The Kingdom of Goa was shrouded in relentless rain that had lasted for several days.
The nobles of the kingdom scowled at the overcast sky, irritated that their plans had been thwarted by the weather. The Celestial Dragons, who had journeyed here, were in a foul mood because of it.
Floodwaters accumulated across the kingdom, while piles of garbage and streams of dirty water plagued the outer city. The illustrious Celestial Dragons took one look and, disgusted, refused to even leave their palanquins.
"A country like this dares call itself beautiful? Clearly a nation of lowly nobles…" one Celestial Dragon muttered with disdain.
Because of that remark, the Kingdom of Goa lost its title as the "Most Beautiful Country in the World." Instead, it was officially labeled as the "Ugliest Country in the World," making it a laughingstock in the newspapers.
"Looks like he handled things pretty well," Garp chuckled, flipping through the newspaper.
"Grandpa, who is Luffy's father?" Ace, dressed in new clothes that Miss Makino had given him, asked curiously.
"A troublemaker named Dragon," Garp answered instinctively before catching himself. "Ah, that's a name you shouldn't go spreading around..."
"Dragon? You mean... the most dangerous criminal in the world?"
Ace couldn't believe it. He glanced toward Luffy, who was training with his eyes closed, and felt a sudden rush of admiration. This guy carried blood even more dangerous than the Pirate King's…
Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, was labeled as the most infamous criminal by the World Government. He had surpassed the Pirate King in terms of sheer threat level.
Unlike others who would choose to flee to the sea under oppression, Dragon had targeted the World Government and the Celestial Dragons directly. When one chose the path of piracy, the government could easily label them as pirates and brand them as criminals for everyone to scorn.
But Dragon? He hadn't chosen piracy, so the World Government had a hard time putting the "evil" label on him. Instead, they branded him a criminal, the most dangerous kind, despite public opinion that reserved the deepest hatred for pirates.
This allowed Dragon time to grow his revolutionary army, raising his banner of rebellion against the government itself. To the common people, he had become a figure so fearsome that his name couldn't be uttered out loud, referred to only as "that man."
He was that man's son... no, that man was Garp's son!
Ace stared at Garp in shock and disbelief. If word of this got out, Luffy would be hunted down and executed by the World Government. They'd all be marked for death.
Comparing his own bloodline to Luffy's, Ace felt like he was sinking into ice water.
And yet, respect for Luffy also blossomed within him. Despite having a similarly burdensome lineage, Luffy carried himself so well, whereas Ace felt like a failure. He was supposed to be the older brother, after all.
"Grandpa Garp, is it really okay for you to keep these dangerous bloodlines around you?" Ace asked in a low voice, glancing toward Uta as well. Even she, too, was the daughter of a pirate.
So much dangerous blood gathered around the great Marine hero Garp… was it really safe?
"How rude! My apprentice, Vice Admiral Aokiji, is a man of upright courage and dedicated to fiery justice… though, lately, he seems to lack enthusiasm. Maybe he'll snap out of it once he becomes an admiral?"
Ace gave Garp a skeptical look. "He sounds like he'll be even more dangerous. Are you training rebels, Grandpa?"
Garp's expression turned sour.
"Go practice your etiquette somewhere else, brat!" he barked, raising a fist to scare Ace.
"Grandpa, please teach me some combat skills too. I want to be as strong as Luffy someday," Ace replied earnestly.
"Ace, are you finally getting serious? Grandpa will train you all to be the strongest Marines!" Garp grinned, grabbing Ace by the collar as he walked over to where Luffy was doing a handstand with his eyes closed, and kicked him to the ground.
Startled, Uta quickly kicked Luffy out of her dreamscape.
Luffy tried to block Garp's kick with Haki but failed, ending up sprawled on the ground.
"Old man! What are you doing?" Luffy groaned, rubbing the spot where Garp's kick had landed.
"Weak Haki won't get you anywhere." Garp scoffed. "Now, all you brats, get ready for some real training!"
Garp looked over to where Sabo was sitting with a glass of orange juice.
"You too! Come over here!"
"What? Why me?" protested Sabo as Garp hauled him over by the collar, lining the three boys up.
"Alright, let's start with the basics," Garp said, demonstrating push-ups and other exercises with perfect form for Ace and Sabo, while Luffy, who had already mastered the basics, watched from the side.
"So, you've practiced so much that you can sleep through it now?" Garp asked, bewildered by Luffy's bizarre routine.
Luffy had no intention of telling him about his dream training with Uta. To Garp, that would just sound like laziness, and he had no desire to get smacked around again. Garp's fists really hurt—enough to make anyone cry on the spot.
He had even asked Uta not to use her abilities too freely around others.
"Grandpa, can you teach me Observation Haki? That's the only one I'm missing," Luffy asked.
"You're a million years too early for that!"
Garp glared at him, dissatisfied with Luffy's half-hearted Haki attempts.
"Train your muscles properly first!"
"You're just stingy, Grandpa… You're nothing like Shanks."
That did it. Garp's temper flared, annoyed by how both Luffy and Uta constantly brought up Shanks.
Garp slammed his fist down on Luffy's head, knocking him flat.
"Why is it always me…" Luffy muttered, rubbing his head as Uta scolded Garp indignantly.
"Shanks would never hit someone without a reason!"
Garp huffed and, after a moment, sighed. "Alright… I'll teach you something new."
He formed his right hand into a claw, fingers curled, and exhaled as if he were mentally preparing himself.
"Luffy, you've already learned the basics of adjusting your body with Tekkai and Kami-e, haven't you?"
"Yes, I can even move while using Tekkai, but my muscles tear afterward," Luffy replied.
"That's not important. Rokushiki training is gradual. Once you understand muscle control, you can attempt explosive force."
"Legs are the strongest part of the human body. Try channeling your strength there to unleash a powerful, high-speed kick—that's Rankyaku."
"If you can slice the air with your kick, you'll have succeeded."
"What do you mean by 'slicing the air'?" Luffy looked confused.
"You've seen how waves ripple when you kick the water, right?" Garp explained. "If you can make the air move in the same way, you'll have achieved Rankyaku and become more than an ordinary human."
Luffy considered it, and a thought popped into his mind. So it's like shockwaves?
"The air around us can be disturbed. If you kick fast enough, you compress the air, creating a powerful disturbance…"
Garp demonstrated by lifting his leg and delivering a swift kick. With a sonic boom, a white crescent shot forward and vanished into the sea.
Shockwaves! Shockwave attacks!
"Impressed?" Garp smirked, pleased with his demonstration.
"It's pretty cool." Luffy smirked.
"Now go practice!" Garp growled, knocking him on the head.
"Ouch!" Luffy's eyes watered. "Fine, I'll go try it in the sea. If I get swept away, come save me!"
"You still can't swim?" Garp raised an eyebrow.
I refuse to swim unless there are three pretty girls teaching me!
Proudly, Luffy walked into the water until it reached his waist. Trying to kick with power and maintain balance against the waves was a struggle. But when he kicked, he felt resistance as the water rippled outward.
"Wow, can training really make you that strong?" Sabo marveled, impressed by Garp's techniques, finally giving Garp a moment of satisfaction.
"Train hard, kids! I'll teach you Tekkai next."
"A proper Marine must do 2,000 push-ups a day and run 200 laps. You've got a long way to go!"
Pleased, Garp watched the three boys. They all had potential, especially that noble kid, Sabo, who showed a natural talent for martial arts.
These boys were the future.
After several hours of training, Luffy, exhausted, headed to the bar to get some cold milk from Makino, bringing drinks back for Ace and Sabo as well.
"Are you sure we can just take stuff from the store without paying?" Ace asked, puzzled. "Back in town, we'd be kicked out for doing that."
"Everything Luffy and you guys take is billed to Garp, so it's no problem," Makino smiled as she watched them train.
"And just recently, Luffy took down an eight-million-berri bandit, so he's more than covered the costs and even made me a tidy profit," she added.
In a poor village like Windmill Village, a normal person
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!