Ron looked at the Marine hero in front of him and said without hesitation:
"I will not become a marine."
Garp's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong with becoming a marine? Or do you want to be a pirate like Ace and the others?"
He felt a little nervous.
At only ten years old, Ron already had such power. What would happen if he had more time? If a monster became a pirate, Sengoku would tear him apart.
"I won't be a marine, and I won't be a pirate either," Ron said, sheathing Raikiri.
Hearing this, Garp let out a small sigh of relief. Even though it was a pity that Ron wouldn't join the marines, as long as he didn't become a pirate, it was fine. Garp could live with that.
Unlike his grandson, who kept talking about becoming the Pirate King—something that almost drove him crazy.
"If you don't want to be a marine, then I can't teach you," Garp said regretfully as he stood up and looked at Ron.
Otherwise, Garp was confident he could train Ron to become the strongest marine in history.
"No need. I can become stronger on my own," Ron said bluntly.
With a system that allows him to get stronger through sign-ins, and a permanent buff that drastically shortens training time, Ron was confident in his growth.
Fighting Garp with all his strength this time had also yielded great benefits. Once he fully digested and absorbed it, his strength would rise to another level.
"Old Garp, I just want to know one thing."
"What is it?" Garp raised an eyebrow, a bit annoyed by being called "Old Garp," but since Ron wasn't aiming to be a pirate, he let it slide.
"What level is my current strength on the sea?"
Garp crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Although you're not a Devil Fruit user and can't use Haki, your physical strength and swordsmanship are far above others. From my perspective, you're about as strong as a pirate with a bounty of 20 to 30 million berries."
"In our Marines, you'd be around the level of a headquarters colonel. I know a Logia Devil Fruit user named Smoker who just graduated from the Marine School of Justice. You're not far behind him in terms of strength."
"But if you two really fought, you'd probably lose."
"So I still lack Haki..." Ron thought to himself.
He glanced at Garp, hoping he might teach him Haki.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Garp grinned and said, "If you want me to teach you, you have to become my disciple and join the marines."
Ron turned and walked away, gripping Raikiri tightly.
For the next few days, whenever Ron trained with Ace and Luffy, Garp would show up. Ron still wanted to fight him a few more times, but Garp insisted on only teaching him if he joined the marines, which annoyed Ron to no end.
Occasionally, Garp would give pointers on Kuina's swordsmanship and footwork in front of Ron, sparking a subtle rivalry between the two over the issue of joining the marines.
Despite their differences, Garp and Ron would sometimes drink together at Makino's tavern. The sight of the two—one old and one young—sitting side by side at the bar drew attention.
Makino couldn't help but chuckle every time she saw the two, arms around each other's shoulders, drunkenly calling each other brothers.
One evening, after finishing training with Ace and Luffy, Garp called Ron over.
Garp, wearing a floral shirt, sat cross-legged next to him, his usual smile replaced with a serious expression. "Ron, I want to know why you don't want to become a marine. Is it because of Sabo?"
"That's part of it," Ron said quietly. "To me, the so-called 'justice' of the marines is nothing but a heavy shackle. In this world, justice and evil are no longer clearly defined by marines and pirates."
"Well said. I didn't expect you to understand this at such a young age," Garp said, pulling out a rice cracker from his pocket. "Want one?"
Ron held out his hand.
Reluctantly, Garp handed him one.
As they ate, Garp said, "Every marine has their own sense of justice. Some are stubborn, some are rigid, but overall it's good. Pirates, on the other hand, are mostly filled with wicked, vile criminals."
Garp munched on his rice cracker, then looked at Ron. "I'm just as furious about what happened to Sabo. Those celestial dragons are scum, but there's nothing I can do. They represent order. If that order is broken, the entire world will fall into chaos, and even small places like Foosha Village won't be spared."
"But I hope the future will bring change—change brought by the young marines, not by pirates disrupting order and causing chaos."
Garp's gaze grew serious as he looked at Ron.
"Ron, you have enormous potential—more than anyone I've ever met. Your future is limitless. I sincerely hope you will be the one to push the world toward change."
"So, join the marines!"
Ron ate his rice cracker in silence for a long time.
"I'll decide whether to join the marines based on what I see with my own eyes."
Ron looked up at Garp with a grin that left him stunned.
"Do the Marines take interns?"
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