The three children sat in a clearing, eating barbecue.
Cooking in the open could easily attract wild beasts, so they had chosen their position carefully, and the fire should have been enough to keep most animals away.
“Garp, your dad is twisted,” Tsuru couldn’t help complaining.
Sengoku nodded in agreement.
If Jiro weren’t, how could he come up with so many ways to torture them?
His unpredictable personality made things even worse.
They never knew what he was thinking or what he might do next.
Sengoku and Tsuru would expect him to act one way, only for him to choose the most unexpected option.
Just look at what he had done to Tsuru.
She was a girl, yet he had thrown her from a cliff without hesitation.
Garp shrugged.
“You’ll get used to it.
I already have.” After everything he had experienced, Garp no longer thought much about it.
Whatever his father said, he did.
When resistance was impossible, what else could he do?
Tsuru stood.
“No.
We have to resist.” Sengoku immediately supported her.
“We must stand against violence and abuse.” They couldn’t keep acting like cowards.
Garp looked at them and lowered his voice.
“I suggest giving up on that idea.” He pointed toward the sky and gave them a meaningful look.
Both of them flinched.
Sengoku asked nervously, “Garp, are you saying your dad might be watching us from above?” Tsuru stared at Garp, hoping he would deny it.
“Don’t say anything too loudly,” Garp warned them.
“We just need to understand each other.
My dad is unpredictable.
We have no idea where he is right now.
He could be nearby, above us, or already back at home.” “He might even be preparing more trouble for us.
There’s no way he’ll let us get through tonight easily.” “My dad is extremely sneaky.
Don’t even think about fighting him.
We can’t win.” Garp had no intention of resisting, at least not yet.
Maybe in a few years, once he had become stronger, he would dare to fight back.
For now, it was better to endure and wait for an opportunity.
Tsuru frowned.
“Your dad doesn’t look that strong.
Can’t the three of us beat him together?” Sengoku had been wondering the same thing.
Garp shook his head.
“Don’t let his appearance fool you.
My dad is incredibly strong.” “Forget the three of us.
Even an entire pirate crew might not be able to defeat him.” “You don’t know this, but I once…” Garp told them what he had discovered after the Sea Rat Pirates arrived.
There was no longer any reason to keep it secret.
All three fell silent.
After a long pause, Sengoku finally asked, “Are you sure your dad killed them?” Garp nodded firmly.
“Absolutely.
I couldn’t have mistaken the smell of blood on him.” “Then how strong is Uncle?” Tsuru asked.
Garp shook his head.
He didn’t know either.
Despite being beaten constantly, he had never managed to test his father’s true strength.
He only knew that confronting him directly would be a terrible idea.
Suddenly, howls echoed through the forest, and the ground began to shake as countless wild beasts charged through the trees.
Without saying a word, Garp turned and ran.
Sengoku and Tsuru followed in confusion.
He didn’t have time to explain; they simply needed to keep up.
Moments later, a stampede trampled the clearing where they had been sitting, leaving nothing behind.
Sengoku glanced at the beasts chasing them and felt a lingering chill.
“Are they really here to cause trouble for us?” Tsuru found it strange too.
“We didn’t provoke them.
Why are they chasing us?” Wild beasts generally didn’t attack without reason unless they were hungry or someone had deliberately angered them.
Garp smiled bitterly.
“You two don’t know my dad.” This was definitely his work.
Garp was completely certain.
Tsuru and Sengoku exchanged glances.
Tonight was going to be sleepless.
Their desperate escape began.
No matter where the three went, wild beasts appeared.
The animals always managed to find them and immediately attacked.
By midnight, the children were completely exhausted.
After countless battles, all they wanted was to collapse and sleep.
“Can we rest for a while?” Sengoku complained.
Tsuru was too tired to speak.
Garp rubbed his head.
“It’s still early.
Don’t let your guard down.” “We won’t be getting any rest tonight.” His father was petty.
He must have overheard their earlier complaints.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be tormenting them this mercilessly.
Another group of beasts appeared.
They never came one at a time; whenever they arrived, they attacked in a swarm, and the three were quickly surrounded.
“Damn it.” “Move!” They coordinated their attacks, broke through the encirclement, and fled once again.
High above them, Jiro remained hidden by the darkness and watched with a smile.
“How pitiful.
Keep running.” “If I didn’t prepare a proper welcoming gift tonight, I’d be a terrible uncle.” “Enjoy Uncle’s care.” They needed to keep working hard.
Someday, after they had become successful, they might even thank him for tonight.
“Each of you needs different treatment.
Tsuru is the weakest, so she deserves extra attention.” That little girl kept trying to cause him trouble.
He needed to teach her to respect her elders.
Naturally, Jiro would take excellent care of them and make sure they understood how valuable his attention was.
The three children spent the entire night either running or preparing to run again.
They didn’t get a moment of rest, and their exhausted bodies trembled from fatigue.
They wanted to sit down, but they didn’t dare.
Jiro used every method he could think of.
Beasts attacked from the ground and the air, while creatures from the water joined in as well.
Even strange, disgusting insects came after them, harassing and tormenting them from every direction.
Tsuru was exhausted.
She had finally experienced the full extent of Uncle’s “care.” “Garp, how much longer until sunrise?” Garp smiled bitterly.
“Once the sun comes up, we’ll have even more trouble.” Sengoku turned toward him.
“What do you mean?” “We still have training,” Garp replied mercilessly.
“Dad won’t let us off.
You’d better hope we get a little rest first.
Otherwise…” Sengoku and Tsuru froze.
“Seriously?” Tsuru shouted.
“He still won’t let us rest after this?
Does Uncle want us dead?” “Exactly!” Sengoku added.
“We’re human.
We need sleep!
How can he treat children like this?” Garp spread his hands.
“Don’t look at me.
I don’t make the decisions.” “Dad is insane.
Either he leaves us alone, or he trains us to death.
Besides, didn’t he ask whether you were afraid of hard work?
Both of you said no.” “I didn’t know it would be this insane!” Tsuru protested.
Sengoku nodded.
“Right.
If I’d known how bad it would be, I never would’ve said I wanted revenge on him.” Tsuru and Garp immediately turned toward him.
“You said that.” “That had nothing to do with us.” Sengoku stared at them in disbelief.
These two traitors had sold him out without hesitation.