"Unhand me, you dog of the Celestial!" Kong yelled, his voice sharp with fury as he struggled in Garp's grip.
The insult struck deep. Garp's face twitched, his rage climbing dangerously. For a moment, it looked like he might actually explode. What unspeakable crime had he committed in life to end up with grandsons like these?
"You little brats!" Garp roared, his voice shaking the walls.
Luffy instantly panicked, arms flailing. He knew what came next—and he wanted no part of it. Garp's fists hurt more than anything else in the world. Kong also thrashed, trying to break free. The resistance only made things worse. Garp's fury hit its peak.
With a single wave of his hand, Garp sent Luffy flying across the room, crashing into the wall with a loud thud.
He then turned to Kong, raising his fist to strike. But Kong moved fast, dodging the punch and aiming a sharp kick directly at Garp's groin. Garp's eyes widened. His face turned red, but from pure, boiling rage. And then—at a speed no man his age should be capable of—he caught Kong mid-motion and slammed him straight into the floor before the kick could even land.
"You think having a little strength means you can disrespect your grandpa?" Garp roared, cracking his knuckles as the ground beneath them trembled.
"I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass," Kong growled, voice low with fury as he pulled himself out of the cratered floor. Dust and debris fell from his shoulders.
"I guess this is a good place to start—defeating the so-called Celestial Dragon guard dog." Garp's body trembled, not from fear, but from fury. His fists clenched tight, his expression darkening with every passing second.
Before anyone could move to stop them—before a word could be spoken—Garp and Kong charged forward.
Their fists collided. The shockwave that followed was catastrophic. The entire house exploded outward, wood and stone ripped apart. Nami and the others screamed as they were violently thrown through the air, caught helpless in the blast.
"Old man, don't break your back. When I beat your ass, I don't want to hear anything like 'I'm past my prime!'" Kong laughed, stepping back with a wide grin. Despite his mockery, a flicker of genuine surprise passed through his eyes. That last clash had told him the truth—Garp wasn't some worn-out relic. Even past his prime, the old man still had the strength of an Emperor…
"You little brat!" Garp snarled, pulling his fist back again.
Kong saw the future. His eyes narrowed, grin widening as he mirrored the motion, pulling his own fist back with anticipation. But before either could strike, a blur cut between them—Zed appeared, slamming his hands out to stop them both mid-charge.
"Are you two trying to destroy this island?!" Zed shouted, stepping between them with arms spread wide. The force in his voice was enough to make Kong pause, clicking his tongue in irritation while taking a reluctant step back.
Garp, however, froze mid-motion. His eyes locked onto Zed—his jaw slowly dropped. "Z? Y-you're so young!" Garp gasped, staring in disbelief as the years peeled away in his mind.
Zed grinned, arms still outstretched. "It's been a long time, old friend…"
A few moments later, more than a dozen of Kong's clones were already at work, rebuilding the wrecked house alongside Garp and a few surprisingly helpful marines. The sound of hammers filled the air, mixed with low murmurs of disbelief from those still in shock at the earlier clash.
"Captain, about your family… are you all this strong?" Enel asked, watching Garp casually drive a nail into the wall with one precise strike.
He wasn't alone in his curiosity. Sanji, Zoro, and the others silently waited, each casting glances between Kong and Luffy, wondering just what kind of family tree they had stumbled upon.
"It shocks me. Who knew a dog of those pigs could have such strength?" Kong said, throwing a sharp sneer at Garp with a smirk lingering on his face.
"Stop starting stuff," Robin said softly, flicking Kong on the forehead. Kong snorted under his breath but didn't argue. Garp let out a long, weary sigh. He turned his gaze toward Luffy
"By the way, I heard you met your father not too long ago," Garp said casually. The words immediately drew everyone's attention. Even Kong perked up, eyes narrowing with interest.
"No… I don't think I did," Luffy replied, genuinely puzzled. He scratched his head, trying to remember something—anything. "I didn't even know I had a dad."
He frowned in thought, but nothing surfaced. His expression made it clear: the idea of having a father was completely foreign to him.
"That's a shame. I thought he would've introduced himself to you," Garp said, sounding almost disappointed. "I heard he saw you off back at Loguetown, if I'm not mistaken."
Luffy blinked in confusion, while his crew immediately began trying to recall anything unusual from their time there.
"I don't remember Luffy's father at all," Sanji said, frowning. His brows were furrowed, clearly trying to search through the haze of memory for anything that might've stood out.
"Your father's name is Monkey D. Dragon; he is the leader of the Revolutionary Army," Garp said lightly, as if it were nothing. But while Luffy had no idea of the weight behind those words, everyone else froze. Their eyes widened in shock at the seemingly forbidden knowledge they had just heard.
There was simply too much to process. The Hero of the Marines, Garp, somehow fathered the most wanted man alive? And that man, in turn, had given birth to twins who were already shaking the world itself? The sheer absurdity of it left everyone stunned, as if the world had suddenly turned upside down.
"…I think I shouldn't have said all that stuff. I take it all back. Forget it ever happened," Garp said with a carefree laugh, scratching the back of his head. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. For a long moment, no one knew how to react. How could someone casually drop a bombshell like that, then try to take it back as if it were nothing?
***
"All done," Kong and Garp suddenly said in unison, stepping back to admire the rebuilt house. It stood fully restored—freshly painted, clean, and somehow even sturdier than before.
"Well, Kong and Luffy… seeing as you two are my grandsons, I won't be capturing you or turning you in," Garp said with a relaxed smile, arms crossed confidently. "It'll be fine. I'm sure once I explain it to them, they'll understand. You can't put work before family, right?"
"That's not an excuse, sir. Let's just say… they got away," Garp's right-hand man said, sighing helplessly beside him, clearly used to the Admiral's impossible antics.
"Like you could have taken—" Kong stopped mid-sentence as a hand suddenly appeared on his body, lightly tugging at his cheek, pulling it with enough force to silence him.
"Anyways, I just came here as a favor to Coby and Helmeppo," Garp said with a relaxed smile, casually brushing the moment off. "You guys take your time and catch up. I'm heading back to my ship for now."
"Alright, goodbye?" Luffy said, grinning, clearly happy to see Garp finally leaving.
"Yeah, bye," Kong added with a light shrug.
The next instant, a massive fist slammed into both of them, dropping from above like a hammer. They crashed to the ground in unison, tears welling in their eyes as they cried out in pain.
"Is that all you're going to say after seeing your grandfather, whom you haven't seen in so long? At least act like you care!" Garp yelled, his voice booming with frustration.
"But we are happy you're leaving! All you ever do is yell and hit people!" both Luffy and Kong shouted back, their faces scrunched in irritation.
"I still want my grandsons to love me, you idiots! I'm not as heartless as both of you!" Garp roared, veins bulging on his forehead as his voice echoed across the yard.
With a cold snort, he turned and stormed off with Z, the two vanishing into the distance to discuss whatever old legends like them needed to catch up on.
Kong watched them go for a moment before sighing. He gave Luffy space to reconnect with his own crew and quietly made his way back to Franky, eager to get back to designing his dream ship.
It had taken a few hours—long enough for Garp and the others to be long gone—but just in time for the party at the pool to begin. A celebration had been thrown, loud and vibrant, echoing across the pool. Kong, of course, wasn't about to miss out on something so grand. What was life without a proper party?
More importantly, this was his first real celebration with his crew—his first moment of joy as their captain, surrounded by laughter, music, and family.
"Let's party like there's no tomorrow!" Kong roared, hoisting a meat drumstick large enough to feed a giant.
"Yeah!" everyone cheered in unison. No one paid much attention to the fact that Kong had just sent Luffy flying after he tried to sneak a bite of his drumstick. After all, there were more pressing matters at hand—like partying.
"We need some music! Leave it to me!" Kong laughed, raising his arms with excitement, already bursting with ideas.
"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho," Kong sang, and instantly everyone joined for this was a famous song which all knew… all but Beru and Enel who although didn't know the lyrics still tried to sing with everyone.
"Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.
O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.
Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.
Bid farewell to Weaver's Town, say so long to port renowned.
Sing a song, it won't be long before we're casting off.
Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,
Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends."
While everyone was busy singing and dancing, no one noticed that Kong was no longer leading the celebration. Instead, he stood quietly atop a high wall, his gaze fixed on Robin.
He wasn't watching her for fun—he was listening. Robin was speaking with one of the admirals. It surprised Kong to learn that the very person the Marines had hunted for years had once been saved by an admiral. Aokiji, of all people, had let Robin escape. Kong could sense the admiral's uncertainty… unsure if the choice he made back then was the right one.
"How is doing the right thing a questionable act?" Aokiji's head snapped upward, eyes narrowing in shock. He hadn't sensed Kong at all. Robin, equally stunned, turned her gaze to find Kong casually seated above them, legs dangling from the edge of the wall.
"The Celestial Dragons are not above the law," Kong said, his voice low but firm. "A coward sees what's wrong with this world and ignores the voice in their head—the one begging them to make a difference."
He paused, eyes sharp as steel. "You're weak." Aokiji's frown deepened, but he said nothing.
"For all of Dragon's strength, not even he has the power to change the world," Aokiji said calmly, his voice almost carried away by the wind. "You saw it yourself—that day, his strength wasn't enough."
"So what?" Kong scoffed, eyes gleaming with defiance. "Look at the New World. The shockwaves from my clash with Big Mom still ripple through it."
He leaned forward with a grin, sharp and proud. "I've only just started as a pirate… and I'm already stronger than you. It's only a matter of time before the World Government gets erased."
"That was you fighting Big Mom?" Aokiji asked, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Of course, I wanted—" Kong's words were abruptly cut off as a hand sprouted from his shoulder and clamped over his mouth. The sudden movement made Aokiji glance sharply toward the wall behind, where Robin now stood on the other side, arms crossed.
"I have no interest in trying to bring you in…" Aokiji said as he turned and began walking away, his tone cool and detached.
Robin exhaled softly, the tension slipping from her face as the hand covering Kong's mouth faded away without a trace.