"Damn it, how is this possible?"
Seeing his subordinates defeated in an instant, Battle's pupils dilated, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how a mere backwater like the East Blue could produce such a terrifying monster.
"Kid, I admit you're strong. Join my Kong Pirates and help me conquer the East Blue! From now on, whatever you want—Beli or women—will be yours for the taking."
Suddenly remembering something, Battle spread his arms and extended an invitation to Summer.
If such a powerful youth joined his crew, the East Blue would soon belong to him, and the Kong Pirates would gain a top-tier enforcer.
"Not interested! (*￣rǒ￣) Fat panda, finish him off!"
Summer frowned, looking with utter disdain at the self-important man before him, and gave the order.
Conquer the East Blue?! Summer's ambitions were far too grand for such petty goals.
"Yaya, leave it to me, Boss!"
Hearing this, Tuantuan sprang into action. Cracking its knuckles, it strode forward, closing the distance to Battle step by step. The people of this world understood very little about the temperament of pandas, and Tuantuan was a very special kind of panda, besides.
Watching the approaching black-and-white beast, Battle felt a sudden wave of crisis. His body abruptly expanded, the clothes on his upper half tearing to shreds under swelling, muscular arms as he transformed into a three-meter-tall gorilla.
"Roar!"
"Die! ╰_╯╬"
With an angry roar, Battle swung his massive arms, bringing a spiked club straight down toward Tuantuan's head. The terrifying force tore through the air with a howling whistle, until the club stopped a mere centimeter from Tuantuan's head.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed as a plump little paw collided with the spiked club. Sparks flew in every direction as the paw blocked the strike entirely.
"Tai Chi: Bursting Force!"
From the void comes Tai Chi, Tai Chi gives birth to the Two Modes, the Two Modes generate the Three Forces, the Three Forces create all things, and all things return to Tai Chi.
Once mastered through the system's instruction, Tai Chi boxing could generate Tai Chi force—an energy capable of transforming into countless variations, truly representing the principle that all things return to Tai Chi.
Tuantuan's right paw struck true, its terrifying force piercing straight through Battle's chest and instantly wrecking every organ inside his body. Overwhelming pain washed over him, and even as a Zoan Devil Fruit user, he collapsed to his knees.
"Ugh... cough, cough!"
Bright red blood spewed from his mouth. His eyes bloodshot and his teeth nearly cracking, he glared at Summer and Tuantuan with a gaze full of venom, as if he wanted to devour them alive.
"Bang! What are you staring at?"
At that moment, a golden brick came crashing down from above, slamming squarely onto Battle's head. The terrifying impact caused spiderweb cracks to fracture across the deck beneath him.
Battle rolled his eyes and passed out cold.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
On the calm sea, the flagship of the Kong Pirates burned fiercely. Half an hour later, carried by the ocean breeze, the sea grew calm once more. As the sun set, the Smiling Pirates set sail anew.
"Gull—gull—gull—"
Seagulls soared through the sky. Summer's battle with the Kong Pirates had been thoroughly documented, and all of it was right there before Summer's eyes. From this moment on, the Smiling Pirates were officially established.
It shouldn't be long before the bounties were issued. He wondered how many Choppers Tuantuan's heroic performance would actually be worth!
At the thought of this, Summer shot a gloating look at Tuantuan, who was sitting happily among the treasure, grinning like an idiot.
After all, in the world of pirates, pets never had very high bounties. He wondered what kind of expression Tuantuan would make when it found out.
"Yaya, Boss, we're rich! I wonder how much meat we can buy with all this?"
Buried waist-deep in treasure, Tuantuan imagined itself sitting atop a mountain of meat, drool pooling on the ground before it even realized.
"Look at that big belly of yours, and you're still thinking about food!"
Summer patted Tuantuan's remarkably bouncy belly and laughed.
"That goes without saying! Only when you're full do you have the strength to work." Tuantuan raised its neck and replied with righteous conviction.
"I really don't know what to do with you!"
***
Two days later, at Marineford, Garp was struggling to break his own personal donut-eating record when, right at the crucial moment, his gaze happened to sweep across the bounty posters lying on his desk. He instantly froze in shock, the donut dropping from his hand to the floor without him even noticing.
Captain of the Smiling Pirates: Monkey D. Summer, bounty: 20 million Beli.
Pet of the Smiling Pirates: Panda Tuantuan, bounty: 100 Beli.
"Nani?! ＼(◎o◎)／ How did my big grandson go out and become a pirate?!"
Garp was completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at the bounty poster on his desk. He clearly remembered his eldest grandson being picked up by that good-for-nothing son of his—so why had he quit the Revolutionary Army just to become a pirate?!
"Bang!"
At that moment, the office door was kicked wide open. Sengoku strode straight toward Garp with a dark, furious expression, holding two bounty posters in his hand.
"Garp! Who is this?"
"Uh, well, this... it seems, presumably, possibly... my eldest grandson."
For the first time ever, Garp stammered when speaking to Sengoku. After all, as the Hero of the Marines, having a son in the Revolutionary Army was bad enough, and now his eldest grandson had turned pirate—it was enough to make him lose face completely.
"You—sigh—"
Sengoku had intended to dish out a stern lecture, but seeing Garp's expression, the words died on his lips. He let out a heavy sigh, patted Garp on the shoulder, and walked away.
"No, I have to go home!"
With a conflicted heart, Garp abruptly stood up. Glancing toward the direction of the East Blue as a sudden thought struck him, he hurried down to the inner harbor of Marineford and urged a warship to set course for Foosha Village.
On the island of Baltigo, Dragon looked at the bounty poster resting on his intelligence officer's desk and wore a faint, enigmatic smile. As expected of his son—in barely ten days, his bounty had already reached 20 million Beli.
Unaware of all these reactions, Summer looked at the familiar village before him, his mind drifting back to the happy times of his childhood. Back then, Luffy could only crawl around on the ground, acting like a little tagalong right behind him.
Shaking his head to clear away the memories, Summer leaped forward and stepped onto the soil of Foosha Village.
Walking down familiar streets and watching the people come and go, Summer took a few turns and made his way with practiced ease toward the tavern.
"Big Sis Makino!"
Catching sight of the busy short-haired beauty in a headscarf, Summer called out softly.
"Who are you? Summer?"
Hearing someone call her, Makino hurriedly turned around. Her eyes fell upon a handsome black-haired youth, and memories buried deep within her mind rushed to the surface. She asked with hesitant uncertainty.
"Hehe, Big Sis Makino really does remember me!"
Summer broke into a bright smile. From his birth until he was seven years old, Summer and Luffy had been cared for by Makino. To Summer, she was both a mother and an elder sister, bestowing upon him the grace of a nurturing upbringing.
After all, toddler-aged Summer and Luffy couldn't very well follow Garp around on his constant travels, so Foosha Village naturally became their home, and Makino became their caregiver in every sense of the word.
It was only later that Summer left the village with Dragon, while Garp took Luffy to live with Dadan's family on Mount Corbo alongside Ace.