The flowing light intersected, eventually converging into a fixed image.
A clear blue sky.
A crescent-shaped bay.
Tens of thousands of Marine soldiers, dressed in white uniforms, with solemn expressions.
And... a towering, cold execution platform.
Garp's pupils suddenly constricted to pinprick size.
He saw it clearly.
He clearly saw the figure on the execution platform, bound by Sea Stone chains, kneeling there.
Untamed black short hair, a face filled with unwillingness and anger, and a tattoo on his chest representing the glory of the Whitebeard Pirates.
It was Ace!
His gaze abruptly shifted downwards, seeing the three familiar figures standing side by side beneath the execution platform.
Sengoku, and Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino... Garp's mind went blank with a buzz.
This is!
This is the future!??
Two large characters, burning with different colored flames, appeared before Garp.
[Marine]
[Pirate]
One represented the cause he had dedicated his life to, the justice he upheld.
The other represented his blood-related family.
Garp froze completely, the blood in his body turning cold.
He finally understood the meaning of that fleeting, strange smile on that kid's face!
The cold, grand mechanical voice sounded again.
[Please choose your faction!]
Garp's breath hitched suddenly.
His gaze fell on the words [Marine].
That was the cause he had dedicated his life to.
It was the justice he had upheld with his iron fist.
In the image, beneath the execution platform, stood Sengoku, his lifelong friend, stood the three brats he watched grow up, stood ten thousand elite Marines with "Justice" etched on their backs.
That was his belonging.
His gaze then slowly, with immense difficulty, moved to the words [Pirate].
Then, his gaze passed through these words and landed on the execution platform.
It landed on his Grandson, kneeling there, full of unwillingness, yet still holding his head high.
That was his family.
His blood-related family, whom he failed to teach well, yet deeply loved.
On one side was justice.
On the other side was family.
Garp's massive body, for the first time, trembled uncontrollably.
His iron fists, which had crushed countless legends, were now clenched tightly, his knuckles pale from the effort.
How should he choose?
His entire life, he had fought for Marine justice.
But now, this damned justice was going to take the life of his family!
To hell with justice!
A crazy thought, without warning, emerged from the bottom of Garp's heart, startling even himself.
He was stunned.
Immediately after, he suddenly grinned, letting out a low, suppressed, yet somewhat relieved laugh.
"Heh... heh heh..."
That's right.
He had been a marine hero his entire life.
Bearing that title, he had lost too much and given up too much.
He couldn't be by Roger's side, watching his best friend walk towards death.
He couldn't be by his son's side, letting him embark on a path of enmity with the world.
Now, even his Grandson... Garp's eyes gradually became sharp, becoming wild.
"This is just an instance, right?"
He murmured to the void.
"Just an... experience, right?"
"Puhahaha!"
He suddenly looked up, letting out his characteristic wild laugh, only this time, the laughter was filled with indescribable complex emotions.
"I've been a Marine my whole life, occasionally... I want to be a scoundrel too!"
"Didn't that brat White Night say he'd let this old man experience something unforgettable?"
"Then..."
Garp's eyes were completely consumed by a look of resolute determination.
He extended his thick, calloused index finger.
Between the two options of [Marine] and [Pirate], there was not the slightest hesitation.
He heavily pressed on [Pirate]!
"Let this old man see!"
"What it's like to be a Pirate, after all!!!"
Buzz!
The moment he made his choice, all the surrounding scenes shattered instantly!
[Faction selected: Pirate]
[Mission objective: Successfully rescue 'Fire Fist' Ace]
[Teleportation, begin!]
Blinding white light once again engulfed him.
Endless clamor and shouts instantly filled his ears!
The darkness receded.
Clamor and the smell of blood instantly filled Garp's senses.
The roar of cannons, the clash of swords, the shouts and roars of tens of thousands of people, formed a violent symphony of war.
He was standing on the deck of an enormous ship.
The bow was shaped like a giant whale.
The Moby Dick.
He was surrounded by enemies he had pursued his entire life.
Pirates.
Everyone looked at him with an expression as if they had seen a ghost, weapons half-raised, their faces filled with shock, confusion, and undisguised hostility.
"Garp?!"
"Marine Hero Garp?!"
"How is he here?!"
Garp ignored the surrounding small fry.
His hawk-like keen eyes instantly locked onto the towering execution platform in the distance.
He saw his best friend Sengoku, solemn-faced, standing at the front of the platform.
He saw Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino, those three brats sitting there like three gods of destruction.
Then, he saw Ace.
His Grandson.
Bound by Sea Stone chains, kneeling there in humiliation.
Exactly as he had seen in the illusion just now.
Garp's heart was fiercely clutched.
Just then.
A voice, amplified by countless den den mushi, like a divine judgment, echoed throughout Marineford, overpowering all the noise on the battlefield.
It was Sengoku.
"Listen up! You wicked Pirates! And everyone around the world watching this broadcast!"
Sengoku's voice was cold, carrying an undeniable authority.
"The man being executed here today, his crimes are far more than just being the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division!"
He deliberately paused, allowing the suffocating tension to spread throughout the world.
"Portgas D. Ace! Your biological father is the source of all evil that started the Great Pirate Era..."
"The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!!!"
The world, at that moment, seemed to stand still.
Immediately, there was a more violent uproar and commotion, like a volcanic eruption!
On the execution platform, Ace, who had been bowing his head, suddenly looked up!
His face was purely, intensely, mixed with pain and offended fury!
He used all his strength to let out a sky-shattering roar, his voice hoarse, yet full of indomitable will!
"That's not right!!!"
"My old man..."
"Is only Whitebeard!!!"
This blood-curdling cry was a final declaration of his identity, a complete rejection of the bloodline forced upon him!
Garp heard it.
Every word, clearly drilled into his ears.
He just stood there, on the enemy's warship, surrounded by countless Pirates.
Ace was Roger's son; he had known that for a long time.
What stunned him was Ace's desperate cry.
His mind, which had just been a jumbled mess of anger, regret, and a strange sense of relief, suddenly became quiet.
He blinked.
And blinked again.
An extremely absurd thought, without warning, popped into his mind.
Wait a minute.
Ace just said... his old man is Whitebeard?
Edward Newgate?
Garp's brows furrowed tightly, entering a state of deep thought, oblivious to his surroundings.
The logic was simple.
Ace is this old man's Grandson.
Ace's old man is Whitebeard.
Then... Garp's eyes widened suddenly, a strange light flickering deep within his pupils.
The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Then wouldn't this old man be... Whitebeard's father?
Pfft.
An unsuppressed laugh escaped his lips.
The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates instantly tensed up, thinking he was about to make a move.
But Garp just stood there, his massive shoulders beginning to tremble violently.
"Puhahaha... Puhahahahahahaha!"