16 Chapter 16: Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get

In the end, Garp never apologized. He did wear the necklace proudly though. He never called Rick "kid" again and used his name instead.

Perhaps was it his own way of apologizing?

For the past 8 months they sailed paradise, capturing as many pirates as they could. Since Garp was all about vigor and strength, Tsuru decided to partake in Rick's training. She taught him a fighting style focused more on agility and skill, just so he could become a more balanced fighter.

Rick was apparently more suited to this style and took Tsuru's teachings like a duck to water, provoking in Garp a small annoyance.

Kaza was a bit jealous of the way Rick was looking at Vice-Admiral Tsuru. She WAS his big sister. She didn't want to be left behind so she taught him how to fire a gun and a rifle and to swing a sword around.

Though, this little competition to be the big sister was only in her own head, as Tsuru didn't care. She did find Kaza's attitude 'cute.'

Rick had now received the full basic training that any recruit must undergo.

He was now a full fledged marine.

Even more than that actually, since Garp kept his promise to Sengoku to bring him back from time to time. During such occasions, he learned to play chess, and to strategize in general from the Fleet admiral known as the best strategist in the world.

Sengoku was always delighted to spend time with Rick as he was quite smart and interested in what he had to teach him.

Many subordinates asked him why he was not wearing his cap anymore to which he always answered:

"I gave it to the future of the marines" with an ear to ear smile.

The time spent with Rick made the three friends somewhat more approachable to others.

Garp was still impulsive but a bit less.

Sengoku was less stern.

Tsuru? Well, rumors in marineford about the Ice queen of the marine smiling were many.

Rick was on the way to be an outstanding marine, not only because of his feats but because he could cheer up and calm every person he interacted with. His nickname Rookie Rick was beginning to be known in Marineford's vicinity, to his disappointment.

Sengoku was pleased at the regular report he was receiving about him., and never regretted giving a chance to a child who could have harmed the world government greatly if he had been a pirate, once older.

It would be soon the anniversary of the Pirate King's death. Meaning it would be soon Rick's 7th birthday, or to the rest of the world his 11th.

He had just finished capturing the captain of a pirate crew giving trouble to the inhabitant of a small island. His bounty was 50 Million Belly.

It was rather low but it was still the biggest bounty he saw since his first mission (30 Million at the time).

Most of the time the pirates he captures had a bounty about half a million on average. Sometimes they didn't have any at all.

Speaking of his first mission, he never killed another pirate. He trained hard so he would never have to do that again.

Rick was looking at something invisible in front of him. To any onlookers, they would think he had a stroke.

He was actually looking at the system's store. He finally has enough points to complete the first part of his plan.

Eating a second devil fruit.

[Me Me no mi - Paramecia type] 10 000 Karma Points

Thanks to his last catch he had now 10 352 points.

[User bought Me Me no mi]

The devil fruit appeared in his hand.

It took a few moments to look at the ugliest fruit he ever saw then took a bite.

~~~~~~~~

A few minutes earlier.

Garp and Tsuru entered the pirates' hideout, they saw Kaza rounding up a pirate and giving orders to some marines.

"Oi,Kaza, what's the situation?" asked Garp

"Sir! Every pirate but the captain had been apprehended, sir! Rick went after him. He should be done with him by now. Please follow me."

Kaza led them to the room Rick pursued the pirate captain.

Once in the room they saw the pirate laying down on the floor, handcuffed. They saw Rick with a very weird and ugly fruit in his hand that he brought up to his mouth.

"NO!"

But it was too late.

~~~~~~

Rick had already taken a bite from the devil fruit before his superiors could stop him. It tasted even worse than it looked. Before he could take another bite, Garp was already on him slapping the fruit away from his hands.

"YOU FOOL! WHAT DID YOU DO!"

Rick's panic was genuine but not for the reasons Garp thought.

'Shit! They saw me eat the devil fruit. How stupid am I? I should have eaten it in secret.'

"Wh.. What?"

"QUICK! VOMIT IT, IT MAY NOT BE TOO LATE!"

Rick had a bewildered look.

'What the hell is he on about?'

Tsuru had a grim look.

"It is Garp, the first bite is the one that does the trick."

Garp screamed in rage and went on destroying the surroundings.

"I'm sorry Rick" she said in a sad and apologetic tone, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Kaza was on her knees, her eyes empty and was crying.

"Ma'am, you're scaring me! What did I do?"

Tsuru had a confused look on her face.

"WAIT! YOU'RE FINE?!"

"Well yes, this pirate was rather weak."

"That's not what I meant you idiot!. Garp! Garp!"

She tried to call her friend but he was blinded by rage and grief.

"MONKEY D. GARP STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Hearing Tsuru scream his full name, Garp came to an abrupt stop.

"What?"

"Rick is fine!"

"What?"

"Rick is fine! Look he's still alive!"

Garp took a look at Rick, who had an embarrassing smile and waved his hand at him.

"HOW!"

"Ma'am, sir, what's going on?"

" WHAT'S GOING ON IS THAT YOU'RE NOT DEAD YOU STUPID BRAT!"

"Why should I be?"

Despite her shock and unlike Garp, Tsuru was able to control the volume of her voice.

" Because you ate a devil fruit!"

"It was a devil fruit?"

""YES!""

" Why should I be dead then? I mean, I ate one when I was 4 and I didn't die back then."

Garp smacked his head with his hand.

It was Tsuru who explained.

"Because no one can eat a second devil fruit and survive! If one were to eat two, the devils contained in each fruit start fighting. The clash of power is so great that the body of the person who ate them explode!"

'Oh yeah there was that in the story, but it's never really spoken about, just that you can't eat a second one, like can't as unable not as should not do it.'

"Well I didn't explode, so maybe it wasn't a devil fruit? Just a new kind of fruit which tastes bad and looks ugly?"

Garp smacked his head again.

"No it was definitely a devil fruit. The question is, how are you still alive?" said Tsuru.

Garp started poking his cheek with his finger.

"Kid. Tell me the truth. Are you a god?"

"What ?"

'What the hell is he talking about, now?'

"I am asking you if you're a god."

"Sir! Respectfully, If I was one, I would not be the one getting beaten up, It would go the other way around!" answered Rick clearly annoyed.

"True."

"Well, the how doesn't really matter. Him being alive does."

Garp nodded.

"Rick, do you feel any different? Do you feel like you have a new power?"

"Now that you say it, yes I feel a bit different. I don't know anything about a new power though."

"Okay. Try to, I don't know, do something out of the ordinary?"

Rick awkwardly waved his hands and felt something. His gaze was attracted to the top of Garp's head.Tsuru followed the direction his eyes were looking at and her eyes grew wide out of astonishment.

On the top of Garp's head was a sprout.

Before the stunned appearance of Tsuru and Rick Garp asked:

"What? Got something on my head?"

With one hand he reached the top of his head and grabbed the sprout.

The sprout bloomed into a grown size forearm with a wrist and a hand. He tried to rip the body part off when Rick screamed in pain, holding his arm.

"GARP! Stop! Don't touch it !"

Garp let go of the arm wondering what was going on.

"Rick please tell me what happened." Tsuru asked.

"I'm not sure. When I was waving my hands, I was thinking it would be nice if I could have an arm on top of Grandpa's head so I could smack him back when he does it to me."

"Oi! You brat!"

"Quiet Garp! Anything else Rick?"

"Yes, when I thought that, I felt like a part of me was on Grandpa's head, so I looked and there was…"

"A sprout, yes I saw it too."

"And then it bloomed into an arm."

"And you felt pain when Grap hurt it, right?"

"Yes."

"Well I guess that's your new power then."

"Big sis?"

"Tsuru, would you mind explaining?"

"I can do better than that Garp. Rick remember what you were thinking before the sprout appeared, and try to make one on the floor."

Rick did it, and soon a sprout appeared on the floor. It then bloomed into an arm.

"What a weird power." said Garp.

He turned to Tsuru

"Tsuru, you seem to know about that fruit. How come?"

" 2 years ago, I stopped on an island on the way to HQ for supplies. There I saw a little girl with the same powers. Though she didn't make sprouts. She directly created other parts of her body. I guess Rick ate a lesser version of the devil fruit."

Rick was pensive. Not about Tsuru's story he was already aware of One piece story after all. No he was thinking something totally different.

'Come on, are we done? All his drama for something I already know, is tiring. Should I do a quick experiment with the sprouts before them to get things going ?'

"Rick, can you use your gravity with your sprout?" asked Tsuru.

'Oh? Ask and Tsuru shall give you.'

He made an arm bloomed on the ceiling and tried to attract the pirate captain's body.

Suddenly the body moved quite fast upwards.

Garp and Tsuru were speechless.

Rick's gravity was already powerful enough, and now it was brought to a new height with his new power.

"Rick, no matter what, you must never use his new ability in public and never tell anyone about it. Do you understand?" ordered Tsuru, worried.

"Not really, but I'll do what you say."

"We need to report it to Sengoku, we can't not tell him." said Garp.

Tsuru nodded.

"What about the Captain?"

The two Vice-Admiral were confused.

Rick then pointed his finger towards Kaza.

She was still on her knees, out of it, like a mindless doll.

"I… I don't want to lie to the captain."

"Garp?"

"Kaza will keep quiet. After you and Sengoku she's the person I trust the most. Besides she's crazy about Rick, she would rather die than sell him out."

Rick walked to her. He felt bad as Kaza was always good to him. He was very fond of her.

"Captain? Are you alright? Captain Kaza?"

Hearing her name Kaza came out of whatever trance she was in.

Seeing Rick, she jumped at him and trapped him in a tight hug.

"You're alive!"

She hugged him so tightly that he had trouble breathing.

"Captain.. can't.. breath!"

Unfortunately,Kaza had fainted. Seeing him alive was too much of a shock to her.

She was still squeezing him though…

"Heeeelp!"