Chapter 109: Raijin is Too Crazy

garp wasn’t sure about others, but now his hands were starting to tremble.

In fact, his whole body was beginning to shake.

Originally, he thought bringing Raijin to Windmill Village was a good idea.

He even thought it might help steer his grandson away from the so-called dream of becoming the Pirate King.

Help Luffy and Ace find the right path in life.

But as soon as they arrived at Windmill Village, Raijin gave him quite a shock.

This guy didn't say a word and started tying people up right away.

And he did it right in front of garp.

How could this guy be so bold?

And Zephyr! What are you doing?

Where’s the justice you’re supposed to stand for as a Navy Admiral?

Are you just going to stay silent now?

You’re actually standing there, smiling, watching Raijin tie people up.

Did you turn into this kind of person after going to Dressrosa?

Are you still a Navy Admiral?

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you guys doing? What did you do to Makino?”

“Do you know whose hometown this is? This is the hometown of the Navy hero, garp!”

“If you dare cause trouble here, prepare to be dealt with by the Navy.”

At this moment, the door of the tavern was pushed open, and an old man with a cane rushed in.

Even though Raijin and Zephyr were towering figures, he didn't hesitate.

He thought there might be guests visiting Makino’s place.

But what he saw was Makino knocked out on the floor.

The sight shocked him beyond belief.

“Village Chief Slapp?”

When garp saw the old man, he subconsciously shouted.

He didn’t expect the village chief would see this.

This old man was the chief of Windmill Village, Woop Slapp.

Though old, he still held authority in the village.

“garp, you’re here too?”

“If you’re here, why are you just watching while Makino is…”

The village chief was stunned when he saw garp, not expecting him to be there.

He initially thought bandits had come to the village to take people!

But which bandit would dare do that in front of garp?

Unless these people were brought here by garp himself.

But…

The village chief suddenly felt his brain itching, like something was about to sprout.

“Ahem!”

Raijin cleared his throat.

Suddenly, the attention was drawn to him.

The village chief and garp both turned their gaze to Raijin.

“You must be the village chief of Windmill Village, right? We’re here to assist Vice Admiral garp.”

“Vice Admiral garp mentioned that his two grandsons are always making a fuss about becoming pirates, which gives him quite a headache.”

“We happened to hear that Dressrosa is planning to open a school to correct the so-called pirate mentality.”

“So, we came along to see if those two boys might qualify for admission.”

Raijin said with a big smile.

“Hey…”

garp’s eyes widened instantly.

What do you mean, ‘happened to hear’?

This guy is twisting the facts.

Besides, questioning whether my grandsons qualify?

On the seas, they’re considered top contenders!

How can you be so picky?

But before garp could speak, Zephyr shot him a sharp glance.

That look made garp freeze for a moment!

garp took a deep breath. Zephyr had completely severed ties with the Navy.

Now, he’s fully aligned with Dressrosa.

And now!

Zephyr was more interested in seeing what Raijin planned to do.

What exactly is this guy up to?

“Lord Raijin, should we…”

Shiranui Gengen quietly approached Raijin, signaling towards the village chief.

This Windmill Village chief seems quite crucial.

If they tied him up, they could threaten the whole village.

“No need!”

Raijin shook his head. What’s the point of this old man?

He doesn’t need to waste effort on someone with one foot in the grave.

He’s not running a senior citizens’ card room here.

There’s no need.

“But… why did you attack Makino?”

The village chief paused, frowning deeply.

He felt these people in front of him were up to no good.

But they were brought here by garp, so he instinctively wanted to believe them.

“Miss Makino didn’t want Luffy and Ace to leave, but she couldn’t bear to leave the village either.”

“I saw that Miss Makino shouldn’t be confined to this small village, so I planned to take her with us to work at the school as a teacher.”

“Of course, she could also take care of Luffy and Ace there!”

Raijin said with a smile.

“The village would indeed lose some vitality if Luffy and Ace leave.”

“After all, there aren’t many young people in the village anymore. Sigh, taking Makino away too? That might be for the best.”

These words made the village chief sigh.

He knew the village was too small.

Though garp provided protection, and it was more peaceful than other places outside.

But the village was aging rapidly.

And hardly anyone was moving to Windmill Village anymore.

Leaving might be a good thing.

Besides, Makino had grown up under his watch.

And Luffy and Ace too.

He didn’t want to see them wither away in this small village.

Spending their lives with a bunch of old folks.

“But!”

Raijin raised his voice when he saw the village chief start to relent.

“After arriving in Windmill Village, I noticed that many of the children here lack a certain light of intelligence in their eyes.”

“Some of them can’t even recognize all the characters in their own names, which makes me worry about the future of Vice Admiral garp’s hometown.”

“Some of these children might not achieve much in the future, but I fear their lack of direction could lead them to become pirates.”

Raijin looked outside, where some kids were running by with windmills in their hands.

These kids, though innocent now, might not be able to leave this village in the future.

Some might not have the skills, and for the sake of money, they could end up becoming pirates.

This village likely has more than just Luffy who dreamed of going to sea.

There must be others who became pirates.

But they didn’t make a name for themselves.

Some might have disappeared into the ocean, dying who knows where.

“garp, is this really how you view our Windmill Village?”

---

"In our Windmill Village, only Luffy and Ace have been shouting about becoming pirates."

"No one else even thinks about becoming a pirate, and I won't allow them to become so-called pirates either."

"Garp, just how little trust do you have in us?"

Hearing this, the village chief's face immediately showed anger as he looked at Garp.

He understood half of what Raijin said.

But he picked up on the key points.

Does he really think that the kids in our village might become pirates?

Raijin is here with Garp, so clearly, they don’t trust us.

This made the village chief feel ashamed.

He’s been leading Windmill Village for so long.

The only ones who ever wanted to become pirates were Garp’s family.

No one else even dared to entertain the idea.

They were too scared of getting a cane to the back.

“I didn’t mean that.”

Garp looked confused.

"Maybe no one has that thought now, but to prevent it from happening, Chief! Why not let us take care of the children and young people in the village?"

“Our academy just happens to be in need of a batch of students. With our proper training, they could definitely become Marines or even merchants on the sea.”

“In the future, they could give back to the village, maybe even help build a school here so that all the children can learn to read.”

Raijin didn’t care about Garp’s reaction and directly approached the village chief with a serious proposal.

Why just take Luffy and Ace? There’s so much untapped talent out at sea.

At the very least, Windmill Village could provide some manpower and future talent.

The biggest issue in Dressrosa right now is that the foundation is too weak.

There’s no comparison to the established powers on the sea.

Take Big Mom’s pirate crew, for example. Managing an entire sea area is a breeze for them.

But now, even adding one more island could seriously split Raijin’s attention.

So he planned to bring the entire Windmill Village under his wing.

And not just Windmill Village.

"Really?"

The village chief looked excitedly at Raijin.

He’s been worrying about these issues in the village for a long time.

But in this world, most children grow up wild.

There’s no systematic education.

And even if there is, it’s a privilege reserved for nobles.

No way would the nobles let commoners share that with them.

This kind of monopoly is very common.

People like them don’t get to enjoy those privileges.

He never thought Raijin would actually be willing to take them in.

If that’s the case, then the children in Windmill Village would have a bright future.

"Of course it’s true. Do you know who this man is?"

“This is Admiral Zephyr, a veteran Marine Admiral who trained three Marine Admirals and countless Vice Admirals!”

“He personally trained many of the Marine’s core forces, and now he’s going to be the headmaster of our academy.”

“With his guidance, it’s not impossible that Windmill Village could produce a few more Vice Admirals like Garp.”

Raijin introduced Zephyr to the chief.

Zephyr didn’t object; he took off his glasses to show his face.

He suddenly felt that Raijin might actually be able to build something that rivals the Marines.

After all, this guy is really strong!

“Admiral Zephyr, I know you. You were once Garp’s comrade.”

"Back then, you, Garp, and Sengoku were called the Navy's Iron Triangle."

“Even the Pirate King would run away when he saw the three of you.”

“If you’re going to be these children’s teacher, then I’m relieved.”

The village chief’s eyes lit up. He carefully looked at Zephyr, and it was just like he remembered.

Back in the day, Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku were the most prominent figures in the Marines.

Zephyr had some issues later on, and recently there were rumors about his retirement.

But he never expected that Zephyr would end up working at a school, and even become a teacher to their kids.

The chief didn’t worry about being deceived by this young man. After all, what would be the point?

Besides, Garp is right here. This guy can’t be pretending to be an Admiral, right?

He believed that Garp would always stand by their side.

"In that case, Chief, why don’t you gather all the young people in the village who are under 25?"

“If your village needs labor, Dressrosa will provide some resources each year to support you.”

Raijin smiled at the chief.

“There’s no need for any support. We’re not so weak that we can’t move.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go gather the young people!”

The chief quickly waved off Raijin’s offer.

Although they don’t have much money, they aren’t so desperate that they need his support.

If Raijin takes the young people under 25, they’ll still have some others to keep things going.

“Good! We’ll go check on Luffy and Ace at the back of the mountain.”

Raijin watched the chief leave and felt a sense of relief.

Vice Admiral Garp really is a good person.

Relying on powerful allies definitely has its benefits.

Like now, using Garp and Zephyr’s names.

The villagers didn’t even question it and handed their people over.

Raijin didn’t have to lift a finger.

On the way to the back of the mountain, Garp fell silent.

A range of emotions—hesitation, frustration, anger, disappointment—flashed across his face.

But in the end, he sighed helplessly, his usual carefree demeanor gone.

No matter how carefree he was, he couldn’t ignore his hometown.

Hearing Raijin use his name, he was instantly furious.

But!

After hearing Raijin’s conditions, he started to think.

It seemed like Raijin was doing a good deed.

“Raijin, are you sure Garp will be okay with this?”

Zephyr moved closer to Raijin, glancing at Garp, whose expression kept changing.

In all his years in the Marines, Zephyr had never seen someone’s face show so many emotions in such a short time.

He started to wonder if Raijin had broken Garp somehow.

“Zephyr! You have to remember that we’re helping Windmill Village. Windmill Village is just a small village under the Goa Kingdom.”

“If it weren’t for Garp protecting them, they would’ve become a playground for pirates long ago.”

“But they can’t rely on Garp forever, and the village chief has already thought that through.”

“That’s why he agreed to my proposal so quickly.”

“So, Zephyr, relax. We’re helping Windmill Village.”

Raijin patted Zephyr on the arm, reassuring the old man.

Instead of worrying about that, it’s better to think about how the academy will operate.

That’s what really matters.

He knew this time they wouldn’t be taking just seven or eight people back.

“You definitely didn’t think like this before.”

Zephyr’s mouth twitched.

He was sure.

Raijin had either planned to steal people or just kidnap them.

There’s no way he would’ve said something so righteous.

He must’ve come up with this on the spot.

“Ha, instead of worrying about what I was thinking, why don’t you figure out how to build the school’s framework?”

“If you’re the only teacher, you won’t be able to handle it. You should think about recruiting more teachers.”

Raijin glanced at Zephyr, smiling.

“Even with your little ninja brats, there are only a few dozen people. Can’t an old man like me handle it?”

Zephyr frowned but then thought of something terrifying.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Raijin.

Seeing Raijin smile at him, a wild idea popped into his head.

Could this guy be planning to drain the entire East Blue of people?

“…”

Zephyr stopped in his tracks, falling behind the group.

His face was still frozen in disbelief.

No matter how he looked at it, Raijin was incredibly bold.

“Raijin, you can take the people from Windmill Village, but I hope you’ll treat them well when you get to Dressrosa.”

“If they don’t have the ability, don’t send them to their deaths.”

Garp turned around at this moment, looking seriously at Raijin.

He had pretended not to hear Raijin and Zephyr’s conversation earlier.

He wasn’t planning to interfere with whatever Raijin and Zephyr were plotting.

As long as the East Blue remains peaceful, that’s enough.

The East Blue has been peaceful for ten years, and he doesn’t want that peace disturbed.

Garp couldn’t worry about much else now, but these kids were from Windmill Village.

They were from his hometown, and since Raijin was using their names, he couldn’t let the village receive nothing but bad news.

If that really happened...

“Of course, I’ll treat them like my own family.”

Raijin nodded seriously at Garp.

(End of Chapter)