"I can let you go and keep it a secret, but I have three conditions."
Ross held up three fingers, unhurriedly.
He knew Garp would compromise.
Or rather, Garp was someone who compromised when he couldn't achieve something.
Garp was determined to capture Roger, but the capture of Roger was entirely due to Roger surrendering. The pursuit was basically just for show. In the end, Roger surrendered and even reminisced as a friend, promising to help take care of his descendants.
Garp wanted to train his son to be an excellent Marine, but Dragon defected and founded the Revolutionary Army. Garp didn't personally capture Dragon; he simply allowed him to remain abroad.
Garp clearly had his own principles and sense of justice, but he refused to be promoted to Admiral because he couldn't stand the Celestial Dragons. This behavior itself was a form of compromise.
Garp wanted to train Ace to become a Marine, but despite Ace's dislike of Roger, he still went to sea and became a pirate. After Ace became a pirate, Garp had no intention of bringing him back, and only regretted it after Ace was captured.
Garp wanted to train Luffy to become a Marine, but Luffy aspired to become the Pirate King. When they met again on the road, Garp still chose to let him go.
Garp wanted to save Ace, but he hesitated and failed to act as a good Marine or save Ace. In the end, he didn't go after Akainu, who had killed Ace, and chose to compromise.
Aside from his strength and reputation, hesitation, failure, and compromise characterized the latter half of Garp's life.
Based on these factors, Ross was certain that Garp would also compromise this time.
"Tell me about it."
Garp's face was grim, but he dared not make a move because of Zephyr's presence.
He couldn't kill Zephyr in a short time, so he couldn't kill all the people who knew the truth.
The only thing he could do now was risk his life to trade one for one with Ross.
But once he did that, it was hard to say whether he'd live or die, but Ace would definitely die.
Even the people on this island might be killed as a result.
Even he could think of that, so there was no way he would do it.
It was pointless since Ace was going to die either way.
Since Ross was willing to make demands, what was wrong with compromising as long as it allowed Ace and him to leave smoothly?
Having served in the Marine for so many years, how much evil had he seen from the World Government?
But he always suppressed his anger and chose to ignore it.
"My first condition is that you fight for me with all your might three times in the future. Don't worry, the opponent will definitely be a villain, and won't make things difficult for you, the Marine hero." Ross raised his index finger and shook it.
"No problem!"
Garp readily agreed.
It was his duty to deal with the villains.
His expression had improved considerably by now; at least Ross's demands seemed reasonable and didn't appear to be deliberately making things difficult for him.
"The second condition is that you can take the child with you, but he must change his name to Gol D. Jass."
Ross held up two fingers and waved them in front of Garp.
Truth and falsehood are commonplace in the world of One Piece.
He didn't care about Jass's future; if he became a source of amusement, he wouldn't regret it if he died young.
Life is a long journey, and as a member of the Celestial Dragons, one must always learn to find some enjoyment for oneself.
"Whatever."
Garp's expression changed slightly, but he still agreed.
He didn't want A...Jass to inherit the Gol surname, but upon closer inspection, naming him Jass wouldn't really make a difference.
There's more than one Gol, so as long as Jass joins the Marine in the future, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
"I won't make things difficult for your third condition. I watched Jass being born. Although I'm only interested in Rouge, I've at least raised him for this many days."
Ross paused slightly, speaking seemingly casually, but seeing the realization on Garp's face, he knew his words had been effective.
Whether Garp was genuinely simple-minded or just pretending to be wise, it was just a casual explanation, and there was no need to make him overthink it, causing any changes to the plan.
Even if Garp didn't believe him, it didn't matter. Even if Garp knew that Ace was switched, what could he do to him when he rushed to the Holy Land in the future?
Next, it was time for his favorite part.
"Vice Admiral Garp, the third condition is simple: punch yourself, just enough to cause a minor injury and make you vomit blood, then kneel down and admit defeat to me," Ross said calmly.
He didn't want to miss this rare opportunity to achieve an S-rank victory.
Defeating an S-rank expert is equivalent to killing an A-rank expert.
There aren't many A-level powerhouses in the entire world. They either belong to the World Government or are holed up in the New World, making them very difficult to find targets to kill.
After confirming it multiple times, he found that the reward for defeating the opponent was simply to vomit blood, be injured, and verbally admit defeat; the conditions were quite simple to meet.
"Tch, you Celestial Dragons really have a twisted sense of humor!"
When Garp heard this request, he burst into laughter.
The fact that Sakazuki knelt down and admitted defeat was something that the entire high command of the Marine had heard about, thanks to the World Government's deliberate propaganda.
This was also the result Ross wanted.
He wanted to cultivate an image of someone who liked to admit defeat to strong people, so that even if you encountered a strong person, you could make them admit defeat without causing unnecessary trouble.
Perhaps later on, the powerful figures from those world governments would come to him and admit defeat.
After all, he wouldn't admit defeat to some nobody.
The defeat of one S-rank expert is equivalent to the defeat of 5 A-rank experts, 50 B-rank experts, or 500 C-rank experts.
The world government has no fewer than 10 S-class officials, but it is highly unlikely to be able to gather 500 B-class officials.
Rather than having B-levels line up to admit defeat, it was better to only accept A-levels and above, and then actively seek out S-levels, to build up a reputation first.
Perhaps later on, after the S-rank pirates had clashed with him, they'd be willing to give him face.
Of course, if it was a hostile S-rank enemy, he'd definitely kill it if he could, and only consider the reward for defeating it if he couldn't kill it.
"If you agree, you can leave after you're done. If you disagree, you know the consequences." Ross remained noncommittal.
"I don't care about these common names."
Garp laughed heartily, picked up Jass with one arm, and pounded his chest with the other.
Thwack!
Garp spat out a mouthful of blood, but he didn't care at all, as if he had just been tickled.
A strongman like him wouldn't utter a sound even if he were seriously injured, let alone such a minor injury.
Immediately, Garp knelt down and said in a deep voice:
"Saint Ross, I've lost today. Next time, I promise I won't let you stop me!"
He spoke these words from the heart.
He lost this time because he was stopped by Ross and Zephyr.
If Ross seized on this point and notified the Five Elders, he wouldn't have a single chance to turn the tables.
But losing this time didn't mean he'd lose next time!
Garp silently stood up, picked up Jass, and quickly passed Zephyr and Ross, rushing onto the prepared ship.
He set sail swiftly, all by himself.
[S-rank defeat achieved!]
[Strength +500,000]
[Special Reward: Rokushiki (Rank A)]
The Rokushiki Marine techniques were a pretty good reward...
Ross smiled and watched as Garp sailed away until he disappeared from sight.
"By the way, Zephyr, you checked the ship, and it seems there's only meat, wine, and fresh water. Do you think Garp might have let Jass die?"
"That's quite possible." Zephyr looked strange. "But he'll probably go to a nearby island for help. The nearest island is less than a day's journey from here."
"It's just a pity for Justin. I just hope Garp can be a decent human being and not let him die."
Ross smiled and turned to walk towards the island.
After receiving the biggest reward, there was a smaller reward waiting for him to check when he got back.