CHAPTER 20

Chapter 20: Garp's Fate

Dragon was stunned for a second, then became ecstatic Help? If Mr. Madara was asking him for help, he wouldn't even feel sleepy anymore!

There were only a few possibilities why Uchiha Madara would personally ask for his assistance, and the biggest one was clear:

He must be planning to beat up his father!

As a "filial" son, Dragon had always been very spiritual when it came to sabotaging his old man, and he immediately nodded.

"No problem, Master! Just tell me what do you need me to do?"

Madara found Dragon's attitude very pleasing.

Truth be told, this kid's "filial piety" was truly commendable.

Compared to Gion, Dragon seemed even more aligned with that twisted Will of Fire Madara was trying to instill.

"Take me to your house," Madara said calmly. "I left something at Garp's place."

"Please leave it to me!" Dragon barked enthusiastically, his chest swelling with pride, his thoughts racing:

It's really happening! Under the pretext of retrieving something, Master will enter the house, ambush Father, and in the crossfire, destroy all the things that Papa cherishes, delivering a double blow both physical and psychological! Brilliant! As expected of Master Madara!!

The more Dragon thought about it, the more excited he became.

No, I can't just stand idly by!

If someone is going to beat up my father, I have to help! That's how I show my loyalty!

Moreover, if he performed well this time, Madara might finally accept him as a true apprentice!

And once I officially become a disciple... the day I rebel against my father will come even faster!

This feeling this passion

It's Revolution!

Suppressing the crazed grin trying to stretch across his face, Dragon straightened his back, forced a serious expression, and marched toward his home, wearing the same arrogant aura as Uchiha Madara himself.

......

Peng!

Dragon kicked the front door open, striding inside with overwhelming momentum.

Madara was slightly confused by Dragon's current state he seemed to be radiating some strange aura of righteousness but Madara didn't bother to question it.

He simply followed in, walking straight to the sofa and sitting down like he owned the place.

Seeing this, Dragon immediately sprang into action, hurriedly pouring a steaming cup of tea and offering it respectfully to Madara.

"Master, please relax here! I'll handle all the minor chores for you!"

Dragon pounded his chest with a thud, placed the teapot carefully on the table, and bolted up the stairs, heading straight for Garp's room.

Madara watched him go, deep in thought.

He hadn't even explained his true purpose, yet Dragon seemed to understand it perfectly.

Perhaps he had underestimated the craftiness of Garp's rascal son.

After about ten minutes, Dragon came back down, carrying a standard Marine-issued backpack slung over one shoulder a type similar to the ones worn by lower-ranked seamen in Marineford.

Madara raised an eyebrow.

Dragon had not only guessed his target correctly but had also preemptively brought it down without being asked.

Dragon smirked conspiratorially and handed the bag to Madara with a wink.

"Here you go, Master. Everything important to my old man is inside. He'll be back soon, so it'll be easy for you to move to the next step!"

Madara was quietly impressed.

How did he know what I needed?

Still, he said nothing and simply accepted the backpack.

If nothing else, this would save him the trouble of fighting Garp directly over a mere bag Garp was notoriously stingy when it came to his personal belongings.

Waiting for Garp to return was dull, so Madara began inspecting the kitchen.

It was bigger and better equipped than his own home's likely due to Garp's massive appetite.

If I had a kitchen like this, Madara thought, I could easily perfect my new "Exploding Chocolate Curry Fish" recipe.

Meanwhile, seeing Madara quietly scoping out the kitchen, Dragon's eyes shone with comprehension.

He pointed to a nearby broom closet.

"Master, I'll hide in there for now. When the time comes, we'll attack my father together! Cup-smashing ambush! Swift victory!"

Madara's mind was full of question marks.

Cup smashing? Ambush?

He had no idea what Dragon was blabbering about, but his expression remained cold and unreadable.

Dragon, interpreting Madara's silence as tacit approval, nodded solemnly, grabbed a mop for camouflage, and concealed himself in the kitchen corner.

Moments later, heavy footsteps and loud, obnoxious laughter echoed outside the house.

"Hahahahahaha! Dragon, are you home? Don't just sulk indoors! Come out and spar with your old man!"

"I told thirty people today about how I embarrassed that scary Madara guy! I can still see that sour face of his! Bwahahaha!"

Garp's thunderous voice shook the door on its hinges.

Seeing that there was no movement in the house, Garp found it strange.

Although Dragon was rebellious, he would never completely ignore him.

Still, Garp didn't think too much about it. Laughing heartily, he strode into the living room.

The moment he entered, his smile froze.

There, sitting silently on the sofa, was Uchiha Madara still wearing his blood-stained apron from earlier, his Sharingan eyes cold and unreadable, staring at Garp with the same killing intent he once showed the Five Kage during the Fourth Shinobi War.

Cough cough cough! Garp choked on his own breath, his eyeballs nearly popping out.

"Madara?!! Why the hell are you here?! Ah, no, no, no the old man was just joking! Joking! I wasn't spreading rumors about you!"

Garp panicked.

He had just been bragging outside about Madara's "embarrassing moments," and now the man himself was sitting right here in his house.

If Madara got serious, forget broken furniture his whole home would be reduced to rubble faster than Marineford under Whitebeard's fists.

Yet contrary to expectations, Madara didn't strike.

Instead, he stood up silently, picked up a Marine-issued backpack, and headed toward the door.

As Madara passed by, Garp, still jittery, instinctively raised his guard.

In doing so, his leg bumped the table, knocking Madara's water glass to the ground with a sharp shatter.

At that precise moment

"MASTER! THIS LOYAL APPRENTICE IS HERE TO HELP YOU! DIE, OLD MAN!!!"

A black shadow darted out from the kitchen Dragon, wielding a mop like it was the legendary Sword of Gryphon and swung it hard toward Garp's head.

BANG!

The mopstick snapped in two on contact with Garp's iron skull, the mop head comically staying perched atop his head like a ridiculous wig.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Madara, frozen mid-stride, and Garp, whose face was turning darker than Blackbeard's beard, stood like statues.

Dragon, sensing the chilling silence, finally realized something was very wrong.

He raised his head to meet their eyes and an icy fear flooded through him.

I'm dead. I'm so dead.

A minute dragged by.

Finally, Uchiha Madara regained his composure, nodded silently to Garp, and with his backpack slung casually over his shoulder walked coolly out of the house like nothing had happened.

Dragon, his hair a mess, turned stiffly to Garp.

"Father... If I say this was a misunderstanding... would you be willing to listen?"

Behind him, a volcanic roar erupted.

"YOU TRAITOROUS LITTLE PIRATE!!! TAKE THIS FIST!!!"

Although Madara's face remained cold and composed on the outside, inside he was bursting with joy.

Garp, the so-called Hero of the Marines, reduced to this pathetic state.it's truly a sight to behold!

Humming quietly in his mind, Madara strode briskly toward home.

If he didn't have to maintain his stoic image, he might have even started singing.

When he got back, he handed the backpack directly to Gion and once again retreated into the kitchen to continue his cooking experiments.

Gion noticed something odd Master Madara still wore his usual "poker face," but somehow... he looked like he was smiling.

Curious, Gion opened the backpack.and a blinding golden light seemed to flash from within.

"WOW!!! What is all this? It's dazzling!!!"

Inside were rare delicacies from across the Grand Line cakes from Totto Land's Emperor's Banquet, limited-edition donuts from Aji Dessert Café, and even a specialty senbei that had been created by Yuqian Yipin to celebrate Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral.

Many of these were items even money couldn't buy rumored to only be available through direct connections to the World Nobles or the Five Elders themselves.

Gion, practically drooling, raced toward the kitchen, colliding headfirst into Madara's torso.

"Master, you're the best!!!"

Madara, confused but not displeased, wiped his hands on his apron and placed a hand lightly atop Gion's head.

"What happened?"

Gion looked up at him, her big eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Master! The snacks you brought back are priceless treasures! Did you bulldoze Garp's entire house to find these?!"

Madara blinked.

Then, remembering the backpack Dragon had so graciously prepared for him, he patted Gion's head again and said:

"Then hurry and eat them all. Treat this as your pre-school celebration. No leftovers, understood?"

Gion thumped her tiny chest proudly.

"Absolutely no problem!"

Watching her bounce away, Madara clenched his fists in quiet triumph.

Exactly as planned! Exactly! Someone's going to have a miserable night... and I know exactly who but I'm not saying it!

That night, across the otherwise silent harbor town, a scream tore through the darkness:

"WHERE ARE MY THINGS?!!! WHERE ARE THE OLD MAN'S SNACKS?!!!"

Dragon, lying battered with a bruised nose and swollen cheeks, tried to console himself while nursing his wounds.

Revolution... Revolution can't be achieved without sacrifice. This is just a small setback on the road to greatness!

Just as he finished that thought, a thunderous bang shattered his door.

Garp, his eyes bloodshot and his fists the size of small mountains, charged in like an enraged gorilla.

Dragon barely had time to raise his head and form the word "Father"

when a gigantic fist shadow filled his entire vision.

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