Chapter 52
“Come on girl, don’t be like that.” Wynn whistled lowly at the girl in front of him, she looks like a living clown do, dressed in a Cerulean colored leotard that had White ruffles at the hips, one her right leg red and white striped hip length sock, and in her right a pink and red thigh high sock, and on top of the socks she has yellow ankle socks in with yellow ruffles on the socks. In his right foot she has on a yellow platform heel and on her left foot. She has a blue platform heel. Her platform heels are 8 inches tall so taking her from probably 4 ‘11 to 5 ‘7. She has on short red puff sleeves that aren’t attached to anything, fingerless, red and black striped gloves that go all the way to the puff sleeves, a small ruff around her neck, with a yellow bow tied around the ruff and the yellow bow has a blue sapphire gem right in the middle. How long curly hair is held up into two pigtails by two yellow ribbons tied into bows. And of course, really really really really really cute clown make up.
And she was holding something that he raised his eyebrow at. It looked like a human mixed with a Mink, it? He was tiny, like she was holding him with one arm tiny, he had tan skin, grayish-white-light brown fur around his head and neck like a lion's mane, wolf ears, sharp teeth, and a shaggy little wolf tail. The creature's golden brown eyes looked at him with innocence and curiosity, wagging its tail. It was a peculiar sight, but Wynn had seen weirder things in his short time as a Marine.
“Hey, isn’t this one of the kids on the Roger pirate?” Howard asked tentatively, “didn’t our higher up say not to fuck the kids of the Roger Pirates?” He took a step back, his hand hovering over the handle of his sword.
“Come on, Howard,” Miller nudged him with his elbow. “I’m sure the king of the Pirates won’t miss a little thing like this for too long, we can have our fun and then she can go back to playing with the big boys.”
And that had the little Human? Mink? thing-boy demeanor instantly changing. He started growling snapping and barring his teeth at the marines.
James raised an eyebrow at the Human? Mink? thing-boy, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, well, looks like someone's found themselves a little protector," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The creature, named Mohji, only grew more agitated, his growls turning into fierce snarls.
“Why don’t you come with us for a little while, and we can show you a good time, Hmm?” Wynn leered at the clown-like girl, his intentions anything but innocent.
The girl, Buggy, watched the 4 Marines with an neutral express. They have been following her and Mhoji for the past hour, maybe an hour and a half and now they have cornered her up against some building. She eyes them, her gaze lingering on the little dog mask embroidered on the pockets of the uniforms, giving away that they were in fact Monkey D. Garp’s students. Buggy looked past them to see Garp standing at a food stamp across the street, reading a newspaper, and not paying attention to his student.
Buggy eyes snapped back to the 4 marines before ducking underneath their arm and scurrying away from them with surprising speed, especially since she was ince 8 inch platform heels, Mhoji still held tightly in her arms.
The 4 marines watched as the clown-girl and her little Mink companion dashed away with astonishing speed. "Hey, come back here!" Howard called out, drawing his sword and giving chase. The other three followed suit, their boots echoing on the cobblestone street.
Buggy ignored them, and ran right up to Garp, ducking underneath his arms, nearly smacking herself in the face with the newspaper he was reading and smashing herself into his side furthest away from the 4 rookie Marine's. Garp looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, "Buggy, what's the hurry?"
“Tell your dogs to leave me alone.” She grumbled, as Mhoji continued to growl, his fur standing on edge, as he looked at the marines from the safety of her arms. “They’re being inappropriate and nasty to me!”
Garp's expression grew stern as he looked up at the 4 marines approaching them. “What’s going on here, boys?” His question was firm, his tone leaving no room for misunderstanding. He folded the newspaper and placed it under his arm, his eyes never leaving the quartet.
Wynn took a step forward, his hand still on the hilt of his sword. “We just wanted to have a little chat with the young lady and her... pet,” he said, trying to play it cool.
“Bullshit! They were talking about… ‘having their fun with me’, and ‘that Roger won’t mind or care if I went missing’!” Buggy send, waving her hand at them with a look of pure discussed. “They following me around for the past hour and a half, making lewd and nasty comments to me any chance they got!”
Garp's face darkened, and his grip on the newspaper tightened. “Is that so?” He turned to face the marines, his stance firm and imposing. The four rookies slowed their approach, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere. “Wynn, Howard, Miller, James. You know better than to harass someone.”
“But she’s just a kid from Roger’s crew!” Miller protested, his voice strained with frustration. “It’s not like she’s important!”
“You dumb fucking piece of shit.” Garp said blunt, looking at him like he’s grown three head.
Wynn’s hand hovered over his sword. “What did you call us?”
“Well, you better drop that fucking hand before I decide to cut the fucking hand off.” Garp warned, a frown set on his face.
Wynn's hand froze mid-air, his eyes widening. The legendary Garp was known for his temper, and they had just poked the bear. The other three rookies exchanged nervous glances, realizing their mistake.
“Now I want you to listen to me and think about how fucking stupid you sound right now, okay?” Garp began, his hand falling to rest on Buggy’s shoulder. “You just said a member of the king of the Pirates crew wasn’t important? I want you to pause and think about that for a second, because apparently your brain cells are as plentiful as the stars on a foggy night. Now, tell me, do you really want to mess with someone who’s got the Pirate King’s eye on them?”
The rookie marines swallowed hard, the gravity of their mistake sinking in. They had heard the whispers, the stories of Roger’s untouchable crew, but they had never taken them seriously. They had assumed that a girl who looked like a doll dressed in clown attire couldn’t possibly be a threat.
“We didn’t know, sir,” Howard stuttered, his grip loosening on his sword. “We just thought she was a... a mascot or something!”
Garp scarfed, snapping his fingers and pointing towards a couple stools at the food stand. “Sit your asses down, we’re gonna have a major lesson about respect and manners once my order is ready, for now I want you to sit and be quiet!” He barked at them.
The four marines obeyed, sitting awkwardly on the stools while Garp turned glared at them for a second, before placing his to go order. Buggy looked over at them with an annoyed expression and dramatically gave them the middle finger them off with both hands, Mhoji still in her arms, his fur slowly laying back down as the tension seemed to dissipate.
She glared at them for a second longer before turning her attention to Garp, and holding up Mhoji like he was a cat of stuffed toy. “Garp, you haven’t Mhoji yet. Every single time the Roger Pirates have seen you lately you’ve always been fighting Daddy and Rayleigh, so, I think it’s about high time you met him. His my baby, Shanks is scared of him!”
Mhoji yipped and licked at Garp’s face, his eyes lighting up at the familiar scent. Garp couldn’t help but chuckle, taking the Mink from Buggy’s arms and holding him up to inspect him. “So this is the little rascal causing a ruckus on the ship?” He asked, poking Mhoji’s stomach gently, making him giggle. “You’re a tough one, aren’t ya?”
The rookie marines shifted uncomfortably on their stools, watching as the legendary hero of the marines interacted so casually with a member of the infamous Roger Pirates. They had heard stories, whispers of how Garp was on friendly terms with the Pirate King and his crew, but to see it firsthand was something entirely different. It was unnerving, to say the least.
Garp, noticing their discomfort, turned to face them again. "Now, let me tell you something," he began, his voice firm yet not unkind. "Buggy here is more than just a pretty face and a clown costume. She's a member of the Roger Pirates, and that makes her someone you don't want to mess with." He paused to let the words sink in before continuing, "And as for this little guy," he said, tickling Mhoji under the chin, making him squeal with delight, "he's not just a pet, he's a Mink. And let me tell you, Minks are not to be underestimated. They're fiercely loyal and can be incredibly powerful. Even if they’re quite… tiny."
Mhoji wagged his tail at the mention of his name and bared his teeth playfully at the rookies, as if understanding the gravity of the situation. The marines looked at each other, realizing they had stumbled into something much bigger than they had anticipated.
Garp huffed out a laugh, plopping Mhoji back into Buggy’s arms. “Now, go on Buggy and find your old man, before Roger and Rayleigh start to freak out and decide to destroy this whole town looking for their princess.” He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out but she did as she was told, running off back towards the docks.
The four marines watched her retreating form, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion. “What the hell is going on?” James whispered to the others, still unable to grasp the reality of the situation.
Garp’s eyes snapped to them. “What was that?” He asked, his voice low and menacing. “I told you to sit and be quiet, not whisper like a bunch of little schoolgirls!”
The rookies looked at each other, their hearts racing. They had never seen Garp like this before, and they weren’t sure if they wanted to. They had always known him as their laid-back, occasionally joking instructor, not this stern figure that could cut through steel with a glare.
"Yes, sir," Wynn spoke up, his voice meeker than it had been before. "We're sorry, sir."
Garp stared at them, letting out a long, exasperated sigh. “I get it, your rookies and you think you’re hot shit. But you can’t go around harassing whoever the hell you want all because you’re marines. And yes, i’m on good terms with both Roger Pirates and the whitebeard Pirates what are you gonna do tell the fleet admiral? Sengoku won’t do shit, he doesn’t care, and he’s not Balsey enough to tell the man who can destroy an entire island with one punch to his face that he’s not allowed to be friends with whoever he wants.” He leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest.
The marines remained silent, the weight of their idol's words sinking in. They had always heard of Garp’s friendship with the Yonko and pirate King, but to have it thrown in their face like this was humbling.
“Now, let me make this crystal clear to you all,” Garp continued, his gaze piercing through each one of them. “Buggy may look like a doll, but she’s got a mean streak that could cut through the strongest steel. And as for her daddy, Roger, and Rayleigh, they don’t take kindly to anyone messing with their family. So, unless you want to find yourselves at the bottom of the ocean with your ships in splinters, you keep your hands to yourselves and your mouths shut when it comes to her and any of the Roger Pirates.”
The rookies gulped, feeling the tension thicken around them like a fog. They had no idea the clown girl they had been eyeing was someone so important, so protected. Wynn shifted his weight, his hand sliding away from his sword. “We had no idea, sir. We didn’t mean any disrespect. We were just joking around.”
“Joking around?” Garp’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned in closer to the quartet. “Let me tell you something, you don’t joke around with the Pirate King’s family. Not if you want to keep your heads on your shoulders. Got it?”