The ground trembled as a massive boar lowered its head, appearing behind Luffy and the gorilla, snorting with determination.
"This time, I won't lose to you!"
Luffy turned and recognized an old friend.
The boar charged, but Luffy merely raised his arms, preparing to catch it. The gorilla gave a couple of shouts, grabbed its basket of fruit, and leaped into the trees—typical behavior, only eating and never helping.
As the ground quaked, the boar closed in, and Luffy caught its sharp tusks, lifting it into the air. Bending backward, he used the boar's own momentum to smash its head into the ground. The boar, which Luffy often used for "iron training," lay on the ground twitching slightly.
"Heh, pretty good, right?" Luffy said, looking up at the gorilla in the tree.
The gorilla jumped down, growling in approval before rolling over and exposing its belly to Luffy.
"I'm not scratching you until you've had a bath," Luffy insisted. "Now that you're my crewmate, you need to stay clean—no more dirt all over."
"Maybe a maid outfit for you next…" Luffy muttered, leading the way back. The gorilla trailed after him, munching fruit and occasionally grunting.
"Hey, Luffy, is that your animal friend?" Uta exclaimed, noticing the gorilla as it boarded.
"Yup! I brought him here to help keep the ship clean. I named him Tyson."
Luffy showed Tyson around, giving him a room as his den and guiding him to the washroom and restroom.
"Don't forget, or I'll throw you overboard!" Luffy warned.
Tyson nodded, grabbing a broom and immediately getting to work, humming as he swept.
---
A few days passed, with the Navy checking in via Den Den Mushi every day. Eventually, they arrived near Windmill Village, just as Luffy, Uta, and their animal companion set the ship adrift, letting it float out to sea.
Following the Den Den Mushi signal, the Navy soon spotted the drifting ship and sailed a small Navy vessel, bearing the seagull flag, up alongside it.
"Hey, thanks for coming. I'm Luffy, and this is my ship. Can you help me get it moving?" Luffy, wearing his straw hat, greeted the sailors with a smile.
"Greetings, sir! I'm Rear Admiral Pudding-Pudding of Branch 77, here to assist with your rescue!" Pudding-Pudding, adjusting his unique hair and well-groomed goatee, saluted Luffy.
He noticed how clean Luffy and Uta looked and nodded approvingly. As expected of Vice Admiral Garp's grandson—pristine even after days at sea. Although…they were still awfully close to shore; Windmill Village's coast was almost in sight.
"Hello! I'm Luffy, and this is my sister, Uta. Could you help us sail this thing? It's way too big for us."
Pudding-Pudding looked at the ship, stripped of all unnecessary equipment, and fell silent. To think Luffy would sail something this bare-bones—what resolve!
"Of course! Please, let us guide you back to shore."
Pudding-Pudding quickly raised the necessary flags, hoisting the large Navy banner on the mast.
"No, don't go back to Windmill Village," Luffy protested. "Actually, we snuck away from my grandpa. He's always trying to make me a Marine. He says I could go straight to Rear Admiral, so I'm curious about the Navy. Could you take me on a tour of one of the bases?"
"Ah, I see!" Pudding-Pudding thought. Straight to Rear Admiral? What privilege! No wonder they said Garp had refused promotion to Admiral multiple times—it must be true.
"Please, visit us at Branch 77! The Navy will not disappoint you!" Driven by ambition, Pudding-Pudding saw this as a prime opportunity for career advancement.
The ship slowly got underway, and Luffy, curious, asked, "Since this ship is for my sister, are there any unique features on Navy vessels?"
"This is a smaller Navy vessel, an oval-shaped model. For Eastern seas, it's a typical Navy issue," Pudding-Pudding explained. "As for officers like me, we typically use ships around 60 to 70 meters long, manned by 800 crew members with triple-barreled cannons at the bow and additional artillery on both sides—our standard large battleships…"
Being in the Navy, Pudding-Pudding passionately detailed the entire Navy system. He talked about ranks, from recruit to Seaman First Class and above. A Rear Admiral like him was a respectable rank—though, in the Grand Line, those in the Four Seas are usually demoted by three ranks.
Ah, so he's a "fodder" Rear Admiral, Luffy thought, finally understanding why he had no memory of this guy.
"Rear Admiral, may I test my strength against you? Grandpa's always trained me to aim for Fleet Admiral, but I don't really know where I stand yet."
"Of course! My punches are a bit strong, though, so be cautious." Pudding-Pudding bowed, giving a fair warning.
With all his Navy training, Pudding-Pudding felt sure he wouldn't lose to a kid. Confident, he struck a boxing stance as Luffy charged forward.
They clashed, fist to fist, and Pudding-Pudding felt a surprising amount of force from the young boy's punch. "Ouch…" he muttered, recoiling from the impact.
Impressive strength for a kid—he underestimated Luffy's power! Luffy kept up a relentless combo, forcing Pudding-Pudding back, his elbow angled for a counterstrike as his fist swung upward.
Pudding-Pudding was tempted to draw his sword from his hip but felt it dishonorable to use a weapon against a child. Blocking with his elbow, he deflected Luffy's blows until a swift kick to his leg forced him to one knee.
"The Rear Admiral was beaten!"
The crew, watching from the ship, were astonished.
Uta, with pride, lifted her chin. "Luffy is really strong!"
"I was caught off guard!" Pudding-Pudding muttered, massaging his sore muscles. "Eastern seas aren't known for their strong fighters. I let my guard down… But I'm far stronger than this!"
He rallied for another attempt, throwing a punch at Luffy's face, which Luffy dodged effortlessly. Luffy smirked, assessing Pudding-Pudding's strength. He's just a "fodder" Rear Admiral.
With one solid punch to the gut, Luffy took Pudding-Pudding down, leaving him clutching his stomach, out of breath.
"Fighting a kid is exhausting… Too much bending over," Pudding-Pudding mumbled to his crew, who nodded sympathetically.
"Yes, Luffy's strength is impressive indeed, as expected of Vice Admiral Garp's grandson," he added, catching his breath.
"Are there any big-name pirates around here?" Luffy asked.
"In this area, no, not really."
That evening, Luffy called Garp with a Den Den Mushi in front of Pudding-Pudding. "Grandpa, Uta and I went on a trip."
"Brat! How reckless!" Garp's voice roared through the speaker.
"Don't worry; Rear Admiral Pudding-Pudding here is helping us sail. He's very nice," Luffy said, grinning as he saw the Rear Admiral's face light up at being praised before the Navy hero.
Ending the call, Luffy headed back to his room, still on the line with Garp. "Grandpa, honestly, the Rear Admiral here is pretty weak—hardly a challenge."
"I mean, other than you, I'm probably invincible by now, right? Hahaha…"
"Quit dreaming!" Garp scoffed. "There are countless powerful pirates out there, kid. You're just tougher than average. There are Devil Fruit users with strange powers and even unique races. Don't get cocky."
"Even your Armament Haki? I could probably break it barehanded."
"Come again, kid? Powerful races are everywhere—Fishmen, for instance. I saw in the news they're supposed to be ten times stronger than regular humans…"
"Fishmen are indeed strong, but most wouldn't be a problem for you. Just watch out for Fishman warriors."
Recalling Fishmen traits, Garp elaborated, "They're skilled in Fishman Karate and Jujutsu. Never fight them in the ocean, where they create whirlpools and destroy ships with ease."
"Oh, and the Mink Tribe—cute, but they release electric shocks. Their current could take down even veteran pirates."
Garp listed off races, painting a foreboding picture. Luffy, however, took notes—ready to empty his bullets if he encountered them.
---
"Rear Admiral Pudding-Pudding, are there any islands nearby?"
Pudding-Pudding glanced at the map. "There's a poor village called Cocoyasi, but there's not much to see."
Luffy nodded. "Let's dock there, then."
The Rear Admiral looked surprised. "But we're close to the Navy base, Luffy."
"We didn't bring enough supplies in our rush to leave. Since it's a poor village, why not support their economy a bit?"
"I understand.
That's very thoughtful, Luffy." Pudding-Pudding smiled, touched.
"Usually, I charge it to the Navy. That's okay, right?" Luffy waved
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!