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Chapter 1: The Prophecy is Set! Monkey D. Luffy and Nika!

Pirates were said to be the scourge of the seas. Remorseless killers and plunderers who sought only treasure and power at the cost of innocent lives and their own morality. What many didn't know, however, was that one in every ten crews were actually quite decent. These Peace Main pirates cared only for adventure and the thrill of the unknown. Sure, they would rob people and cause trouble but only if you pissed them off first.

And so the Red-Haired Pirates were quite content to simply drink and goof around in the local tavern, much to the delight of their biggest fan. A seven-year-old boy in a white shirt, jeans and a recently made scar under his left eye was clearly ecstatic just being around them.

"Hey, Shanks!" he asked, "Can I come with you on your next adventure?!"

The red-haired captain himself just laughed into his flagon, banging on the bar top. "Ahahahaha! Luffy, come on now! You're way too young to be a pirate!"

"I am not!" the boy whined, "I can swim real good, I'm brave and I can punch really, REALLY hard!"

"Heh, nice try, pipsqueak!" Shanks ruffled the boy's hair for good measure, making him growl in embarrassment. The other pirates laughed along to add salt in the wound. Sure, it was all in good fun but that didn't save Luffy's pride.

The boy was then greeted by a plate of steak thanks to the young lady tending the bar. "Don't feel too bad, Luffy. I think you can be a great pirate!"

"Wow, thanks Makino!" The young boy dug in while Shanks just smiled at him.

"Now, Luffy, you don't want to take advantage of her hospitality, do you?"

"Of course not! When I'm a pirate, I'll bring back a ton of treasure to pay her back!"

That brought another round of laughs from Shanks's men while Luffy mostly ignored them. In the back of his mind, however, he wanted to prove them wrong. Okay so the knife under the eye thing backfired (and was probably gonna get him hell from Gramps later) but he knew he could do it! All he needed was a chance to prove he'd be the greatest pirate ever!

Then the boy's eyes turn to the open treasure chest sitting behind Makino's bar. Inside is a glimmering golden fruit covered in swirls, shining in the sunlight coming in through the side window. Suddenly he barely remembered the plate of meat he just ate, his stomach growling in need. He guessed it belonged to Shanks, but he didn't care. Luffy needed it.

"Heh, this'll teach you to laugh at me!"

He snatches the fruit away once Makino is busy at the tap, sinking his teeth into it…

"Wow, this is delicious!" It's easily the best fruit he's ever had! He quickly went back for a second bite, then a third, noisily gulping each one down.

"Hey, Luffy, you shouldn't eat just because you're upset…" Shanks tried to say but he was ignored. Then the captain noticed the empty box. His smile faded and his eyes widened in panic.

"THE DEVIL FRUIT!"

Luffy loudly swallows the last bite, just in time for Shanks to grab him by the shoulders. "Luffy, did you eat the fruit in that chest?!"

"Yeah, it was really yummy!"

That made the pirate step back. Devil Fruits were supposed to taste like utter crap. Shanks wanted to ask more but then suddenly the kid's eyes rolled back, almost falling off the barstool. The entire party stopped dead at the sight, Makino yelping in terror as all of the pirates crowded around. No one even noticed when a crowd of bandits entered.

For Luffy, he woke up not in the bar but in a pitch-black void. His head felt sore like his Gramps just gave him a Fist of Love.

"Hello? Shanks? Makino?! Where am I?!"

"Oh, sorry about that! I haven't had company in eons, let me get the lights!"

The whole void suddenly turned white, forcing Luffy to clamp his eyes shut.

"OWWW! Too bright!"

"GWAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh gods, that never gets old! When are any of you slowpokes gonna start wearing glasses?!"

"That's not funny, you jerk! Turn it off!"

"You didn't say pleeeeeaaase!"

"GRRRRRR!"

The taunting ethereal voice did lighten up the light enough so Luffy could actually look around. He finally caught sight of something, a laughing black silhouette moving along the plain of light.

"Who the heck are you?!"

"Oh, nobody really," the shadow said with an impish grin, a set of pearly whites against the black, "Just your average deity looking for an excuse to wreck shit and lookie here! I just found it!"

Luffy looked from side to side, not seeing anyone or anything besides him. His head tilted to the side in confusion. "What is it?"

"Oooooh! Yep, yep, yep! I definitely made the right choice with you! I can just see the world trembling in fear from you, kiddo!"

"Stop making fun of me!"

"Stop making it so fun!" the voice taunted back before the shadow itself started to ripple and reveal the actual person. An eight-foot tall lanky man in billowing white robes with equally stark hair that more resembled fluffy clouds. Luffy might have said he looked silly if not for his face. Not only were his eyes as gold as the fruit he ate, they seemed to almost glow with manic joy. On top of that, he had a smile so wide it showed off his gums that made the boy want to laugh and run away at the same time.

"Who are you?"

"Well, I have many names depending on which spot of the multiverse I'm in. Peridot, Discord, Loki (that one is really damn popular right now) and Alastor are a few but you, my little badass in the making, can call me Nika!"

"Ummmm, okay?" Luffy's head already hurt. Just standing around this guy was like looking directly into the sun. "So, why am I here?"

"That fruit you just ate. You know how Devil Fruits are supposed to grant a power?"

"Yeah, Shanks told me about them… What does mine do?"

"Yours is the winning ticket in the superpower lottery! You've eaten the Human-Human Fruit – Model: Nika! That means you get to meet me and become my personal champion!"

"Huh?! What does that mean?!"

"It means you're gonna have everything you've ever wanted and more, kid! And anyone who stops you is gonna end up a splat mark on the pavement! You said you wanna be a pirate, right?"

"Yeah! Can you help me be a great pirate?"

"Nope!"

"HUH?! Why not?!"

"Because you aren't gonna be just a 'great' pirate! You're gonna be the best! You're gonna make that Gold Roger look like a deck swabber! You're gonna be the next King of the Pirates!"

Luffy's face lit up like a lighthouse. "King of the Pirates!? Really?! You can do that?!"

"Yes, but it isn't gonna be quick. You're gonna have to do most of the work. This isn't the kind of story where I just snap my fingers and make you an all-powerful god. I mean, if I could do that, do you think I'd be sitting here playing tiddlywinks with myself for almost 800 years?"

"Playing what now?"

"Don't ask, you'll understand when you're older. The bottom line is you'll be my avatar – a representation of me. Basically, I act through you on the mortal plane because I'm stuck here."

"You're not gonna control me, are you?"

"Heck no, where's the fun in that?! No, long story short is that I point you in a good direction to go and you take it from there! Think of me as your guardian angel who only occasionally screws with you for my own amusement!"

"Hmmmmmmm…" Luffy was deep in thought. On the one hand, this guy was weirder than weird and had already mocked him several times. On the other hand, he really wanted to be an awesome pirate. And just being around this guy felt unusual, like he was standing directly under the sun. Something in his gut told the boy that this was all real, and this Nika was dead serious despite the massive vulpine smile.

"Okay, Nick! I'm in!"

"Atta boy, kid! This world's officially gonna be yours now! But first, it's time for you to get back to the plot! The readers are getting pretty sick of exposition!"

"The who?"

"Try and land on your feet!"

A hole suddenly opened up and Luffy fell through with a scream. He soon landed back first on the bed his body was sleeping in with a shout.

"Luffy, it's okay! Calm down!"

The boy opened his eyes and had to adjust to the low lighting of the room. He recognized this place, the back room of Makino's bar where he occasionally stayed when Gramps trained him to the point of unconsciousness. He turned and saw the lady herself watching over him. As soon as their eyes met, the lady smiled.

"Oh, phew, you're okay. You had us all real worried there, Luffy!"

Luffy looked outside, the moon high in the sky. "How long have I been here?"

"About eight hours. Hold on, let me tell the others you're awake."

Makino stepped out and soon walked back in with a very familiar pair that made Luffy smile.

"Shanks! Benn!"

"Hey there, kid," the captain said before sitting down on the edge of the bed, "You gave us all a real scare."

"Luffy, what happened to you?" the first mate asked, even pulling the cigarette from his mouth, "I've never heard of someone falling unconscious just from eating a Devil Fruit."

"You mean that's not normal?"

"Not at all. Usually, a person's power will manifest immediately. The only thing that would make them go under like would be falling in the sea or touching seastone but neither of those things were around."

Luffy thought to himself. He did hear about how you couldn't swim after eating one of those fruits but nothing about a weird stone.

"Trust me, kid, you're not gonna be doing much swimming in your line of work."

"What the?!"

"Luffy? What's wrong?"

"Shanks, you didn't hear him?!"

"Hear who? Luffy, there's no one hear but me, Benn, and Makino."

The startled boy looked around. Sure enough the pirates and bartender looked at him like he was crazy. Luffy then looked down in embarrassment only to hear that same mocking laugh in his head.

"Aw man, cliches be damned! The whole 'What was that?' routine never stops being funny! GWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Luffy, are you sure you're okay?" Makino asked, kneeling down, "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"No, you didn't."

"No, I'm fine. I…"

A loud gurgle rang through the room. Luffy looked down and suddenly felt his stomach was empty.

"Oh, I get it now, you're just hungry!" Shanks sighed, "Makino, would you mind…?"

"Not at all! I'll be right back, Luffy."

She stepped out and left the youngster alone with the two buccaneers. Shanks then placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Hey, Luffy? I didn't mean to make you so upset. Sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"No, it's okay, Shanks. I… Guess I am too young to be a pirate."

"Yeah but look on the bright side! Starting later means you have to prepare. I wasn't kidding when I said to give yourself ten years. There's a lot that comes with being a pirate."

"He's actually right. Little boys tend to get one of two jobs on pirate ships; cabin boy or bait."

"Yeah, I guess…"

And with that, Makino walked in a hearty helping of meat that immediately took Luffy's attention. Shanks just chuckled. "Well, you seem alright to me. I'll be in town for a few more days."

"Okay! Bye, Shanks!"

"Luffy, don't talk with your mouth full…"

He swallowed and apologized to Makino as she left, leaving the boy alone with his meal. Once he was done eating, Luffy's focus turned back to the voice in his head.

"That wasn't funny, you know!"

"Au contraire, pipsqueak. I personally thought it was hilarious! But yeah, now's a good time to mention that I can telepathically communicate with you and only you."

He let out a sigh before turning in for the night, wondering just what would happen now.

In the halls of Marineford, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp was dealing with the most hated menace of all the Navy – paperwork.

"Darn pencil pushing kids…" he grumbled as he redid the form in front of him for the fourth time, "They better hope their records are as clean as the…"

"Peru- Peru- Peru- Peru!"

"Hm?" He looked at the orange and blue-shelled Transponder Snail ringing on his desk, wondering who could be calling him this early in the morning. Figuring he could use the distraction, he picked up the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gramps, it's me."

"Luffy?!" he balked, "How'd you get my number!?"

"It took a lot of asking around, but I met up with a Marine who gave it. Sorry if I'm bothering you…"

Garp was puzzled beyond belief. Not only about the call but the sheer sadness in Luffy's voice. The snail looked half-ready to cry whenever it spoke.

"No, no, it's no trouble at all. What's the matter, Luffy?"

"It's Sabo. He's dead."

"W-What?! How, what happened?! Did pirates get him?!"

Luffy then recounted the burning of Grey Terminal and how Sabo's boat was shot down by the departing World Nobles for daring to be in the way. Garp snarled under his breath.

"Of freaking course, it was one of them…" When he spoke, he had to keep his rage under control. This was the one time Luffy didn't need discipline.

"Luffy, I'm really sorry to hear that. I know how close you three were. Are you and Ace okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Dadan's actually been really nice to us. She even brought us food for once!"

"I'll have to thank her next time I'm around…"

"But Gramps, there's something I wanted to ask you?"

"Yes, what's that?"

"When you come back, I want you to train me even harder."

"HUH?! You mean it?!"

"Yeah, I am. I want to do something really important with my life."

"Well, that's…. Great, Luffy! I'll look into coming over as soon as I can! You and Ace just stay safe, alright?"

"Sure thing. See you soon, Grandpa." The snail clicked off and an elated Garp strode out of his office. It was finally happening! Luffy was interested in joining the Marines! He would head straight for Sengoku's office to look into some extra shore leave. On the way, he also made a note to ask Tsuru for ideas on what to bring the kids to cheer them up. She did have a granddaughter herself.

Meanwhile, in the East Blue, Luffy thanks Mayor Woop Slap for letting him use the Transponder Snail and headed out of Fuusha's town office. His older brother lifts his orange hat as Luffy walks out.

"So? Did it work?"

"Yep."

"Wow, I can't believe he fell for it!" Ace laughed as they walked out of village, "Good thinking, little bro!"

Luffy smiled at the compliment but he couldn't take the credit. It was all Nika's idea, how to phrase it so Garp would fill in the blanks wrong himself. The god had told him there were far more ways of lying than an outright fib. As they both headed back to the Curly Bandits' hideout, the eight-year-old boy was wrapping his head around it all.

How Nika wasn't the only god influencing their world. How the World Government was actually run by a dark being called Imu who hid behind the Marines and the Five Elder Stars to manipulate everything. And how it was Luffy's job as Nika's avatar to destroy Imu and free the world from his control.

Before he wondered how the heck he was supposed to do that. He could stretch his body just like Nika could and he did start thinking of ways to use it but that was it. His grandpa had been training him up but Luffy hated it, yelling at the old codger all the while.

But not anymore. Not since Nika explained how Imu allowed the World Nobles carte blanche to do whatever they wanted. They had been abusing their power, killing and enslaving not even Nika knew how many. Luffy stopped crying for his brother and felt a fire burning in his gut. He clamped a hand on the brim of his beloved Straw Hat.

"Luffy, this hat is my greatest treasure," Shanks told him before leaving the East Blue for good, "And now it's yours. Give it back to me when you become a great pirate, okay?"

"I'll do better than that," Luffy swore to himself, "I'll be the best pirate ever. I'll be King of the Pirates and then I'm gonna beat up Imu myself! He's not gonna hurt anyone ever again!"

A ten-year-old Luffy grunted in effort, pushing up again and again even with the trawler-sized boulder strapped to his back. His face was pouring sweat, his muscles burned but he wouldn't give up.

"Alright Luffy, just fifty more!" Garp ordered, "Then we're gonna spar and see how those new Gum-Gum attacks of yours are coming along!"

Luffy just grunted. Garp had been running him into the ground harder and harder with each visit. Every time he thought he'd seen the worst of it, the old Marine kept raising the bar. Lifting heavier and heavier weights, more and more laps around the island, throwing him against the many predators that stalked the jungles of Dawn Island. But now he never cried, never complained. It was all to get stronger. To achieve his dream. To one day fulfill his role for Nika.

The god, when he wasn't toying with Luffy for his own amusement, had actually proven a steadfast partner. He encouraged his avatar, pushing him to train hard even when Garp was away but he also told Luffy the importance of making and keeping friends.

"No one person can do it all, Luffy, not even me," he said once, in a very rare moment of sincerity, "You need to find not just allies, but comrades. People who will stand by your side no matter what. Be loyal and kind to the right people and they'll help you to the ends of the world."

When Luffy wasn't training, he was palling around with Ace and having more adventures. He was helping Makino at the bar, easily able to lift a keg over his shoulder. He was just being friendly to the people of his village. He did still cause trouble and get an earful from Dadan but he also helped protect the hideout from any other bandits that came looking for a score.

But once Luffy was done his morning training and eaten (by hunting down a tiger, naturally), Garp said he had something special to teach Luffy.

"Alright, kid, pay attention. What I'm about to teach you is something only taught to Captains or higher! This is an ace in the hole that'll put you right at the top of the class!"

Luffy nodded, noting how serious Garp was. The old Marine then reached into his pocket and took out a simple gray blindfold before wrapping it around his own eyes.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Did I say you could speak up?!" Garp threw a punch right at Luffy's stomach, making the young boy wince.

"Heh, you didn't buckle. Not bad!" he commended before walking a few paces away, "Now then, try to hit me."

"Okay then…" Luffy wound up his punch, stretching his arm back several feet before attacking. Garp leaned just out of the way.

"HUH?!"

"Come on, try again!"

Luffy did try again and again and again but Garp just kept dodging! He didn't get it! The old man's eyes were completely covered and yet he barely had to move to dodge it all!

"Grr, how are you doing that?!"

"That, is Observation Haki," Garp answered, revealing his eyes again, "I told you this was advanced stuff! Now pay attention to this!"

Garp reached down and punched the ground, making a perfect indent of his fist in the soil. Luffy wondered what was so special about that only to see his other hand turning black.

"WHOA! What's that?!"

The Vice-Admiral slammed the darkened fist right next to the first impact. His arm moved exactly the same speed as before but this punch plowed straight into the ground, the earth under Luffy quaking.

"This is Armament Haki, the other technique you're gonna learn. Both of these come from your willpower. And as you can see, it'll give you a huge edge!"

"Oh man!" Nika gaped, "Luffy, get cracking on those! You have no idea the cheat codes this geezer is handing you right now!"

Luffy liked the sound of that, even if he didn't understand yet. He nodded and soon Garp was detailing how he needed to concentrate his will either into his mind or his muscles. It didn't make much sense but Garp assured him that if Luffy kept pushing himself harder and harder, he'd have them down in no time.

Luffy and Ace stood apart from each other. The former had a blindfold over his eyes while the latter looked very confused. What the heck had Garp been teaching Luffy?

"You both ready?"

"Yep!"

"Sure…"

"GO!"

Ace figured it was better not to question it, the young teen rushing to try and hit Luffy. The younger brother didn't even move. That is until Ace'a fist was inches away and Luffy suddenly ducked.

"What the… How'd you do that?!"

"Hehehehehe…"

Ace tried over and over to clobber his brother but it wasn't any good. Luffy dodged, jumped and swerved around everything!

"Hey, you're cheating!"

"Am not!" Just to prove a point, Luffy caught Ace's latest kick and then answered with a right hook that left Ace sprawling.

"Come on, Ace! You're not fighting like you mean it! Are you gonna let a pipsqueak beat you?!"

"Alright, that's it!" Now Ace was pissed. He pulled out his trusty pipe and made to whack Luffy upside the head. But it didn't help at all! The little tyke started showing off even more, doing flips and using his Gum-Gum Fruit to slingshot himself towards trees to give Ace the slip.

"Stop that!"

"Okay, if you say so!"

Luffy whipped the blindfold off and charged right at Ace. The older brother ran up to meet him, prepping to give him a swing that would knock him senseless.

Except when Ace brought the metal pole down, it collided with Luffy's arm… And it shattered into bits?!

"OKAY, WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Hahahahahahaha! I did it!" Luffy cheered, "I know how to use Haki!"

"Attaboy Luffy! Good job!" Garp was even clapping in cheer even as Ace stormed up to him.

"You taught him to do that?! Why didn't you teach me?!"

"Because you aren't gonna be a Marine like Luffy is! If you do, however, I might just change my mind. Whaddaya say?"

"Screw that!" Ace huffed off but he and Luffy shared a look. The brothers had to fight not to laugh at how Garp still hadn't caught on. The older kid ran off into the forest to find some lunch while Garp approached Luffy.

"I've gotta hand it to you, Luffy, that was some fine work! I bet you'll be the youngest Captain in history!"

"Heh, thanks, Gramps…"

"Now, you're in a pretty good spot already. Buuuuut, I do think you could still use an edge."

"What kind of edge?"

"Consider this your secret weapon." Garp reached into his cloak and pulled out a black book bound shut with a metal clasp.

"Wow, what is this?"

"This is something that we only hand to the Cipher Pols. Luffy, I mean it when I say you can't let ANYONE else get this book. Namely, because Old Goat-Breath would have my head for it."

"Okay, Gramps! I'll keep this book to myself!"

"You better! If you thought Haki was broken, this should be illegal! I can't believe he's just handing this to you, and I've seen ALL the shit!"

That night, Luffy stretched his reading muscles to the limits as he read up on the Six Powers. These moves sounded completely insane but his face lit up in a smile. Wait until Luffy had an entire crew he could teach these to!

Luffy stood tall as Garp glared at him. He knew this was coming but he still had the tiniest knot in his stomach. That's better than most given that the Hero of the Marines was grinding his teeth and curling his infamous fists in anger.

"So, let me get this straight…" he ground out, "You aren't going to be a Marine?"

"Nope," Luffy said plainly, unflinching even as Garp's glare heated up. His eyes never wavered underneath his treasured hat.

"Even though I've taken months out of my schedule to personally train you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Even though I've already enrolled you in the Naval Academy?"

"Don't care."

"Even though I paid your tuition in full? In cash?!"

"I never asked you to do that."

"Well then I guess you owe me 30 million beris, you little shit! I can't believe you! I even threw you a birthday party!"

"The cake was yummy," Luffy admitted but he still wouldn't budge. This was the day. 13 was the age that recruits entered the Marineford Academy. After the fun last night, Garp ordered Luffy to pack his things and say goodbye to everyone in the village at the crack of dawn. When Luffy refused and made it clear he wasn't leaving, he'd been dragged to the same training spot they'd frequented to get beaten into submission.

"So what is it? What's so damn important that you're gonna throw away years of work for?"

Luffy lifted his eyes to stare Garp in the face. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" Garp bellowed so loud the entire island heard him, "Damn that Red-Haired Shanks! I can't believe you lied to me, your own family!"

"I never lied to you," Luffy shrugged, "I never said I wanted to be a Marine."

Garp was about to bowl him over only for the gears in his head to start turning and promptly lock up. He never heard Luffy say that directly. And then his fuse went off again.

"You still tricked me, damn it! And now you're gonna go to the Academy whether you like it or not!"

"No."

"Oh yeah?! Says who?!"

"Says me. It's my life and I'm gonna be a pirate."

Garp stalked forward, his hands ready to punch Luffy into next week but the straw-hatted teen remained still. He wasn't afraid of Garp anymore. Nika had made it clear there were far more dangerous foes. The Admirals. The Warlords. The Emperors. All of these he'd have to conquer on his mission to defeat Imu. He wouldn't let something like Garp stop him.

"I suggest you rethink that right now…"

Luffy did just that, putting his head down for several moments before glaring back up. "Nope. Still wanna be a pirate."

"SMART-MOUTH!" Garp threw a punch at him but Luffy managed to tilt aside. He had been navigating the island with his Observation alone. He saw that coming a mile away. Of course, that was far from Garp's best.

"He truly does care for you, the old bastich," Nika sighed, "It's a shame he's so stubborn. He probably could've been Roger's best friend under different circumstances."

That image brought a smile to Luffy, angering the Vice Admiral even more.

"LAUGH AT ME, WILL YA?!" A left hook grazed by Luffy's face, again far too slow to connect.

"He might be holding back but I wouldn't put money on you in a straight fight. You need to bargain, play against his pride."

"How about a deal?"

"What, you say yes right now and I don't knock your head off?"

"No, I'm gonna prove how strong I am. I bet I can knock you down!"

Garp laughed his head off, barely standing upright. "Ohohoho, that's a good one! Like you could ever pull that off!"

"If I could, I'd have to be really tough?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"If I could pull that off, I'm strong enough to think for myself!"

"And if you can't?"

"Then I'll go with you."

Garp stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't be serious… Could he?

"You mean that?"

"Yep."

"No backing out?"

"Never."

Garp was mulling it over. Luffy could practically feel Nika struggling not to burst into laughter. He had the old man exactly where he needed. All he needed was one last push…

"What's the matter, Gramps? Scared I might win?"

The Marine growled. "Alright, you know what? Let's try this little wager of yours! I'll give you five minutes to knock me down. And when you lose, I'll help you pack your things."

"Deal."

Garp quickly stomped into the ground to create two perfect indents of his feet in the dirt. His position was set. Luffy quickly leapt backwards and widened his stance.

"Alright then, squirt," he said while pulling out a pocket watch, "Five minutes starting… NOW!"

Luffy snapped his arm back, the rubber limb stretching for a hundred feet before stopping.

"Gum-Gum…"

The arm snapped forward, rocketing forward like a whip with Luffy's knuckles aimed straight at his grandfather's face.

"…Pistol!"

The blow rang true and slammed into Garp's nose. The Marine only barely flinched. "Heh, is that all you got?"

"No way!" Luffy stretched arms back now, pushing their length even further. "Gum-Gum Bazooka!"

His palms slammed into Garp's stomach, getting the tiniest "oomph!" in response. Luffy growled. He barely felt that!

"Thirty seconds gone already," Garp warned, "You better try a lot harder than that!"

"Grr… SHAVE!"

Luffy seemed to disappear where he stood much to Garp's approval. "Well, at least he made good use of that book."

"Gum-Gum Bullet!"

The young pirate appeared right beside Garp and launched a fist directly into his side, only just barely dodging the swing to counter him.

"Pretty fast…"

"Thanks," Luffy growled before hopping into the air and then again off of thin air.

"Huh, got Moonwalk down too…" Garp looked down. Four minutes left. Luffy kicked one of his legs up and elongated the limb for hundreds of feet.

"Gum-Gum Battle-Axe!"

The massive stomp crashed down on Garp's shoulder, actually making him wince this time. He looked over and saw why. Luffy's foot was coated in black Armament Haki.

"Hmmph, starting to get somewhere…"

"Okay, that made him flinch. But you're not going to knock him over by striking from above."

"Right…" Luffy nodded, tumbling back down to the ground. He turned to face Garp again, grateful that he only struck back once. He needed to overwhelm the old man with so much that he couldn't keep up. It was time to break out his favorite technique.

He spread his feet apart, his arms at his side. He took a long, deep breath in between his nose.

"Gum… Gum…!"

Garp could feel it, Luffy's focus. He knew this was going to be the big one.

"GATLING!"

Luffy's fists suddenly blurred through the air, his arms bouncing back and forth so fast like they truly were bullets. Garp now flinched in a twinge of pain as over a dozen blows slammed into him all at once.

"Okay, time to start blocking!" he told himself, bending his knees so he could swerve and deflect as many punches as possible. But soon Luffy's blows started aiming for where he would be, not where he was. The punches got through his guard and he was actually starting to feel sore.

"That's it! Use your Observation, predict where he's vulnerable!"

"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Luffy's speed seemed to double as her poured more energy into the attack, Garp actually starting to sweat the tiniest bit.

"Damn, I might have trained him too well," he sighed, "It's just like Dragon all over again!"

"Need to be… Stronger…"

"Then use Armament, you numbnuts! What, did you plan on saving that at the last minute? We're on a time limit here!"

Luffy complied, his fists shifting to black and now Garp was actually starting to feel real pain. One punch would've felt like a rock between the eyes. Several hundred beating down on him all at once? He was starting to regret teaching him that technique.

"At least he hasn't used Finger Gun yet…"

"You're almost there, Luffy!" Nika shouted, "You need to push your willpower to its limit! Tap into your Conqueror's Haki!"

"Huh?! But I never used that yet!" The night Garp first told him about Haki, Nika let him in on the secret third variety only an extremely select few had. But no matter how hard Luffy trained, it never came up.

"Stop talking to yourself, brat!" Garp ordered, right before one of his knees started to buckle.

"Luffy, listen to me! This is your dream on the line! Imu is still out there, pulling the world by the strings! Remember our mission, Luffy! Remember your promise to Shanks! Remember your brother!"

That did it. Something, like a burning fire in his gut, was stoked into a roaring inferno. Luffy screamed to the heavens as a wave of force was unleashed. The ground trembled, the morning breeze was shattered, and Garp actually gaped in terror when he felt it.

"N-No… It can't be! Just like the Fleet Admiral?! Or… No…"

That damned face entered his mind. Wild black hair, a long red coat, and a smile that made his blood pressure spike. "Come on, Garp! You'll never catch me like that!"

"ROOOOOOOOOOOGEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

"Now, Luffy!"

"TAKE THIS!" Luffy took the last of his strength and poured it on, the armor hardening to its maximum before his left hand crashed into Garp's face while the right collided with his gut. The proud Vice Admiral felt his would go black for a moment and almost lost his breakfast before he tumbled backwards.

"Like father, like son…" he moaned, "So damn close…"

Luffy collapsed on the ground, dripping sweat and his arms burning like they were shoved in a fireplace. Every breath felt like an accomplishment at this point but soon he saw it. His grandfather, the illustrious Monkey D. Garp, Hero of the Marines, with his butt on the grass and his feet clearly off the spots he marked.

He began to laugh, little by little. His chest burned and he might have coughed up blood, but he didn't care. He did it. He won! He would never be a Marine! He'd be a pirate! The KING of the Pirates!

Garp just left him to his laughing fit, passing by a smirking Ace along the way back to the docks in Fuusha Village.

"Button up your shirts, you look like a damn hippie."

"No."

Garp just grumbled about the kids these days while the sixteen-year-old went to fetch his brother. He just earned himself a big old helping of meat for sticking it to the old man.

And though Garp wanted to turn back and drag Luffy by the scruff of his neck, he stayed on course and walked up the gangplank to his battleship.

"Set sail now," he told the nearest seamen, "We're leaving for headquarters."

"Um, sir?"

"What?"

"Uh, well, is your grandson not coming with us?"

"Forget about him. That's an order."

The young private wisely went about relaying Garp's commands. While everyone was busy, he pulled out Luffy's signed application form to the Naval Academy.

"Guess it was a good idea to not turn this in, after all…"

He then accidentally let the papers catch on the sea breeze and float down into the water, rendering them useless. Garp then headed to his cabin for a nice, long drink. He'd toast to whatever Marine made the mistake of trying to apprehend Monkey D. Luffy.