One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"Luffy!!"

Garp's shout nearly shattered the tavern's roof.

"Wright! You've come at the right time—quick, treat Luffy!" Garp cried, tears streaming down his face. "I…I didn't pull that hard! How… how did this happen?"

"..." Wright sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Old man Garp, you've seen so much, but this clearly wasn't your fault!"

Wright glanced at Garp, then at the little boy next to him, shaking his head with a wry smile. "And look at this brat—he's as lively as a monkey! Does he look injured to you?"

"!" Only then did Garp calm down. He'd been so panicked seeing his grandson's condition that he'd forgotten to think straight. But now, after a moment of clarity…

"Devil Fruit!" Garp exclaimed, pinching Luffy's cheek. Sure enough, it stretched.

"Grandpa! Pretty cool, right? This is the Gum-Gum Fruit! I'm a rubber man now!" Little Luffy beamed proudly, showing off his new powers. "See? You can punch me, but it doesn't hurt!"

Wright sighed inwardly. There was no way Garp would punch someone and not hurt them...

"Idiot!" Garp smacked Luffy on the head, and a large bump immediately appeared. Luffy cried out in pain. "Eating a Devil Fruit curses you with the sea! You can never swim again!"

"Owww! It hurts so much…" Luffy hugged his head, tears streaming down his face. "I… I know, Shanks said the same thing. But I've already eaten it…"

"Shanks!!" Garp's forehead bulged with veins. "I've been wondering why this straw hat looked so familiar... So it's that bastard Shanks'!"

"Devil Fruit! And this hat!" Garp was breathing heavily, gnashing his teeth. "That little brat! Just hanging around East Blue, and now he's influenced Luffy! No wonder Luffy is spouting off about becoming a pirate!"

"Once I get my hands on him, I'll break his legs!!"

"Uh... Old man Garp, I heard that Shanks already lost an arm to save Luffy…" Wright had overheard the villagers talking before he entered the tavern. He said weakly, "Well… if you break his leg too, he won't have much to stand on."

"..." Garp stared, wide-eyed. "Shanks? Lost an arm? In East Blue? To save Luffy? What is going on here?!"

"You've been here for a while and still don't know anything?" Wright sighed.

"I've been searching for that little brat since I got here, and I've only been in town for half an hour!" Garp said defensively.

"Okay… I just heard about it on the way here. I'll go ask the village chief for more details and get back to you."

Wright found the village chief, and Garp finally learned what had happened after the Red-Haired Pirates had arrived in Windmill Village.

"Shanks stayed here for over a year?!" Garp was covered in cold sweat. He turned to Luffy, who had sneaked over to Wright's side at some point. "So Luffy's been influenced by that damn brat Shanks for over a year…"

"Ugh… this is bad! My grandson is supposed to become a great Marine, how can he become a pirate..."

The thought of "a great Marine" made Garp's head ache. That brat Dragon was just as rebellious! How could both his son and grandson not listen? He was a hero of the Marines—why were his family members all so defiant?

While Garp stood there listening to the village chief, Luffy had already snuck up to Wright. Garp had never brought anyone around, and the only other person who wore a hat and stayed quiet was that tight-lipped Bogard.

But this guy—Wright—had talked so much with Grandpa, and even had a conversation with that quiet fellow. He seemed like an interesting person…

Wright, meanwhile, was still talking to the near-invisible Bogard—since entering the tavern, this guy hadn't changed his posture even once!

"I say, Bogard, as Garp's old hometown, does Windmill Village really not have a Den Den Mushi? Shanks stayed here for over a year, and the Marines didn't find out until after he left. He must've been leaving clues on purpose… Garp must be embarrassed."

Bogard twitched his lips. "This isn't a Marine base, Den Den Mushi is a rare commodity… A small village like this definitely doesn't have one…"

"The Vice Admiral doesn't seem to want this village disturbed, nor does he want too much attention drawn to it… When he's on leave, he brings his own Den Den Mushi but leaves it behind when he's not around."

"…No wonder. The villagers here don't really understand how much weight the title of Vice Admiral carries. They just seem to think of Garp as an ordinary old man next door," Wright muttered.

"Vice Admiral's concerns aren't unfounded," Bogard said quietly. "You've heard of your teacher, Admiral Zephyr, right?"

Wright's expression grew serious. "I see… I understand now… For high-ranking Marines, especially someone of Garp's level, if their family knows their identity, it's like the enemy knowing about their family… It's too dangerous."

"Is that why Sengoku's never married? To keep his family out of danger?" Wright tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"…." Bogard sighed, seeing Wright deep in thought. "Major, you're about the right age to get married… I've heard rumors about Vice Admiral Tsuru…"

Wright froze in shock, eyes wide as he immediately covered Bogard's mouth. He growled, "Don't you dare set me up, Bogard! I'm still young! Don't even think about marriage— I have a lot of youthful time to waste, and I won't bury myself in a grave!"

He remembered why, when he met Vice Admiral Tsuru in the North Blue, he couldn't wait to rush back to the base with Rosinante first. The woman's ship was full of female soldiers!

As a man with serious responsibilities, Wright could deal with female pirates without batting an eye, but when a whole crew of tough female Marines stared at him, asking for skin treatments, even he couldn't hold out. So, dragging Rosinante with him, he made a hasty escape.

And Tsuru seemed to enjoy the situation… Was this really okay, Vice Admiral?

"You're Grandpa's subordinate?" A curious voice called out from below.

Wright looked down to see Luffy, wearing a big straw hat and sporting the bump Garp had given him, looking up at him eagerly.

"Yep, that's right," Wright replied, releasing Bogard and squatting down to Luffy's level. "Hello! I'm Wright, a Marine."

"I'm Luffy! And one day, I'll be the Pirate King!"

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