"Boss, bad news! A Marines warship has appeared! Just like you said, there's a giant dog head figurehead on the bow—it must be the Boss's grandpa!"
At that moment, Tuantuan's roly-poly body came hurtling over like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it as its chubby little face wore a look of utter panic.
*Pop!* The snot bubble burst, and Luffy woke up in a panic. He shook his little head and looked around wildly. Luffy had zero resistance when it came to Garp.
"Huh? Grandpa is back?! Really... really?!"
"Stupid old man! Why'd he have to come back at a time like this?!"
Ace wasn't very happy. Garp's arrival meant Summer was about to leave, cutting his newly begun journey of learning Haki short.
"Haha, looks like I can't stay any longer. Ace, Luffy, I'm heading out! I'll be waiting for you guys in the New World!"
Summer smiled and waved, leapt off the edge, and boarded the Smiling. Right now, Summer wasn't strong enough to take Garp's "Fist of Love" head-on.
Therefore, of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is best. There would be plenty of time to see each other later.
"Yeah, Summer! I'm definitely going to the Grand Line. Just wait for me!" ×2
Half an hour later, Garp arrived at Dadan's place with a grim expression on his face. After kicking the front door open and giving Dadan his customary intimidation and greeting, he asked for useful information before marching straight toward Ace and Luffy's secret hideout.
"Luffy! Where's your big brother Summer?!"
Seeing Luffy and Ace sparring with each other, Garp roared and suddenly materialized right between them.
"Hehe, Grandpa, you're too late! Summer's already gone!"
Seeing Garp's furious expression, Luffy grinned and said.
"Pow! What are you laughing at, Luffy?!"
"Ssss—so painful, Grandpa!" Luffy cried out, wincing and clutching his head. He had clearly just used Armament Haki to protect his head, so why did it still hurt this much?
"Huh? Was that just my imagination?!"
Because Luffy's Haki was currently too weak, Garp's "education of love" hadn't met with much resistance; he just felt like it didn't quite have the same tactile feedback as before.
True to Garp's personality, however, he didn't dwell on it.
"What was that kid Summer doing here?"
"Hehe, Summer came to teach me Ha—mmph!" Faced with Garp, Luffy was about to spill everything about Summer teaching him Haki when Ace quickly slapped a hand over his mouth with lightning reflexes.
"Summer just came to the village to visit, and by the way check up on Luffy on behalf of Luffy's dad, and then he set sail."
Ace clamped his hand over Luffy's mouth and explained. Haki was something nobody could mention before setting sail, or Garp would definitely nip them both in the bud. King of the Pirates? He might just turn them straight into King of the Marines!
"Hmph, none of you ever give me any peace of mind. Luffy, you are absolutely not allowed to become a pirate!"
Garp's old face darkened. His son had become a revolutionary, and now his eldest grandson had somehow become a pirate for reasons unknown. If Luffy followed suit, he would be a complete failure as a grandfather.
"Tch, Grandpa, I'm the man who's going to be King of the Pirates!" Defiant, Luffy leaped right up in front of Garp. Grandfather and grandson pressed their faces together, glaring at each other toe-to-toe, neither willing to yield an inch.
"I promised Shanks I'd set sail!"
"Hmph! Shanks, Shanks! Luffy, you've gone too far—you won't even listen to your grandpa anymore!"
"Pow, pow..."
On the little hilltop, the battle between the Hero of the Marines and the future King of the Pirates broke out once more. Amidst the harmony of a doting elder and a filial junior, screams echoed endlessly.
Out on the vast ocean, Summer faced the sea, feeling the cool breeze wash over him with boundless ambition.
The Smiling Pirates were officially underway! Destination: the New World!
Next came the time to find capable commanders, build up his own forces, and become a top-tier powerhouse on this ocean.
The Smiling maintained a steady speed across the endless sea!
A day later, early morning, somewhere in the East Blue.
"Boss! Boss! There seems to be someone out on the ocean!"
Summer, who was in the middle of his morning workout, was interrupted by Tuantuan's cry of astonishment. He looked closely and spotted a figure floating on the surface of the water, life or death unknown.
"Pull up alongside! Let's go take a look!"
Summer said. The Smiling slowly closed in, and with a light leap, Summer appeared on the water's surface, grabbed the shipwreck victim by the collar of his clothes, and hopped back onto the ship.
"No way—Aigin?!"
Summer was somewhat startled. Looking at the familiar face that came into view, he was very surprised to run into Aigin so soon after setting sail. Among fans, this guy was a man of many identities: "Everything can be Aigin!"
"Cough, cough! Spit—"
At that moment, Aigin, lying on the deck, woke up. He opened his eyes, scanned his surroundings, and struggled to open his mouth.
"Water... water..."
"Fei Tuan, hurry up and get some water!"
"Glug, glug, glug! I'm alive!"
Chugging the water in large gulps, Aigin wore a look of pure satisfaction. Then he slowly got to his feet and solemnly thanked Summer.
You had to hand it to them—people in the pirate world possessed truly tenacious vitality.
"Thank you for saving my life!"
"Don't mention it! We just happened to cross paths. What's your name?"
Summer asked a question he already knew the answer to, even though it genuinely was their first time meeting.
"My name is Aigin. A few days ago, I set sail on a merchant vessel from my town, but unfortunately ran into pirates. After a desperate fight, I jumped into the ocean and escaped. Sadly, I didn't encounter any passing ships and ended up passing out from hunger. But I was also lucky enough to run into you guys!"
"I'm Summer, captain of the Smiling Pirates, and we're currently headed for the Grand Line. Aigin, since we've crossed paths, it means we share a bond. Any interest in joining us?"
Summer pondered for a moment. Judging by Aigin's account, he hadn't met Krieg yet and was currently all on his own, making this the perfect opportunity to poach him. Based on the original story, Aigin was an extremely loyal person—to the point where, right up until the very end, he was the only one in the Krieg Pirates still looking out for Krieg.
"Then I'll be in your care from now on, Captain!" Aigin wore a faint smile.
"And me, and me! I'm the vice-captain of the Smiling Pirates, my name is Tuantuan!"
Hearing that a new recruit had joined, Fei Tuan's little eyes rolled around, and it stepped forward quickly, announcing it in a loud voice.
"A talking bear?! ⊙﹏⊙!"
"Hmph, isn't it normal for a panda to talk? What's there to be surprised about? Such a fuss over nothing ┐('-｀)┌," Tuantuan said with disdain.
"Alright, stop messing around. From now on, we're all crewmates!"
"Since a new member has joined, of course we have to throw a banquet to celebrate! Fei Tuan, hurry up and bring out the Sea Beast meat to welcome Aigin!"
"You got it, Boss!"
...
Wreaths of cooking smoke rose from the pirate ship Smiling, carrying a rich, mouth-watering aroma as two humans and a panda dug in heartily.
Aigin, in particular, had never eaten food this delicious. Combined with the fact that he hadn't eaten for days and nights drifting on the ocean, his appetite actually rivaled Fei Tuan's. In the end, he lay flat on the deck, rubbing his belly and smiling happily—until his smiles turned into tears. A single meal's grace deserved one's life in return.
From that moment on, Aigin silently swore that for the rest of his life, his life belonged to Summer. Even if Summer told him to die, he wouldn't even bat an eye.