Chapter 28

Turning around, I walk off and up to my front door, using my key to open the door and enter my home, and then when Garp tries to follow me inside, I slam the door shut behind me, keeping him out. He goes to join me inside, but I quickly yell that I am getting changed, which stays his hand. I take off my ratty blue shorts and throw them onto my bed, uncaring of the dust on top of it and all around the room. I then walk up to my wardrobe and grab some new clothes, though I am not spoiled for choice since Garp flung all my other clothes into the ocean when I attempted to bring them with me.

I quickly throw on some baggy beige shorts and a simple red vest, leaving it open and exposing my chest. After all this time when I was practically wearing some underwear, I really don't see the need to wear too many clothes, and the weather doesn't really bother me after multiple weeks under the hot sun on Troga.

One thing I am very happy about, though, is footwear. I hurriedly slip into some sandals and relish in the soft feeling under my feet. The sandals I wore to Troga were demolished long ago, and I had since been training barefoot, which didn't really bother me much when I was on the sand except maybe when it got insanely hot. Still, it was indeed problematic in the woods and on the rocks Garp forced me to train on top of.

Feeling refreshed in my new clothes, I close my wardrobe and walk over to a loose wooden board on the floor and lift it to see that the money I left is still there. So the rest of the money that has been accumulating while I was gone should be safe with Mummy Mee, who has been collecting it for me, ready for me to take. Placing the board back, I walk to the front door and open it to see Garp standing outside. And he goes to walk into my home, but I quickly step out and slam the door closed behind me, hurriedly taking my key and locking it.

"Hey, what gives? I wanted to come in and rest my feet, this was a very tiring journey, and we need to rest for a bit." Garp says, disappointed that I had closed my home to him, and I easily ignore the fact he is acting like he has strained himself at all. I have become quite good at it after spending all that time together on Troga. Even if I did let him in, the only place to really sit is on my bed, as everything else would probably break under his weight. Plus, the whole house is in a state, not ready for guests.

"We are going to go to the docks, so you can join up with your crew again. We have been away a really long time, and I am sure they are missing you. They are probably running around like headless chickens without you." So I say to him as I walk away from my house, though really I have spent a bit too much time with the man and want to get some relief. I spot George in the distance, who is jumping around on the sand, having spotted a crab on the beach that he is curious about but cautious about as well.

"What, no way, Bogard is there, and he will have them all in tip-top shape." Garp deflects, trying his damnedest to not go back to work. For some reason, I think we diverted to my home because he didn't want to reveal himself to his marines and not because George would scare the villagers. I ignore him in favour of watching George's funny actions, with the crab continuing to move towards him and George having to hurriedly stumble back, trying to stay away from it and hopping from side to side.

"Garp-san, I already feel bad as it is. How will I feel keeping you away from your crew any longer? You are a marine, and it is your job to protect people and defeat the savage pirates that threaten them. The more time you spend here, the more time you spend not doing your job, saving the people that need to be saved. I have already kept you long enough. I can't keep you any longer." I bullshit with ease, coming up with a good and morally upstanding reason for Garp to leave me alone for a bit.

I continue walking towards George, who hasn't noticed me yet, and Garp remains behind me, and he doesn't say anything, staying silent. So either that means he has taken my quickly thought-up words to heart, or he simply can't come up with a good excuse after that and has to just remain silent.

"George, come here," I call, startling George, who whips his head around to look at me before realising what he has done and quickly turns back around to find that the crab is closer than before and quickly jumps back and then sprints off towards me. George skids o a stop in front of me, kicking up a lot of sand that blows against my face and forces me to close my eyes. When I open them back up, George is standing there, waiting for me to talk, but before I do so, I shake myself off and get rid of most of the sand on me.

"George, listen up. Me and Garp-san are going to leave for a while, but I will be back soon. Just stay here and don't run off. That house there is where I live, so just stick around. I will be back soon." So I tell George, who constantly turns around to look back at the crab as I talk, and when I stop, he once more glances back at the crab and contemplates for a moment before turning back to me and nodding his head.

With that sorted, I turn around and walk towards the village path, walking straight past Garp, who just watches me go. I don't bother trying to convince him to follow me or anything since as soon as Bogard sees me, he will know that Garp is back if he doesn't already. Garp follows after me a moment later, joining me on the walk to the village, which I am excited to see after all this time.

"Haah, I suppose you are right, shrimp. I have already stayed away long enough, and that annoying Sengoku will be angry at me if I delay any longer." He says, mentioning someone called Sengoku, and given the context, it must be another marine and most likely Garp's superior. It is good to know that this guy isn't in charge of any big decisions and that there is someone above him to supervise and ensure he doesn't mess anything up.

For the rest of the journey, we are pretty silent, except for Garp occasionally pointing out a thing or two and asking a question which I answer for him if it isn't a dumb question. I mostly spend my time looking around my surroundings and taking it all in. I don't know how long we were precisely on that island, but I felt like it was a long time, and I had forgotten these surroundings.

"Detoro-Kun, it is good to see you."

"Finally back, eh, Detoro-san. How was your apprentice training?"

"Detoro-chan, how are you? How did you get so tan? Tell me your secret."

When we finally entered the village, many of the villagers began to greet me with waves and big smiles, happy to see me. Somehow they even knew that I had gone on a trip, and I only told Mummy Mee that I was going, and I told her it was an apprenticeship on a boat, so she must have told everyone. However, I am ashamed to say that I still don't know any of the villagers' names. In fact, I don't remember anyone's name except for Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee, not even the other kids.

I continued to walk through the village, looking around and taking all the buildings that I hadn't seen for months, talking to the villagers and answering their questions to the best of my ability. Although I didn't know how to answer the young woman who enquired about my secret for being so tan, I didn't even realise my skin had become tanner after all that time in the sun. I even saw the bookstore owner who asked about the book he sold me and if I had built anything, and I told him I had, which he was pleased to hear.

And finally, we had made it to the docks, where there were a bunch of marines standing around orderly on the pier, looking fully disciplined as they did regimented work and movements that looked clean and swift, loading supplies onto the boat. I am surprised that these lazy idiots that made so much trouble and mess for me are now acting appropriately like marines should be.

"G-Garp-san? V- VICE ADMIRAL GARP! YOU ARE BACK!" One of the Marines looks up and notices us walking down the docks towards them. They do a double take and then shout aloud as if they can't believe it. And his words alert the other marines, who all drop what they are doing and look up towards Garp as if their hopes have been answered.

"GARP-SAN, I- NO, GARP-SAMA, PLEASE DON'T EVER LEAVE AGAIN!!"

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, VICE ADMIRAL!! WE WERE LOST WITHOUT YOU!!"

"NEVER LEAVE AGAIN!! DON'T ABANDON US!!"

"DON'T LEAVE US WITH BOGARD EVER AGAIN!! HE IS SO STRICT AND DEMANDING. WE AREN'T USED TO IT!!!"

They all start to shout, happy that Garp is back and pleading for Garp to never leave again, passing it off as if they missed him and couldn't function without him. Though that last guy let his true feelings slip through, and I am pretty sure he speaks the truth for everyone, however, his voice is lost in the chaos, and I might have been the only one to hear it.

It seems that Garp is usually lax and not too strict with all of his underlings, just like I experienced when they continually made a mess for me trying to win the prize Garp offered them. But when me and Garp left for our training trip, Bogard obviously became acting leader and took command of all the men, and it is clear he ran a tight ship, which the crew was not used to.

Hearing the commotion, Bogard appears on top of the ship and looks down at us. Garp doesn't seem to notice, being overwhelmed by the screams of his crew, and he smiles, feeling happy to be missed and wanted so much. He scratches the back of his head embarrassedly.

"All of you, load everything onto the ship immediately. Have it done in twenty seconds flat, and prepare to sail. We are leaving." Bogard says, walking down the plank from the big marine ship and onto the dock, all of the crew groans at his orders, but it has clearly been instilled in them to follow his orders as they quickly do so.

"Detoro-Kun, it is good to see you. It seems the training has served you well. Garp-san, we are leaving." Bogard greets me before grabbing onto Garp, who doesn't realise what is going on, and he starts to drag him off towards the ship, leaving me standing on the dock, not knowing what to do.

"What, why? Bogard, let's relax for a moment. I just got back. We can leave tomorrow." Garp tries to protest and find any way to delay his leaving, but Bogard is having none of it. He continues to drag Garp off towards the ship, and while I think Garp could easily resist, he doesn't for some reason.

"We need to leave now, Garp-san. You have been gone too long, and a lot of stuff has happened. Red-haired Shanks robbed a world government ship and ran off with the loot. He stole a devil fruit as well. More importantly, every single person on Minion Island has been killed. We need to leave now." I am shocked to hear such things leave Bogard's mouth, a confirmation that those mystery fruits that grant powers are real and the fact that the entire population on an island has been genocided, though I have never heard of the island before.

"That damned Roger brat. What the hell has gone on while I wasn't looking? Set sail for headquarters. The Minion Island incident is much more important than that stupid red hair" Garp, hearing Bogard, pulls his arm free and walks onto the ship of his own free will. Bogard follows behind him, and a few moments later, the ship is sailing off into the distance, leaving me standing there blankly watching.

He just left, just like that.

I don't know how to feel. I-

I am tired. I am going home to my bed.