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Chapter 5– Outburst.
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"YOU SHITTY OLD MAN!" I HAVE CONTAINED MY RAGE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, BUT I SHALL UNLEASH MY FURY UPON YOU LIKE THE CRASHING OF A THOUSAND WAVES! BEGONE, VILE MAN! BEGONE FROM ME! I CLEAN ALL DAY! I TOIL AWAY FOR HOURS ON END, AND YOU RUIN IT IN A MATTER OF MOMENTS! I AM UNTETHERED, AND MY RAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS! THIS FORSAKEN BROOMSTICK, I HAVE USED IT FOR SO LONG THAT IT HAS BECOME ANOTHER LIMB FOR ME, AND I HAVE UNLOCKED THE TRUE POWER THAT WAS HIDDEN WITHIN THE WOOD! FEEL THE MIGHT OF MY BROOMSTICK!"
I jump forward, feeling an untold amount of power surge throughout my body. Never before seen strength erupts from the centre of my anguished soul, and it travels from the centre of my chest to my shoulders, along my arms and through my hands to shroud my broomstick.
Reaching the precipice of my jump, I begin to fall downwards towards the old fogey, and I use the gravity to boost the power of my blow. I swing my broomstick down upon the head of the man who still continues to munch on his snacks, not having noticed me. Well, maybe you will feel this, you bastard.
"AAGGGHHHH!" I scream as I strike the top of the bastard's skull, feeling the impact jar my bones and shake my entire body, causing me to become stationary in the air for a moment.
"SNAP!" I hear the rich sound as the laws of physics kick back in, and I fall back down to my crumb-ridden deck. I land on my feet, but I feel my calves burn, and I nearly fall to the ground, but I clench my broomstick with both hands and steady myself.
"A-Ah, m-my limb..." All I am holding now is a slim piece of wood in my hand, with the end and broom brushes themselves being nowhere to be seen. Where did my limb go-
"AGH, IT HURTS!" Something hits the top of my head, and it follows through and drives me to the ground. I roll around in pain, clutching my head which now sports a big bump. Goddamn, this hurts.
"BWAHAHAHA, STUPID BRAT!- MUNCH!- WHO TOLD YOU TO TRY HITTING ME AGAIN?- MUNCH MUNCH!- DIDN'T YOU LEARN ANYTHING LAST TIME!- MUNCH!- YOUR OWN BROOMSTICK HIT YOU ON THE HEAD, BWAHAHAHA!" I forget about my pain when I hear the old man start to laugh above my head while still eating away at his crackers, I just hurt myself, and this gluttonous guy is laughing at me?
"Shut up! You idiot, old man, my head hurts because of you! Y-You lied to me. I-I thought you were supposed to be training me!" I reach my hands out, work my way to my feet, and then wipe some tears from my eyes. Some dust must have gotten into them.
So this is it. for a week, I had just been working like a mule on this horse and hardly even interacted with this old man when he was supposed to be training me. they took advantage of me and laughed at me as they made me clean their ship for an entire week.
"Hmm, I lied to you? I haven't been training you? So then, what do you think I have been doing this past week?" He questions, stopping his munching for a second to look down at me with a blank expression on his face. It cows me for a second before I remember just how angry I am at him for not fulfilling his commitment and making me work like a horse. I tell him exactly what is on my mind with my bolstered anger.
"YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING ME WORK ALL WEEK, CLEANING THIS STUPID SHIP FROM TOP TO BOTTOM UNTIL IT IS SPOTLESS. I HAVE TO HELP COOK FOOD FOR ALL THOSE MARINES AND CLEAN UP ALL THE MESS THEY MAKE, NOT TO MENTION I HAVE TO HELP PATCH UP ALL THE ONES YOU INJURE JUST BY BEING YOURSELF! I HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINING, I HAVE BEEN MANUAL LABOUR FOR YOU, AND THAT IS IT!" I shout, having blown my top.
I could have dealt with all this stuff individually, especially if the Marines weren't deliberately making masses for me and the captain of this ship wasn't a miniature giant that smashes everything he touches to pieces. I would have been alright working on this ship, but this absurdity is too much for me.
I stare defiantly at the monstrosity of a man before me, his face is shadowed, and he has lowered his hands to his sides, with his left hand clutching the bag of crackers so tightly that I can hear them cracking.
With each crunch that emits from inside the bag, I can feel my confidence and anger fade away to be replaced by nervousness and unsureness. I watch as he raises his right hand into the air, and then he clenches it into a fist. "You rude little shrimp, I haven't been training you? Boy, it seems like someone needs the Fist of Love."
The Fist of Love? What the hell is that? Is it like respect, like a fist bum-
"BOINK!"
"OWW, IT HURTS!" I crouch down and clutch my head as I feel a new bump sprout out of the one I just got a minute ago. This old man just punched me in the head. That wasn't a Fist of Love. That was a Fist of Pain and suffering. Ah, some more dust got in my eyes from his blow, sending dust everywhere. My eyes are tearing up because of it, because of the dust.
"Hmph, that should have sorted out that stupid head of yours. You little brat, I have been training you all this time. I have been showing you the meaning of hard work. If you don't have the willpower and you aren't willing to work towards it, then there is no way you can get strong like me, and that little outburst just showed me that you aren't ready. If you can't handle something like this, then you aren't ready for my training. Look at you, you're nearly a teenager, and you are crying your eyes out. I can't have a crybaby like you be known as my student."
"I-I'm not a crybaby, and I'm not a teenager. I am only seven years old, you stupid old man. And I know the meaning of hard work. I am an orphan, and I live by myself. I just wanted you to teach me something before you leave, I know you won't stay here forever, and I don't want to waste any time." I spit out while getting back to my feet and starting to wipe at my eyes, trying to eviscerate these pathetic tears coming from my eyes.
So he thought I was nearly a teenager. I only reached just above the knee of this ten-foot giant, and he believed that equates to the height of a teenager, is his expectations that bizarre, or am I tall for my age and just didn't know it.
"What? No, no, you can't be. My six-year-old grandson only reaches about halfway up my calf, and you reach up to my knees. You are near twice his height. There is no way you are only seven years old. That is impossible." Finally, he speaks, stumbling back, shocked at my age. For some reason, he refuses to believe that I am seven, and he continues to deny the fact, which pisses me off. Who knows my age, him or me.
"What? So I am not seven years old. How old am I, then? Are you calling me a liar?" I say, offended that this old fart is questioning my words. I may be many things, but I am not a liar. I haven't actually had the chance to lie about anything, but the point still stands, I have never told a lie in my life. So for this shitty old man to question me over something as simple as my age, it pisses me off.
"N-No, I am not calling you a liar, not at all. I'm just surprised, that is all. I thought you were older. You are clever for your age, more clever than my grandson, so I just thought you were older. S-Stop crying, okay? Grandpa is sorry." He begins to apologise, but that doesn't mean anything to me.
This guy was working me like a mule because he thought I was older than I looked, and that just made me angrier, and now that he is apologising, I am getting more and more confident. So his apologising means I am in the right. And he is in the wrong.
"You aren't my grandpa, you silly old fart. Don't you feel bad? You have been making a tiny child like me do an entire shipful of Marines' work. Aren't Marines supposed to protect and help the innocent, but you are treating me like a sla-" Suddenly, he reaches out and grabs me by the lapel and raises me into the air. He pulls me closer until I am right up against his face.
"Do not say that word. just don't! You disrespectful little brat, I am nothing like them! I thought you were older and you could handle more. I made a mistake! but just because I made a mistake, don't think you can get away with saying stuff, brat!" Garp spits in my face, literally. I can feel the saliva slap across my face and begin to drop down my face.
My confidence starts to diminish little by little, and I can't help but think that maybe I took it too far, but then my eyes peer past his shoulders and seeing what is behind him, my resolve hardens. I started this, so I am gonna finish it, even if it means that I am going to make a bit of a fool of myself and do some questionable things. This old man has pissed me off, and I want to win this little confrontation. No matter the cost, I am willing to give it my all.
"U-UWAAAAAAH! WHY ARE YOU PICKING ON ME!? I AM ONLY SEVEN, BUT YOU MADE ME DO ALL OF THIS WORK. YOU LAUGHED AT ME AND MADE MORE MESS FOR ME AS I WORKED MYSELF TO THE BONE! AND NOW YOU ARE GOING TO HURT ME! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TRAIN ME! UWAAAAAH!" It pains me to do this and cry. in all my years on this planet, I haven't cried once, but this man has pissed me off, so I am willing to do it even though it shames me.
Not only because I want to best this old fogey that has made me toil for an entire week without teaching me anything, but also because I just damaged my relationship with Garp. This minimises the chance of him training me after this, so I did this to gather public support. He who has the public rules the world.
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"What..? YOU SHRIMP, STOP TALKING NONSENSE BEFORE I-"
"Garp-san." Garp freezes in the middle of his tirade before mechanically turning his head around to look behind him, all the while still holding me in the air by my shirt. Behind him stands Bogard, regarding him with a blank look and not really showing anything on his face, but behind him is the crew of the rest of the ship.
They are peeking out of doorways and around corners, trying to hide themselves, but with the sheer amount of them, they can hardly obscure themselves from our sight. But what is synonymous with all of them is that they are all looking at Garp disapprovingly. All of them have some kind of negative emotion on their face, with most of them having disappointment upon their faces and looking as if reality itself has shattered for them.
"W-Wait, no, Bogard! I-It isn't what it looks like, okay! The brat was, I mean, little Detoro was just acting, we were just playing a game and-" Garp suddenly starts to waffle and spew words trying to rectify the situation and defend himself, and so he turns around to state his case and waves his hands around making some bizarre gestures as if they will somehow get his point across, but he forgot one thing-
"UWAAAAAHHHHH-"
I feel so sick and dizzy, everything is a blur, and I feel like I am just stuck in a tornado that is twirling me round and round. I was still gripped within Garp's hand, and so he was just viciously waving me around while trying to convince his crew that he was not a bad guy that bullied children. Needless to say, they could not help but doubt the man that was swinging around a child like a flag- "Ughh."
My shirt ripped, and I hit the floor with a thud. The old man's momentum carried me a few feet until I was laid out against the ground, my eyes were still swirling, and I could hardly tell what was going on except that I was now on the floor.
I was around halfway between Bogard, who was looking down at me with a stoic face and Garp, who was looking at the ripped cloth in his hand in disbelief, only now realising that I was still within his grip until recently.
Quickly understanding the situation, Garp releases the ripped fabric in his hand, letting it float down to the ground and rushes over to me. He crouches down and pulls me up by my shoulders with his hands holding on to my shoulders with such suddenness that I don't even recognise the transition, my feet dangling in the air as he holds me up while still crouched on his knees. "Are you alright, kid? I forgot you were there. I am sorry for throwing you like that. I didn't mean it. Can you just tell these guys that I wasn't doing anything-"
"BLECHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"wrong..." Garp finishes, only just realising that I had just emptied my stomach onto his pristine white leather shoes. I really don't feel good, and even though I just puked up the contents of my stomach, I still feel like I have more to give, but as my eyes regain focus, I see Garp's face looking down at his puke-covered shoes and then back up to me.
I can't help the smirk that appears on my face at his plight and the black expression on his face with his mouth still open from the words he was just saying. I don't want to smirk in this situation as I know my situation might just worsen, but with Bogard and the rest of the Marines to my back and only Garp in front of me, I can't help it.
Only he will see my smirk, and I don't have the proper strength in my mouth muscles to control my lips and stop them from stretching to either side of my face. So the best I can do is keep my pearly whites from showing.
Unfortunately, my restraint doesn't seem to have any effect as I can feel the old man's grip on my shoulders tightens to the point of hurting. Still, I don't voice any complaints as I can see his jaw clench and his teeth begin to grind against each other in frustration.
I know that he is genuinely off pissed now because of my cries which he now knows were deliberately done for the crowd behind me because of my own betraying grin. I see a vein pulsate on the right side of his forehead. The smirk bleeds off of my face at the angered visage on his face.
"Brat... You have pissed me-"
"Garp-san. That is enough. let Detoro go." Bogard says while walking closer and laying his hand on Garp's shoulder, clasping it while talking with the same monotone voice and look on his face.
"But, Bogard. This little shrimp-"
"I know Garp-san, but you have to put him down. The Marines behind us are beginning to doubt you, so put him down and do what I say, okay." Bogard says, making me realise that my faked cries didn't work on him. Maybe he is just that loyal and trusting of his boss, or maybe there is some other reason I don't know.
He moves closer to Garp and slouches over to bring his mouth closer to his ear before whispering into his ears, I want to know what he is saying, but I can't hear anything. I strain my ears, trying to hear something, until Garp suddenly releases his clutches on my shoulders, letting me land on my two feet before standing back to his full height.
"BWAHAHAHAHA, AND THAT YOUNG DETORO IS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF YOU EVER COME ACROSS A PIRATE! IF YOU EVER DO SO, REMEMBER TO TRY NOT TO MAKE THEM ANGRY AND WAIT FOR HELP FROM THE MARINES! THAT IS, OF COURSE, IF YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT THEM UP YOURSELF, BWAHAHAHA!" He bellows out while reaching down to ruffle my hair with his face looking up at the sky as he laughs so loud that my eardrums hurt.
It is evident that this guy just made that up, Garp can't lie for anything, and he shouted it so loudly that all the Marines around could hear him, which is overly suspicious. There is no way anybody will be convinced by that performance.
"Oh, of course. Vice-Admiral Garp was just teaching the kid. What a great guy."
"He really is the Marine Hero, taking the time to educate this kid. But, unfortunately, this kid is weak-willed and started crying at the Vice Admirals demonstration, wasting Vice-Admiral Garp's time."
"Hey, you know Mari-Chan, the girl that works at the grocery store. She has a break now. So let's go see her and her friends. She is very close to giving in and letting me take her out for a meal."
"Hey, let's go..."
Slowly the Marines begin to disperse and go about their days, their faith in their leader restored with minimal effort, which makes me question reality. The man was literally waving me at supersonic speeds around and making me puke, he was shouting directly into my face, and maybe it would be believable if he was crying arrrgh or me mateys or something. Still, he was yelling at me and telling me not to disrespect him. There was nothing even pirate-related said.
I go to say something to try and keep them here, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out except my breath. What can I say? They are fiercely loyal to their leader, and even when they saw him practically terrorising a child, except for a moment of doubt, the flimsiest of excuses brought them back onside.
I can do nothing but watch as all the Marines quickly disappear one after the other, like deers getting spooked and dashing away within the blink of an eye. The ship's halls are now utterly deserted, with no one in sight. I am sure if I was outside, I would hear a cricket chirp right now, but I don't even have that, only total silence in addition to the malevolent presence I can feel looming behind me.
Turning around, I come knee to face with Garp, and when I raise my head, I see Bogard first standing behind Garp with the same nonplussed face and casual stance, and when I lift my head up even further, I come face to face with the grinning visage of Garp who is smiling down at me.
"Hm, what were you saying, brat? You little shrimp, what happened to all those tears in your eyes?" He looks down at me, but though his mouth is smiling, his eyes are not. If anything, I would say that there is a malicious glint in his eyes, and his smile is stretching to a frightening degree.
"A-Ah, I am- Garp-San. I was just frustrated that I wasn't getting trained like I expected. I am only seven, so the sheer amount of work got to me, and I had a little outburst." I stutter out, knowing that I have lost this exchange, though, to be fair, I was not on my home turf, and I did not have the advantage, so I can't be too disappointed in this loss. The odds were against me.
"You were incredibly naughty just now, Detoro-Kun. Naughty children like you need to be disciplined and taught right from wrong. That bad behaviour is like a sickness, and do you know what the best medicine for sickness is?" He speaks with a smile before raising his hand, not holding the packet of crackers, into the air and clenching it into a fist. His smile somehow gets even more expansive, and I feel a shudder course through my body. Oh no, he is going to-
"A FIST OF LOVE!"
"OWW! DAMN IT, THAT HURTS!" His fist came down with an abruptness that it didn't deserve to have. I was expecting his Fist of Love, and yet I was unprepared for the speed with which he stuck, so much so that I was still looking into his eyes before I had a chance to try and defend my head.
But the difference between the last Fist of Love that I received and This Fist of Love was the impact. The last one's force made me crouch on the ground and hold my head in pain, but this one merely made my upturned head turn downward from looking at Garp's face to looking at the floor.
It also didn't hurt as much as the last one though it still hurt a lot. Garp must have considered my age with this one and lessened the blow. However, he still made sure it was full of love, and I could feel another more minor bump grow out of the bug bump he had made on my head a few minutes ago.
"Garp-san." I look back up to see Bogard looking at Garp, but I still can't gather a single clue on the guy as his face remains as impassive as it ever has, and the only movement it ever does is when he speaks as well as when he is smoking a cigarette.
While I don't seem to recognise the minor cues on his face, Garp does as he suddenly deflates and whatever emotion that was in his being suddenly disappears as he slouches over and reaches his hand back into his cracker packet to start munching on some. Finally, however, there is irritation on his face as he chomps somewhat angrily, Bogard looking on impassively.
"Garp-San, while Detoro-Kun was wrong, you also have some blame on you for the situation. You have used the excuse of having a debt to young Detoro to stay on this island and delay your return to Marine HQ. While what you were doing was cultivating a good foundation in the boy, you have also made him work well past his capability, especially considering his age, but even so, he burrowed forward and continued to work even though we gave him the workload of someone double his age. He has shown his willingness and willpower. The least we can do is take his request seriously and impart some wisdom to him. he deserves that much." Bogard says while Garp continues to munch on his crackers.
Is this real? Is the situation actually working out for me after all the crap I just pulled? Logic would dictate that after what I have just done, Garp would be incredibly angry and refuse to train me anymore, but is this actually happening? Are things actually going my way? Unfathomable, and yet it is happening. Garp pauses his munching and tilts his head to the side to think for a moment before nodding to himself in affirmation of something only he knows.
"Okay then, you want training, brat? Then you've got it. I will put you through the same training that I was putting my grandson through before I was recalled to headquarters. Just you wait, kid. You are either going to come out the other end of my training as a strong man or as a lifeless corpse. You brought this on yourself, shrimp." Garp smiles to himself before turning around and walking off.
He leaves chowing down on his crackers, no longer caring about what just happened, to leave Bogard and me looking at each other. I see a trace of something in Bogard's eyes as he looks down at me, but it quickly disappears, making me wonder if I had imagined it. Finally, he nods his head at me and turns to walk away as well.
Did-Did I just come out of this conundrum with a good result..?