Before anyone could utter a word, lightning struck.
A slash from Enma, held in both hands, was brought down upon Garp's head without a shred of hesitation. Garp, unhurried, crossed his arms and blocked it. A hard, clashing sound echoed, followed by the crackling of their Haki tearing through the atmosphere. As if in retaliation for being sent flying earlier, there was no hesitation in her every move.
Even Garp could not receive this undefended. He readied a fist to counterattack—.
'Stop, Komurasaki.'
From the still-connected Den Den Mushi, Kanata's voice came, halting her.
Komurasaki kept her eyes fixed on Garp, her words the only thing she moved.
"But, Mother!!"
'I said, stop. Do not make me say it twice.'
"—Kuh."
Without letting down her guard, Komurasaki took a slight step back. Garp frowned at the palpable hostility stabbing at his skin, but something else she had said caught his attention even more.
"Mother!? What, you have a child!?"
'I don't recall saying I didn't… but we are not related by blood. She is a child I took in and raised.'
"Ah… don't scare me like that. It's bad for the heart."
'It would be inconvenient for you if I had a child of my own blood, wouldn't it? I could still call you father-in-law, if you'd like.'
"I refuse!!" Garp shouted, a look of utter disgust on his face, to which Kanata let out a dry laugh.
For two people who were absolute enemies—a Marine and a pirate—their conversation was surprisingly casual. Even Kaie, who had known her the longest among those present, was a little wide-eyed at her familiarity with Garp.
As for Luffy, who now had a lump on his head from the heavy-handed fist, he was so surprised to see Garp here that he wasn't even listening to the conversation.
"More importantly, what are you doing here, Grandpa!!?"
"That's because I got word that you fled here after attacking Enies Lobby, of course."
"You came to capture me!?"
"No, my business with you is something else entirely… and besides, what's with that tone towards your grandpa!!"
"Gyaah!!"
THWACK!! A fist came down on his head, and Luffy's fighting spirit was easily crushed. Grabbed by the scruff of his neck, Luffy struggled feebly, but Garp lifted him up without a care.
"In the first place, Luffy, don't you have something you need to apologize to me for? I didn't raise you to become a pirate!!"
"I told you I wanted to be a pirate!!"
"The reason I threw you into the valley of a thousand depths, tied you to a balloon and sent you flying into the sky, and abandoned you in the jungle at night was all to make you a strong Marine!! And you let yourself be poisoned by the likes of Red-Hair…!!"
'You have no talent for raising children, you shouldn't be involved.'
"Shut up!! It's none of your business!!!"
Kanata could be heard shrugging through the Den Den Mushi at Garp's retort. Something else seemed to have caught her interest, as she then spoke to Komurasaki nearby.
'Komurasaki. How badly did you injure Garp?'
"Injure him? Three slashes, and a few burns from the lightning strikes… I'd say. He seems perfectly fine, so I can't help but feel it had no effect…"
'Three cuts and burns?'
At Komurasaki's words, Kanata's brow could be heard furrowing. Garp was still delivering his iron-fist punishment to Luffy, but blood was certainly dripping from the wounds he had received from Komurasaki. Kaie also testified that Komurasaki was not lying, which only deepened the wrinkle between Kanata's brows. To put it simply, the Garp that Kanata knew would not have been injured in such a minor skirmish.
'Have you grown old, Garp?'
"Hmph. Everyone gets old."
'The you of the past would not have been wounded in such a short time.'
"Don't be ridiculous. Even I can't face a lightning user and come out unscathed."
Garp snorted, a bitter look on his face as if recalling an unpleasant memory. Perhaps understanding, Kanata did not pursue the matter further.
It was only then that they noticed a commotion around the building, as Garp's subordinates finally seemed to have caught up. The craftsmen of the Galley-La Company were busy at their respective docks, but the guards at the gates seemed to have been subdued by the Marines, and armed soldiers were approaching in droves.
"Oh, that's right. Luffy, there are some people I want you to meet."
"People you want me to meet?"
"Yeah… Hmm? What's all the commotion?"
"The 'Pirate Hunter,' it seems. He must have noticed we were here and thought they had come to capture us."
"Bwahahahaha! Full of spirit, aren't they!! Alright, you two—try and stop them."
""Sir!""
A man with a kukri knife charged Zoro, while a man who used the Six Powers challenged Luffy. They each launched an attack, but even with their lingering injuries, the two Straw Hats were not about to lose to opponents of this level.
After they were swiftly knocked down, the two Marines introduced themselves.
Coby, Helmeppo.
They were friends Luffy and Zoro had met on the island where they had first encountered each other. Helmeppo was hardly a friend, but he stood there with a straight face. Luffy and Zoro's eyes widened in surprise. The reunion with Coby was lively, but it seemed they hardly remembered Helmeppo at all, only recalling him when he referred to himself as the "spoiled brat son."
"Couldn't even touch them! You've still got a long way to go, Coby, Helmeppo!"
"Yes, sir! I will continue to devote myself to my training!"
"Hmph! I'll be able to beat him next time!"
"It's good to have that kind of spirit. If Luffy had become a Marine, I could have trained him alongside you two."
"Are you still on about that, Grandpa? I'm going to be the Pirate King!!"
"Poisoned by Red-Hair…!!"
"Don't talk bad about Shanks!!"
"'Don't talk bad'! Is that any way to speak to your grandpa…!!"
"We're done with this bit!!" Usopp and Franky couldn't help but interject.
Having calmed down a bit, Garp lowered his raised fist, crossed his arms, and snorted.
"Honestly. Do you even know what kind of man that 'Red-Hair' is!?"
"What kind of man… I dunno."
"That man, among the countless pirates that exist today, is one of a handful… He reigns over the latter half of the Grand Line like an emperor. He is one of the pirates known to the world as the Four Emperors."
He was in a different league from ordinary pirates. He had numerous subordinate crews and was one of the Three Great Powers, alongside Marine Headquarters and the Royal Seven Warlords. In reality, the power of a single Emperor was equivalent to the other two Great Powers, so if two of them were to join forces, they would be nearly unstoppable. The only reason the power balance had been maintained even with two of the Four Emperors, the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, joining forces was due to the influence of a single Warlord.
"And that woman there is one of the Seven Warlords, on par with the Four Emperors. Though it pains me to say it."
'Ah, a pleasure. I am twice as strong as that old geezer over there.'
"You and your big mouth, you fool! In the first place, I haven't lost to you yet!!"
'You bark loudly for someone who was beaten so badly by Komurasaki. Why don't you train a little more?'
The Marines gasped as Kanata provoked Garp.
Without a doubt, the current Garp was one of the one or two strongest individuals in the Navy. The title of "Hero" was not for show, and his strength and achievements were far beyond the reach of others. Even a Marine Admiral would not have a high chance of victory against a serious Garp. To say "I am twice as strong" to such a person was not something one would normally say.
"Lady Kanata, you seem to get along well with Garp?"
'We've known each other for over thirty years. We've grown familiar.'
"If you hadn't joined the Warlords, we wouldn't have become so friendly."
'You're one to talk, you who became friendly with even Roger while trying to kill each other.'
"That was his fault."
'Hmph… and there was the matter with Dragon. We had plenty of opportunities to talk.'
"Ah… speaking of which, Luffy, I heard you met your old man?"
As if remembering something in the middle of his conversation with Kanata, Garp's gaze shifted from the Den Den Mushi to Luffy. The others wondered what part of the current conversation had triggered that memory, but Garp paid them no mind.
"My dad? I have a dad?"
"What, he didn't introduce himself…? He said he saw you off in Loguetown."
It was the name of the island they had visited just before entering the Grand Line. It was an island where Buggy and the Navy had caused a chaotic incident, but Luffy himself had no memory of meeting anyone like that.
Garp, without considering the other party's circumstances, spoke his name.
"Your father's name is Monkey D. Dragon. He's a revolutionary."
At that name, everyone was completely floored. For the only ones in this place who knew were Garp and Kanata.
…
'Was it alright for you to say that?'
"Was it a bad idea? Bwahahaha! Alright, forget what I just said."
"Eeeeeeh!!!?"
After a brief commotion, Garp's words reignited the uproar.
Kanata sounded exasperated, and her uncharacteristic calm made Caterina wonder.
"You knew?"
'As I said before, I know both Luffy's father and his grandfather.'
"I'm very curious to know how you all met~~!"
'I'll tell you someday. But Kaie should know about Dragon as well.'
"You do?"
"Yes. When I took refuge with Lady Kanata, Dragon-san was already there."
A long time ago—when the Twilight Pirates were still called the Witch's Crew. For certain reasons, Dragon had temporarily sailed as a pirate alongside Kanata, and had left the ship for personal reasons. After that, they had few opportunities to meet in person, but Kanata had contacted him from time to time. Kanata herself had not thought that the Marine Garp and the revolutionary Dragon were in contact. Dragon did not leak information unless it was necessary.
"D-Dragon was a former pirate!? Is that true, Vice Admiral Garp!?"
"Yeah. He was a pirate with Kanata for a short while."
Dragon was a former Marine and should have belonged to the Navy at one point, but the fact that a former Marine was now a revolutionary was a scandal of the highest order, so the information was likely being controlled. The fact that he had been a pirate was likely just buried in past information. Old wanted posters were generally discarded. He was about the same age as Sakazuki, so it was possible that Marines from that era knew, but… the death rate for Marines was quite high. There were not many who had lived to Garp's age and were still Marines. In this sea, if you weren't strong, you couldn't even survive.
"I don't know if they're still in touch, though."
'Well, who can say?'
"You vixen… ah, whatever. I'm heading back. You all fix this up."
"Ehh!? Then why did you break it!?"
"The aftershocks of battle. It couldn't be helped."
"Don't worry, we'll take care of this much."
"Oh, you will? Sorry about that, little lady."
"I'm not really a little lady anymore, you know…"
The building had a large, gaping hole, mainly due to the clash between the thrown Komurasaki and the thrower Garp, but for Caterina, it was within a range she could repair with a little time. More than that, her real intention was that she didn't want the Navy to linger here for too long. She wanted them to leave as soon as possible, so she offered to take on the repairs to get them to go.
Of course, Coby and Helmeppo still seemed to have things to talk about with Luffy, so they decided to talk outside the building.
'He was as boisterous as ever.'
"He really was… has he always been like that?"
'He was even more of a wild child in the past. His goal was to fight and capture Roger, and to that end, he thought nothing of wrecking a warship or two.'
"Aren't warships things you're not supposed to just abandon…?" Caterina let out an exasperated sigh at the thought of the old, edgy Garp.
Kanata, too, had been talking for a long time, but she said she had another job to attend to and quickly ended the call. Though it had only been a conversation, Franky and Caterina were quite mentally exhausted, but time waited for no one. This time, Franky would be drawing the blueprints. He had insisted on entrusting their dream to them, so Caterina had decided to leave it to him. Of course, Caterina herself was busy with observing the injured and other tasks. The self-proclaimed genius had a lot of work to do.
…
—New World, a certain sea.
If you value your life, do not approach.
If you bow your head in submission, you will be welcomed.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, the ship of one of the powers that could shake the world—the Whitebeard Pirates, led by the Emperor Edward Newgate—a single man had boarded. The flag he flew was that of Twilight, and normally, he would not have been able to board the ship of an enemy like Whitebeard… but this time, there were special circumstances.
"Zehahaha!! Nice to meet ya, Whitebeard!! The name's Teach—Marshall D. Teach!! Let's get along!!!"
Despite having boarded an enemy ship, Teach laughed heartily and showed no signs of tension. Even the captains, who were looking at him with hostility, were impressed by his composure.
"Another cheeky brat has shown up… what do you want, snot-nosed brat?"
Newgate, a sake gourd in hand, glared at the seated Teach. Teach was a large man, over three meters tall, but Newgate's frame easily exceeded five meters. Even seated, Teach had to look up at him. More than that, just being in his presence, the sense of pressure was on a completely different level. His skill, which had earned him the title of one of the emperors of the sea, was by no means for show.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Whitebeard."
"Hey, let me through… Teach! What are you doing here!?"
"Yo, Ace! It's been a while, zehahaha!!!"
Ace, who had appeared a moment later, saw Teach on board and his eyes widened. The two had met under certain circumstances in the past, and it seemed they had left enough of an impression on each other to remember their names. Both Ace and Teach would have long forgotten the other if their impression had been weak, but fortunately or unfortunately, that was not the case.
"What in the world are you here for…?"
"Don't ask what you already know, Ace. You gave my sister's letter to Whitebeard, didn't you? I just came to hear his answer."
"The letter…"
"You're the one asking what you already know, snot-nosed brat. To tell me to retire with a single letter, that little girl has gotten quite full of herself. Who does she think she is?"
"Zehahaha! My sister said it was a proposal made with your best interests in mind!"
It wasn't a question of whether they could win. It was a question of whether they could survive.
No matter what, if things continued as they were, the Whitebeard Pirates would fall. They were already struggling to obtain food and medical supplies in their own territory.
Without even needing to lift a finger, Kanata had given the Whitebeard Pirates only two choices: self-destruct while maintaining their discipline, or bend their discipline and live on in misery. The reason a third option had been presented was, without a doubt, due to Ace's existence.
"You get it, don't you? If this goes on, you'll all just self-destruct. What my sister wants is just Whitebeard's head… though it's not like she wants to kill you. She's saying that if you retire and go somewhere out of her sight, she'll let you be."
Newgate narrowed his eyes at Teach's words.
At the same time, a wave of killing intent and hostility was directed at Teach from all around. The commanders had all simultaneously marked Teach as an enemy. In the midst of a pressure that could have made one lose consciousness, Teach threw his head back and laughed.
"Zehahaha!! But well, my sister expected you to react this way. So, here's another proposal—she wants to settle it with you in a one-on-one duel."
A muscle in Newgate's brow twitched.
Without doing anything, the Whitebeard Pirates' territory would self-destruct, and all Kanata would have to do is take it over, crushing a major power without any effort. But instead, she was proposing to settle it with a duel.
That meant.
It could be taken as her wanting Newgate's head.
"What are me and that little girl going to decide with a duel? If she's challenging me, I'll accept, but that's not the attitude of a challenger."
"Hear me out to the end, Whitebeard—my sister said this. 'It's a duel with everything we both have on the line.'"
In other words, a duel with everything the Whitebeard Pirates had and everything the Twilight Pirates had at stake. The winner takes all. All that remains for the loser are words of farewell.
"If it's an all-or-nothing duel, there's an advantage for you if you win. You're not going to refuse a duel after she's made this much of a concession, are you?"
"Gurarara… are you looking down on me, snot-nosed brat? 'Everything' means what, you want me to bet the lives of my sons too?"
"Of course. If my sister wins, all your crewmates will be part of the Twilight Pirates, and if you win, all of us will be part of the Whitebeard Pirates. Oh, and you don't have to worry about the work. As long as you give your stamp of approval, we've arranged it so that we can handle everything else."
Between the Whitebeard Pirates, who were struggling to find their next meal, and the Twilight Pirates, who ran a massive shipping business with immense assets, there was, to put it bluntly, a difference in value. The advantage of winning was clearly greater for Newgate, which only showed Kanata's confidence in her own strength.
She had no intention of losing.
But even so, he couldn't grasp her intention to take in the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, who might not even listen to her. They weren't joining her willingly. As pirates, they might follow the word of the victor out of a sense of honor, but there would surely be those who would rebel.
The reason for going this far—and as he thought that, Newgate's gaze shifted to Ace.
"…Is your target Ace?"
"Who knows. But at the very least, if Ace hadn't pleaded, I think you'd all have been on a straight path to starvation."
Newgate did not know what kind of relationship existed between Ace and Kanata, or what kind of promise they had made. While it was Ace's fault that it had come to a duel, considering that without him, they wouldn't have even had this chance and the crew might have fallen apart, it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
And—if it were to come to an all-out war with the Twilight Pirates, many of his sons and daughters would die. Due to their shipping business, the number of their crew members would be considerable. Even if the majority were non-combatants, they would still outnumber the entire Whitebeard Pirates. Even if they were to plan an attack out of desperation from lack of food, they would have no chance of winning from the start against Twilight, who could be fully supplied.
"…Alright. I accept the duel."
"Pops!?"
The duel would place the entire burden on Newgate.
Marco and the other commanders argued that they couldn't accept it, but they were silenced with a single reprimand from Newgate.
Ace blamed himself, thinking this wasn't what he had intended, but Newgate forgave him for that as well.
"Don't be a fool, Ace. All you have to do is believe in me."
"Pops… but."
"No buts. I have to make that little girl understand who she picked a fight with."
The enemy was Whitebeard.
The legendary pirate who had once crossed swords with the Pirate King, Roger. Even in old age, his strength was exceptional, and any half-baked attempt to challenge him would inevitably end in defeat. There was no falsehood in his strength, and his confidence—had yet to fade.