“Kid,” Garp said, his voice slightly hoarse, “tell me your name.”
“Mox.” Mox answered while “struggling” to swallow his food.
Garp burst out laughing, a hint of relief in his voice.
“Hahaha!
Good!
The old man admits defeat!”
The entire venue erupted!
The spectators rose to their feet, applauding and cheering wildly, celebrating both the thrilling showdown and the unexpected dark-horse champion.
Although Mox had won the competition, he didn’t feel particularly happy.
Instead, he felt a little guilty.
After all, he had relied on his system cheat to win.
Against a legend like Garp, a victory achieved this way felt somewhat dishonorable.
He walked over to Garp and imitated the traditional gesture of apology from his homeland.
He clasped his fists together, raised them before his head, and bowed deeply.
“Old man, thank you for showing mercy.”
Garp looked at him and suddenly laughed.
“Not bad, kid.
You’ve got some character.
You’d make a fine Marine recruit…
Hahaha!”
Then his tone changed.
He pointed toward a bench not far away.
“After you collect your prize, go wait over there.
I’ve got something to discuss with you.”
Mox was just about to respond when Garp suddenly clenched his fist.
Crack, crack.
His knuckles popped.
Yet the smile on his face carried a strangely “friendly” threat.
“You wouldn’t happen to refuse, would you?”
To Mox, that smile was more frightening than any threat could have been.
He swallowed nervously and forced out a dry laugh.
“How could I refuse when you’ve given me an order, old man?
Hahaha…”
Next came the awards ceremony.
The prizes were presented from tenth place all the way up to first.
When the host announced—
“Champion—Mox!”
—the entire venue once again erupted into thunderous applause.
Mox accepted the box containing the Devil Fruit.
Feeling the complicated gazes surrounding him, he experienced a strange mixture of emotions.
After collecting his prize, he didn’t linger.
He headed straight toward the bench where Garp had told him to wait.
The moment he reached it, before he even had a chance to sit down, a sudden whistle of displaced air came from behind him!
Mox’s instincts screamed.
He immediately raised both arms to defend himself.
BOOM!
A heavy impact rang out.
Garp’s fist, coated in Armament Haki, slammed squarely into Mox’s arms.
An immense force instantly surged through him.
Mox’s arms went numb with pain, and his entire body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
He skidded several meters across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
If I hadn’t awakened Observation Haki, I’d probably have two giant lumps on my head right now…
Garp withdrew his fist and looked at Mox as he struggled back to his feet.
“For someone so young, you’ve got this level of strength and talent, and you’ve even awakened Observation Haki.”
“Not bad.”
His tone suddenly changed, and his gaze became sharp.
“The Big Eater Pirates’ captain, Potikass, has a bounty of five million Berries.
You’re the one who defeated him, aren’t you?”
“Or was it that old bastard Zeff?”
Mox rubbed his numb arm.
He knew there was no point trying to hide the truth from Garp, so he briefly recounted his encounter with the Big Eater Pirates and how they had caused trouble.
After listening, Garp nodded.
A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes, as though he had made a decision.
“As for that competition just now, I don’t know what trick you used, but a loss is a loss.
The old man accepts it.”
His tone suddenly became firm.
“Kid, join the Marines!”
“I’ll personally train you!”
“I’ve got an incompetent grandson who keeps shouting that he wants to become a pirate.
You can help me straighten him out.”
Before Mox could react, Garp grabbed him by the back of his clothes and lifted him up like a kitten.
Then he started walking toward the Marine warship bearing the iconic dog-head emblem.
Mox struggled helplessly in midair, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Did I really just win a tournament and immediately get drafted by the Hero of the Marines?
The sea breeze lazily swept across the deck of the dog-head Marine warship.
Mox imitated Garp and sank into a wide wicker lounge chair.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the parasol, casting dappled shadows across his face.
“Kid.”
Garp’s voice broke the tranquility.
He took a sip of orange soda, the bubbles fizzing softly in the sunlight.
“That fruit you won from the Big Eater Tournament is fake.”
Mox’s fingers tightened slightly around the armrest.
His expression remained calm.
“Fake?
Don’t joke around, old man.
The pattern, the texture…
everything feels exactly like the Devil Fruits I’ve heard about.”
His heart, however, had already begun racing.
He was waiting for Garp to explain.
“Hmph.
No matter how convincing it looks, it’s still an artificial fruit.”
Garp snorted and sat up slightly.
His gaze drifted toward the waves rolling in the distance.
“That thing was made by Vegapunk.
It’s called a SMILE—an Artificial Devil Fruit.”
“Vegapunk?”
Mox pretended to be surprised, but he already knew exactly who Garp was talking about.
That genius scientist associated with the World Government’s scientific research could only be described as terrifyingly brilliant.
“Yeah, that guy whose brain works faster than a warship’s engine.”
Garp curled his lips, a complicated expression crossing his face.
“He was researching this stuff because he wanted to give inanimate objects the ability to live.”
“Think about it.
A sword that can swing itself.
A gun that can fire itself.”
“Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it?”
Mox’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately remembered the incident at Enies Lobby.
That bastard Spandam’s sword…
Didn’t it gain the ability to transform into an elephant after being fed something like this?
At the time, it had seemed utterly absurd.
Now he finally knew where the concept had originated.
Damn it, what a scam!
Mox cursed inwardly, while his face appropriately displayed a mixture of realization and indignation.
“So that’s why I always felt something was off!”
“They told me it was some rare Devil Fruit that hadn’t been recorded before.
Isn’t this just a complete scam?”
Garp seemed not to hear his muttering and continued.
“The core technology behind SMILEs is something only Vegapunk himself fully understands.”
“The ones that circulate outside are all defective products.
You might end up creating some bizarre, deformed monster.”
He turned and glared at Mox, his expression becoming serious.
“So listen carefully, kid.
Don’t ever put that damn fruit in your mouth.”
“Who knows what kind of mess it’ll cause?”
“Got it, old man.”
Mox obediently nodded.
Inside, however, he was already planning to decompose the thing as soon as he got the chance and see whether it yielded any special materials.
“And another thing.”
Garp’s tone became more solemn, carrying the weight of someone speaking from experience.
“When it comes to getting stronger, don’t always think about relying on Devil Fruits.”
“Devil Fruit abilities are just icing on the cake.”
“What truly allows you to establish yourself in this world is your own fists.”
“And that fire in your heart.”
He pointed at Mox’s chest.
“Understand?”
“Understood!”
“Good.”
Garp seemed satisfied with his attitude.
He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
“Train properly under the old man.
With your foundation, if you work a little harder, applying for the rank of Lieutenant Commander for you in the future shouldn’t be a problem!”
Mox chuckled inwardly.
Lieutenant Commander?
He hadn’t forgotten what kind of “Marine recruits” Garp had produced.
But on the surface, he immediately put on a flattered expression.
Then his expression fell.
He sighed.
“Old man, actually…
I’m already a Devil Fruit user.”
Garp’s hand froze in midair, orange soda bottle still in his grasp.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?
When did that happen?”
Mox straightened his back.
His expression instantly shifted into one of grief and stubborn determination.
His voice became slightly choked.
“It’s a long story…”
“My family used to be merchants in the East Blue.
My parents took me with them as they traveled from place to place, making a living through small-scale trade.”
“Once, our ship happened to pass through a certain stretch of sea…”
“We encountered a Celestial Dragon fleet.”
Mox lowered his eyes.
His voice became heavy, as though he had fallen into a painful memory.
“They said we were blocking their way.”
“Without even saying another word, they opened fire…”
“The ship sank.”
“My father and mother…”
“My father and mother tried to protect me.
They shoved me into a barrel while they themselves…”
Mox choked up and couldn’t continue.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
Every detail was perfectly calculated to convey the unbearable grief of losing his parents.
After a long while, he finally raised his head.
There was even a glimmer of tears in his eyes.
“I don’t know how long I drifted.”
“I eventually washed up on a deserted island.”
“There was nothing to eat on the island.
There was only a strange tree with a single fruit growing on it.”
“I was starving.”
“So I…
I ate it like an ordinary wild fruit.”
“Only later did I learn that it was a Devil Fruit.”
This Oscar-worthy performance, complete with blood, sweat, and tears—most of which had been fabricated—left Garp’s face livid.
Crack!
The orange soda bottle in Garp’s hand shattered.
Soda streamed between his fingers, but he didn’t even notice.
“Those bastards!”
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
Clearly, the actions of the Celestial Dragons had infuriated him.
When he looked at Mox again, there was now genuine sympathy and anger in his eyes.
“Damn Celestial Dragons!”
Garp slammed his fist into a nearby cannon.
CLANG!
The deafening impact made Mox’s ears ring.
“Don’t worry, kid.”
“As long as the old man is around, no one will ever bully you again!”
He patted Mox on the shoulder.
The force wasn’t gentle, but there was genuine warmth behind it.
“Good boy!
I’ll turn you into the finest Marine there is!”
“I’ll make those bastards see—”
Mox secretly laughed.
Well, looks like I’ve successfully earned his sympathy.
As for what his Devil Fruit ability actually was, Garp hadn’t asked.
Naturally, Mox wasn’t going to volunteer the information.
Trash Manipulation?
If he told Garp that, the old man might decide he was a useless Devil Fruit user and throw him away.
Watching Garp fume with righteous indignation, Mox suddenly found the situation somewhat amusing.
This Hero of the Marines had spent his entire life serving the Marines, yet he deeply despised the Celestial Dragons who stood above the organization.
And the people he had personally raised seemed to have gone in precisely the opposite direction from what he had hoped.
Dragon had become the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Ace had become the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Luffy was determined to become the Pirate King.
And now there was one more addition—
A scheming little brat like himself.
The next five days were practically hell mode for Mox.
Garp’s training methods were simple and brutal, yet extraordinarily effective.
Every morning, before dawn, Mox was dragged out of bed and forced to run fifty laps around the Marine warship.
After that came endless hand-to-hand sparring.
Of course, “sparring” mainly meant Mox getting beaten up.
Garp’s fists carried a faint coating of Armament Haki.
Every blow felt like being struck by a massive hammer.
It hurt enough to make Mox grit his teeth, yet strangely, he could feel his body growing stronger at an astonishing rate under the extreme pressure.
“Harder, kid!”
“You call that strength?
And you want to become a Marine?”
“Your fists need to be harder!
Your eyes need to be fiercer!”
“Dodge!
Use your Observation Haki!”
“Don’t just stand there like a training dummy!”
Amid Garp’s roars and relentless punches, Mox’s Physical Strength points shot upward as if they had been launched by a rocket.
From the initial 25 points, to 30, 40, 60…
Five days later, when he could finally barely withstand one of Garp’s punches without Haki, the Physical Strength stat on his system panel had reached an astonishing—
91 points!
Mox himself was stunned.
This isn’t training.
This is literally getting stronger by getting beaten!
No wonder that brat Luffy gets stronger the more he gets beaten.
Is this some kind of traditional family art in the Monkey family?
At the same time, Mox took responsibility for cleaning up all the garbage aboard the warship during those five days.
The quality of the trash aboard a Marine warship was far superior to the scrap metal he had collected before.
Spent cannon shells.
Worn-out weapon components.
Damaged instruments.
All of it could be decomposed.
These items provided him with enormous amounts of Energy and various metal materials.
After five days, his Energy had accumulated to 2,369 points, almost matching what he had gained from decomposing an entire wrecked ship previously.
When the dog-head Marine warship slowly entered the harbor of Foosha Village, and Mox saw the enormous windmill in the distance, his heart began pounding.
It’s almost time.
I’m finally going to meet Luffy.
The protagonist from the anime.
The man who is always overflowing with energy and somehow turns the impossible into reality.
Mox took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement and the complicated emotions stirring inside him.
I’ve really come to this world.
As soon as the ship docked, Garp grabbed Mox without giving him any chance to protest and headed toward the village with familiar ease.
His destination was obvious—
PARTYS BAR.
“Makino!
Where’s that brat Luffy?”
The moment Garp pushed open the bar door, his booming voice echoed throughout the establishment.
The bar was filled with the faint aroma of alcohol and food.
A gentle green-haired woman wearing an apron was wiping down the counter.
Hearing the voice, she raised her head.
When she saw Garp, her eyes curved into warm crescents.
“Oh, Mr.
Garp!
Long time no see.
Are you on leave again?”
Her gaze shifted to Mox standing behind Garp.
Curiosity appeared in her eyes.
“And this little…?”
“His name is Mox.
He’s a boy.”
Garp plopped himself down and picked up a glass of water from the table, draining it in one gulp.
“I brought him here!”
“He’ll be training with Luffy from now on.
He’s going to become an excellent Marine recruit!”
Makino gave a helpless smile but didn’t comment.
Mox immediately stepped forward.
He put on his most obedient smile and bowed deeply to Makino.
“Nice to meet you, Sister Makino.
My name is Mox, and I’m fourteen years old.”
“I’ve heard Old Man Garp talk about you all the time.”
“He said that not only are you beautiful, but you’re also the best cook in the entire world, and that you’re as gentle as an angel.”
“Now that I’ve finally met you, I can see he wasn’t exaggerating at all.”
“You’re a hundred times better than he described!”
The barrage of flattery made Makino’s cheeks turn slightly red.
She covered her mouth and couldn’t help laughing.
“My goodness, you’re quite the smooth talker.”
“I’m nowhere near that wonderful.”
She looked at Mox warmly.
“You’ve just arrived in Foosha Village, haven’t you?”
“Would you like something to eat?
I can make you something.”
“Hey, you little brat!”
Garp immediately objected.
He reached over and flicked Mox on the forehead.
“How come you haven’t said a single nice thing about the old man since you came aboard?”
“Looks like you don’t respect me at all!”
“Ow!”
Mox rubbed his head and hurriedly pleaded for mercy.
“Don’t be angry, old man!”
“You’re majestic, while Sister Makino is gentle.
It’s different!”
“In my heart, you’re like a towering mountain—unreachable and unmatched!”
Mox knew perfectly well how important Makino was in Foosha Village.
She was closely connected to Red-Haired Shanks and served as one of the people who had watched over Luffy and Ace.
Even Garp treated her with considerable respect.
In this world, there probably weren’t many people who could simultaneously have connections to Garp, Shanks, Whitebeard indirectly, Luffy, and Sabo.
If she had been the one captured and executed at Marineford…
Mox shuddered at the thought.
Nope.
Can’t imagine it.
That battlefield would have been apocalyptic.
The Marines would probably have surrendered on the spot.
So, building a good relationship with Makino was definitely a wise decision.
Garp snorted.
He wasn’t genuinely angry.
Instead, he turned toward Makino.
“Where’s that brat Luffy?”
“He probably went ‘adventuring’ in the mountains again,” Makino replied with a smile.
“He should be back around dinnertime.”
“If he doesn’t come back, he’s probably gone to Dadan’s place.”
Garp nodded.
He was just about to get up and take Mox to find Luffy when—
BANG!
The bar door was suddenly thrown open.
“Makino!
Look what I brought you!”
A boy wearing a straw hat entered the bar.
Balanced across his shoulders was an enormous wild boar weighing at least eight hundred jin.
Its tusks gleamed coldly, and it had clearly been caught only moments ago.
It was none other than—
Luffy!
“Makino!
Let’s have roasted wild boar for dinner!”
“I caught it myself!”
Luffy shouted excitedly, completely oblivious to Garp sitting inside the bar.
“Luffy!”
Garp’s voice instantly turned cold.
A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
“You brat!
You’re getting more and more insolent!”
“You see your own grandfather and don’t even say hello?”
“Looks like I’ve been too lenient with you!”
“Fist of Love!”
Garp’s fist whistled through the air and landed squarely on Luffy’s head.
“OW!”
Luffy howled and jumped around while clutching his head.
“Grandpa?!
What are you doing here?”
“Ow!
Why does it hurt so much?!”
“I’m made of rubber!”
Mox watched the scene unfold before him.
He couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
It was exactly like the anime.
The sheer absurdity of it was hilarious.
Luffy was clearly made of rubber, yet Garp could still beat him until he was hopping around in pain.
The contrast was simply too funny.
Unfortunately, Mox had forgotten one important rule.
Laughing at Garp’s beloved grandson came with a price.
Mox’s Observation Haki had already reached the Basic level.
He vaguely sensed a dangerous aura locking onto him.
But before he could react, a fist the size of a sandbag was already expanding in front of his eyes.
BAM!
“OW!”
“Kid, you still dare to laugh?”
“Today’s training isn’t over yet!”
Mox was knocked flat by a single punch.
He ended up on the floor beside Luffy, the two of them clutching their heads and groaning in pain.
Five minutes later, the previously warm and tidy bar had been reduced to complete chaos.
Tables were overturned.
Chairs were broken.
There was even a hole in the wall.
Garp looked at his “masterpiece” and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
He turned toward the helpless-looking Makino and gave an embarrassed smile.
“Uh…
sorry, Makino.”
“I got a little carried away.”
Then his eyes instantly shifted toward the two culprits lying on the floor.
His expression became fierce.
He looked like he was about to eat them alive.
“Mox!
Luffy!”
“Clean this place up!”
Mox looked at Garp’s murderous expression.
He didn’t dare waste a second.
He focused his mind.
His body instantly transformed.
His human form disappeared.
In its place was a translucent, sticky Slime Form.
His body became a soft, pale black, and he deliberately formed two tiny, adorable-looking hands.
He floated over to the scattered pieces of wood and shards of glass.
With his little hands, he picked up a fragment and stuffed it into his “mouth.”
Then he deliberately made a gurgling sound as though he were enjoying a delicious meal.
Garp stared in disbelief.
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
“This…
what kind of ability is this?!”
In all his years, Garp had encountered all kinds of Devil Fruit users.
But he had never seen anyone capable of transforming into a slime!
Mox secretly laughed.
He could have activated his ability and decomposed all the garbage instantly.
Instead, he deliberately slowed himself down, “eating” the debris piece by piece right in front of Luffy.
Sure enough, Luffy was immediately fascinated.
The pain from being beaten moments earlier seemed to vanish from his mind.
His eyes widened, sparkling with countless stars.
He excitedly pointed at Mox.
“SUGEEE!”
“This is so cool!”
“Makino, look!
It’s a slime!”
“A legendary slime!”
He rushed over to Mox and began examining him curiously.
“Can you poop?”
“Do you eat people?”
“Can you turn into a giant monster?”
“Can you swallow me?”
“Can you—”
A barrage of questions came pouring out.
Luffy’s face was filled with completely undisguised curiosity and excitement.
He was clearly fascinated by Mox’s Slime Form.
Mox continued slowly cleaning up the garbage while responding telepathically.
Heh.
Look at you.
You’re already completely wrapped around my finger.
Making friends with you from now on is going to be a piece of cake.
He continued “eating” the garbage as he felt Luffy’s burning gaze fixed upon him.
A plan was already forming in his mind.
How exactly should I use this form to properly win over the future Pirate King?