The atmosphere grew heavier in an instant.
Everyone stared straight at Luoyu.
They all knew—if he couldn't give Whitebeard a convincing reason, he wasn't walking off this ship.
But no matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn't imagine a reason that would satisfy the world's strongest man.
Luoyu stopped, took a swig of his earthen-brewed liquor, and smiled.
"Honestly, I didn't want to get involved in this mess. But that old man Garp once did me a favor. I don't like being anyone's grandson, but to repay that tiny bit of kindness, I figured I'd make a quick trip."
"After all, Ace called that stubborn old man 'Gramps.' I just didn't want to see Garp torn between justice and family."
Garp? Gramps?
Shanks and Whitebeard's expressions shifted.
They knew the secret, of course.
But they hadn't expected Luoyu to say it out loud.
And if that really was his reason for coming, then all his reckless actions suddenly made sense.
Luoyu had anticipated this shift in mood.
Without this trump card, he wouldn't have had the confidence to leave before clock-out.
As for "being Garp's grandson"—well, Luoyu didn't care much for titles.
But if Garp called right now and offered him a 100 million Berry bonus?
He'd be his grandson ten times over.
In this world, no one laughs at the shameless—only at the broke.
Money doesn't stink.
And with that ten million bonus, Luoyu was confident he could break through to the next level.
Make that "Admiral" title shine a little brighter.
And maybe slack off with a bit more dignity.
At the very least, he couldn't fall too far behind Kizaru.
"Pops, we…" Diamond Jozu began.
Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki had already dissipated. Watching Luoyu's retreating figure, he snorted.
"Hmph. For Ace's sake, let the arrogant brat go."
"Brat, next time we meet, don't blame me if I don't hold back. Your flashy tricks might work on the average fighter, but against real power? You're still far off."
"Haki is the true path."
"Heh. Whitebeard, you can say that here, but if anyone overheard, they might think you and I have some kind of dirty little secret," Luoyu called over his shoulder, waving casually as he leapt onto the small boat Atmos had prepared.
Their earlier clash had been elaborate.
But it had taught Luoyu something important: the true weight of Haki.
In the original war at Marineford, Akainu's strength was nearly Yonko-level. Most Yonko commanders would struggle to go toe-to-toe with him.
But that was based on Devil Fruit mastery alone.
When you factored in all three types of Haki, Akainu's lack of Conqueror's Haki became a glaring weakness.
Especially Advanced Conqueror's Haki—an unavoidable hurdle.
Luffy only managed to defeat Kaido not just because of the Nika Fruit, but because Kaido himself had taught him, through battle, how to wield Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
That's what let him land the final blow.
Without it, Kaido's monstrous endurance would've made him nearly unbeatable.
Of course, that didn't mean Akainu was weak.
If he could push his Devil Fruit to the absolute limit, he might still go toe-to-toe with awakened Haki users.
And if one day Akainu told Luoyu he was secretly a Conqueror too?
Luoyu would believe it.
"Oh, right—Whitebeard," Luoyu suddenly turned back, grinning. "If you ever run into Garp… what do you think he'd call you?"
Marco and the others blinked, confused.
They knew Garp and Whitebeard weren't exactly enemies. In fact, they kind of liked the old man who once chased Roger across the seas.
But still—one was a Navy hero, the other a Yonko.
They weren't exactly on nickname terms.
"M-Marco… I think I just realized something terrifying," Jozu stammered, a ridiculous thought flashing through his diamond-hard head.
"If Pops ever meets Garp… wouldn't Garp call him 'son'?"
"Pops just got promoted to Garp's kid!"
"Called him 'son'?!"
Everyone froze.
Even Whitebeard was stunned.
But as Jozu's words sank in, the logic clicked into place.
Ace called Garp "Gramps."
Whitebeard was Ace's "Pops."
So if Pops met Gramps…
Wouldn't that make Whitebeard the son?
The entire deck fell into stunned silence.
No one had expected this madman of an Admiral to drop a truth bomb no one dared say aloud.
Whitebeard, the man who adopted sons across the seas…
Had just been adopted himself.
"You little brat! Get back here! I swear I won't kill you—just one hit!"
Whitebeard roared, gripping his naginata as his Conqueror's Haki exploded once more, shaking the heavens.
Everyone shivered.
Marco could only smile bitterly.
Only Luoyu would dare walk the razor's edge twice in one day.
He just had to poke the bear.
Whitebeard, the king of adopted sons, finally got adopted himself.
But when they turned to look again, Luoyu was already gone.
He'd vanished from the boat, using Moonwalk and Shave to leap across the sea toward the Marine warship a mile away.
In just a few seconds, he'd landed safely on deck.
Everyone stared, speechless.
Say the boldest words. Run the fastest.
But no one dared speak.
Not after Whitebeard had just been made a "son."
"Marco… I think I just remembered something else," Jozu said again.
Marco's heart skipped a beat. A terrible premonition dawned.
"Jozu, you diamond-brained oaf, you're not exactly known for your bright ideas. Maybe keep this one to yourself."
"No, no, Marco—I'm serious. We all call Pops 'Dad,' right? Just like Ace."
"So if we ever meet Garp… doesn't that make us all his grandkids?"