Ross didn't stay long; he left after feeding the baby.
He simply left Zane to take care of Rouge, and wasn't in a hurry to do anything else.
When a person's life is filled with people from one particular faction, even without deliberate brainwashing, that person will naturally take sides.
The gossip of outsiders can never compare to one's own personal experience.
However, this requires making that person more comfortable, otherwise it will backfire.
For the next few days, Ross had absolutely nothing to do.
Every morning, he would accompany Zephyr to the beach for practice; in the afternoon, he would sit at Rouge's house reading books and newspapers; and in the evening, he would play games with Stella. Every day was extremely fulfilling.
Even ordinary people in the world of One Piece have excellent physical health, coupled with top-notch medical care. By the third day, Rouge was able to get out of bed and walk.
By the fifth day, Rouge had fully recovered.
After giving birth to Ace, Rouge seemed to have acquired a gentle aura, which even Ross would occasionally be drawn to.
Ross didn't really hide it; after all, he was a Celestial Dragon, so of course he had to be benevolent.
However, this carefree period came to an end on the 7th day.
"Saint Ross, Garp has arrived. He swam to this island to avoid being seen."
Zephyr pushed open the door, a mocking look in his eyes.
In just a few days, Ross, with his status and wealth, could easily bribe everyone on Baterilla Island and provide each household with an ordinary Den Den Mushi.
Even if Garp manages to evade the World Government's eyes and ears, someone will report to him as soon as he sets foot on this island.
He had only speculated before, but now it's confirmed.
The dignified Marine hero Garp actually knew the whereabouts of Roger's son, and was willing to watch the South Blue suffer innocently in order to keep this secret.
"You two have known each other for a long time. Do you think he'll just keep an eye on things secretly, or will he snatch the child away?"
Ross slowly stood up, his bones cracking and popping.
[Strength: B- (Vice Admiral)]
Combat Skills: Armament Haki (A), Conqueror's Haki (B), Observation Haki (C), Swordsmanship (C), Marksmanship (D), Physical Combat (C)...
With Zephyr as his sparring partner, he had enough time to fully utilize his newfound strength.
This level of strength is definitely not enough to compete with Garp, but even if Garp isn't serious, he wouldn't be instantly killed.
"That depends on what his agreement with Roger was. If they agreed to help take care of Ace, given that guy's personality, he might very well try to snatch him away," Zephyr scoffed.
He didn't like Garp's personality much before, and now he looks down on him even more.
Even though Roger is dead, the impact he had will continue to affect countless people.
Such a person doesn't deserve any sympathy.
Moreover, he was certain that Garp would never save Rouge; he only cared about Roger's offspring.
Otherwise, Garp would have found a way to rescue them long ago, instead of waiting until now.
Based on his understanding of Garp, he figured Garp was probably also struggling with this decision.
Torn between whether or not to save Roger's offspring.
"Back then he was just an ordinary Marine, and he was already impulsive and rash, and he hasn't changed even now," Zephyr scoffed.
"What happened back then?" Ross asked with interest.
Ross didn't really like Garp.
Garp had his own principles, but looking back on his life, it seems he did everything, yet everything was a regret.
"At that time, a group of pirates occupied the royal palace of the member state and held the hostages in four different places. I, Tsuru, Sengoku, and Garp were tasked with rescuing the hostages."
Zephyr sighed softly, recalling the past:
"At that time, the World Government decided to bombard the palace and kill everyone. The instructions given to us by the Marine Headquarters were that we had only one chance to rescue them. Once the time was up, the palace would be bombarded directly."
"The four of us agreed on a time to act at the same time. Sengoku and Tsuru chose to outsmart the pirates, luring them away and rescuing all the hostages."
"What about you and Garp?" Ross asked.
Sengoku and Tsuru's choices and outcomes were not unexpected, but since Zephyr said so, it could only mean that his and Garp's choices were different from others.
"I wanted to be the hero behind the scenes, so I chose to ambush and knock him unconscious. Because Garp's side attracted a lot of guards, my operation went very smoothly. Although I was discovered in the end, I managed to rescue him before they could use the hostage as a threat."
Zephyr grinned, saying that now that he was old, he felt a little ashamed looking back on his youth, but he also found the memories more interesting.
"Garp, surprisingly, chose to charge head-on."
"He caused quite a commotion on his side at the time. Sengoku was hilarious. Afterwards, he actually expressed his gratitude to Garp, thinking that Garp was deliberately attracting everyone's attention so that our rescue could proceed smoothly."
"Actually, Garp didn't think that much about it. He just thought that he could save everyone by charging in recklessly. The result was only so-so. After a bloody battle, there were a total of 20 hostages. Except for the most important prince, all the others were killed in the process."
"Judging from the mission results, he rescued key figures and killed many pirates to avenge the dead. But I have never approved of his actions."
"He's at best a brute, he doesn't deserve the word 'hero' at all."
Zephyr snorted softly; the word "hero" was complicated for him.
Back then, he was actually similar to Garp, except he was a little more intelligent, but he was also idealistic.
It was a change in his family that made him fully realize and change.
But in his heart, he still hoped there would be more heroes in the world, but definitely not heroes like Garp.
"But Garp is a Marine hero," Ross joked.
"You know better than I how he became a hero." Zephyr's expression darkened further.
If Garp saves the Marines or a country and is ultimately recognized as a Marine hero, then he will accept it wholeheartedly.
The key point is that Garp became a Marine hero because he saved the Celestial Dragons of God Valley and joined forces with the Roger Pirates to defeat the Rocks Pirates.
The value of this was so high that he felt the word "hero" was tainted.
"He truly is a hero, but what can I do when I'm a Celestial Dragon?"
Ross had a smile on his face; it wasn't often he'd see Zephyr get his comeuppance.
Garp saved a Celestial Dragon, and the World Government tacitly acknowledged him as a Marine hero, so there's nothing wrong with that.
"That's true, I almost forgot you're a Celestial Dragon too."
Zephyr shook his head. He usually got along very well with Ross, so much so that he subconsciously ignored Ross's identity.
In normal times, Ross didn't give him the same disgusting feeling as the other Celestial Dragons; except when on a mission, he indulged in a little wicked fun.