Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: The Gates of Justice(Bonus Chapter)

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Chapter 24: The Gates of Justice

After several days of sailing, the warship finally reached its destination: the holy ground in the hearts of all Marines, their supreme headquarters—Marineford.

The voyage had not been uneventful. They'd crossed paths with a few pirate vessels. Each time, Garp had ended the encounter before it truly began, hurling massive cannonballs like meteorites with his bare hands, sending the enemy ships to the bottom before his own crew could even ready their weapons. The Marines on board were used to it. Only when Garp was feeling unusually lazy did they get to engage.

Now, before them, the massive Gates of Justice groaned open, revealing the full, imposing spectacle of Marineford. A wave of solemn, powerful atmosphere washed over the deck. Satoru had never seen another Marine base, but he was certain none could match the sheer, intimidating grandeur of this place. Even he felt a instinctive pull to stand straighter, his expression settling into something more serious.

"Don't look so tense, kid," Garp boomed, his voice shattering the awe. "It's not that special. Just think of it as coming home."

His massive hand came down in a familiar, hearty slap on Satoru's back.

WHAP!

"Oof!" Satoru stumbled forward, gritting his teeth. The spot on his back burned. He hadn't sensed the attack coming, so his Infinity hadn't been active. Maintaining it constantly was still a conscious, mentally draining effort for him.

"Welcome back, Vice Admiral Garp!"

The Marines guarding the harbor, recognizing Garp's distinctive warship, snapped to attention, forming two crisp lines as a greeting party.

Garp strode down the gangplank at the front, with Satoru and the ever-silent Bogard following. The rest of the crew disembarked behind them. Every Marine in the lines watched Garp pass with eyes full of profound respect. He wasn't an Admiral, but he was the Hero. The captor of Rocks, the cornerer of Roger. His status here surpassed even that of the Admirals.

"Dismissed! Rest up! We sail again tomorrow!" Garp barked at his crew.

"Aye, Sir!"

With that, Garp led Satoru toward the most commanding structure at the center of the fortress—the main administration building.

"Sengoku! The old man's back!"

Outside a large office door, Garp didn't bother to knock. He just yelled and shoved the door open.

"Garp, you ill-mannered oaf! Don't you know how to knock?!" a voice snapped from inside.

Satoru saw Fleet Admiral Sengoku, a man with a magnificent afro and beard, hurriedly shoving something into a desk drawer.

"Hahaha! This place is like my own house! I don't knock at my own house!" Garp retorted, plopping himself down on a sofa as if he owned the room.

Sengoku sighed, used to the antics. His sharp eyes then fell on Satoru. "And who is this?"

The moment his gaze met Satoru's pale blue eyes, Sengoku felt an uncanny sensation, as if the boy's look could peel back layers.

"His name's Satoru. My grandson. Brought him to enlist," Garp stated simply.

If it were any other child, Sengoku would have called it ridiculous. But looking at this boy, with his unnervingly calm demeanor and those strange eyes, he couldn't dismiss it.

"Your grandson?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow, looking from Garp's rugged features to Satoru's ethereal ones. "Have you looked in a mirror? He doesn't look a thing like you or Dragon."

"Hahaha!" Garp just laughed.

"Rescued him from pirates years ago. Adopted him. So he's my grandson," Garp clarified, technically telling the truth.

"I see. Satoru, is it?" Sengoku addressed the boy directly.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"Polite. A vast improvement over a certain someone," Sengoku said, shooting a glance at Garp.

"Don't let his looks fool you, Sengoku," Garp chuckled. "This kid's got a nasty streak. Darker than he looks."

As if on cue, the fabric of Garp's Marine jacket suddenly ripped along the shoulder seam for no apparent reason, the tear clean and sharp.

Sengoku's eyes widened. That wasn't natural wear and tear.

"See?" Garp said, pointing at the tear without a hint of anger. "I badmouth him once, and he ruins my uniform."

Satoru had used a minute, controlled application of Blue on the fabric, its attractive force tearing the threads apart.

"A Devil Fruit user?" Sengoku asked, interest fully piqued. Talented recruits were the Navy's lifeblood.

"Not a Fruit," Garp shook his head. "An innate ability. Like the Lunarians and their fire. It's just part of him."

The explanation made Sengoku's eyes gleam. He suddenly remembered Garp's bizarre, book-obsessed behavior from years prior. "So that's what you were researching?"

"Yep. But I found nothing. No records of an ability like his, or anyone like him, anywhere."

Of course not, Satoru thought.

"And what, precisely, are your abilities?" Sengoku asked Satoru.

"Gravity. Repulsion. And... a stopping force," Satoru summarized.

"A 'stopping force'?" Sengoku frowned. Gravity and repulsion he understood. But 'stopping' was vague.

"To put it simply," Garp interjected, "if he wants to, our attacks just... stop before they reach him. Unless you catch him off guard."

Sengoku's breath hitched. If true, that was a defensive power of absurd, near-absolute caliber.

"However," Satoru added calmly, preempting the conclusion, "it can be bypassed. By Conqueror's Haki."

He saw no point in hiding what he believed to be a key weakness. It would come out eventually. Better to control the narrative. The admission made Sengoku lean back, his strategic mind already whirring, assessing the immense potential and the defined limitation of the extraordinary boy standing before him.

(End of Chapter)

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