"Don't hold it against me. I can't just let such a sweet little girl stay in a war zone," Shanks said.
"You know how it is in the New World. Please, give me a bit of grace here, Mr. Garp."
"…"
Garp opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
"It's settled then. I'll leave my daughter here until she's settled in. Once she's ready, I'll fully depart." Shanks finished with a soft smile.
While he wasn't sure about Garp's skills at raising kids, he trusted Luffy to take good care of her.
After all, both Luffy and Ace had been through their own rough upbringings—Ace was left among mountain bandits, and Luffy was constantly covered in dirt and bruises.
Who would've thought Garp used the mountain bandits as a sort of training ground for his grandson?
…
Foosha Village
A group of mountain bandits, armed with knives, barged into the village bar, kicking open the door with a resounding crash.
"Hope we're not intruding, but is this where those so-called pirates hang out?" sneered the leader, shoving his hands in his pockets and swaggering into the bar.
"Hey! Pirates, are you in here?" The bandits entered one by one, grinning as they eyed the room.
The first bandit, obviously the leader, wore a brown coat over his gear, with a long sword hanging from his waist.
"Last time you left, a couple of bodies floated ashore... So, who's gonna own up to killing my men?!" Higuma demanded, kicking over a chair.
The Red-Hair Pirates watched them in confusion, heads cocked as they took in this spectacle.
Lucky Roux, munching on a chicken leg, glanced over, his eyes wide with amusement. Who are these nobodies? And what bodies are they talking about?
They'd long forgotten the cleanup they did for Luffy and had no memory of these minor bandits.
Seeing the bandits' bold posturing, a few of the pirates rolled up their sleeves.
"Hold back," Benn Beckman advised.
He wasn't sure why Garp had left these bandits alone, but since the Hero of the Navy had a reason, he figured they'd wait for Shanks and Garp to return before dealing with them.
"You ugly lot, do you even look in the mirror? Watch it, or you'll be dead before you know it!" Uta couldn't take their insults, fists clenched, her eyes fierce.
But with her cute, sweet voice and innocent appearance, her attempt at intimidation fell flat.
The bandits snickered, clearly unafraid.
"Oh, what an adorable girl! Come along, why don't you be my daughter?" Higuma leered, scratching at his chest and pulling away a handful of grime.
"Probably comes from some well-off family, huh? Let's grab her and ransom her back to her parents."
"Oho!" The bandits grinned, taking out ropes from their belts.
The pirates licked their lips, trying to figure out how to throw these guys out without too much bloodshed. Though the bandits might serve some purpose to Shanks, his daughter was precious, and protecting her was their priority.
Even Benn Beckman didn't object to that.
"Hey, you lot got any cash on you?" Luffy asked, turning to the bandits, his sword resting on the table.
"Because if you don't, this little mess you've made is going to cost you."
"Hahaha, you little punk! We're mountain bandits!" They burst into laughter, as if they'd heard the best joke.
"Normally, I'd toss you a few coins for fun, but I'm in a bad mood. Which one of you killed my men?"
Higuma slammed his boot on a chair, drawing half his sword.
"Pirates!"
"Take a good look! I'm Higuma the Bandit, worth eight million Beli! I've taken fifty-six lives, all people who thought they could mess with me."
Higuma proudly held out his bounty poster for the pirates to see.
Uta puffed her cheeks in anger, about to sing a warning note.
Luffy gently patted her shoulder. "Uta, your voice isn't for things like this."
He hopped down from his chair, gathered his strength, and shot forward, his fist landing squarely on Higuma's face.
The crack echoed as Higuma flew backward, knocking over seven or eight bandits with him as they tumbled out of the bar.
"Eight million Beli, huh? That should cover the repairs and renovations."
Without stopping, Luffy twisted, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the nearest bandit's waist, slamming him into the floorboards. The bandit gasped, spitting blood that quickly evaporated in a flash of fire.
The bandits couldn't process what had just happened. Here was a child, small in stature yet packing enough power to send multiple men flying with a single punch.
As they regained their senses, only one bandit remained standing.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
Still unable to grasp the situation, the remaining bandit's hands shook as he reached for the gun at his waist.
"Too slow." Luffy was already in front of him, delivering a spinning kick with such force that the bandit crashed through the door, tumbling outside.
"Just the ones outside left."
Clenching his fists, Luffy strode out the door.
The bandits that Higuma had first knocked into the street were shakily getting to their feet.
Higuma clutched his face, waves of pain muddling his senses. Despite his blurred vision, he fumbled for his flintlock.
The pirates who had broken his fall had fared a little better, only suffering a few bruises.
"What's with this brat? How does he have so much power? This can't be real. He's just a kid…"
A few remaining bandits eyed Luffy in disbelief.
"Kill him! Kill that brat!" Higuma shouted, his hand trembling as he tried to aim the flintlock at the boy.
Before he could pull the trigger, his vision went dark as he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Luffy was in motion again, his speed carrying him back to the group. With a swift knee strike, he toppled three or four bandits huddled together.
"What's with this kid… What the hell is he?"
A few terrified bandits dropped their weapons, turning to flee up the mountain.
Luffy, calm and collected, reached down to pull the bullets from a bandit's flintlock, flicking them after the fleeing men.
The bullets sliced through the air, trailing red streaks, and struck the bandits' knees, embedding into the ground and leaving wisps of white smoke.
Those who had tried to escape found themselves on their knees, unable to continue.
"I'd been meaning to deal with you all at some
point, but since you delivered yourselves right to me, I guess I'll use this as a quick combat test. Eight million Beli, huh?"
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