It was another unusual morning.
Dressed neatly and ready to go, Jiro and Garp headed out together.
It was time for their monthly trip into town.
Today was a rest day, and they needed to buy supplies.
There wasn’t much left at home.
They had run out of paper and pens, and their other daily necessities were running low.
Garp glared resentfully at his father.
Jiro had wailed throughout the entire night, making it impossible for him to sleep.
Every time Garp began to drift off, his father let out another miserable cry.
With dark circles under his eyes, he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.
He wanted to curse.
Had he been strong enough, he would have rushed over and knocked the old man unconscious.
Before leaving, the two had sparred for a while, and the result had been obvious.
One punch for Garp.
One kick for Garp.
His entire body ached from the beating, but instead of being unhappy, he asked for more sparring.
“Dad, can you be a little gentler next time?” Jiro looked confused.
“Why?
I was already being very gentle.” Garp stared at him resentfully.
“I’m still a child.” Jiro fell silent.
Next time.
I’ll definitely be gentler next time.
The two talked as they walked and soon reached town.
As usual, Garp went off to play by himself.
Jiro no longer worried about leaving him alone.
Garp had become fairly strong, and his combat experience wasn’t bad either.
A few local thugs wouldn’t pose much of a threat to him.
Besides, the thugs in town had already been taught a lesson and no longer dared show their faces.
Garp wandered toward their usual meeting place.
Sengoku had been waiting for quite a while.
With nothing else to do, he was practicing punches alone in an open area.
Every movement made it obvious that he was a complete beginner.
A little girl sat nearby, watching him practice intently.
When she saw Garp arrive, she smiled and waved.
“Garp, over here!” “Tsuru?
Why are you here too?” Garp sat beside her and pointed at Sengoku.
“What’s wrong with him?” Why had Sengoku suddenly started practicing punches?
Had something happened to him?
Tsuru shook her head.
“I don’t know.
He was already practicing when I got here this morning.” Garp studied Sengoku’s movements.
They were weak and sloppy, just like his own had been when he first started training.
Tsuru looked Garp over curiously.
“Garp, what have you been doing lately?
You’ve gotten taller and darker.” He was taller, more tanned, and even carried himself differently.
Garp raised one arm and proudly flexed.
“See this, Tsuru?
Know what this is?” He smugly showed off his muscles.
Tsuru’s eyes lit up.
“Wow, Garp!
You actually have muscles!” They were clearly defined and looked surprisingly strong.
Hearing their voices, Sengoku stopped practicing and walked over.
“Whoa, Garp!
How did you train?” He wanted muscles like that too.
They looked incredibly cool.
With a physique like Garp’s, he might even charm thousands of girls.
Garp raised his chin proudly.
“I’ve been training at home.
I’m not on the same level as you two anymore.” “From now on, you have to call me Big Bro Garp.
Got it?” He was unbearably smug.
Sengoku couldn’t accept it.
He was supposed to be the big brother.
How could he possibly call Garp that?
“Garp, I challenge you to a duel!” Garp shook his head.
“There’s no point.
You’re no match for me.” “Impossible!
You’re only as tall as I am.
I’m going to beat you up!” Sengoku refused to believe him.
He wanted a decisive battle to determine which of them was the real big brother.
The loser would become the other’s lackey.
His dignity as the big brother was at stake.
The two had fought plenty of times before, and Sengoku had usually won.
Tsuru stepped back and gave them room.
The duel between Sengoku and Garp began.
Five seconds later, Sengoku was on the ground.
His fists hadn’t even touched Garp.
After taking a few punches, he collapsed, and the fight ended almost as soon as it started.
Garp had defeated him instantly.
Sengoku was stunned.
Tsuru was just as shocked.
Neither of them could believe Sengoku had lost so easily.
“No way,” Tsuru said.
“Garp, when did you get this strong?” Sengoku slowly stood, clutching his aching stomach.
“Garp, you hit too hard.
One more punch and I would’ve needed a doctor.” Garp chuckled.
“I only used half my strength.
I didn’t expect you to be such a weakling.” Sengoku stared at him.
“Can’t you act like a decent person?” “Would it kill you to say something nice?” Then he leaned closer eagerly.
“Garp, you became this strong in only a month.
How did you do it?” Since his good friend had asked, Garp told him everything.
He described his happy life over the past month, focusing entirely on the good parts while quietly leaving out all the bad ones.
After hearing the story, Sengoku’s eyes filled with anticipation.
“Garp, can I train with you?” He wanted to become strong too.
Someday, he wanted to defeat Garp with a single punch.
Tsuru watched them curiously.
She also wanted to become stronger, though that kind of training probably wasn’t suitable for her.
“Of course, Sengoku.
Having you there will make me even happier.” “Good friends should share their hardships, right?” Garp could already imagine Sengoku crying during training.
It would be wonderful.
His father definitely wouldn’t disappoint him.
“Come home with me later and stay for a few days.
How does that sound?” Sengoku agreed without hesitation.
“Okay!
I’ll go tell my dad.” With that, he hurried home.
Garp remained behind with Tsuru and waited.
Meanwhile, Jiro finished shopping and bought enough supplies to last them a month.
He deliberately bought twice as much as before.
As time passed, both their appetites and their use of daily supplies had increased.
He also ran into Karim, and the two stopped to chat.
She hadn’t seen Garp in a while and missed him, so she gave Jiro several sets of clothes she had made herself.
Jiro was overwhelmed by her kindness and thanked her repeatedly.
After saying goodbye to Karim, he went to find Garp.
The thugs who once roamed the streets were gone.
They had turned over a new leaf and found honest work.
Seeing them supporting themselves made Jiro happy.
When the former thugs noticed him, they greeted him with smiles.
Jiro gave them a few more words of advice before leaving.
Only after he was gone did they breathe a collective sigh of relief.
“Let’s go, Garp.” After finding his son, Jiro smiled and waved.
Then he noticed the little girl beside him and raised an eyebrow.
He recognized her as one of Garp’s friends.
“Tsuru, here.
Have a donut.” Tsuru quickly accepted it and bowed.
“Thank you, Uncle.” She happily began eating.
Garp took one as well, and the two sat together.
Jiro didn’t rush them and waited for them to finish.
A small figure soon came running toward them from across the street, carrying a bundle in his hands.
Sengoku stumbled to a stop beside Garp and stared eagerly at the donuts the other two were eating.
“You’re Sengoku, right?” Jiro asked.
“Want a donut?” Sengoku nodded eagerly.
Jiro handed him one.
“Thank you, Uncle.” Two children became three.
They sat together eating donuts, talking and laughing as they leaned against one another.
Watching them, Jiro couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
Children were still children.
They were easily satisfied and had few worries.
I hope life doesn’t change them too much.
It would be enough if they could stay happy forever.