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On the azure ocean, a massive Marine warship—distinguished by a figurehead shaped like a giant dog—sliced through the waves. Inside the ship's mess hall, a small, black-haired figure was currently the center of all attention.
"Sugoi! This is so delicious!" Goku cheered.
He sat at a massive round table, his hands moving so quickly they left afterimages in the air. He was a whirlwind of motion, continuously stuffing dishes into his mouth. The food on the table disappeared at a visible rate, replaced by a stack of empty plates that piled higher and higher toward the ceiling.
"Excuse me! Another bowl, please!"
The moment his rice bowl was empty, Goku raised a small hand. A nearby server, looking dazed, quickly took the bowl, refilled it to the brim, and handed it back. The server couldn't help but mutter to himself, "How many bowls has it been? Is this little guy's stomach a bottomless pit?"
He wasn't the only one wondering. The Marine soldiers who should have been eating were instead staring wide-eyed, their own forks and spoons frozen halfway to their mouths. They were so astonished by the boy's appetite that they completely forgot their own hunger. Good heavens! they thought. Is this kid even human?
"Hahahahaha! That's how you should eat!" Vice Admiral Garp roared, showing no surprise at all. In fact, he found the boy more pleasing to the eye by the second. "Eat more! Only then can your body grow stronger!"
In Garp's world, a massive appetite was a sign of incredible physical potential. To him, the ability to digest quantities of food that would burst an ordinary man was the hallmark of a future powerhouse. However, as he watched Goku eat, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.
Earlier, after inviting the boy aboard, Garp had learned that Goku was searching for his family. Witnessing the boy's extraordinary strength and his righteous heart on the island, Garp had decided then and there that he wanted Goku in the Navy. He had even ordered his subordinates to scour the island for the boy's relatives.
To his surprise, they had found no one. Even Goku, after searching the island himself, had returned with a bewildered expression. "Grandpa Garp, this isn't the island I lived on before," he had said. Neither the trees nor the people were familiar. This meant it wasn't Krillin and Master Roshi who had disappeared—Goku himself had somehow been transported to a completely different place.
Garp had used this to his advantage. He told Goku that if he wanted to find his family, no organization in the world was better at searching than the Marines. Goku had been hesitant until his stomach growled. Garp had laughed and promised him he could eat as much as he wanted if he came along, which led to the spectacle in the mess hall.
Could it be that he was abandoned? Garp wondered privately. A child with an appetite that could bankrupt a village might be too much for ordinary parents to handle. Garp didn't intend to share this suspicion; he didn't want to cause the boy distress. Instead, he planned to train him. If they found the family later, he could tell them the boy was a Marine hero, well-fed and respected.
"Hahahahaha! I am truly brilliant!" Garp burst into laughter, startling the soldiers.
"What is the Vice Admiral laughing about now?" one soldier whispered.
"Who knows? He's always like that," another replied. "He once fell asleep right in the middle of a meal. His head hit the bowl and he just kept snoring."
Goku stopped eating for a moment and looked up curiously. "Grandpa Garp, what are you laughing about?"
"Oh, that—" Garp began to answer, but his head suddenly drooped. A large sleep bubble emerged from his nose. "Hoo—hoo—"
Goku blinked, bewildered. The new recruits who had just heard the stories gaped in shock. "No way! He really fell asleep! His head is going to fall into his bowl!"
While the mess hall was in an uproar, Major Bogard stood by an office window, watching Goku through the glass as the boy eventually wandered out onto the deck to digest his massive meal.
"Vice Admiral Garp wants to recruit a twelve-year-old? And says he's strong?" Bogard muttered, his expression cold. "I'd like to see that for myself."
"Hey, Bogard, you shouldn't—" Major Lanza tried to intervene, but Bogard had already leaped out the window. Lanza sighed and covered his forehead.
Lanza was the young Marine who had tried to save the day on the island, only to be outshined by Goku. He had been mercilessly ridiculed by Garp for needing a child to finish his fight. He knew exactly how much power was packed into Goku's small frame, but he also knew Bogard was a genius of the new generation—eight years younger than Lanza but already the same rank.
On the deck, Bogard landed gracefully in front of Goku. "Hey, little guy. I heard you're joining the Marines?"
Goku, who was considering a nap, blinked up at him. "Grandpa Garp mentioned it, but I haven't decided yet. I want to find my friends first."
"Haven't decided? Good," Bogard said indifferently. "The Marines are for the elite, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry. I don't know how you impressed the Vice Admiral, but how about a demonstration?"
At seventeen, Bogard was full of competitive fire. He had been the "genius" of the Navy since he joined at fourteen. He refused to believe a child even younger than he had been could possess more talent.
"Demonstration? Of what?" Goku asked naively.
"Just fight me. Let me see your strength!"
"Like that?" Goku revealed an innocent smile. "Then you have to be careful. I've become very strong now."
Bogard's eye twitched at the boy's "politeness." "Stop talking nonsense. Just come at me!"
By now, word had spread. Marines crowded the windows of the mess hall, cheering and pointing. "Major Bogard is going to fight the kid! Check it out!"
Inside, Garp woke up with a start, rice grains still stuck to his cheek. "Darn it! Did I fall asleep again?" He looked out the window and grinned. "Bogard vs. the little guy? This should be a good show." He pulled out a bag of Senbei crackers and started munching.
On the deck, Bogard held one hand behind his back and beckoned with the other. "I won't bully the young. I'll only use one hand. You can have the first move."
Goku set his Power Pole aside in a corner and turned back. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be good if I hurt you."
Bogard patted his chest confidently. "Who are you looking down on? I'm a genius! Even if I stood still and let you hit me, you couldn't leave a scratch!"
"Huh? Are you that amazing?" Goku asked, genuinely impressed. "Then I'm relieved!"
Goku performed a respectful martial arts bow, then clenched his fists. He began to gather his Ki, his muscles tensing. The next second, he vanished.
He shot toward Bogard like an arrow from a bow.
"What?!" Bogard's pupils constricted. A mental "DANGER" sign flared in his mind. He instinctively tried to bring his hand around to block, but he had been too relaxed.
Before his arm could even move, Goku's fist slammed into his abdomen. The force was so immense it bent Bogard into an inverted U-shape. The major was sent flying backward, slamming into the ship's reinforced iron cabin with a thunderous BANG, leaving him embedded in the metal plate in a crumpled 'A' pose.
In an instant, the entire ship fell silent.