After some time, Garp heard reports of a terrifying sword intent coming from Foosha Village. Suspecting that Shanks had appeared, he couldn't rest easy and arrived at Foosha Village on his Dog-head warship.
Before the warship could even dock, Garp saw the three youngsters training by the sea. He grabbed a cannonball, and as he threw it, he stood on top of it and flew over. "Kuhahaha, little ones, did you miss your Grandpa Garp?"
At this time, Hera was troubled because her fists couldn't hurt Luffy and she couldn't control him anymore. Seeing Garp fly over, her eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Grandpa Garp, you have to deal with Luffy! He and Ace said they want to be pirates, and even the Pirate King!"
"What!" Garp was furious. He hadn't expected that after just a year or two of his absence, Luffy and Ace would be led astray.
"It must be that brat Shanks. Don't let me catch him! As soon as I get back, I'll apply to be stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago. He wants to go to the New World? I'll block him right at the entrance!"
Garp put on a kind face and said, "Luffy, Ace, don't be the Pirate King. How about becoming the Marine King instead? What's so good about being a pirate?"
Luffy said, "I don't want to be a Marine! I want to be the freest person in the world! I want to be the Pirate King!"
Garp continued to persuade him, "Who told you the freest person in the world is the Pirate King? Marines are very free too. How about this, I'll talk to Sengoku and create a special Marine King position for you?"
Luffy said, "I don't want to! Shanks said Marines aren't free at all. The Pirate King is the freest person in the world!"
Veins popped on Garp's forehead as he looked at Ace with a glimmer of hope.
Seeing his gaze, Ace turned his head away and said, "Don't look at me, I'm not becoming a Marine." Although Ace respected Garp, after learning about his mother's fate, he had long lost any good feelings toward the Marines, let alone joining them.
Garp then asked, "What about Sabo? Why don't I see that kid Sabo?"
Hera interjected, "Don't bother looking. Sabo left with Dragon a year ago to join the Revolutionary Army."
Garp's vision went dark for a moment. The old man looked at Hera with his last shred of hope: "And you? You're not going to be some pirate or revolutionary too, are you?"
Hera said playfully, "Of course not! In the future, I'm going to be the Fleet Admiral. I want to join the Marines."
After receiving blow after blow, Garp finally heard some good news. Although his four potential Marine Admirals had dwindled to one, at least there was a safety net. But as for wanting to be the Fleet Admiral... Garp's brow furrowed slightly.
However, thinking that nothing was set in stone yet, he didn't take it to heart.
Recalling how arrogant Ace and Luffy were when she couldn't hurt them, Hera fanned the flames, "Grandpa Garp, I've seen that other people's kids become obedient after a good beating. Why don't you give it a try?"
Garp was immediately tempted by the suggestion. Hearing this, Ace immediately started running toward the Secret base, not forgetting to warn Luffy as he ran, "Luffy, run! Garp is going to blow his top!"
Luffy, however, wasn't afraid of Garp. He puffed out his chest and said, "I've eaten the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, and I've been trained by Shanks for so long. I'm not afraid of you!"
Garp sneered at this, "Shanks taught you, did he? Rubber-Rubber Fruit, is it? Don't you know that even if Shanks himself were here, he'd have to run if he saw me?"
As Garp's iron fist, larger than a sandbag, descended, Luffy's miserable screams rang out.
Hera commented from the side, "Too brutal. I even saw a trace of black flow on Garp's hand. It's truly hard to watch." Having said that, she covered her eyes with her hands, peeking through the gaps.
By the evening campfire, Luffy sat next to Garp with a face full of bumps, while Ace had a large bump on his head, and Hera remained unscathed.
Garp asked Hera, "Since you want to join the Marines, when do you plan to go? I recommend you train at Zephyr's training camp for two years first, and then go directly to headquarters for your commission."
Hera said, "I'm only eight years old now. Isn't it a bit too early to go to the training camp?"
Garp said, "It doesn't matter. Zephyr has trained an eleven-year-old before; you're only three years younger than that. Besides, you won't make it for this year's intake. If you go, it'll have to be next year."
Hera said, "I want to join the training camp after the next one, in three years. During these three years, I want to go to Koushirous Dojo in Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue and study swordsmanship under the dojo master, Genzo."
Garp said, "Learning swordsmanship is fine, but how do you know about that person? Can he teach you well? If not, come with me to the Marines. I'll find Momousagi and have her mentor you; she's a great Female swordmaster."
Hera was tempted, but thinking of how Kuina was still waiting for her to save her, she said, "No, I still want to go to Koushirous Dojo. My ability senses that there's something there that can help me."
Hearing this, Garp stopped trying to persuade her.
Turning to Ace and Luffy, he said, "You two brats, if only you could be as reliable as Hera."
Looking at these two who were determined to be pirates, he felt a surge of anger. "Didn't that brat Shanks teach you Haki? Very well, let me see how your training is going."