Chapter Text
PoV Garp
The day’s training was done and Garp mulled over it as he carried the brat down the mountain and in to the village Foosha, he was tempted to go bug Dadan as he descended the mountain, but not yet, Dadan probably heard Garp came back already, and if he let’s her stew a day or two and get her properly worked up, then when Garp visits and she will blow her gasket, it would be hilarious.
The brat could walk on his own, he is tired but not that tired, but he probably just wanted to have his Grandpa carry him around, with Ace gone for six months, it is probably only Makino who was around and Luffy liked enough to glomp onto, and show his unique brand of affection. It reminded him of days long past, when Luffy was just a baby, he had been so clingy, by six months the brat was climbing all over Garp, so much like a monkey of their family name.
I wonder, should I have just called Ace, Monkey D. Ace and been done with it?
Telling him about his father had probably been a mistake.
Oh, live and learn I suppose.
Luffy interrupted Garp’s musing with a quiet, “Hey Gramps”
“What is it brat?”, Garp asked conversationally.
“Why did you stop bugging me about becoming a Marine?”, Luffy asked still quietly.
Garp sighed, there he goes, being perceptive and all that shit, and answered, “More than you being a Marine, I want you happy and safe, Luffy.”
Luffy mulled that over and said brightly, “Thanks Gramps!”
Garp gave Luffy his patented Fist of Love and said, “Call me Grandpa, you brat.”
So the Grandfather and Grandson duo bickered as they climbed down the mountain.
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Makino knowing well the appetite of the Monkey family prepared quite the spread, mostly meat, probably everything she has in her pantry, but there are some fruits and a dish of veggies, some juice for Luffy and rice crackers for Garp.
Without further ado, the duo descended on the food like locusts on a just grown field and emptied all of it in ten minutes flat.
Well fed, Luffy started to drift off, Garp carried him to the room Makino set aside for Luffy in her inn and returned to the bar.
Makino had a bottle of sake and two cups ready on the bar.
She poured one for Garp and one for herself, silently they both downed their respective cups, and she asked softly, “Will Ace be alright?”
Garp grunted, a tirade about his headstrong reckless stupid grandson at the tip of his tongue, but no, that is not what Makino wanted to hear, even if she is too young to be a mother to the brats, she raised them, taught them and loved them, Makino and Dadan, they did more parenting on those brats than he ever did, with his twice a year visits. Makino was worried and she was seeking reassurance. Grap is not sure how much reassurance he has to give, given his own fears and concerns.
But he tried anyway and said gruffly, “The brat is strong, I trained him well and he has the Will to do whatever he has set his mind to.”
At his words, Makino’s smiles brilliance could rival the sunrise, sheer relief poured off her in waves, Garp gave his best confident grin to her.
Garp never lied, he fudged the truth a bit when he had no other choice, but he never lied, when he told the world that Ace is his grandson, he meant every word. He loved the brat as he was put in his hands and many his age were grandfathers, so as he took that boy in his arms he decided Ace was his grandson and that was that.
But for some reason, when he reassured Makino, it felt like he lied, Grap shook off the feeling, he did not lie, he did train the brat well, if the brats education has some gaps, well, if can’t train the brat himself he was owed favours he could call upon and see that the brat completes his training.
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Yesterday’s training efforts were promising but not enough. The brat has too much strength and he is too good at augmenting his natural strength with his Devil Fruit power.
Garp decided on a different tack to start off today, they would get to Armament in the afternoon, as the grandfather and grandson duo once again reached the flat top of Mt Columbo, Garp took out a blindfold and said, “Brat, wear this! And no cheating, I will know if you cheat.”
The brat did try to cheat anyway, but for that foolery he received another patented Fist of Love to the crown of his head.
Once Garp was sure that brat tied the blindfold securely, Garp moved, with a combination of Shave and Skywalk, Garp disappeared from the mountaintop and reappeared within two seconds holding the Tiger King with the scruff of its neck, the cat passed out from the sheer speed Garp was moving at.
Garp shook it awake, and as tried to free itself, Garp glared at it with a smidgeon of his Conqueror’s Haki, thoroughly cowed, the cat shivered in his hold.
With another pulse of Conqueror’s Haki Garp ordered the cat to sheath its claws and ordered it to spar with Luffy.
As the cat pounced on Luffy, the brat’s squawk of outrage at what Garp set upon him was hilarious.