One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

The conversation between the three brothers carried clearly to Reiju, who sat not far away. The smile on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a flash of disappointment, pain, and resentment in her eyes. Her bitterness toward Judge intensified—it was his doing that had transformed Ichiji and the others into this state.

Luffy immediately noticed Reiju's emotional shift. Considering her circumstances, he realized she was truly a pitiable young woman. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father had been completely consumed by his ambitions. Of her four younger brothers, only Sanji retained his humanity—the others had become emotionless, cold-blooded machines.

To survive in such an environment, she'd been forced to smile along when Ichiji and the others tormented Sanji. Only after they departed would she dare secretly find Sanji to tend to his wounds and offer comfort.

Had she never met Luffy, her best possible future would have been as Judge's bargaining chip, married off to secure some political alliance. In the worst scenario, she would likely meet an unfortunate end on the battlefield.

These thoughts stirred compassion in Luffy's heart, and his gaze toward her softened considerably.

"Reiju."

"Hmm?"

Though deeply distressed, Reiju instinctively looked up at the sound of her name. Her eyes met Luffy's gentle, smiling gaze.

Before she could react, she felt her hand firmly clasped in his warm, strong grip.

Looking at the beautiful young woman's somewhat dazed expression, Luffy offered soft words of comfort. "I think what they said has some merit—why not come stay with me? Your brother who genuinely cares about you is already under my command. I'm certain he'd want to live with you as well."

As he spoke, Luffy guided Reiju's gaze toward Sanji's direction.

Reiju, contemplating what little remained of her familial bonds, turned her head to look at her brother.

What she saw left her speechless. Sanji had a plate clenched between his teeth, a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. He appeared completely unhinged—his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging prominently on his cheeks and neck. His gaze was fixed intently on Luffy and Reiju's clasped hands.

While grinding the knife and fork together, he muttered incoherently, his words laced with unmistakable hostility:

"You bastard... you absolute bastard... I won't allow this! I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Both Luffy and Reiju were stunned by this display.

The smile vanished instantly from Luffy's face while Reiju, after her initial shock, couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth in amusement.

Early the next morning following Luffy's visit, Judge announced the engagement between the eldest princess of the Germa Kingdom and the newly promoted Admiral Luffy with great fanfare.

The news sent shockwaves throughout the world. The kings of the North Sea's member states cursed loudly while secretly envying Judge's good fortune. Simultaneously, this development further reinforced the rumors about Luffy's apparent preference for princesses.

Across all four seas, the kings of the World Government's member nations quickly recognized the implications of this alliance. They mobilized their connections and resources, each attempting to establish contact with Luffy. Many hoped to marry their daughters to the young admiral in exchange for his support and protection.

Even Garp received a call from the elderly king of his homeland, the Goa Kingdom. During their conversation, the king repeatedly emphasized how Garp and Luffy shared East Blue heritage, and how fortunate the Goa Kingdom was to have the Monkey family as distinguished representatives in the Marines.

The king then proceeded to introduce his daughter, Princess Sally Nandkanet, in notably flattering terms. His transparent attempt to secure Luffy's allegiance through hometown connections and marriage was painfully obvious.

Unfortunately for the king, Garp had no interest in such political maneuverings. He offered a few vague pleasantries, made some noncommittal promises, and quickly ended the call.

To be honest, compared to his initial wish for Luffy to find multiple wives and provide him with numerous great-grandchildren, Garp now felt somewhat alarmed by the rapidly expanding number of women in Luffy's life. He genuinely feared that one day he would receive news that his grandson had been completely drained by his harem of beauties.

If that were to happen, the Monkey family's reputation would be irreparably tarnished!