Ain looked a little conflicted and tried to stop him kindly.
"Please don't hit him anymore, Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Yeah! You won't beat him to death like this!"
Ain: ???
Are you sure that wasn't adding fuel to the fire?
The answer was obviously no.
Hearing Karl's remark, Garp shot him an annoyed glare, then turned back toward his grandson, who was now black-and-blue.
With a cold snort, Garp said,
"You have a perfectly good Marine path ahead of you, yet you insist on becoming some Pirate King. Are you trying to piss your grandpa to death?"
Luffy, his head covered in swollen bumps, still refused to back down.
"I don't care! I'm going to become Pirate King and fulfill my promise to Shanks!"
"Tsk tsk tsk~ Vice Admiral Garp, your grandson is really—"
Garp let out a long sigh and said helplessly to Karl,
"Who knows what kind of brainwashing potion Shanks fed this brat… I can't control him anymore. Why don't you give it a try?"
"…Is that appropriate?"
Garp slapped Karl hard on the shoulder.
"Stop whining. You're full of bad ideas anyway. Just think of something to make him stop obsessing over becoming a pirate!"
Hiss—
Karl sucked in a sharp breath.
This old man was serious?!
"Ain, you do it. Seven years."
Ain nodded helplessly and walked over to Luffy.
Before she could even speak, Luffy yelled loudly,
"What do you want, aunty?!"
Aunty?!
I'm only 20! I'm not even 21 yet!
You little brat actually dared to call me aunty?!
"Hehehe~"
Bonk—
Ain lightly tapped Luffy on the head.
His body immediately began to shrink, rapidly getting smaller and smaller, until he turned into a chubby little kid who looked about three years old. Plump cheeks, short limbs—surprisingly cute.
After venting her anger, Ain slowly walked back to Karl without saying a word, surrounded by an ominous low-pressure aura.
"I… you… what did you do to me?" Luffy asked in a babyish voice.
Garp's eyes lit up instantly.
His adorable grandson was back!
"Vice Admiral Garp, look—wasn't he insisting on going out to sea to become a pirate? Then we just won't let him go out," Karl said calmly.
"With his current appearance, even if he sneaks out, nobody would take him seriously."
Luffy's expression collapsed.
Staring at his tiny hands and legs, despair flooded his heart.
He was supposed to be seventeen in seven years…
Now he looked exactly like he did at three.
When would he ever be able to go to sea?
Off to the side, Ace swallowed nervously and instinctively put some distance between himself and Ain.
He could go to sea in three years—he definitely didn't want to end up like Luffy.
"Hahahahaha! Brilliant idea!"
Garp scooped Luffy up and rubbed his head affectionately, looking every bit the happy grandfather.
"Cough," Ain said. "Vice Admiral Garp, just a reminder—this state won't last very long."
Her ability worked similarly to Sugar's. It could be released actively or passively.
If Ain fainted or fell into the sea, the effect would immediately be undone.
Unlike Sugar, Ain couldn't stay protected at all times. For a Marine, fainting or falling into the ocean was very possible.
How long this could really last was anyone's guess.
"I understand," Garp sighed.
"Alright then… Ain, please restore him."
Ain snapped her fingers.
Luffy's body rapidly grew back, returning to his bruised, swollen state.
Garp let out a helpless sigh and said to Karl,
"There's nothing I can do… he is my grandson after all."
"If he really becomes a pirate someday, and you happen to run into him…"
"Please… for my sake…"
Karl smiled but said nothing.
So this was the real reason he brought me here, Karl thought.
Karl then shifted his gaze to Ace.
"And what about this one? If I remember correctly, the Pirate King Roger's sword was named Ace. That's not a coincidence, is it?"
"Or should I say—he's Roger's son?"
Garp's face changed drastically.
He never expected Karl to deduce Ace's identity from just a name.
Ace, who had been polite until now, darkened and said coldly,
"Don't mention him. He doesn't deserve to be called my father."
"So it's true," Karl said lightly.
"Tsk tsk~ Who would've thought that the weakest sea, the East Blue, would be hiding the bloodline of the Pirate King."
He then smiled at Garp.
"Relax. I'm famous for keeping my mouth shut. I'll pretend nothing happened today."
"After all, those are matters of the previous era. Right?"
Garp scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, yeah! Let the past stay in the past!"
Then he suddenly turned and glared fiercely at Ace.
"Did you hear that, you little punk?! If you dare become a pirate, I'll beat you half to death!"
"Hmph."
Ace snorted and wisely chose not to talk back. He'd learned from Luffy's example.
As for Ain—she was completely confused.
How did the conversation suddenly jump to Roger?
Karl turned to the two boys and said flatly,
"As a Marine, I'll give you some advice."
"There are only two kinds of pirates: dead pirates, and pirates in Impel Down."
"So don't even think about becoming pirates, okay?"
"Vice Admiral Garp, right?"
Garp nodded vigorously.
"That's right! If you become pirates, I definitely won't hold back!"
Garp sounded righteous and imposing—
though knowing what kind of man he was, Karl wasn't fooled at all.
"Well then, Vice Admiral Garp," Karl said, turning away,
"We still have official business to take care of. Ain, let's go."
There was no point staying longer.
They were just kids—Karl had no interest in lecturing them or persuading them to become Marines.
What they chose had nothing to do with him.
After Karl and Ain left, Luffy and Ace looked at each other and asked in unison,
"Grandpa, who was that man just now?"
Garp let out a long sigh, rubbing their heads.
"Karl. Marine Major General."
"In the future… stay as far away from him as possible. The farther, the better."
That kid was just like Kizaru—impossible to read.
On the warship, Karl yawned lazily.
"Ain, go tell Nelson to steer the ship toward Cocoyashi Village."
"Cocoyashi Village?" Ain asked.
"The village famous for oranges? Why there?"
Karl propped his chin up.
"It's under the jurisdiction of Marine 16th Branch."
"If we're going to investigate, we start with civilian reputation."
"We can't just storm the 16th Branch and confront them head-on, can we?"
"I understand," Ain nodded.
"But it's already getting late. Are we leaving now?"
Karl laughed.
"Don't forget—we're in the East Blue, not the Grand Line. It's very safe."
And so, the warship departed the Goa Kingdom, heading toward Cocoyashi Village.
At their speed, they would arrive around noon the next day.
In a nearby sea area, an unremarkable ship drifted quietly.
A man with a sandal print on his face lowered his telescope and muttered,
"A Seastone warship… not Dad's. Why would they come to the East Blue?"
Dragon scratched his head.
"Whatever. As long as they're not here for me."
After the World Conference, the Revolutionary Army's situation had become extremely difficult.
They had been dragged into the open.
The kings of the allied nations grew anxious, and the Revolutionary Army paid the price.
CP units, Marines—fine.
But even ordinary civilians began seeing them as monsters.
Their revolutionary work had nearly come to a standstill.
"…Just hold on a bit longer," Dragon sighed softly.
"If Kuma can successfully complete his mission…"
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