"Hahaha... I'm back! Village chief, Dadan, aren't you going to welcome me?"
As soon as Garp stepped onto the streets of Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom, he laughed heartily without any decorum.
Garp never had much of an authoritative presence to begin with. Now, having swapped his uniform for a floral shirt and shorts, he looked more like a naughty older man than a respected figure.
"Mr. Garp!"
A girl with smooth, dark green hair and a yellow headscarf ran up to Garp, brimming with enthusiasm.
"Makino, you've grown taller again!"
Garp smiled as he ruffled Makino's hair, genuinely complimenting the young girl.
Makino smiled gently. "Mr. Garp, it's great to have you back!"
Garp squatted in front of Makino. "Why? Has that rascal Luffy been causing trouble?"
"He's not causing trouble. He's not even a year old yet, what trouble could he cause? It's just..."
Makino looked a bit troubled as she spoke.
"Speak your mind. What is there you can't say to me?"
"Luffy gets along well with everyone!"
Garp scratched his head in confusion. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Makino seemed more anxious than Garp. "What's good about it? He's never thought about looking for his parents or his grandpa. Aren't you worried he won't recognize you as his grandpa when he grows up?"
"Impossible!"
Garp crossed his arms confidently. "If he dares not recognize me, I'll use my Love Iron Fist to make sure he never forgets me!"
Hailan, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Can't you stop using that Love Iron Fist of yours?"
Garp was nonchalant. "A beating is a sign of affection. With so many pirates in the world, if I don't toughen him up early, how can he survive in this chaotic era?"
It sounded reasonable.
"Fine, it's your grandson. Do as you please..."
Hailan could already foresee the tragic future of Monkey D. Luffy.
"Hey? Aren't you..."
It was only then that Makino noticed Hailan.
Garp gave Hailan and Makino a suspicious glance. "What? Do you two know each other?"
"Of course!"
Before Hailan could speak, Makino eagerly replied, "This is Major Hailan from Loguetown. He's quite famous in the East Blue now! The newspapers call him the hero of the East Blue!"
Hailan then understood that Makino's "knowing" meant recognizing him from the news.
As for the "hero of the East Blue," Hailan felt somewhat embarrassed.
But Buggy had once told Hailan, "When it comes to boasting, go big. Even if people believe only half of it, it's still better than if they believed all of a smaller boast."
Kuro also agreed with Buggy's philosophy.
So, Hailan didn't stop the East Blue Weekly from exaggerating his deeds.
Due to various inconveniences, widespread "daily newspapers" were rare in this world. Most newspapers were weekly publications.
Makino bowed politely to Hailan. "Major Hailan, hello. I'm Makino. I didn't expect you to be Mr. Garp's friend. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Hailan found Makino to be a warm and pleasant presence, not the type of top-tier beauty but someone hard to dislike.
"Thank you." Hailan responded politely.
Seeing the young pair, Garp picked his nose and squinted. "You two look well-matched. How about you get married?"
"Mr. Garp, please don't joke! I'm not even of age yet!"
Makino's face turned red as Garp's words embarrassed her to the core.
Hailan's mouth twitched. "How did you even come up with this... We just met and greeted each other politely, and you jump to marriage?"
"I'm just speaking my mind!"
"Speaking your mind?"
Garp had a teasing grin. "Look, even Dragon has a son now, but you don't even have a girlfriend. You're falling behind!"
"I'm not even of age yet..."
"That's why you should start by finding a girlfriend to build a relationship!"
"Hmph! How dare you criticize others? I think this young Hailan is doing quite well!"
At this point, the village chief, Woop Slap, appeared, holding a small cane.
The elder was dressed in an orange shirt with red heart patterns, looking even more striking than Garp.
"Village chief!"
Garp laughed heartily.
Though the village chief wasn't much older than Garp, his short stature and thin frame made him look more elderly.
The chief didn't hold back his criticism. "This Major Hailan is now a hero of the East Blue. When was the last time you, the so-called 'Marine Hero,' helped the village fend off pirates?"
"I've been busy..."
"Too busy to even care for your grandson?"
The chief took a baby from a nearby woman and walked up to Garp.
"This little guy was sent back before he even knew what was going on. I told you to raise him at Marine Headquarters, but you didn't listen."
Garp played with baby Luffy while replying, "Marine Headquarters is full of roughnecks. What do they know about raising kids? I trust you more with this."
Hailan wasn't sure if Garp's decision to keep Luffy away from Marine Headquarters was related to Dragon's revolutionary activities.
Maybe Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku wouldn't use Luffy as leverage against Dragon, but the World Government was unpredictable.
Garp might seem clueless, but he had great foresight and clarity in his mind.
"Hailan, come hold Luffy. Spend more time with children, and you'll want to get married."
"Can we drop this topic?"
Despite his words, Hailan didn't hesitate. He took the baby Luffy and looked down, seeing the child smiling warmly.
"A smiling child generally has good luck..."
"Hailan, what are you doing?!"
Garp's expression changed as Hailan suddenly tossed Luffy to him.
"Why did you throw Luffy... idiot!"
Garp's second scolding was directed at Luffy as he caught the baby while a colorful water stream splashed Garp's face.
Luffy's smile grew even brighter.
"Hahaha, you rascal. Just wait until you grow up; I'll teach you a lesson!"
Hailan observed that even when Luffy was tossed, his smile never faltered, as if he enjoyed the sensation of flying.
"This kid... I hope he doesn't become a troublemaker..."