"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! That hurts! It hurts like hell! Old man, what are you doing?!"
Ann clutched his head, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.
The familiar iron fist. The familiar sensation.
He was still like a lowly small fry, completely at the mercy of the other party.
"Hmph! Instead of learning anything good, you only learned the bad stuff! You've really grown capable, brat, even becoming a pirate? If your old man finds out, it'd be strange if he doesn't skin you alive!"
Garp scolded him with the frustration of someone watching iron fail to become steel.
But as Roldy listened from the side, something started to feel off.
Good grief.
Had he become the bad example?
"Being a pirate has no future! What's wrong with becoming an outstanding Marine? You brat, you're coming back with this old man immediately! Fortunately, you don't have a bounty yet. And Luffy, you too!"
Garp roared furiously.
However, Luffy instinctively shouted, "No!"
When Garp heard that, the anger in his heart burned even hotter. He rolled up his sleeves and strode toward Luffy.
"Going back to the Marines actually isn't a bad choice."
Roldy pointed to a nearby chair, gesturing for Ann to sit down.
Ann did not stand on ceremony either. He sat there, though his hands were still rubbing his head.
"Roldy … Big Brother!"
"Mm. Now that's the right way to address me."
Roldy nodded in satisfaction.
"Don't worry. I'm different from Teacher Zephyr. If you're willing to return to Marine Headquarters, then naturally, that's what all of us would like to see. With your current strength, brat, you're still not strong enough to protect yourself on these seas. In Paradise, you might be considered decent, but if you run into those truly terrifying pirates, you definitely won't be their match."
"Of course, if you insist on not listening and want to continue being a pirate, I won't oppose it either. A place like the Marines… if you stay steady and only want to remain a Vice Admiral like Grandpa Garp, then there isn't much of a problem. But if you climb any higher, you'll see many things you won't want to see."
"As for being a pirate, chasing freedom sounds very cool. But this isn't a children's game. You need to think it through."
Roldy was very open-minded.
From the perspective of a predecessor, he gave Ann his advice.
The Marines were safe, but pirates were dangerous.
The Marines were restricted everywhere, while pirates were free and unfettered.
Each side had its advantages.
"Hey, Roldy , you brat! Don't teach Ann bad things!"
Garp glared at him, his beard bristling.
Because he could see that his own grandson agreed quite a lot with this way of thinking.
How could that be allowed?
He had raised both Ace and Luffy with the intention of making them Marines. Yet now, both of these brats had become pirates!
Luffy was still somewhat manageable. His bounty was only thirty million Berries . With Garp's achievements and reputation at Marine Headquarters, he could still have the bounty withdrawn.
As for Ace, he would inevitably need to be reformed in Impel Down for a while. But for Garp's sake, it was not as though he had no chance of becoming a Marine in the future.
The problem was that both of his grandsons were more stubborn than the last.
One shouted about becoming the Pirate King.
The other served as a high-ranking officer aboard Whitebeard's ship.
Even if Garp had heaven-defying ability, he still could not tie up these two grandsons, rebellious to the extreme, and drag them back.
Of course, they absolutely had to be educated.
It was just that…
"Roldy , kid. Come here. This old man has a few words to say to you."
Who knew when Garp had learned this awkward, hesitant act?
Roldy found it rather amusing. He waved his hand, signaling that no one else needed to follow, then walked aside with Garp. Only then did Garp speak with some difficulty.
"Well, kid, you know this old man only has one son, Dragon, and only these two grandsons. Before, I could barely count it as three, but one of them unfortunately died young… Fine, let's not mention that."
"You should understand these two children's temperaments somewhat. From now on, out on the sea, I'll need you to look after them a bit more."
Garp lowered his pride and asked Roldy for a promise.
Naturally, Roldy did not refuse.
Toward those elders who had once shown him kindness, his temper and patience were surprisingly good.
"Gahaha! I thought you were going to say something serious, old man. Don't worry. Young people do need to be tempered. Let them go out and make their own way. With me here, at least you don't need to worry about them losing their lives."
With the intelligence network brought by the Underworld , the current Roldy could find almost anyone on the sea.
This promise was not a joke.
Hearing this, Garp also let out a sigh of relief. Grinning broadly, he patted Roldy 's arm.
"Good. Then I'll leave Alabasta to you! This old man knows your true nature, brat. Do your best. We old fellows have always trusted you!"
Those words faintly contained some inexplicable meaning.
Roldy was not stupid. Naturally, he could sense it.
He smiled and nodded in agreement.
…
Watching Roldy gather with that old man wearing a Marine Vice Admiral's coat, with hearty laughter occasionally ringing out from their direction, Vivi's face turned completely pale.
Her left arm was still bleeding, but the pain of her body could not compare to the bitterness in her heart.
"Luffy…"
This was the final life-saving straw Vivi could find.
But when she looked toward Luffy, he lowered his head with a face full of apology.
At that moment, Sheen brought Vivi's father over.
Vivi hurriedly went to meet them.
Her father gently stroked Vivi's blue hair, took a deep breath, and then walked resolutely toward Roldy .
"From this day onward, Alabasta will need Mr. Roldy 's protection."
It was not that he wanted to replace the king.
Rather, he needed Alabasta's strength.
Cobra understood this point very clearly.
Roldy nodded in acceptance.
The other party was cautious and unwilling to make a reckless gamble. But Roldy had used force to drag him onto his warship.
There was no need for any special precautions.
Before absolute power, if this king harbored improper thoughts, Roldy could easily crush him.
Even if Roldy had never done such a thing before, Cobra still did not dare gamble.
In the eyes of these Emperors, destroying an entire country was not some major affair.
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