"The Jewel Tree, Adam…" Franky said, mid-conversation with the Straw Hats. He paused the moment the door creaked open.
Kong stepped inside, calm as ever, with Beru and Enel right behind him. For a brief moment, the Straw Hats froze in surprise—then quickly relaxed, smiling as they welcomed Kong and his crew with quiet nods and open gestures.
"You took your time," Sanji said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I was working on a new ship design, and now I'm curious if the wood I brought is stronger than this Adam tree," Kong said with a light smile, his curiosity clearly genuine.
"Captain," Beru replied with a sharp snort, stepping forward with pride, "the trees that grow on my island are the strongest. They weren't just wild growth—they were nurtured carefully by my people over generations, cultivated to grow tall, dense, and rich with strength and notoriety. This Adam tree can't compare."
Though Beru was practically a newborn, his voice carried certainty. He had inherited knowledge from his mother—something passed through more than just instinct. It was a kind of genetic memory, deeply rooted within him.
And unlike humans, Beru had an innate ease in accessing those ancestral truths. It gave him a depth far beyond his age.
"Let me finish first," Franky said, lifting a hand as he tried to hold the floor. Kong nodded in understanding and gave a quick, apologetic gesture.
"What I was saying was… I've had my eyes on that tree for a long time now," Franky continued, his voice filled with excitement. "But it's always been too expensive—way out of reach."
He grinned, gears already turning in his head. "That was… until a group of pirates practically begged me to steal it."
At those words, a vein popped on Sanji's forehead as his jaw tightened.
"Bastard! You took our money to buy some stupid log—and now you're showing it off!" Sanji yelled angrily, clearly reaching his limit.
"Shut up!" Franky snapped back, voice raised. But after a second, he lowered his head, his expression turning serious.
Kong listened for a moment, trying to follow the argument, but eventually began filtering it out. What mattered was the core of it—the important part.
Franky wasn't just chasing another wild idea. He was following in the footsteps of his master, something he once thought he'd never do. It had once felt impossible… or even unworthy. But now? He had designed the blueprint for a ship, and his dream was clear: to build a vessel capable of sailing any sea.
He wanted Luffy's crew to have that ship, free of charge. It wasn't about money. Franky's heart was in it. He had poured everything into the blueprint, and it showed. He even pointed out that Gold Roger's legendary ship had also been built using wood from the Adam Tree.
Enel, meanwhile, turned his gaze toward the window, his expression unreadable. He could sense the Marines closing in from a distance. But he didn't move. He ignored them.
The strongest among them was far past his prime, aged and worn, and faded. Yet what unsettled Enel wasn't the man's weakness. It was the fact that even now, that old man was still stronger than he was.
"Franky, mind helping me out? I'm designing a new ship, and I was thinking of this," Kong said, reaching casually into his pants—not his pockets, but into his pants—and pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.
Franky recoiled immediately, dodging the paper before it could even come near him. "Why were you keeping that there?" he asked, face twisted in disgust. The others looked equally disturbed.
"I wanted to keep it safe… I call it the Dragon," Kong said with a wide grin, proudly holding up the drawing for Franky to see.
The sketch was crude but full of wild ambition—a massive ship with a dragon-shaped prow and ridiculous proportions. A second later, lightning cracked through the air. The drawing burned to cinders in Kong's hand.
His eyes widened in shock, and he immediately turned to glare at Enel, who looked away, uninterested, and silently handed Franky a new sheet of paper from his pocket.
"…This is a bit too large," Franky said, studying the design. "It would collapse under its own weight. Why do you even want a ship this huge?"
Still, he pulled out a pen, already starting to mark adjustments.
"Just in case one day we want a giant to join the crew, of course," Kong said with a shrug, as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.
Franky paused, staring at him for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or take it seriously. Then he turned his eyes back to the blueprints.
He studied them in silence. The longer he looked, the more details he noticed—flight capability, heavy artillery systems, a reinforced hull… even a transformation function.
"…Is the ship turning into a dragon part for real?" Franky finally asked, brows furrowed. Enel glanced sharply at Kong, clearly irritated.
"I can make it happen," Franky said confidently, cutting in before Enel could open his mouth. Both Kong and Enel froze, caught completely off guard by the answer.
"Really?" Kong asked, eyes lighting up—stars practically sparkling in them as excitement bubbled over.
Franky nodded with a grin, already pulling over more paper to sketch out rough concepts. He began explaining how such a transformation could function—how the hull could shift, how hidden systems could deploy wings or limbs, how balance and weight would be managed.
Kong listened closely, nodding along, and asking sharp, detailed questions that came faster than Franky expected. It impressed him. Kong wasn't just strong, he was a fast learner. Really fast.
"The biggest problem with your design is the power source," Franky said seriously, tapping his finger against the blueprint. "To keep something that massive in the air for even a week? That's going to be a serious challenge."
He reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out the blueprint for the ship he was planning to build for Luffy.
"This here," he continued, pointing to the core, "is the power system I designed for their ship. Even with everything balanced just right, this isn't the kind of setup that can handle something like flight."
He went on to explain how energy would need to be sustained and how a small power cell wouldn't cut it. Creating a compact yet long-lasting source that could keep a ship airborne wasn't just difficult—it bordered on impossible with current technology.
"How about we add the battery throughout the ship?" Kong suggested, eyes bright with inspiration. "Like—inside the wood itself. The whole ship could function as one giant battery."
Franky immediately shook his head. "And if the ship gets damaged?" Kong paused, his enthusiasm dimming slightly as he considered the risk.
"A single crack in the wrong spot could short out your power system," Franky added. "It'd be a walking explosion."
Kong nodded slowly, acknowledging the flaw. Still, the two weren't discouraged. They began tossing ideas back and forth, eager to find a solution.
Then, without warning, a loud boom shook the room. Their attention snapped to the wall, just as it exploded inward from a single devastating punch. Dust and debris filled the air.
"Pardon me, are you the Straw Hat Pirates?" Garp asked with a wide grin, stepping casually through the hole he'd just made in the wall.
He paused mid-step, his eyes falling on Luffy, who was fast asleep. Without wasting another second, he vanished. Everyone—except Kong—was left stunned by the sheer speed.
Before they could react, Garp's massive fist came crashing down on Luffy, landing with thunderous force. The impact shattered the table and splintered the chair Luffy had been resting in.
Luffy shot upright with a wail of pain, clutching his head. His crew froze in disbelief. Luffy was made of rubber. How could a punch hurt him like that?
"There is no defense against the fist of love!" Garp declared proudly, towering over Luffy with a scowl. "You damn brat—you've been getting into a lot of trouble lately!"
He removed his hat with a slow, deliberate motion, revealing his face. Luffy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"G-Grandpa?!" he cried, voice cracking in fear. The revelation hit the room like a cannon blast. Everyone froze, stunned by the truth.
Enel and Beru immediately turned toward Kong, as if silently demanding an explanation. Kong didn't even flinch. He leaned back, resting his chin against his fist, wearing the same calm, indifferent look he always had.
"You two owe me an apology," Garp said sternly, turning his sharp gaze toward Kong. "Your actions over the past few weeks have been no good."
Kong snorted in response, clearly unimpressed by the lecture. Meanwhile, the Marines who had arrived with Garp erupted into chaos. Murmurs spread like wildfire.
None of them had known about Garp's family ties, let alone that the infamous Straw Hat Luffy was his grandson. The revelation shattered every expectation they had.
As the conversation unfolded, Nami and the others caught fragments of it—Garp's name being repeated with awe and disbelief.
Realization settled over them. This wasn't just some high-ranking Marine. He was the man said to have stood toe-to-toe with the Pirate King.
"Is he really your grandfather?" Sanji asked, eyes wide with disbelief. Luffy nodded slowly, still rattled by Garp's sudden appearance.
"Yes. And don't try to fight him," Luffy said calmly, almost serenely. "Or else he'll kill you—like he nearly killed me and Kong."
The crew stared at him, stunned into silence, while Garp blinked, visibly hurt.
"Now now, you're going to give them the wrong idea," Garp said, raising a hand in protest. "Although… I do admit I threw you two into a boundless ravine that one time…"
He scratched his head awkwardly. "And, sure, I left you in the jungle a few times. Maybe I sent you surfing with those giant balloons more than once… But it wasn't to kill you! It was to make you men!"
Everyone's eyes twitched in unison.
"When I left you three with my friend, I thought everything would work out fine!" Garp shouted, voice rising with frustration. "I turn my back for one moment—and you two end up like this?!"
He pointed accusingly at both Luffy and Kong, eyes wide with disbelief. "How did both of my grandsons end up declaring war against the World Government?!"
His voice boomed through the room, veins bulging at his temple. "I raised you three to be Marines! Honest men! Defenders of justice! And what did you ingrates become?! Criminals! Pirates!"
His rage only grew when he turned to Kong, only to find him asleep.
"I told you a million times I would become a pirate! It's not my fault you didn't listen!" Luffy shouted, his voice sharp with frustration. The fear that had once gripped him was gone, replaced by the fire of his resolve. When it came to his dreams, there was simply no room for fear.
Garp's face twisted with rage, his teeth grinding together. "This is all that red-haired fault!" he yelled, fists tightening as he stepped forward.
His voice boomed with blame, echoing through the room like a cannon blast. Everyone could feel the weight of Garp's anger hanging thick in the air.
"I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for Shanks! Shut up!" Luffy shouted, voice trembling with anger. His fists clenched, and his eyes burned with fury, Luffy couldn't let Garp speak about Shanks like that.
Garp's face twisted, his anger boiling over. In a flash, he grabbed Luffy by the shirt—and with the same motion, he yanked Kong by the collar, bursting the snot bubble that had been gently rising as he slept.
"Shut up! Is that how you talk to your grandpa?!" Garp roared, shaking them both. Kong's face darkened, eyes opening slowly, a shadow forming across his expression.
"Unhand me, you dog of the Celestial!" Kong yelled, his voice sharp with fury as he struggled in Garp's grip.