they then noticed that Garp wasn't looking at them.
It was at that moment that three children emerged from behind Garp, with the one with orange hair walking up to him.
"Yahiko!!" One of the children said alarmed, though Garp merely looked at the orange-haired kid that stood before him.
"Can you give us some?" Yahiko asked, referring to the food.
Garp merely nodded to the kids as they cautiously joined him, with Garp cooking more parts of the boar and giving each of them a piece.
"It's bland since I lack any seasonings, but it'll be good to have some meat on your stomach." Garp told the kids, after which he walked over to the newly named Sannin.
"Why didn't you kill us?" Orochimaru asked directly.
"Because you brats listened rather than attacking first. That earned you a decent amount of respect in my book." Garp answered.
Any other Shinobi likely would have attacked immediately or retreated, but the three Sannin chose to put a slight bit of faith in the unknown man.
"We need to return back to our Village. Otherwise everyone may think that we've died." Tsunade said.
Garp merely nodded to them, with the trio departing, though not before Garp gave some words of encouragement.
"Protect those you hold dear, brats." Garp said, with the three leaving afterwards, while Garp turned his attention to the remaining three.
"You brats want to come with me?" Garp asked.
The three seemed hesitant, though they finally nodded in agreement, with Garp giving them a large smile at that.
"Alright then! You're my Grandkids now!! Let's go!! I need to find us some place to stay." Garp said as he lifted up the sack with the fruits in one hand and the kids with the other, after which he blasted off at immense speeds, with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan trying to see if they had made a mistake by agreeing with the monster.
~
Garp arrive at a small town that seemed deserted, with him realizing that it was likely used my the invading Shinobi as a base at some point, with it being abandoned afterwards.
He chose the largest house and began using the material from the other buildings and surroundings to repair it, with him doing so just so the group would have a decent shelter for a while.
"How about you brats introduce yourselves?" Garp asked, to which all of them looked down nervously, not wishing to say anything.
"Okay then, I'll go first!! My name is Monkey D. Garp, former Vice Admiral and the Hero of the Marines!!" Garp announced proudly.
"What's a Vice Admiral?" Konan asked softly, with Garp freezing up as he realized that the post meant nothing here.
"It is a really powerful person who stands for Justice and protecting the innocents." Garp answered, with all three of them looking up at him with stars in their eyes afterward.
"My name is Yahiko! This is Konan and Nagato. Can you teach us?" The boy asked.
'He reminds me of Luffy.' Garp thought as he remembered his grandson in his memories, but he then remembered the fate that Yahiko would suffer in the original timeline.
'Honestly, I'm not too fearful of what Madara or Zetsu could do simply because they aren't strong enough to stop me right now. Maybe if Madara was at his peak I'd be worried, but not now. But, that leads me to the other point...' Garp thought as he glanced over to the bag.
Garp nodded to the boy, with him then going to see which Devil Fruits were given to him.
~
"What the ****!!!"
Garp honestly could not wrap his head over the things he had read, with him being forced to reread the book multiple times just to ensure he was reading it correctly.
If what the book said was correct, then the 10 fruits he possessed were the
Hie Hie No Mi (Ice Ice Fruit)
Magu Magu No Mi (Magma Magma Fruit)
Pika Pika No Mi (Light Light Fruit)
Goru Goru No Mi (Rumble Rumble Fruit)
Gura Gura No Mi (Quake Quake Fruit)
Ope Ope No Mi (Op Op Fruit)
Zushi Zushi No Mi (Press Press Fruit)
Mori Mori No Mi (Woods Woods Fruit)
Soru Soru No Mi (Soul Soul Fruit)
Hito Hito No Mi, Model Daibutsu (Human Human Fruit, Model: Buddha)
Garp honestly could not believe that he possessed 10 of the most powerful Devil Fruits in his original world, with every single one of them being possessed by a prominent Pirate or Marine in his world.
'So did the person who sent me here copy these powers to send them with me, or was I given then to use for my goals? I truly wish I knew the reason behind them sending me to this world? Maybe that could make things better than me simply being stuck in an unknown worth, with unparalleled strength that could make me unstoppable.' Garp thought to himself in slight frustration.
In his original life, he had little to look forward to, with it not being exciteful nor him having any types of relatives that he could consider supporting or being close to.ย
And now, he basically was purposeless in a new world, with seemingly nothing to live for or no drive to stand by.
Even now, he had hid his depression behind the memories and thoughts of Garp, with him taking the three children merely because he felt that he could hopefully use this strength for something productive.
Garp just sighed as he left out of the room, though the sight that he seen surprised him greatly as he saw all three of the orphans laying on the uncomfortable floor, with then each seeming to be exhausted after their days events.ย
'Well, it's not like I have anything better to do in this world. Maybe changing their fate could be something that I look forward to for my future.' Garp thought to himself.
~
Garp travelled far through the rain, with him arriving at the location he needed to be at to meet the person he felt could be beneficial to have a relationship with.
"Stop!!" Four Rain Shinobi yelled as they surrounded Garp, with them each having their Kunai pointed towards him.
Garp paid them no attention as he continued moving, but before they could say anything else, a voice that carried immense power sounded, with it giving them clear instructions.
"Let him in."
Garp continued his pace, with him arriving before the man closest to the level of Hashirama and Madara, the Demigod of the Shinobi World; Hanzo the Salamander.
"How can I help you?"ย
Two people of overwhelming might met, with this being the start of a new era for the Land of Rain.