Upon hearing Garp's words, Zoro and Luffy both looked eager to spar with Ryu. Ever since witnessing a glimpse of Ryu's strength at Enies Lobby, they'd both been itching for a chance to challenge him.
"You two can stop staring," Ryu said, waving them off. "Zoro, you're still missing a sword, and both of you are injured. Wait until next time."
Realizing he was right, Luffy and Zoro reluctantly gave up on the idea.
"Alright, since everything's wrapped up, go fix that wall!" Garp ordered the Marines behind him.
"Huh? Why us?" The soldiers stood there in shock.
"Since we're the ones who broke it, obviously we should repair it!" Garp replied as if it were common sense.
"In that case, why did you break the wall in the first place?"
"Because it looked cooler that way."
"That's no reason to go around destroying things!" "Yeah, if we're repairing it, you should help too!"
"Oh, fine."
Meanwhile, Ryu was inside chatting with Nami and Chopper, completely ignoring Garp's haggling with the soldiers outside.
"Who would've thought that the legendary Marine hero would be like this?" Nami commented, watching Garp joke around with the Marines.
"Not all Marines are bad, you know," Ryu explained with a smile. "Most Marines are genuinely dedicated to justice. It's just a small minority that tarnish their reputation. Add in the influence of the World Government, and it's no wonder people view the Marines as the 'bad guys' sometimes."
Zoro, who had just walked in, nodded thoughtfully. He recalled the Marine captain from the Kingdom of Tequila he'd once met, a rare honorable Marine who'd earned his respect.
"Luffy, your grandpa really is an amazing guy," Sanji said sincerely as Luffy walked in.
"Eh, I don't really know much about his work," Luffy replied nonchalantly.
"Luffy, did you meet your father recently?" Garp suddenly asked, glancing over his shoulder as he helped repair the wall.
"Huh? My father? I have a father?" Luffy asked, surprised.
"What? So you didn't meet him? He told me he saw you off at Loguetown. Wasn't Ryu with you at the time?" Garp asked, picking his nose casually.
"Luffy was being chased by Smoker back then, so they didn't get a chance to meet," Ryu confirmed with a nod.
"Luffy's father? Who is he? Why am I so curious now?" Nami asked, her interest piqued.
"Loguetown? Was Luffy's father there back then?" Zoro and Sanji looked at Garp, equally curious about Luffy's family background.
"Teacher, is it really appropriate to discuss this here?" Ryu said, looking a bit exasperated.
"Oh, really? Haha, I suppose we should leave it at that!" Garp replied, nodding.
"Oh, come on! Just tell us already!" Everyone but Luffy was dying to know who Luffy's father was.
"Luffy, your father's identity is a sensitive topic, not something to be discussed in a crowd like this," Ryu said apologetically to Luffy.
Before Luffy could respond, Garp blurted out, "Right! Your father, Monkey D. Dragon, is a revolutionary. As a Marine, it's not exactly ideal for me to talk about him."
The revelation left everyone, including the Marines outside and Usopp, who was hiding near the window, frozen in shock.
"Monkey D. Dragon? What's with everyone? Why is everyone so shocked?" Luffy asked, genuinely confused.
"Dragon? I never knew his full name!" one of the Marines murmured, stunned.
"Who would've thought that the revolutionary Dragon has a son… and that he's Straw Hat Luffy! This is a huge deal!" another Marine said, equally amazed.
"Dragon is Luffy's father, Vice Admiral Garp is Luffy's grandfather, so that means… Dragon is Vice Admiral Garp's son?" Coby said, his voice full of disbelief as he processed his realization.
"What's with this family? A Marine Vice Admiral, a revolutionary, and a pirate! This is completely messed up!" Helmeppo muttered, clutching his head, as if he was doubting his very reality.
Luffy noticed everyone's shocked expressions and turned to Robin. "What's going on, Robin?"
"Are you serious? You've never heard that name before?" Sanji said, looking like he'd nearly fainted from Luffy's obliviousness.
"Luffy, your father's a pretty big deal," Franky added, nodding.
"Here's how I can explain it," Robin began. "As pirates, we typically don't attack the World Government or Marines unless they attack us first. But the Revolutionary Army is different—they're the only organization currently strong enough to challenge the World Government, and their leader is Dragon. His ideas have spread worldwide, causing uprisings in many countries and leading to governments being overthrown."
"That's why your father is labeled the world's most dangerous criminal and is the Marines' top target," Ryu added with a smile.
But Luffy didn't seem particularly affected. Garp, however, suddenly realized he'd said too much. Scratching his head, he muttered, "Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that. Just pretend I never said anything."
"Pfft!"
Everyone was flabbergasted, stunned that Garp had managed to drop such a bombshell only to then casually ask them to ignore it.
Once the wall was repaired, Garp prepared to leave. Before he did, he told Luffy, "You're my grandson, so I won't be arresting you. I've already got an excuse prepared, so feel free to stay here for now."
"Vice Admiral, that's not much of an excuse at all! Maybe we should just let them escape instead," Garp's assistant said, sounding a bit helpless.
"Fine, whatever. Just hang out with Ryu, Coby, and Helmeppo for a while. I'm off," Garp said, clearly not interested in dragging out his family reunion any further. Now that he knew his grandson was safe, he was ready to go.
"Alright, bye!" Luffy replied casually.
"You brat! Could you at least try to be a bit sentimental? It's been so long since we last saw each other!" Predictably, Garp's temper flared at Luffy's indifference, leading to another round of "grandfatherly discipline."
"They really are two of a kind," Nami said, exasperated as she watched Garp and Luffy's antics outside.
Ryu chuckled. "Don't let appearances fool you. My teacher may seem rough, but he and Luffy share the same charm—people can't help but want to follow them."
Nami, Sanji, and Chopper were silent. Maybe that was why they'd agreed to join the crew in the first place.
-----------------
Checkout my patreon 30+ Extra chapters
patreon.com/CuteSelfieCat