134. Deception

Bang!

The recently closed tavern door swung open once more.

"Hey there, Makino! It's been a while."

Makino and Luffy simultaneously turned their heads, greeted by the sight of a cheerful young man. He stood with a sunny smile, his robust figure nearly filling the doorway. His physique remained unblemished, radiating a pristine and dazzling whiteness.

"Oi~ Those clothes you're wearing resemble Grandpa's."

As Makino was about to speak, Luffy beside her looked around with astonishment, shouting.

"This has to be the guy from a few years back. Were you entrusted by Vice Admiral Garp to take care of Luffy?" Makino had a faint recollection of Atlas, particularly the incident of intimidate the bandit group with just a gaze. 

"I was just passing through East Blue for a vacation, so I decided to drop by and visit Luffy and Ace," Atlas remarked. He gazed at the young Luffy, all the while contemplating in his mind, "But remember, my name is Canos Atlas, don't forget it."

At a glance, Atlas could tell that Makino must have forgotten his name. After all, Makino was just a little girl in her early teens back then, and now she had grown into a tall and graceful young woman.

"Hehe..."

Makino smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Luffy, isn't it? Your grandfather requested me to look after you. So, how about coming along? I'll introduce you to some new friends."

Atlas turned to Luffy and offered a smile.

"Did you come from outside? Can you share a story about pirates and their adventures?"

Luffy had no interest in tuning into Atlas's wavelength and decided to pose his own questions.

"Alright, first, tell me why you want to be a pirate?"

Atlas controlled the urge to reprimand the young kid before him and asked in a measured tone.

"I've heard everyone say that my grandpa is a Marine, and only pirates can stand up to him," Luffy exclaimed, clenching his fists with excitement. "My punches can be as powerful as bullets. When I grow up and become a pirate, I'll surely be able to knock my grandpa away!"

Talking about his dream, Luffy couldn't help but wave his fist in the air.

Atlas gazed at Luffy in speechless surprise.

'Does your grandfather know how filial you are? Luckily, you haven't encountered Shanks yet, and shouting about becoming the Pirate King.'

"Ah! By the way, Uncle, you're also a Marine, right?"

Luffy was a bit slow to catch on, seemingly realizing that Atlas in front of him was also a Marine.

"Uncle? What the heck..."

Atlas was slightly breathless.

'Calm! Calm down!'

'I'm going to fool this guy into joining the Marines, so don't get angry.'

'It would be strange not to be angry!'

Bang!

"What Uncle? I'm only 22 years old!"

Observing Luffy, who had a sizable bump on his head, Atlas felt as refreshed as drinking a can of iced Sprite on a hot summer day.

"Ah! It hurts a lot. You're definitely from the Marine like Grandpa," Luffy exclaimed.

Feeling the familiar pain, Luffy was now absolutely certain that the man in front of him was a Marine, just like his grandfather.

This couldn't help but make him yearn for becoming a pirate even more.

Sure enough, the dreams of young people are always so naive!

Observing the thoughts written on Luffy's face, Atlas decided to rectify his misconceptions.

'Pirates! You can't escape getting beaten by Garp!'

"Hey, Luffy, do you know who the most powerful pirate is?" Atlas asked Luffy in a mysterious tone.

"The Pirate King?" Luffy replied honestly.

Good point. Even someone as stubborn as Luffy acknowledges the reputation of the Pirate King. It seems Roger's influence is indeed significant.

"Yes, that's true. But Roger, the Pirate King, used to be chased away by your grandfather every day in the past, and he was often beaten. So, even if you become a pirate, you'll still end up getting punched by your grandfather."

"Is that true, Makino?" Luffy asked Makino with a hint of suspicion.

"Yes, Mr. Garp is known as the Marine Hero, and many pirates are afraid of him," Makino stated this harsh truth with a gentle expression.

As soon as Makino finished speaking, Luffy felt like the sky was about to fall, and he sensed that his life had lost its purpose.

"But, it's actually quite simple to make your grandpa not dare to beat you," Atlas paused deliberately.

"What can I do, Uncle? Can you tell me?"

Luffy looked eager, and his face brightened once again.

"It's very simple. Your grandfather is a Marine Vice Admiral. As long as you attain a higher rank than him and become a Marine Admiral or Marine Fleet Admiral, he won't dare to beat you. Maybe you can even give him a good beating as you please," Atlas explained.

Atlas automatically dismissed the term 'uncle' and winked at Luffy.

Although in theory, it's true that you could freely beat Garp, the biggest prerequisite is to first defeat the smelly old man, so it doesn't quite count as Atlas deceiving Luffy.

"Should I become a Marine? This is so frustrating!"

Luffy was a bit confused. In truth, he didn't know much about Marine or pirate life. He had only heard some adventure stories from others. Besides, Shanks hadn't shared his adventures with Luffy yet, so Luffy wasn't necessarily fixated on becoming a pirate.

"Do you like meat?"

Observing Luffy's hesitant expression, Atlas decided to make his final move.

"Meat? I love it, I love it!"

When he heard the word "meat," Luffy's eyes suddenly lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"The Marines have endless meat; you can eat as much as you want!"

At this moment, Atlas was like a devil tempting someone to open Pandora's box, and every word he spoke scratched the itch in Luffy's heart.

"I want to be the Marine Fleet Admiral! Meat, meat, I want endless meat!"

Luffy was so excited that he completely forgot about pirates. The prospect of eating meat without being beaten by his grandfather was making him happier than anything else at the moment.

"Pfft~"

Makino couldn't help but laugh when she witnessed this scene. She hadn't expected the Marine guy in front of her to be so adept at deceiving. He managed to divert Luffy's attention effortlessly, resolving even Mr. Garp's most pressing concern in just a couple of moves.

Atlas gazed at Luffy's excitement and felt a sense of pride in his heart.

Dealing with a kid like you is no walk in the park.

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