The moment Crocodile finished speaking, an ominous premonition instantly rose in Garp's heart.
Sure enough, the enormous rainforest in the distance shattered in an instant. A figure flew out from within.
Roldy wore a smile as he met Garp's gaze from above. In the next moment, his figure vanished and reappeared in front of Crocodile.
"Long time no see, Grandpa Garp!"
Roldy looked at Garp with a smile.
Seventeen years had passed. Not a single strand of black could be found in Garp's hair anymore. Paired with that thick white beard of his, it was true—before anyone realized it, even Vice Admiral Garp was already nearly eighty years old.
But judging by aura alone, Vice Admiral Garp's body still seemed to be in excellent shape.
"Yo! So you really are here, Roldy ! You brat disappeared for seventeen years in one go, but looking at you now, you don't seem to have changed much!"
After seeing Roldy , Garp casually tossed Luffy and Ace aside and walked forward. He stretched out his rough hand and began pinching Roldy here and there, acting so familiar that Luffy and Ace behind him were left staring in disbelief.
Wait.
Their grandpa was this close with Roldy ?
"You look much older, sir. But your body seems to be doing just fine! How is Teacher Zephyr?"
The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere changed completely.
Without anyone needing to say a word, Crocodile very consciously used yellow sand to condense two enormous chairs. Roldy and Garp sat facing each other, and Roldy pulled two bottles of alcohol from his coat as if performing a magic trick.
Just like that, the two began chatting as though no one else were present.
"This is so weird. Why is Grandpa chatting so happily with that Roldy guy?"
Luffy scratched his head from the side, clearly unable to understand what was going on.
He had originally come here to send Crocodile flying, but he could not beat her at all. Now, Roldy , the boss behind Crocodile, had also appeared here. No matter how he thought about it, there was no longer any chance for him to make a move.
Even if he could, he and Ace together still could not beat Crocodile.
"I heard from Pops that Roldy used to be a Marine a long time ago."
Ace was even more shocked than Luffy.
He had thought Garp would fight Roldy . But looking at the scene now, why did it feel like these two were on the same side?
"Huh?! A Marine? That Uncle Roldy used to be a Marine?"
Luffy's eyes widened.
"That's right. When our boss was young, he was a Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters. Later, he simply left."
An unfamiliar voice suddenly appeared beside Luffy and Ace.
Someone had approached, yet neither of them had noticed at all.
Ace broke out in a cold sweat, while Luffy blankly turned his head.
A tall Fish-Man, nearly four meters in height, stood behind him. With Luffy's height, he barely reached the man's waist. Luffy raised his head and looked up at this unfamiliar figure.
A Fish-Man?
"Hello there, little brats! I'm Sheen , Big Brother Roldy 's right-hand man! That fight just now was really impressive! Hahaha, Crocodile actually suffered a big loss at the hands of you two. I can laugh at him about this for the rest of my life!"
Sheen expressed friendliness, but Ace did not dare relax.
He knew very well that Sea Emperor Roldy had four high-ranking officers under him. Though he had heard another new officer had apparently joined recently, that could be set aside for now.
Among those four high-ranking officers, the one most trusted by Roldy was Sheen , known as the "Blood Flood Dragon."
His bounty was even higher than Crocodile's. He was the undisputed number two of Roldy 's crew.
The origin of that epithet came from a mission Sheen had carried out alone.
According to others, the target had been an enormous pirate crew with a combined bounty exceeding 1.5 billion Berries . Its captain's bounty had reached as high as 600 million.
Yet at that time, Sheen had charged in alone.
By the next day, when outsiders went to that pirate crew's base, what they saw was a hellish scene.
In particular, the captain with a nearly 600-million-berry bounty had his head smashed apart, and his body was completely soaked in blood.
Even more terrifying was that the captain's luxurious room had been painted completely red by someone like a deranged madman.
What had the paint been?
The answer was obvious.
From then on, Sheen gained that title.
He was powerful, violent, and somewhat twisted in the head.
Ace absolutely could not get too close to someone like him.
"Oh, Uncle Sheen ! Then can you give Alabasta back to Vivi? Crocodile's rule is way too bloody. I originally wanted to send her flying, but I couldn't beat her. This is really giving me a headache!"
Luffy spoke familiarly to Sheen as though they were already close.
"Well, I'm afraid that won't work. Had you beaten Crocodile, that would be one thing. Our boss keeps his promises better than anyone. A tiny Alabasta is not something we would care that much about. But the problem is, you lost. So from now on, Alabasta is territory of the Roldy Crew. If you want to come visit in the future, you can use my name!"
Sheen refused.
However, the way he behaved was not as deranged or violent as the rumors made him sound.
Luffy pulled a bitter face.
Even a naive, hot-blooded brat had things he feared.
For example, the old man sitting on that chair of yellow sand.
Honestly, he really did not want to taste that Fist of Love again.
"Luffy! Get over here!"
Ace gritted his teeth and stepped forward, dragging Luffy away.
Sheen did not mind. He merely shrugged and walked toward the royal palace.
Alabasta had already fallen into the hands of the Roldy Crew. That absolutely would not change.
After all, Roldy had said back then that if Luffy and Ace joined forces and defeated Crocodile, he would return Alabasta to them. Conversely, if they failed, Alabasta would become his possession.
The outcome was obvious.
Even with Garp here, that would not change anything. Roldy placed extreme importance on promises. Once he said something, he would do it.
"Big Brother, I'm heading to the palace."
After greeting Roldy , Sheen walked toward the royal palace on his own.
Roldy nodded.
But Garp, seated in front of him, showed a troubled expression.
"Roldy , kid… Alabasta is still a member nation of the World Government. And the identity of Alabasta's royal family is not ordinary either. How about…"
Garp tentatively opened his mouth to ask, but truthfully, even he himself had no confidence.
Sure enough, under his expectant gaze, Roldy slowly shook his head.
"Old man, I would actually be very willing to give you face. But who asked me to already make a promise to your grandson? If he could beat Little Sand, we would leave Alabasta. Otherwise, my wolverine flag will fly here."
Roldy refused decisively.
"Don't worry. With my help, Alabasta's national strength will soon surpass what it once was."
Garp said nothing more.
He had already expected this outcome.
However, he was still surprised that his two grandsons had dared challenge Crocodile.
Their conversation fell into the ears of Luffy and Ace nearby.
Luffy sighed and sat cross-legged on the ground, his cheeks puffed up high.
Ace crouched beside him and placed a hand on Luffy's head, comforting him in silence.
"By the way, Roldy ! Did you see that brat Ann? That damn little punk never learns anything good, only bad things. Of all things, he had to learn from your example back then and leave the Marines to become a pirate! What a headache!"
Garp could still sympathize with Zephyr.
After all, the descendants of these two men had either become pirates or joined the Revolutionary Army. And the most outstanding student they had taught together was now an Emperor of the New World…
"Of course he's here. I even met the kid earlier. Oh, right—Little Sand, bring those youngsters over too."
"Yes, Boss!"
A short while later, Crocodile's subordinates invited the Straw Hat crew over.
Every one of them had injuries of varying severity, and they looked utterly miserable.
"Get over here, you brat!"
Garp's roar drew the attention of everyone in the Straw Hat crew.
Usopp and Chopper hid behind Ann, sticking out their heads as they looked at the fierce old man.
"Brother Ann, that guy looks really dangerous. We should stay farther away from him!"
Usopp returned once again to the ranks of cowards.
However, Ann, who stood in front of him, began walking toward that fierce-looking old man.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
There was even a tremor in Ann's voice.
Bang!
The familiar huge bump appeared again…
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