"So that means…"
"In the future, before this war even happens, the traitor has already been dragged out into the open?"
Across from him, Akainu frowned.
Beneath the brim of his cap, his face was visibly stern and uncompromising.
Clearly, he was extremely dissatisfied with Garp being exposed like this.
After all—
The title "Hero of the Marines" was not something people threw around lightly.
Ever since back then…
At that place called God Valley…
Garp and Roger joined forces and defeated Rocks, the infamous pirate captain.
And from that point on—because of Imu's personal will—
Even though Garp himself did not want it,
he ended up being saddled with the title "Hero of the Marines" for no good reason.
From then on, labels like "Hero of the Marines," "the highest combat power," and so on…
became bound to Garp, and little by little turned into something the world universally acknowledged.
And as time passed…
Over the next twenty-plus years,
Garp's prestige within the Marines, as well as his status, climbed steadily to the very peak. He was worshipped by countless Marine soldiers—
becoming the strongest figure they admired and idolized!!!
Precisely because of that,
the moment Garp's name appeared on the screen,
Akainu immediately realized how serious this could become.
If, in the plot that was about to be exposed next, Garp were to openly and directly betray the Marines for Luffy—
if he did anything at all that put him on the opposite side of the Marines…
then it would be an absolute disaster.
It would be no less than a catastrophe—sure to severely shake morale inside the Marines and bring a vicious, far-reaching backlash!!!
As for Aokiji…
he remained silent from beginning to end.
His expression was also slightly surprised.
But considering the blood ties and bond he already had with Garp—
and the fact that Garp and Luffy truly were related by blood, grandfather and grandson—
Aokiji did not state a position at this moment. He didn't take sides.
And everyone else…
whether it was Kizaru…
or Onigumo, Yamakaji, and a large group of elite Headquarters vice admirals—
their reactions were almost the same as Aokiji's: silent, neutral.
Because right now,
it was only the subtitles appearing.
The content of the fourth round of the "Background King" ranking still hadn't officially begun airing.
No one knew the specifics yet, so it wasn't easy to judge immediately.
And so,
after a brief discussion,
the atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office quickly returned to calm.
All the Marine top brass refocused their gaze on the glowing screen,
waiting for what would play next.
—
At the same time…
over on the Straw Hat Pirates' side—
in the real world, Luffy himself and his companions
were also clearly affected by the revealed subtitle.
They were surprised, but they couldn't help feeling excited and full of anticipation as well!!!
"Heh…"
"Luffy, your real grandpa is stepping in! The sheer weight behind the 'Hero of the Marines' title doesn't even need explaining!"
"Next thing you know, you'll break through the battlefield step by step, all the way until you finally charge up to the execution platform!"
"What if, in the end, because your grandpa Garp holds back… you actually manage to save 'Fire Fist'?"
On the deck,
Usopp grinned and analyzed excitedly.
At the same time,
his eyes were filled with envy.
He acknowledged Luffy's "Background King" status—
and at the same time he desperately wanted that kind of lucky identity and king-tier title for himself.
Was it possible that,
in the later rankings,
he might get a chance too?
To earn a glorious spot on the list—
and have a ton of screentime in the ranking plot!!!
Behind him,
Nami, Robin, and Chopper
were also happy for Luffy, breathing a sigh of relief as they congratulated him:
"Usopp's right! With a grandfather that strong protecting you…"
"Then next, Luffy, your safety should be guaranteed, right?"
Earlier,
before this round's subtitle appeared,
Chopper and the others had been extremely worried.
As Luffy drew closer and closer to the execution platform, the danger level would naturally skyrocket!
What if,
the next enemy he faced
was one of the three Marine Admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji…
any one of them?
Then wouldn't Luffy's life be snuffed out in seconds?
But now,
with the subtitle revealed,
all those worries were instantly washed away the moment Garp entered the picture.
Because no matter what—
as a grandfather,
with Garp's power and status…
could he really stand by and watch his own grandson Luffy die right in front of him?
As for Luffy himself—
after hearing his companions' congratulations,
with his usual optimism
and his positive attitude toward anything that happened,
he bared his teeth in a grin, clenched his fist, and said excitedly:
"Hehehe… that crappy old man of a grandpa! I knew it—there's no way he'd just sit back and do nothing!"
"It's just… I don't know if, when Ace gets escorted up to the execution platform, Grandpa would really be able to stand it and not act…"
"Would he just watch Ace—his grandson too—get executed on the spot?"
Compared to the others,
Luffy's thinking was even bolder.
He was outright imagining that Garp, the Hero of the Marines, would flip sides on the spot—take action, kill the executioners!
Of course,
it was obviously wishful thinking.
Even if Garp truly wanted to do that, because of who he was—
and because of decades spent fighting and rising through the Marines—
it would be absolutely impossible
for him to do something that outrageous, something that could only be called "betrayal,"
in a scene of that importance.
—
And at this moment…
on the transparent screen—
as the subtitles slowly faded away,
the fourth round of the "Background King" ranking officially began airing—
but the timeline
did not directly continue from the live scene of the Marineford War.
Instead, it jumped massively—
rewinding more than ten years in one leap!
It started from seventeen years ago, centering on Garp's past!!!
At this time,
about seventeen years in the past—
ever since Dragon, who had awakened to his own beliefs and—during the God Valley incident—made a fatal mistake while trying to save someone,
openly quit the Marines,
and founded the organization known as the Revolutionary Army,
then launched large-scale operations across the pirate world…
after many years, Dragon appeared before Garp once again!
But this time,
in his arms,
he was holding a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth.
Naturally—
it was Luffy as an infant!!!
"Huh?"
In the scene,
Garp's shocked voice rang out.
Suddenly seeing a grandson out of nowhere like this—
Garp obviously hadn't prepared himself mentally. He found it completely unexpected!
"Yes. That's right."
Facing the camera,
Dragon's gaze was firm. He looked at Garp and nodded as he confessed plainly:
"This baby is your biological grandson. And… I named him Luffy!!!"
That single, simple line
proved to the audience all over again
just how terrifyingly powerful Luffy's background really was.
His father—
Dragon of the Revolutionary Army!
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, and its founder!!!
And his grandfather—
the Hero of the Marines,
the strongest combat power of the Marines over the past thirty years—bar none!!!
Honestly,
even if Kuma and the Okama King hadn't appeared at all,
just those two alone—father and grandfather—
were already more than enough to hammer Luffy into place as the one true,
"Background King"—a king-tier title!!!
(End of Chapter)
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