One Piece: Adopting Sakazuki and Taking Douglas Bullet as My Godson

Chapter 20: You Call This Pocket Money?!

"Hahaha! What are you two talking about over here, huh? C'mon, Dragon, tell your old man!"

As always, Garp was munching on senbei as he strolled over, crouching beside the two. Unless he was fighting, it seemed like he was always eating something.

They were sitting at the back of the battleship, in a quiet corner where only patrolling marines occasionally passed. Everyone else was gathered up on the main deck.

"Nothing much," Dragon replied casually. "Just chatting with Sakazuki. Reading a bit too."

Of course, Dragon wasn't about to spill what he was really thinking to Garp. His old man might act like a lovable goof, but with Aunt Tsuru and Sengoku around—two very sharp minds—there was no guarantee his thoughts wouldn't get passed on. If they found out he wanted to explore the outside world on his own, that plan would be delayed for years, if not crushed entirely.

Garp, seeing his son brush him off, immediately put on a pained expression. Huge cartoonish tears rolled down his face, his chin wrinkling into what looked like a spiderweb.

"My boy's all grown up now... He used to tell his old man everything. Now he's off thinking for himself... chomp chomp... boohoohoo!"

Dragon turned away, clearly embarrassed. Garp's habit of acting like a big baby wasn't new, but did he have to do it when he was trying to make friends?

Sakazuki, for his part, was stunned. Was this the legendary Vice Admiral Garp? He had seemed so serious when talking with Master Ross! It was like the illusion had shattered—but it didn't really matter. He refocused, tucking the books he'd been reading into a large custom-made pouch inside his red training coat.

Suddenly remembering something Ross had asked of him before departure, Sakazuki turned to Garp and asked:

"Vice Admiral Garp, when we reach Marineford, will we be immediately assigned to our posts? You know what I mean, right?"

"Huh?" Garp blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Sakazuki opened his mouth, hesitated, and gave Dragon a side glance—as if asking, Is your dad always like this?

Compared to Master Ross, Garp seemed almost irresponsible. Sakazuki struggled to find a polite way to put it, but in his mind, Garp just didn't seem reliable.

"Haha! Don't worry about it," Garp laughed, scratching his head. "If it's something Ross asked of you, I'll handle it. We're close friends, after all!"

He might've been older than Ross by a few years, but in his mind, Ross was already ranked just under Sengoku on his personal list of close allies.

Sakazuki sighed and dragged out a massive trunk that had been sitting beside him. At sixteen, he was already close to two meters tall—and the trunk was nearly as long as he was. Inside were his personal blade, Festa, and a stash of what Ross had jokingly called "pocket money."

"It's nothing complicated," Sakazuki explained. "Master Ross was worried about our safety and supplies. He asked me to distribute a monthly allowance to the others. The Navy's equipment is limited, after all—and sometimes, it's up to us to buy essentials for survival."

"He said… he hopes we'll all come back together next time," Sakazuki added, glancing up at the deck.

The orphans of the Nasdaq family were already mingling with the older marines onboard—37 in total. Whether they would all make it back alive was another matter entirely.

"They're all around 18, trained and capable," he continued, hefting the trunk. "If we're getting split up as soon as we land, I'd like to give them this month's money now. I just wanted to confirm with you first."

Garp rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Ah, I see…"

He knew better than anyone how tight the Navy's budget had become—especially with the Rocks Pirates growing stronger. Even high-ranking officers had seen their pay halved.

If not for Sengoku constantly pestering the higher-ups for military funds, they wouldn't even have enough to maintain a frontline defense in the New World. And to be honest, even that was already starting to fall apart.

Ross's method of personally funding his people? It was smart—and generous.

"Alright," Garp finally said. "Go ahead and hand it out on the ship. The assignments were actually decided two days ago. They've probably already figured out where everyone's going. After all, you're all top recruits!"

With that, he broke into loud laughter. His sudden mood swings left Sakazuki speechless.

Dragon, meanwhile, leaned in curiously. "Wait, you guys get pocket money as marines?"

He was floored. Not even he got anything like that from Garp! All his snacks and treats came out of his own salary—he was a Lieutenant at age 12, earning 30,000 Berries a month. Meals and housing were covered, but still…

"Sakazuki," he whispered eagerly, throwing an arm around his shoulder, "be straight with me—how much do you guys get?"

Even Garp leaned in, curious himself. He'd always dreamed of having pocket money as a kid, but his family hadn't been well-off until his generation. The best he could do now was spoil Dragon—and occasionally himself.

Sakazuki didn't hide anything. This was Garp, after all—Master Ross's friend. No reason to keep it secret.

He opened the trunk and said calmly:

"Ten billion Berries a year. Each of us gets 200,000 Berries a month for discretionary use. I get a bit more."

He said it casually, as though ten billion was no big deal.

But to Dragon and Garp, it was like lightning from a clear sky.

"TEN BILLION A YEAR?!"

The father-son duo's exaggerated faces spoke volumes as they shouted in unison—so loudly that everyone on the ship turned to look.

In the year 1483 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a fresh eggplant cost 20 Berries. By 1520, that price would rise to 100. That alone was enough to show just how outrageous this allowance truly was.