After knocking Dragon down with one punch, Garp didn't give up.
His powerful body moved like a charging bull, smashing straight through the broken wall as he chased after his son. Dragon hadn't rolled far, just three or four meters from the rubble. Garp caught up to him, pinned Dragon down as he struggled to rise, and without a word, delivered another punch.
A flurry of violent blows followed.
Dragon yelled through the barrage, "If you keep this up, I'll fight back!"
"You dare fight back? Are you even capable of that? It's natural for a father to discipline his son, especially an unfilial son like you!" Garp roared, then drove his fist directly into Dragon's eye socket.
"You got a tattoo? A tattoo on your face? Who do you think you are?!" Garp suddenly grabbed Dragon by the wrist and hurled him like a sack of trash. Dragon was lifted off the ground and slammed back down again.
Finn, watching from a safe distance, thought to himself, Good God!
"Leader of the Revolutionary Army, huh?" Garp snarled, winding up to slap Dragon across the face.
Dragon still had some dignity left, so he quickly raised his hand to block.
"You dare block me?!" Garp's eyes blazed with fury. He grabbed Dragon by the collar with one hand and, with the other, pulled off his shoe. Since he was on vacation, Garp wasn't wearing his uniform or justice cloak. The footwear on his feet was just a pair of slippers.
"You don't want to be a good Marine, but instead you become the world's most vicious criminal..." Garp growled, wielding the slipper like a weapon and slapping Dragon across the face with it.
Dragon was on the verge of losing his mind, though at least he'd come alone this time without any subordinates. Otherwise, if any of his people saw this scene, he'd lose all his credibility. He'd have to consider the option of killing them to preserve his dignity.
At this moment, Garp was like a raging bull, swinging his slipper and beating Dragon so hard that the man rolled on the ground in a chaotic mess.
"Hey! Finn!!!" Dragon shouted while twisting on the ground to dodge another slap from the slipper.
But Finn acted as if he hadn't heard Dragon's call at all. He continued to applaud enthusiastically.
"Nice! That angle is perfect!"
"Almost, almost! Hit his face!"
"Yes, yes, hit him like that! Cover up his tattoo with the sole of your shoe!"
Gion and Hina, standing not far away, were stunned. Even Bell-mère, the former Marine Branch Lieutenant, was dumbfounded. The world's most vicious criminal... she'd always thought the title sounded terrifying. But now it seemed... well, not so much.
"Gion, do you have a Visual Den Den Mushi?" Finn called out, still cheering without turning his head.
Gion really wanted to say yes. She'd actually brought one, intending to record some pleasant moments during her travels with Finn. But looking at Dragon's pitiful state now, she remembered their past friendship at Marine Headquarters. Since Finn's sadistic sense of humor wasn't going to be satisfied anyway, she shook her head.
"On the warship. I didn't bring it."
"What a shame. What about you, Hina?" Finn asked again.
Hina also quickly shook her head. "Hina doesn't have one either."
At that moment, Dragon held his head with both hands and roared, "Finn, are you even human?! Help me!"
Finn smacked his lips in dissatisfaction, then said reluctantly, "Vice Admiral Garp, that's enough. He's still a child..."
However, Garp had no intention of listening to Finn. He continued to breathe heavily as he beat Dragon without mercy.
"Stop, stop! You can't kill someone like this!" Finn fanned the flames, clearly hoping for more chaos.
Whether it was because Garp had finally vented years of pent-up anger, or because Finn's cheerful commentary from the sidelines had irritated the Vice Admiral, eventually Garp slowed his assault. He tossed his slipper onto the ground and stepped back into it.
"I haven't been this happy in years," Garp said, rotating his wrist.
Dragon twitched on the ground for a moment, then crawled a little farther before using the collapsed wall to help himself stand. His face was dark with displeasure and irritation, but in the end, he looked utterly helpless. Never mind that Garp was his father. Even if he weren't, Dragon still couldn't beat him. There was no place to vent this anger. He could only digest it himself.
Brushing the shoe prints off his clothes, Dragon rubbed his red, swollen, and slightly blackened eye socket. He looked at Garp, then at Finn, and asked with a tone of sadness, "Why are you here?"
Garp snorted coldly, as if he didn't want to acknowledge this rebellious son.
Finn smiled. "I came out for a vacation. I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you to Windmill Village?"
Upon hearing this, Dragon's irritable eyes turned gloomy. There seemed to be great sorrow and sadness in his gaze. This startled Finn. Then he recalled the baby in Makino's mother's arms. His tone softened, and he asked gently, "The child in Mrs. Makino's arms... is it yours?"
Dragon was silent for a while, then nodded. "Yeah."
Garp, standing nearby, was dumbfounded.
I have a grandson now?
For a moment, Garp brightened. He even looked at Dragon more favorably. But before he could speak, he suddenly realized something. Looking at Dragon's sorrowful eyes, Garp said in a low voice, "Where is the child's mother?"
Dragon opened his mouth. His eyes moistened slightly, and with a tone of loneliness and sadness, he said slowly, "It was... a difficult birth."
Finn sighed inwardly. It was just as he'd expected.
Garp stood there in a daze. The joy on his face vanished. He'd never meet the daughter-in-law he'd never known. Even Gion, Hina, and Bell-mère felt a pang of sadness.
"Come inside first. Let's talk," Finn said, gesturing toward the collapsed wall.
Dragon didn't object. He nodded and walked in without a word. Garp sighed and followed, his mood sour. Finn pulled a stack of berries from his wallet, walked to the bar, and said to the stunned Mrs. Makino, "Sorry for the trouble. Consider this our compensation. I'll have someone come and fix the walls and windows for you later."
Mrs. Makino finally snapped out of her daze and smiled. "It's nothing."
The tavern was primarily a local business for the villagers. No one would care much about a damaged wall, and it wouldn't affect business. What's more, Finn was paying for it and arranging repairs. It really didn't matter.
Seeing that Mrs. Makino wasn't concerned, Finn smiled. Then he looked at the child in her arms and smacked his lips. "He's really unique. Like a hairless monkey."
"All babies look like this when they're just born," Mrs. Makino said with a smile, holding the infant gently.
Garp and Dragon sat at the bar, picking up bottles and drinking. Village Chief Slap also sat down beside Finn and sighed. "So that's how it is."
"Every family has its own troubles..." Finn said softly.
Time really did fly. In Finn's mind, the year 1504 had passed quickly. When he thought about it carefully, it seemed like he'd just been soaking in a hot spring in the New World with Dragon not long ago. But looking back, that had been a year ago. And now, Dragon had fathered a child.
The group drank together in silence. Not far away, three or four Marines worked on repairing the walls and windows.
Dragon took a sip of wine and suddenly said, "Originally, none of this was your concern. I was planning to let Luffy live with his mother, but I didn't expect... Alas."
"So what are you doing in Windmill Village?" Finn asked after taking a sip of his own drink.
Dragon was silent for a while before answering. "I was planning to send Luffy to stay with Mrs. Makino. I was just discussing it with her when you arrived."
"Luffy... is that the child's name?" Garp asked suddenly.
Dragon seemed to ignore him, but after a moment of silence, he nodded. "That's right. Monkey D. Luffy. His mother gave him the name."
"Really?" Garp murmured softly, then added, "It must be a name full of love."
Perhaps because of what had happened with Portgas D. Rouge, Garp had become particularly sentimental about these kinds of issues. Even Dragon glanced at him strangely.
But at that moment, Garp suddenly said, "If the Fleet Admiral hadn't told us to turn a blind eye to you, I would've dragged you to Impel Down today!"
Dragon glanced at his father, took another sip from his glass, and said nothing. Instead, when he set the glass down, he looked at Finn again. Finn nodded. Dragon seemed to understand. It seemed that, although the Marines hadn't given a clear response to the remarks made in the hot springs, they did intend to let the Revolutionary Army operate without interference.
"Since you, the grandfather, are here, there's no need to bother Mrs. Makino. Luffy will be left with you," Dragon said suddenly.
Gion, standing nearby, said with clear dissatisfaction, "Does that still count as being a father?"
Dragon was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
He was so shameless and spoke so openly that Gion was rendered speechless. But she was still very unhappy with Dragon's irresponsible behavior.
"It's true that I want to take him with me," Dragon said after a moment of silence. "But you also know how dangerous it would be if Luffy stayed with me. Do you think those bastards from CP would let him go just because he's a child?"
What he said made sense. The World Conference had ended just over half a year ago, and many plans and arrangements regarding the Revolutionary Army had begun to take shape. These next two years would likely be the most dangerous time for Dragon.
"Hmph." Gion still snorted coldly, but she said nothing more.
Garp, sitting beside them, blinked in confusion. He pointed at his own nose. "You want me to raise him?"
"Is that not possible?" Dragon frowned.
"I've already raised my eldest grandson, Ace, by dumping him on Dadan! What do you think? How can I take care of a child?" Garp said, cursing.
What was this about an eldest grandson? Who was that? Dragon didn't remember having Garp having another kid beside him!
"He's Mr. Garp's adopted grandson," Finn said with a smile. "He's completely disappointed in you, so he doesn't expect you to take care of him in his old age. He wants to train a new grandson to replace you."
Hina, standing to the side, looked at Finn in amazement. Was that even human language?
Dragon glanced at Finn, knowing the bastard was stirring up trouble again. He didn't bother to respond and simply nodded. "I understand."
At that moment, Mrs. Makino placed a wine barrel beside Finn and the others. She patted it and said, "Don't worry about it too much. If you trust me, I can help you raise the child for a few years. Of course, I'll have to be paid enough. I'm just a small businesswoman."
Dragon forced a smile and said to Mrs. Makino, "Thank you so much, Makino."
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